In slightly newer tradition, the gjenganger remains a violent entity, though in a less direct way, now becoming more of a disease-spreader. These gjengangere would attack people with their so-called  dead man's pinch (dødningeknip).
In contemporary traditions, the gjenganger persists as an aggressive figure, though now primarily spreading diseases rather than causing direct harm. These gjengangere employ a method known as the dead man's pinch (dødningeknip) for infection.