Today was another great day in Iceland. We saw more waterfalls, and were actually able to walk behind one, and we saw some impressive waves. Some of these beaches really make you fear the power of nature with how these waves crash into the beach and the cliffs and send spray dozens of feet into the air. Speaking of the power of nature, a combination of pagan beliefs and Christian beliefs happened here that made for an interesting interpretation on how to use that power to resurrect the dead to do your bidding. Here in Iceland, ghosts were believed to be physical bodies, unable to do things like pass through walls of a house they are haunting. They also created a way to bring back the dead and make them do your bidding for generations to come. This was a very risky process though, because you could easily die. The first step was to get the correct magical runes. Then you had to draw blood from your left inner elbow. With that blood you had to write the “Our Father” in latin, backwards, on vellum. The next step was to acquire something rollable, like a rolling pin. Then you had to choose a grave, but it needed to be the right grave. You didn’t want a body that was super decomposed, and you also needed a body that you could beat in a traditional Icelandic wrestling match. Important note here is that the ghosts were double whatever strength they had in life. As you begin to recite backwards our father over the grave and roll the thing on the grave, the body would get itself out slowly, spitting up stuff of the undead. When it was halfway out, you had to ask two important questions: what was your profession and how old were you when you died. If the body replied with something you think you could beat, you would continue rolling. Once it was fully out, you had to prick your right foot’s pinky toe and put your blood into its mouth, then you liked its spit up. This was to bond you forever. After that, you would wrestle it. If you won it would serve you and your next nine generations, if it won, it took you to hell.
Swanson School of Engineering 