Grand Vestibule: The British Monarchy and the World
The Grand Vestibule at Windsor Castle reflects interaction between the monarchy and the wider world
EYEETSIAK PETER (B.1937)
Taloolayook and Man
1970RCIN 3719
A serpentinite carving of a female figure with the tail of a fish, her head turned to her left, with long hair flowing down her back and a child holding on to her waist.
This sculpture depicts Taloolayook (also known by the names Taleelayu, Nuliajuk and Sedna), the Inuit goddess of the sea, who is closely associated with stories of creation in Inuit mythology. From Taloolayook are said to come the many forms of Arctic marine life, including seals, walruses and whales. In one version of the legend, these animals were formed after Taloolayook quarrelled with her father: she was thrown into the sea and, when she tried to climb back into the boat, her father chopped off her fingers, which transfigured into Arctic wildlife. Inuit hunters have traditionally prayed to Taloolayook before a hunt in the hope that she might release animals to them.
Eeeyetsiak Peter is an Inuit sculptor and printmaker from Cape Dorset.
This sculpture depicts Taloolayook (also known by the names Taleelayu, Nuliajuk and Sedna), the Inuit goddess of the sea, who is closely associated with stories of creation in Inuit mythology. From Taloolayook are said to come the many forms of Arctic marine life, including seals, walruses and whales. In one version of the legend, these animals were formed after Taloolayook quarrelled with her father: she was thrown into the sea and, when she tried to climb back into the boat, her father chopped off her fingers, which transfigured into Arctic wildlife. Inuit hunters have traditionally prayed to Taloolayook before a hunt in the hope that she might release animals to them.
Eeeyetsiak Peter is an Inuit sculptor and printmaker from Cape Dorset.