Draugr

The draugr (Old Norse: draugr; Icelandic: draugur; Faroese: dreygur; Norwegian: draug or drauv; Swedish: drög or dröger; Northern Sami: rávga) is a corporeal undead being from the sagas and folktales of the Nordic countries. Its traits vary greatly between stories, and in modern media such as Skyrim and God of War, draugr are often portrayed as Norse-themed zombies. In traditional myth and folklore, however, they are far more complex and change form from tale to tale, particularly in Norwegian folklore, where the draugr remains a prominent figure, especially in the form of the sea-dwelling draugr.

Most modern interpretations stem from the Icelandic sagas, where draugr inhabit their burial mounds or even royal halls, guarding treasure placed in their graves. They are revenants—animated corpses with physical bodies—rather than intangible ghosts. Draugr are sometimes described as “corporeal ghosts,” capable of being destroyed a second time by the destruction of their physical remains.

They are often depicted as monstrously strong and grotesque in appearance, with a necrotic blue or black coloration, and are commonly associated with the stench of decay. In the sagas, two main appearances are noted: hel-blár (“death-blue”) or nár-fölr (“corpse-pale”). The character Glámr in Grettis saga is described as “black as Hel and bloated like a bull” after death, while Þórólfr Lame-foot is “black as death” and swollen to the size of an ox. In Laxdæla saga, the exhumed bones of a dead sorceress are said to be “blue and evil-looking.”

Some draugr exhibit monstrous or beastlike traits. Þráinn, the berserker of Valland in Hrómundar saga Gripssonar, transforms into a troll-like creature—black, enormous, fire-breathing, and armed with long claws. His claws become lodged in a man’s neck, leading the hero Hrómundr to compare him to a cat (kattakyn). Similarly, the revenant Ásviðr rises at night to attack his foster-brother Ásmundr, scratching his face and tearing off an ear.

The stench of a draugr is often so foul it can harm or kill. The burial mound of Kárr the Old was said to reek terribly, and in Harðar saga, two men die before even entering the mound of Sóti the Viking due to the overpowering “gust and stink” emanating from it. When enraged, Þráinn fills his barrow with an “evil reek.”