10 Bloodthirsty Creatures From Global Folklore

All over the world, children are abandoned for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the parents feel like they cannot provide for their child, while others simply do not want their children. In Scandinavian folklore, children who are victims of abandonment and left to die sometimes come back as a Myling.

Mylings come back from the dead because they were not given proper burials and to exact their revenge on the parents who deserted them. Or on any human for that matter. It is said that Mylings lie in wait in complete darkness in far-off locations, just waiting for an unsuspecting traveller to pass them. They then leap onto the person’s back and demand to be carried to the nearest cemetery for a proper burial.

However, the poor traveller never makes it to the cemetery, because the further he walks, the heavier the Myling becomes. Unable to withstand the weight, the traveller eventually simply sinks into the ground, never to be heard from again.