The Draug · The Boat Did Not Come Back; the Man Did

In the legends of the northern coast, the dead buried at sea become the draug: dressed as a fisherman, rowing a half-sunken boat, coming in towards the fishing village at night.

Anyone who sees it is said not to speak and not to look straight at it. Its appearance on a boat is a sign; near the mouth of the inlet it means someone will not come home this year. In some versions, following it lets you see the face of the dead.

The fishermen’s answer is practical: we check the boat and the weather before we go out. As for what we meet at night, those who come back do not talk about it.

Folklore / Tromsø · Norway / Time immemorial