Myling

GhostNorway · Northern EuropeLegendFear 8/10

Description

Ghosts of unbaptized or murdered children. Chase travelers at night demanding proper burial. Grow impossibly heavy on their carrier's back, crushing them into the ground if the grave isn't reached

Origin & Background

In Scandinavian folklore, a Mæling (Mæling) is considered the spirit of a child who was unwantedly born and wanders the earth. They must roam until they persuade someone to properly bury them or cause a disturbance to make their wishes known.

The Legend

A Mæling comes into existence when an unwanted child is killed by their mother. They sing at night to reveal their mother's crime. Ways to help a Mæling include giving it a name or finding its body to bury in sacred ground. A Mæling is said to chase lonely wanderers at night, jumping on their backs and demanding to be taken to their grave. Mælings are considered to be massive beings, growing heavier as they approach the grave, causing the person carrying them to sink into the ground. If they do not reach the grave, the Mæling becomes enraged and kills the victim.

Variants

Mæling is known in Norwegian as 'utburd', in Icelandic as 'útburður', and in Finnish as 'ihtiriekko' and 'liekkiö'.

In Popular Culture

The debut album of the heavy metal band Wince and Frisson features Mæling as a theme, and their first single 'Kärrhäxan' has a music video that carefully animates and edits the themes of infanticide and rebirth as a Mæling. The mobile game 'Year Walk' includes a part where players find a lost Mæling and have it cared for by the brook horse. The third chapter of the sequel 'Year Walk: Bedtime Stories for Awful Children' is dedicated to Mæling. In the PC game 'Phasmophobia', players take on the role of ghost hunters and can encounter various ghosts, including Mælings.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Myling" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia