111 Chapter 4 Messages from the Otherworld – The Roles of the Dead in Medieval Iceland Kirsi Kanerva After a little while people became aware that Glámr did not lay quiet. This caused the folk great trouble so that many lost consciousness when seeing him, and some lost their wits. Right after Christmas men thought they saw him there at the farm. People became incredibly frightened; many then ran away. Next Glámr started to ride on the roofs of houses at night so that they nearly caved in; he then walked almost night and day. People hardly dared to go up into the dale though they had many errands. People in the district thought this caused them great harm. 1 Litlu síðar urðu menn varir við þat, at Glámr lá eigi kyrr. Varð mönnum at því mikit mein, svá at margir fellu í óvit, ef sá hann, en sumir heldu eigi vi- tinu. Þegar eftir jólin þóttusk menn sjá hann heima þar á bænum. Urðu menn ákafliga hræddir; stukku þá margir menn í brott. Því næst tók Glámr at ríða húsum á nætr, svá at lá við brotum; gekk hann þá náliga nætr ok daga. Varla þorðu menn at fara upp í dalinn, þó at ætti nóg ørendi. Þótti mönnum þar í heraðinu mikit mein at þessu (Grettis saga:113). Introduction The above mentioned excerpt is from a fourteenth-century Icelandic saga, Gret- tis saga Ásmundarsonar (later: Grettis saga), and describes a so-called living dead corpse that becomes restless after death. The ghosts in sagas are no phantoms or incorporeal spirits, but appear to the living in their physical and tangible bodies at a dark time of the day or year (on medieval Icelandic ghosts, see Dubois 1999:69-91; Ellis 1977; Ellis Davidson 1981; Glauser 1993; Lindow 1986; Tulini- us 1999; Vésteinn Ólason 2003). 2 The dead look the same as they used to when they lived, and are thus easily recognized by the living. Some of the few changes 26901-Deconstructing Death.indd 111 16/05/13 12.31