Gravemounds and haugbrott

In folktales, many draugr have some type of connection to burial mounds. They are deceased loved ones who come back to life in their graves or tombs, with the primary purpose of protecting the treasures that they were buried with. They are a type of revenant in a physical body, as opposed to something more ethereal like a ghost, and can put up a fight if provoked.

But who would ever provoke a revenant? you might ask. Well, that depends on what prize might be at stake.

Haugbrott is the Norwegian word translating into “mound breaking”, and describes the act of breaking and entering into a grave, often desecrating it in the process (though a current theory suggests sometimes it was actually socially-sanctioned). Haugbrott are a common occurrence in relation to mounds, with a majority of grave mounds showing evidence of some type of break-in. There is also evidence of mounds without graves (cenotaphs) having been reopened in a similar manner. There is no general consensus between archaeologists and historians as to why haugbrott were committed but there are several theories. There are, however, historical accounts of them occurring in the form of sagas and legends, they do not explain why they happened.