MONSTERS, CRYPTIDS AND SUPERNATURAL CREATURES
MYLING
Mylingar, Utburd, Ihtiriekko
Mylings are the restless souls of abandoned, unbaptized children who were never given a proper burial and are therefore forced to roam the earth until they can persuade someone to give them such. They are said to persue lone wanderers at night and jump on to their backs, demanding to be taken to a graveyard so they can rest in hallowed ground. However, they will become heavier, the longer they remain on your back and if the task takes too long the person carrying them will begin to sink down into the soil. If you are unable to make it into the cemetery before the dawn, you will eventually be crushed under its weight or have your neck snapped by the Myling in a fit of rage. These wretched creatures are often thought to be the spirits of children who were concieved out of wedlock, or born into households where there were too many mouths to feed. The children were usually given to 'angel-makers' women who were paid to find a good home for the infant, but were often just murdered instead, by either drowning them or simply leaving them in the woods, where death was almost certain. It is believed that the ghost of the child will then haunt the place where they had died and torture anyone unfortunate enough to travel through it.. The belief that mylings are enraged and seeking revenge is what gave them the reputation as one of the most menacing types of ghosts in Scandinavian folklore.
Physiology:
These mournful creatures appear as young children, normally the age at which they were murdered, where as in other tales they are seen as the child which they would have become if they had lived. Their skin is sickly and pale, at times showing the early stages of necrosis. Their sad eyes are glassy and lifeless and their lips colourless or blue with the shade of death. However, do not be fooled by their weak appearance as they can move with unnatural speed and silence with a supernatural strength.
Etylmology:
The word "utburd" which is the Norwegian variant of this creature, means "that which is taken outside" and refers to the practice of abandoning unwanted children
History:
The Myling comes from scandinavian folklore and is born out of the crimes of child abandonment and infantcide, which was sadly prevalent during the medieval era, during times of poverty and famine. Other tales in folklore, such as Hansel and Gretel also touch on this subject and serve as a cautionary tale, in a bid to prevent such practices.
Territory:
Scandinavia
Origination:
The myling comes into existence when a child is unwanted and therefore killed by its mother or carer. This infanticide was generally carried out secretly and its victims were often abandoned shortly after birth. From the perspective of certain Christian denominations, the babies were thus denied baptism, acceptance into the Church, and proper burial. As such, they could not rest peacefully and their spirits would become bitter and enraged, cursed to roam its place of death until it could persuade somebody to give it everlasting peace by relocating its remains to hallowed ground.
Nature:
Tortured and enraged. Although these creatures do not act out of malice, they are still extremely dangerous. Their grief and rejection fuels them with a supernatural rage, that cannot be sated until their souls are put to rest. They will lash out at anyone, in a bid to help them with such, even at times killing them before they are able to complete the task and provide the Myling with the release it seeks.
Modus Operandi:
Will torment lone travellers with mischevous giggling or mournful wailing and sobbing, which they are unable to locate in the darkness. They will leap on to their back, begging to be taken to hallowed ground, becoming more insistant and screaming until its demands are met. If they are refused or the task is not completed, the Myling will snap their neck in a fit of rage.
Vulnerability:
The Myling can be stopped only by giving it what it desires. It must be safely delivered to a church graveyard before dawn, where it will release its grip and fall from your back, its soul finally at peace and able to rest eternally. To prevent a Myling haunting an area its corpse must be located and re-burried in hallowed soil and this will be met with the same results. A priest can also sanctify the area in which its remains are burried or bless the bones themselves to grant the Myling a release it from its torment and allow it to move on to the afterlife in peace.