Of Murderous Dead People
In the year 1617 it occurred in Eibenschütz in Moravia that an honorable citizen who had been buried in the churchyard always rose up in the night from his grave and murdered people. Each time he did so, he pulled off his funeral gown, and he put it on again when he returned. When the guards on the tower once saw this, they took his gown away. When he returned to the grave and did not find his gown, he shouted at the guards that they should give him his clothes, or else he would strangle them. Upon hearing this, they returned it. Soon after, the man was dug up and cut into pieces. Then his wanderings stopped. And when he was taken out of the grave, he spoke that they had done the right thing. If they had laid his wife next to him once she was dead, then both of them would have murdered half the city. The executioner pulled a long veil torn by bite marks out of his mouth, which he had ripped off his wife’s head.
In the year 1567, one Stephan Hübner — an inhabitant of Trautenau in Bohemia — lived in such great fortune that he had splendid buildings erected for himself, and was merely called “The Rich Hübner” by everyone. Finally he died, and was buried in splendor. Soon after, he was seen on the surface. He embraced many people, wrapped his arms around them, and squeezed them so hard that some of them died or fell ill from this. Then the courts ruled that the dead man was an infernal entity, and the executioner was ordered to dig up the corpse from the ground. This was done, and he was brought beneath the gallows and his head was cut off. Then the blood poured out of the head, and out of the chest as well, even though he had spent more than five months in the grave. He was burned, and many people were witnesses to this.
In the year 1557, a herder was buried about a mile distant from the city of Kadan in Bohemia. This herder rose up every night, went into the villages, terrified the locals, talked with humans as if he was still alive, and murdered several people. Those whom he mentioned by names died after a few days. The neighbors hammered a stake through his body. But he only laughed about this and said: “You believe that you can kill me with this. But you only provide me with a stick which will allow me to better defend myself.” When he was finally burned by two executioners, he pulled his legs towards him, and emitted animalistic groaning. When his side was pierced, blood flowed out of it. He did not return after this.
In the year 1545, the wife of a potter in the Bohemian town of Levin suddenly died. She was then buried at a crossroads. Afterwards, she appeared to many in the shape of wild animals and killed several people. When she was unearthed, she had the veil in her throat which had been tied around her head. It was full of blood. An oaken stake was hammered into her chest, but she pulled it out and killed several further people. Finally, her body was burned together with the stake, and the ashes were put into the grave. Then everything stopped. But at the site where the woman was burned, a whirlwind was seen for many subsequent days.
Source: Grimm - Volkssagen und Mährchen der Deutschen und Ausländer, p. 106ff