Long time since I published something. Like an undead, I rise from my silence.
Speaking of undead, what about northern ones ? Draugr.
You've heard of them through Skyrim, here is a more historical approach :
Lexicon Poeticum provides the following definitions of the word: “1.- draugr, m, genfoerd, spøgelse, höjbo” and “2.- draugr, m, troestamme, troe, hyppig, kenninger for moend.”92 Fritzner states that draugr is a “dødning = dauðr maðr; dels om dem, som efter Døden have sin Bolig i Graven: þeir er freista drauga upp at vekja eða haugbúa.”
And Cleasby-Vigfusson-Craigie translate it as “Draugr, m (Lat. truncus is perhaps akin): 1. - a dry log, this sense, however, only occurs in old poets. 2. - metaph. In prose (as it is now used), a ghost, spirit, especially the dead inhabitant of a cairn was called draugr."So, traditionally there have been two different ways of approaching the draugar in the written sources, namely, those who study the draugr as revenants and, on the other hand the ones who study them linguistically, as a kenning for ‘man’ or ‘warrior’. Therefore Medieval Scandinavia’s entry about Supernatural Beings, has to say about them that “[t]he skaldic draugr (‘tree, tree trunk,’ viz. ‘companion comitatus’) has nothing to do with revenants.”
The zombie draugr is for us.
Draugar possess superhuman strength, can increase their size at will, and carry the unmistakable stench of decay. "The appearance of a draugr was that of a dead body: swollen, blackened and generally hideous to look at." They are undead figures from Norse and Icelandic mythology that appear to retain some semblance of intelligence. They exist either to guard their treasure, wreak havoc on living beings, or torment those who had wronged them in life. The draugr's ability to increase its size also increased its weight, and the body of the draugr was described as being extremely heavy. Thorolf of Eyrbyggja saga was "uncorrupted, and with an ugly look about him... swollen to the size of an ox," and his body was so heavy that it could not be raised without levers. They are also noted for the ability to rise from the grave as wisps of smoke and "swim" through solid rock, which would be useful as a means of exiting their graves.
In folklore, draugar slay their victims through various methods including crushing them with their enlarged forms, devouring their flesh, devouring them whole in their enlarged forms, indirectly killing them by driving them mad, and by drinking their blood. Animals feeding near the grave of a draugr may be driven mad by the creature's influence. They may also die from being driven mad. Thorolf, for example, caused birds that flew over his bowl barrow to drop dead. Draugar are also noted as being able to drive living people insane.