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Illustration of Kárr the Old
Original AI-made illustration based on the descriptions in the sources. Not an official design.
File No. 028 of 446

Kárr the Old

Also called: Kárr inn gamli, Kar the Old
Folklore and mythUndeadBarely movesMiddle Ages

Kárr the Old is the barrow-dweller the young Grettir robs during his first voyage to Norway. He is a textbook haugbúi: he does not roam, but when the mound is broken open he grapples with the intruder until Grettir throws him and strikes off his head. The scene set the pattern for the 'hero versus tomb guardian' fight that fantasy fiction and games still reuse.123

Battle it
First recorded
1300
Grettis saga, chapter 18; the saga reached its present form in the 14th century
Origin
Norse (Icelandic saga)
Norway, Iceland
What causes it
Other
A dead man who goes on occupying his barrow and defending his grave goods.
How you become one
Buried in a mound with his wealth, he persists there as its guardian.
How it moves
Barely moves
Stays in his mound and seizes Grettir when the hero breaks in for the treasure.
Intelligence
Some intelligence
Weak spots
  • beheading with the sword Jökulsnautr

When did it first appear?

Ancient worldMiddle Ages1500 to 18991900 to 19671968 to 19992000 to 20092010 to today1300

Grettis saga, chapter 18; the saga reached its present form in the 14th century

field notes

What the sources say

1

One of the few saga dead explicitly called a draugr in the text123

2

His barrow in Norway stinks horribly123

3

The fight is a long wrestling match in which each is forced to his knees in turn123

4

Grettir carries off the hoard, including an heirloom sword123

5

The episode was retold by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter as the Conan story 'The Thing in the Crypt'123

Sources

  1. Grettis saga - Wikipedia
  2. Draugr - Wikipedia
  3. Viking zombies and how to kill them - University of Liverpool News

Every fact on this page comes from these sources, written in our own words. Spotted a mistake? Tell us at [email protected].

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Folklore from the same lands

DraugrNorse, 1250GlámrNorse (Icelandic saga), 1300AsvithNorse (Danish chronicle and Icelandic saga), 1200Deacon of MyrkáIcelandic, 1860GjengangerScandinavianHaugbúiNorse, 1250

Same era: Middle Ages

VetalaHindu (Indian), 1070Revenant (medieval England)Medieval English, 1100UpiórSlavic, 1100Berwick revenantMedieval English / Scottish borders, 1198Buckinghamshire revenantMedieval English, 1198Byland Abbey revenantsMedieval English, 1400
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