Authored by Strandagaldur Museum, Iceland Via Ancient Artefacts Exposition
This museum is located exactly in Strandagaldur, a museum full of shocking details, such as esoteric spells and rituals, or artifacts such as pieces of wood carved with runes, animal skulls, magical staves and the most interesting piece, the necropants, a dried skin of a man from the waist down. Leggings used in a spell that would supposedly bring the caster more money.
The legend of the “nabrok” or “necropants” is a fascinating and unsettling tale from 17th-century Icelandic sorcery. According to the ritual, a sorcerer must first make a pact with a friend, stating that once the friend has died of natural causes, the sorcerer has permission to skin them from the waist down. Once the friend is dead, the greedy magician must then wait until the friend has been buried, dig up the body, and then skin the lower half of the corpse without creating any holes or tears, thus creating a pair of gruesome skin pants.
The ritual requires that the sorcerer steal a coin from a destitute widow and place it in the empty scrotum of the pants along with the magical Icelandic stave (symbol), *Nábrókarstafur*, written on a scrap of parchment. Once the necropants have been created, the caster must don the purloined pantaloons against his bare skin. The pants soon become indistinguishable from the wearer’s body, and so long as the original coin was not removed, the scrotum should continue to miraculously fill with coins for the rest of time.
The only known pair of necropants in the world is now located in the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft in Hólmavík, Iceland, alongside models of the tilberi life cycle. The sickly translucent pair of empty legs is standing on a bed of dull coins, which assumedly sprang forth from the desiccated scrotum hanging above. This exhibit is a must-visit for dark tourists in the area, as it features the necropants after all.
The necropants are said to bring the caster unlimited wealth, and the ritual starts with a pact with a friend. If they die of natural causes, they consent to you skinning them from the waist down. This can only be done after the burial has taken place. Once loved ones have said their goodbyes, you are free to dig up the corpse and peel off that precious skin. In one piece, mind you. No holes or tears must occur otherwise the power of the necropants to provide wealth will be diminished.
With that little job complete, you now have yourself a pair of corpse britches. It doesn’t stop there, however. After pulling the pants onto your bare skin, the ritual demands that you head out into the village and steal a coin from a destitute widow. That coin must then be placed into the groin of the pants, normally the empty scrotum, along with a magical Icelandic stave (symbol). This would be in the form of a Nábrókarstafur; the symbol is drawn on a scrap of parchment and placed into the ball sack of the pants.
The pants could then be passed onto your next of (s)kin, for future generations to enjoy untold riches. According to the legend, the pants would soon merge with the wearer’s body. As long as the original coin stood fast in the bollock region, the said area would continue to fill up with fresh coins as and when you need. The pants could then be passed onto your next of (s)kin, for future generations to enjoy untold riches.
It’s worth noting that the necropants on display at the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft are not replicas but are believed to be made from real human skin. The museum owner, Anna Björg Þórarinsdóttir, confirmed that the pants must be made with the skin still intact with no holes or scratches. The sorcerer then stepping into the skin will “immediately become one with his own,” she claimed.
