In the lore of the ancient Norse people, a drauge was created when a powerful necromancer died and returned as a vampiric REVENANT. It was an exceptionally physically strong being, killing anyone who entered its tomb with a single blow to the head. Eye contact with a drauge must be avoided at all cost, as it could steal vital önd (“breath”) and kill someone.

Once a drauge comes into being, it is simply avoided by never entering into its burial chamber. Runes can be carved onto the gravestone to keep it trapped in its chamber, preventing it from leaving. It is very rare to hear stories of a drauge wandering the countryside.

After the introduction of Christianity, the drauge was able to be destroyed if it was reburied in a Christian cemetery or had a mass said for it. Eventually, it was replaced altogether with the DRAUGR, an evil undead corpse of someone who had drowned at sea (see UNDEATH).

Source: Crabb, Crabb’s English Synonymes, 287; Curran, Vampires, 93; Henderson, Norse Influence on Celtic Scotland, 106; Vicary, An American in Norway, 119