A skeleton from the 17th century has been discovered in Poland, with a sickle placed in its neck to prevent it from rising as a “vampire”. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, in the 11th century, there was a growing fear of vampires in Eastern Europe. Many corpses were treated with anti-vampire rituals because people believed that the dead would rise as “blood-sucking monsters” to terrorize the living. Even in the 17th century, such burial practices were common in Poland, where it was believed that vampires had broken out. Scientists from the Nicolaus Copernicus University, led by Professor Dariusz Poli?ski, have now discovered the skeleton of such a “vampire” during excavations in a Polish cemetery. The woman’s skeletal remains were fixed with a sickle in her neck to prevent her from rising. According to Poli?ski, the sharp sickle was positioned to decapitate the “vampire” if it tried to rise.
Archaeologists also found a padlock hanging from one of the toes, which the researchers believe symbolizes the impossibility of the “vampire’s” return. Poli?ski explained that there were other methods to prevent the dead from rising, such as cutting off the head or legs, placing the corpse face down, burning it, or smashing it with a stone. Fixing the corpse to the ground with a metal rod that was inserted through the dead body was also a widespread anti-vampire ritual in Poland and other Eastern European countries.
The discovery of this “vampire” skeleton sheds light on the superstitions and beliefs of the past. It also highlights the lengths to which people went to protect themselves from the perceived threat of the undead. The use of sickles and padlocks to prevent the dead from rising may seem strange to us today, but it was a common practice in the past. This discovery is a reminder that our ancestors had their own ways of dealing with the unknown and the supernatural.
