Did giants roam Canada's Northwest Territories or do they still?

A pair of photographsare stirringthe folklore potin the Northwest Territories or perhaps more accurately, leaving a big impression.

Both photos, sent to CBC North, show lakes that resemble gigantic footprints.

"Godzilla exist!" Eric James wrote on CBC North's Facebook page, under the photo of a lake with the unmistakeable shape of three-toed foot.

The photo was sent in by Kailie Letendre, who snapped it on on her way up to Inuvik.

Another, shared more than 250 times, shows another foot-like lake formation with islands and trees at the top forming thetoes. The aerial shot was taken by Andrew Paul Beaverho between Whati and Yellowknife.

"It's Yamoria's footprint from when he fought the giant beavers!"KeithShergoldcommented on CBC North's Facebookpage.

While many comments are made for amusement, they are steeped inlore that goes back millennia and form the rich culture of the land's first inhabitants.

"A lot of this is still revered and adhered to.People use these stories and legends to guide their lives," said AlestineAndre,heritage researcher with theGwich'inTribal Council.

"Some are very serious, butsome of them are for entertainment as well. It'sa very rich description of how things used to be and an explanation for how our land was shaped."

The Northwest Territories isnearly 1.2 million square kilometres with a topography of Precambrianvolcanic rock heaved into mountains and carved into valleys, along with untold lakes,rivers, turbulent waterfalls, islands and a tapestry of trees.

The NahanniValley, west of Yellowknife, is manyworlds unto itself. Despite the harsh conditions in winter, the valley contains tropic areas with hot springs,lush plants and sweltering whirpools in an area known as Hell's Gate.

Then there's Great Slave Lake, which is too deep to know what really lurks at its dark base.The official estimate is that the deepest lake in North America the sixth deepest on Earth goes down614 metres buta University of California researcher claims there are trenches that reach even farther down.

For all of its breadth, the N.W.T. ispopulated by just41,462 people,according to the most recent Census.

That leaves an extensive reach of uninhabited space and room for plenty oflegends.

• N.W.T. man tells of encounter with nahga the Tlicho sasquatch following boat accident
• Sasquatch sighting by Nunavik berry pickers

The earliest of days was a time when people and animals were equals and giant creatures wandered, and it was during these days that many features of the modern landscape were created, according to Andre, co-author of the book,GwichyaGwich'inGoogwandak:The History and Stories of theGwichyaGwich'in, As Told by The Elders ofTsiigehtshik.

"These marks and tracks show that the animals who made them must have been of enormous size. Mostly these were animals that everybody knew beaver, fish, or wolverine but they were bigger than any that the people had ever seen, and they lived much longer," the book states.

"These giant spirit animals,chijuudiee, have inhabited the land since the earliest days."

Ch'iichoo'sthunderous steps

One of the greatest legends is that ofa great traveller and warrior known by many names, depending on the region and tribe. The the Gwich'incall him Atachuukaii, while he isYamoria for the Deneof North Slavey andZhamba Deja for the DeneofSouthSlavey.

The Chipewyancall him Hachoghewhile the Tlichoand YellowknivesDenehave named himYamozha.

By all, he is knownas a hero.

TheGwichyaGwich'inGoogwandaksays Atachuukaiiencountered the man-eating giant Ch'ii choonear present-day Fort Yukon. The giant chased Atachuukaii across the land and all the way up the Mackenzie River.

The chase lasted a longtime and Ch'iichoo's thunderous steps made indentations in the ground, creatingsix big lakes between Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope.

• Legends of Yamoriafrom the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

Giant beavers, wolverines

According to the Dene, theirancient landDenendeh, was terrorized bygiant beaversthat would attack people.

Yamoriachasedthem to the northwest corner of present-day Saskatchewan, where during the struggle, onebeaver kicked away all the trees, creating the Athabasca sand dunes. After killing another, Yamoriatossed part of theempty dam into the AthabascaRiver, where it is now an island.

Yamoria also saved people from two giant wolverines, who used a medicine power to control their minds and entrap them before devouring them. Yamoria tricked the adult wolverines in order to get close, then killed them.

He then squeezed the young wolverines, shrinking them to the size the animals are today an animal small in body but with the power of a giant.

Some other legends from theGwichya Gwich'in Googwandakinclude:

• Gyuu dazhoo

A giant hairy worm, or snake, that came out of the ocean and travelled up the Mackenzie River and into the Peel River. He wanted to go up into the mountains, so he swallowed big rocks as he moved along, burrowing out the shape that is now the Snake River. Gyuu dazhoo still lives in the area, but it has not been sighted for so long now that nobody is quite sure whether it actually lives in the mountains near the headwater of the Snake River, or in a lake beside the river.

• Nehtruh tsh'

This is the name of an area on the bank of Tsiigehnjik, just downstream from Martin zheh, which is very distinct from its surroundings. The land here looks as if it has been torn apart. It is said to be the work of a giant wolverine thatcame out of a nearby lake. He broke up the hills and big boulders while heading underground.

• Chijuudiee

Nobody knows what these giants looked like or who they were, but the marks they left were so large and unusual that they could not have been made by a normal-sized being. One such chijuudiee must once have come out of a little lake southwest of K'eeghee chuudlaii, where it created a wide trench through the trees.

More beasts whose stories persist in the Northwest Territoriesinclude:

• Nahga

TheTlichosasquatchknown for stealing people from bush camps. It is said to have powerful magic that helpsitlure people who are then never seen again.

• Waheela

Described asa creature resembling a wolf or wolf-bear hybrid. It is said to stand four to five feet tall at the shoulders, with a wide head, enormous body, and blazing white fur. Various legends describe it as an evil spirit with supernatural powers and a penchant for removing people's heads.

It is said to reside in theNahanniValley, which has earnedthe nicknames Valley of Headless Men,DeadmenValley, and Headless Range.

The decapitatedbodies of prospecting brothersWillie and FrankMcLeodwere found along theNahanniRiver in 1909, while Swiss prospector MartinJorgensonwas found in the same condition in 1917, followed in 1945 by a miner from Ontario, who was headless and still in his sleeping bag.

'Tip of the iceberg'

These stories are "just touching the tip of the iceberg because there's just so much," said Andre. "And this is just on the land we also have stories about the sky.

"People are still very respectful of the teaching of our ancestors so we still have a great deal of respect for these stories and the information. And I'm only talking about the Gwich'in area you go into the Sahtu, you go into Behchoko and all that area, and also south of [Great Slave] lake and around there.

"Aboriginal culture is just so rich."

So is there still a chance some of those legendary beings still exist, somewhere in the vast hinterlandof the Northwest Territories?

"You could think that, yeah," said Andre.