Necropants and Icelandic Witchcraft in Folklore

In an attempt to go straight to the source I located an online copy of Íslenzkar þjóðsögur og ævintýri‘ volume six, where the pants are mentioned, in the original Icelandic. I was also able to find a translation by George E. J. Powell and Eiríkur Magnússon. They included the information about the necropants in their lengthy introduction as below:

“Witchcraft is not always used against one’s neighbour for baleful purposes, but has besides another end in view, — that of making its master rich in purse, and secure from persecution in person. We will now show in what way magic may be used for the enrichment of him who practices the art. 

When a man wishes to get riches, at once vast and inexhaustible, and always waxing during his lifetime, he must do his best to get hold of the so-called ” Devil’s pair of drawers” also called “ Breeches of Fins,” — (so called, probably, because the Finnish nation has from earliest antiquity been famous for witchcraft,) “ Money- trousers”, “Dead-man’s pantaloons”, and “*Papey-drawers.”’

This precious garment may be obtained in the following way. He who desires the unmentionables in question must make another man promise to lend him his skin after death. A certain sort of compact is necessary. When his obliging friend is dead, the man who thirsts after wealth must go to the other’s grave, dig him up, and take off his skin, from the waist downwards, paying good heed not to split it save in the middle. Thus he comes into possession of the coveted pair of drawers, which he must at once put on, and which will cling to his flesh until he induces someone else to consent to wear the same ghastly pantaloons. 

Once donned, these breeches are, however, useless, save the owner contrive to steal a coin from some destitute widow, between the First and Second Lesson, on one of the three great feasts of the church, — Yule, Easter, or Whitsuntide (Pentecost). After this, the drawers will draw to them silver and gold out of living people’s purses and pockets, so that the owner’s pouch is never empty. 

But great heed must be taken not to give away the first stolen coin. Although these drawers are a great worldly gain to their wearer and possessor, there is yet a thorn to the rose: he cannot get rid of them at will, albeit the everlasting welfare of his soul depends upon his doing so. If he dies in them, he is both eternally lost, and his whole body is covered with infernal vermin. 

He must, therefore, before his death, induce someone to take them off him, and wear them. When this change is effected, the wearer must first doff the right leg of the drawers, which his obliging friend must instantly don. Now if, at this moment, the latter repent him of his bargain, he repents him too late, for in the twinkling of an eye, do what he will, the left leg is doffed and donned, and both legs will stick to him for the rest of his life, save he contrive to repeat the same process, with an obliging friend of his own. 

These drawers never lose their power of attracting money, nor can they ever be worn out. Some say that they are from the devil himself, and given by him only to those who have sold him their souls. This would account for their first name, as well as for all the diabolic ceremonies used in procuring them. 

Beside this very advantageous use of human skin for drawers, we must state that it is an excellent thing for shoes. Shoes made of it can never be worn out, except one walk with them in church or on sacred ground; should one do so, they rot away in a moment, doing, however, no further injury to their wearer.

*Papey is an island on the east coast of Iceland, and Árnason thinks that the name “ Papey-drawers ” was derived from the fact that the owners of this island have always been rich people, popular fancy absorbing their wealth to their possession of the Devil’s pantaloons. “