Reimagining the barrow-wight

So I was thinking about how there are a few different depictions of barrow-wights in folklore and fantasy fiction. That inspired to write this post imagining different variations on the basic concept. Sorry, no rules for now.

At its most basic, a barrow-wight is a tomb guardian. But what is it and where did it come from? Is it the ghost of the interred? A spirit purposely bound to guard it? A spontaneous genius loci that jealousy guards it?

Here are a few ideas:

The Angry Dead

"You can't take it with you" goes the proverb, but that didn't stop these guys from trying. Whenever a grave robbing adventurer tries to plunder this tomb, the spirits of the interred awaken and attack. The spirits will keep attacking, using whatever means at their disposal, until the robbers flee or are dead. If the robbers took anything with them, then the spirits may be able to follow or the stolen treasure will be cursed until returned. These barrow-wights are unlikely to reanimate slain intruders on a permanent basis, though they may use the bodies as gruesome warnings and puppets to attack future intruders.

The Bound Guardian

When this barrow was constructed, the priests of the local religion summoned and bound a spirit to defend the tomb from grave robbers. The exact nature of such spirits is variable, as there are many kinds of spirits to summon that would be useful as tomb guardians. These spirits will generally not be able to wander far from the barrow due to the bindings, which will probably not allow them to recover stolen treasure either. However, these spirits are more likely to unintentionally reanimate victims as free-willed self-sufficient undead. While the barrow-wight won't hesitate to destroy any such "offspring" that remain close to the barrow, it can't pursue those who manage to escape.

The Jealous Hoarder

This spirit was neither interred nor summoned: it came to haunt the barrow of its own accord and feels entitled to the treasure therein. This spirit has no limitations on its movements and will able to pursue thieves across the world, although they're unlikely to leave their barrows unguarded for long. The nature of these spirits are easily the most variable, with draconic forms being a popular manifestation. They will likely be prone to adding more trinkets to the hoard, which can attract unwanted attention if they aren't careful to cover their tracks.