Legends Of The National Parks: Denali's Keelut By Aaron Johnson, Joel Anderson, 2022
- Legends Of The National Parks: Denali's Keelut
Located deep in the Alaskan Interior, Denali National Park is a stunning wilderness with the giant peak of Denali as its focal point. While much of the park has been explored by park rangers and visitors alike, there is a darker, more mysterious element to the park; a mythical creature from Indigenous Athabascan legend that is said to haunt the more wild, unexplored areas of Denali. This is the Keelut creature. A beast spoken of by various Athabascan tribes ranging all the way from Alaska to Baffin Island in Canada, the Keelut (also called “Qiqirn”) is a monster that resembles a huge, hairless black dog. According to the Inuit stories about the creature, the Keelut can access the spirit world and the physical world both. In addition to being endowed with magic and a fierce physical form, Athabascan tribespeople say that the creature preys on lonely travelers and unfortunate souls who wander off the beaten path. Frightened and intrigued, alarmed and inspired, our poster artists hand-rendered a vintage poster of what we think the Keelut might look like. Available as a print, canvas, metal sign, mini-canvas, postcard, or notecard, this artwork is perfect for someone who loves the National Parks and the ghost stories that so often surround them. To learn more about Denali’s mysterious Keelut, check out this article at Puzzle Box Horror.