MOSHITA

Necropants in the Holmavik Witchcraft Museum

Necropants are a method that a sorcerer used to get rich in old Iceland. With agreement prior to death, the sorcerer exhumed the corpse of a man and flayed its skin, in one piece, from the waist down. It was believed that the necropants would spontaneously produce money when worn, as long as the donor corpse had been stolen from a graveyard at the dead of night and a magic rune and a coin stolen from a poor widow were placed in the dead man’s scrotum. After tanning, the sorcerer wore the skin like a pair of pants. As soon as he stepped into the pants they will stick to his own skin. A coin must be stolen from a poor widow and placed in the scrotum along with a magical sign, written on a piece of paper. This reputedly attracted more coins and hence the sorcerer became wealthy. Before his death, the sorcerer had to pass the necropants to another. He did this by having the new owner place his right leg in one side of the pants whilst the sorcerer still has his left leg in the other. In this way, the power of the pants would pass from one individual to another.

The Museum of Witchcraft and Sorcery in Iceland has a pair of necropants on display.