![]() ![]() From the perspective of certain Christian denominations, the babies were thus denied baptism, acceptance into the Church, and proper burial. This infanticide was generally carried out secretly and its victims were often abandoned shortly after birth. This offers an explanation to the stories of the Myling being murdered and murdering. "Myling" means Murderling "a murdered small child" and also "small child that murders" from Old Norse myrþa meaning "to murder" with the suffix -ling meaning "small child" in this case. The "extra-burden" meaning could also explain the motif or trope of the myling or utburd getting heavier as they're carried to hallowed ground to be buried. It is believed that the ghost of the child will then haunt the place where they had died or, as told of in countless stories, the dwellings of their killers. ![]() The meaning "out-born/birth" refers to the practice of abandoning unwanted children (e.g., children born out of wedlock or to parents who lacked the means to care for them) in the woods or in other remote places where death is likely to befall the child. The word "utburd" has a double meaning the prefix "ut-" can mean both "out" and "extra" (similar to English uses of out- in outhouse & outcast vs outrun & outdone vs outbreak which carries both meanings) the Norwegian verb "burd" can mean "born/birth" and/or "burden" thus meaning "out-born/birth" and "extra-burden". If one should prove unable to make it into the cemetery, the myling kills its victim in a rage. Mylings are thought to be enormous and apparently grow heavier as they near the graveyard, to the point where any person carrying one (or more) could sink into the soil. The myling (also known as utburd in Norwegian, útburður in Icelandic and ihtiriekko, liekkiö or sikiö in Finnish) is said to chase lone wanderers at night and jump on their backs, demanding to be carried to the graveyard so they can rest in hallowed ground. Ways to help the myling is to give it a name or to find the corpse and bury it in holy soil. It can be heard singing in the night, thereby revealing the mother's crime. The myling comes into existence when a child is unwanted and therefore killed by its mother. In Scandinavian folklore, the mylingar were the phantasmal incarnations of the souls of children that had been forced to roam the earth until they could persuade someone (or otherwise cause enough of a ruckus to make their wishes known) to bury them properly. ( January 2016) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations.
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