If you look closely, you can see that the mound in the distance has a big slash in its side. Archeologists think that this may be evidence of the ancient practice of “haugbrott” (mound-breaking): the ritual removal of the dead, which was common during Viking times. Claiming the sword, ring, or even leg bone of a long-dead king symbolized a transfer of power. Bodies were also removed for the purpose of necromancy (forecasting the future by communing with the dead), or as a way of preventing the souls of the dead from haunting the living. Norse sagas often tell tales about troublesome spirits hanging out around burial mounds like these.