Dr. [John Tanke]? has theorized that the words dragon and draugr might be related. He notes that both the serpent? and the spirit serve as jealous guardians of the graves of kings or ancient civilizations. Dragons that act as draugrs appear in Beowulf as well as in the stories of Siegfried?. |
Some draugr were able to leave their graves and visit the living during the night. Such visits were universally horrible events, and often ended in death for one or more of the living, and warranted the exhumation? of the draugrs tomb of a hero.
Dr. [John Tanke]? has theorized that the words dragon and draugr might be related. He notes that both the serpent? and the spirit serve as jealous guardians of the graves of kings or ancient civilizations. Dragons that act as draugrs appear in Beowulf as well as in the stories of Siegfried?.
A somewhat ambivalent, alternative view of the draugr is however presented by the example of Gunnar in Njal's Saga: