Apotamkin
A fanged sea monster that warns children away from danger.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
The Apotamkin is a creature in Maliseet and Passamaquoddy mythology, described as a giant fanged sea monster that lives in the Passamaquoddy Bay, specifically at the mouth of the St. Croix River, and pulls people in to eat them, particularly careless children. It is sometimes described as humanoid, sometimes as having a fully fish body with human hair, and is consistently said to have long red hair; in some versions, it was a human woman before being changed into a serpent. A separate legend from the Pacific Northwest also calls a monster an Apotamkin, this version being tall and apelike with orange-brown hair and fur, whose cry is said to be so terrifying as to give a person a heart attack.
- Mythology
- Maliseet and Passamaquoddy
- Type
- Sea monster / bogeyman
- Appearance
- Giant, fanged, long red hair; sometimes humanoid, sometimes fish-bodied; Pacific Northwest version: tall, apelike, orange-brown fur
- Habitat
- Passamaquoddy Bay, mouth of St. Croix River (Northeast); Pacific Northwest (separate legend)
- Known for
- Pulling careless children into the water to eat them; deterring children from dangerous areas
- Notable comparison
- Ponca legend of the Indaciga
Lore & Background
The Apotamkin is a figure in Maliseet and Passamaquoddy mythology, described as a giant fanged sea monster that dwells in the Passamaquoddy Bay, specifically at the mouth of the St. Croix River. It is said to pull people in to eat them, particularly careless children. Its appearance varies: sometimes it is humanoid, sometimes it has a fully fish body with human hair, and it is consistently depicted with long red hair. In some versions, it was a human woman before being transformed into a serpent. In 1888, the Journal of American Folklore described it as similar to a mermaid.
Reader's Guide
The Apotamkin serves as a bogeyman figure in both Northeast and Pacific Northwest traditions, used to instill fear into children to keep them from venturing into dangerous areas alone. Among the Passamaquoddy tribe, its presence is believed to prevent children from falling through thin ice, and while it is defined as a monster, it is not always evil. The creature has been compared to the Ponca legend of the Indaciga. In popular culture, the Pacific Northwest version appears in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, leading to occasional assumptions that it is a vampiric creature. Writer-director Carly Sappier of the Tobique First Nation released a 2017 short film called APOTAMKIN, based on stories told by elders, which premiered at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Santa Monica.
Did You Know?
- The Apotamkin is sometimes described as having been a human woman before being changed into a serpent.
- In 1888, the Journal of American Folklore described the Apotamkin as similar to a mermaid.
- The Pacific Northwest version of the Apotamkin is tall and apelike, with a cry said to cause heart attacks.
- A 2017 short film called APOTAMKIN, directed by Carly Sappier of the Tobique First Nation, is based on stories of the creature.
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