The Draug's Scream
Along the coast of northern Norway, fishermen dreaded a scream over the water at night. It came from a headless sailor in half a boat.
What was reported
In the folklore of northern Norway, the draug was the ghost of a fisherman lost at sea. He was said to sail in half a boat, with a sail made of seaweed, and in some versions he had no head, or a head made of seaweed.
His terrible scream across the water was an omen that someone would drown. Fishermen who saw him or heard him knew they had to be careful, and stories told of the draug trying to drag the living down with him.
Explanations offered
The draug reflects the real dangers of fishing in the stormy waters around Lofoten, where many lives were lost. The tales were collected and retold by the Norwegian writer Jonas Lie in the 1800s. Seabird calls over the water may lie behind some screams.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Lofoten, Nordland, Norway
- Witnesses
- Fishermen of northern Norway
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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