Quinn the Eskimo

A Christmas Tale of the Mighty Quinn

Quinn the Eskimo is a small book, a modern folktale, by TJ Hawk. (Return to this page later, or contact us, to discover how to purchase this book). Quinn is uplifting and rare. Some would say the mysterious Quinn Document foreshadows a jolly ol' man in a red suit. Others would say it is symbolic for the coming and return of a messiah. Most will gravitate to Quinn, as he brings together the secular and the sacred in a satisfying triumph of good over evil.

Quinn the Song

Quinn the Eskimo was written by Bob Dylan in 1967. It became a hit in 1968 for the British band Manfred Mann with the title Mighty Quinn. Through the years, it has become a favorite concert song for several other bands. Some have suggested that Quinn is a symbol either for a drug dealer or a messiah. Yet, Dylan has said it refers to actor Anthony Quinn's role as an Eskimo in the 1959 movie The Savage Innocents. In addition, Dylan has said that the song was a simple nursery rhyme.

Dylan, in his autobiography Chronicles (2004), makes reference to the song: "I passed the local movie theater . . . where The Mighty Quinn (film) was showing. I had written a song called The Mighty Quinn which was a hit in England, and I wondered what the movie was about . . . It was a mystery, Jamaican thriller with Denzel Washington as the Mighty Xavier Quinn a detective who solves crimes."