Necropants: Macabre Icelandic Witchcraft Tradition

The macabre Iceland witchcraft tradition of necropants involves wearing the skin of a dead man to collect coins in his nether regions.

The Strandagaldur Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft in Holmavik tells the story of seventeen people burned at the stake in the 17th century for occult practices. The museum’s claim to fame is an exhibit showcasing the macabre legend of Necropants, or nábrók.

According to legend, necropants could produce an endless flow of coins if done correctly.

To begin with, one would need to get permission from a living man to use his skin upon his death. After burial, the sorcerer would then have to dig up the body and skin it in one piece from the waist down. A coin stolen from a poor widow must then be placed in the nether regions, along with a magic sign called nábrókarstafur scrawled on paper.

Once worn, the fleshy pouch between the legs of the necropants would never empty of coins so long as the original coin remained.

Necropants at the Sorcery & Witchcraft Museum

For more on necropants and other bizarre occult traditions of Iceland, check out the museum’s website right here.