Draugr,
The old Norse definition of a "draugr" is "a ghost, spirit, dead inhabitant of a cairn".
Often the draugr is regarded not so much as a ghost, but as an animated corpse of the decease inside the burial mound.
Characteristics:
- Has superhuman strength.
- Can increase his size and weight at will.
- Their bodies are said to be blackened and swollen with decay.
- They smell horrible.
Need to kill a Draugr?First, it is not easy!
Iron weapons can injur them, but will not kill them.
To do that you must decapitate them.
Once it is decapitated, you must burn the body and scatter its ashes in the sea.
Only then will it stop haunting you.
Draugr are noted for having numerous magical abilities. they can Shape-shift, control the weather, and see into the future.
A poem:
"Do you know what kind of fellow Draugr is?
You better believe he is not all that rare
When a storm cracks, he howls before the ship wrecks.
And if he gets a hold of you, he won't let go.
When waves hit over the gunnel, Draugr is now at the helm of your boat."?.
Mare (Minion),
Old Norse legendsays that a Mare would slither into ones bedroom when they are asleep.
The mare would then paralyze their victim, usually starting at the feet and slowly moving towards the chest.
When it reached the chest, the mare would cause the sleeper to have nightmares.
Sometimes the sleeper would feel as if they were suffocating and some suffocating deaths were attributed to Mares.
Mares were also known as mara.
A Prayer:
Here I lay down to sleep;
No nightmare shall plague me
Until they have swum through all the waters
that flow upon the earth,
and counted all of the stars,
that appear in the firmament,
Thus help me God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.