The Inuit shaman, or angekkok, has great spiritual powers, which usually were developed when he reached the age of puberty. It was then after wondering in the desert for a few days, becoming hungry and anxiously dissociated from his environment, that tornaq, or spirit, appears to him generally in some near-human form. A dialogue between the two occurs in which the frightened aspirant is promised strength and visions. He returns home to his family and continues living an average life but eventually is overcome by spells of inspiration and is sought to be accepted to be an assistant to an experienced magician. The magician trains the assistant in the shamanistic skills of curing illness, controlling the weather, and forecasting the future.