Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canada

In this study we're going to focus on the most northerly part of North America, the Canadian Arctic:

[Map from the Perry Castenada Library,
Courtesy The General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin]

In particular, we're most interested in a few of the Queen Elizabeth Islands. They are Devon Island, and the ones immediately above it, Ellesmere Island and Axel Heiberg Island:

Let's turn this map upside down so that we can see what these islands represent:

It's a king!

I believe he represents the King of the world, Jesus Christ. That's why he's situated here on top of the world. Here's another look:

[Produced by the Arctic Environmental Atlas]

His hands are folded tightly against his body, but they're open, and he's holding within them Axel Heiberg Island. He has a very pronounced chin (or lower jaw), and a very Anglo-Saxon-looking nose. Note that the nose was modified slightly. I erased a chunk of Devon Island for clarity (we'll come back to it). Here's what it looks like in its entirety:

[Image courtesy NASA's Visible Earth]

And here's another look with the nose modified (part of the island removed):

[Modified image from Wikimedia]

I find it very interesting that the inside of his head is a harbour, and it's easily accessible. I believe it illustrates that we can be at peace with His Holy Spirit. It reminds me of the mansion or resting place He spoke of in John 14:

1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

This king is in the sitting position, and if we take another look at Ellesmere Island (the most northern section), we'll see just what he is sitting on:

Ellesmere Island is also the head of a caribou, or a reindeer!

Since this reindeer is carrying the king, we might call him a reign deer. Here's another look (I coloured the eye blue):

[Image courtesy NASA's Visible Earth]

The reindeer's eye is Lake Hazen, the largest lake in the world that lies entirely within the Arctic Circle. Reindeer are the only members of the deer family that have antlers directly above their snout, so this helps identify the symbol. The antlers are worn by both males and females. Reindeer are one of the few mammals that live in the far north, including Ellesmere Island.

And to top it all off, on the tip of his nose is the town of Alert, the most northerly, permanent settlement in the world. How about that, a reindeer with a prominent nose. Hey Rudolph, move over!

I hope the irony is obvious. Much of the world believes in an all-knowing Santa Claus who gives gifts to little children, is pulled around by reindeer, and lives at the North Pole. But it is our all-knowing God Who reigns in the north and over the whole world, and Who wants to give gifts to us, His children.