Padlocked, restrained female ‘vampire’ discovered in 17th-century graveyard

Vampire graves unearthed in Poland. I assume this was similar to "witch hunts" in other parts of the world. It appear the bodies are of local origin and not traveling strangers. The story links another article from 2014 where they tested the bodies of the vampires against other non vampires buried in the same area. Seems the vampire fears went on for centuries.

Padlocked, restrained female ‘vampire’ discovered in 17th-century graveyard

nypost.com...

The remains of a “female vampire” have been uncovered by archaeologists at a 17th-century graveyard in Pień, Poland.

Professor Dariusz Poliński and a team of researchers from Nicolaus Copernicus University were conducting the dig when they discovered the skeletal remains of the woman, who had been pinned to the ground with a sickle across her throat.

The popular farming tool was commonly used by superstitious Poles in the 1600s to try and restrain a deceased person thought to be a vampire so that they would be unable to return from the dead.

“The sickle was not laid flat but placed on the neck in such a way that if the deceased had tried to get up… the head would have been cut off or injured,”

Meanwhile, back in 2013, The Post reported that archaeologists had uncovered a “vampire gravesite” outside of the town of Gliwice, where multiple skeletons were found decapitated with their severed heads placed near their legs.

a reply to: infolurker

Based on what's going on these days, we're not that far removed from those times.

Interesting post. 👍🏻

I saw this earlier tonight. My thought was, they may not want to disturb that grave. 🤔a reply to: infolurker

The thing that always made me wonder about this stuff is this: It's really hard to start a rumour or a tradition that you made up out of whole cloth. If someone started going around telling people we need to padlock up the corpses so they don't rise from the grave and attack the living then you'd surely want to know how common such an occurrence was, or how sure you were it was actually happening before you wasted time and money on this kind of thing.

There are even modern day vampire hunters that say there are an underground vampire network in existence right now.

a reply to: oikos

I saw a good theory a while back that said the people accused of being vampires actually had TB. and just before penicillin was introduced they were spraying garlic oil around the Isolation hospitals with good success because it killed the TB bug. Mabey that's why vampires don't like garlic. The old saying is where there is garlic there is good health. So let's give a thumbs up to Russian penicillin.It also makes people keep their distance.

a reply to: infolurker

That ‘women’s’ body is very tall.

I noticed it in some of the earlier pics with arm length. But the last one shows it all. Look at the length of the skeleton compared to the man next to it clearing debris.

originally posted by: oikos
If someone started going around telling people we need to padlock up the corpses so they don't rise from the grave and attack the living then you'd surely want to know how common such an occurrence was, or how sure you were it was actually happening before you wasted time and money on this kind of thing.

Actually we have just that today, with locked coffins inside concrete burial vaults.

Yes there are practical reasons, i.e. preventing disease and keeping the ground from settling in cemeteries. But also convenient that a body isn’t getting itself out…

originally posted by: VierEyes
a reply to: infolurker

Based on what's going on these days, we're not that far removed from those times.

Interesting post. 👍🏻

MAGApires?

They are usually very pretty.
I was once married to a vampire. She took my 71 Chevelle, my 1930 Ford, and my 4WD Suburban, and a bunch of money and blood. She still texts me from time to time, and told my kids shes coming over here if the stores ever dont have food and close up. I live in fear. I need one of those sickles!

originally posted by: visitedbythem
She took my 71 Chevelle, my 1930 Ford, and my 4WD Suburban, and a bunch of money and blood.

Did you ever get a chance to take it to Modesto for Graffiti Night?

Johnny

originally posted by: JohnnyAnonymous

originally posted by: visitedbythem
She took my 71 Chevelle, my 1930 Ford, and my 4WD Suburban, and a bunch of money and blood.

Did you ever get a chance to take it to Modesto for Graffiti Night?

Johnny

No but I did show it at the Asparagus festival and got a ribbon for it. Only problem, everyone kept trying to get inside and sit in it. That was at Oak grove in the old days.

I once raced a train coming out of Lodi. He was blowing his horn and waving. Good old days!

originally posted by: gb540

originally posted by: oikos
If someone started going around telling people we need to padlock up the corpses so they don't rise from the grave and attack the living then you'd surely want to know how common such an occurrence was, or how sure you were it was actually happening before you wasted time and money on this kind of thing.

Actually we have just that today, with locked coffins inside concrete burial vaults.

Yes there are practical reasons, i.e. preventing disease and keeping the ground from settling in cemeteries. But also convenient that a body isn’t getting itself out…

I mean, when someone tells you that you should bury a body in a concrete coffin because they died of infectious disease and it would prevent it spreading, and maybe it was a bug that can survive incineration so cremation wasn't really an option, then you might think that was reasonable because all of these things have been known to happen, there are infectious diseases that can survive the temperatures in a regular crematorium and people do die from those diseases. But if they said you needed to bury your kin in concrete coffins so that they don't awaken and drink your blood you'd think that person was touched in the head.

I can't imagine it was that different back then, big coffins and tombs and locks and chains and all that jazz still cost money and if you said "Vampires, bro" I dunno if that would be convincing enough.... unless vampires were known to exist.

Not necessarily a vampire, more likely a mother-in-law, can't hurt to take a few precautions.

originally posted by: KKLOCO
a reply to: infolurker

That ‘women’s’ body is very tall.

It isn't, that's more a question of perspective than anything else.

A photo taken from a more vertical point of view shows it looks normal.

I suspect some of these poor women had mental issues (maybe ergot poisoning) and were treated as vampires.

also; sometimes people suffering strokes or similar conditions were pronounced dead and came back. helps the zombie stories. pre-modern medicine

Would not the stories of the rich drinking Adrenochrome from the youth to stay young be considered this centuries Vampire accounts?

originally posted by: ArMaP

originally posted by: KKLOCO
a reply to: infolurker

That ‘women’s’ body is very tall.

It isn't, that's more a question of perspective than anything else.

A photo taken from a more vertical point of view shows it looks normal.

That pic definitely shows more context / scale. However, the femurs still appear to be long for a female. Additionally, it’s cut off at the knees. Interesting to note anyways. 🍻

a reply to: infolurker

I don't believe this person was thought to be vampire.
Remains not mutilated so fear of body reanimation not likely.
Maybe the sickle is to remind the soul to move on? Maybe
the soul of the person was feared. Demonic.