32. The Vikings believed in a proto-vampire known as the draugr
The pre-Christian Vikings had their own version of the vampire. They believed in the draugr, a corpse that rose up to guard its burial mound. Once awake, the draugr roamed the earth, molesting (and no doubt terrifying) people and cattle. They also woke up tormented by hunger, and sometimes fed on the living. The draugr envied the living and could shape-shift into animal form. The Draugr was most dangerous around Yuletide (Christmas), when it raised mists and used them to sneak up on prey. The Draugr‘s skin was deathly pale, and quite clearly belonged to a cadaver.
