Polish “vampire” burial sheds light on 17th-century efforts to keep the dead in their graves
The remains of a teenage girl were found with a padlock fastened to her toe and a sickle placed across her neck.
In 2022, archaeologists made a startling discovery at an unmarked cemetery in Pień, northern Poland. The remains of a teenage girl, dubbed "Zosia," were found buried with an unusual combination of objects that suggest she was treated as a potential danger to the living. The girl, aged between 17 and 19, was laid to rest with a padlock attached to her left big toe and an iron sickle placed across her throat, with the blade facing towards her neck.
These precautions, known as "anti-vampiric" or "anti-demonic" burial, were taken to ensure that the deceased did not return from the dead and disturb the community. Researchers believe that Zosia may have been blamed by her contemporaries for misfortunes such as disease and famine, leading to her being feared after death. The padlock and sickle were placed in two stages, indicating a heightened fear of the body coming back to life.
The researchers are now piecing together the story of Zosia, examining her age, health, and potential social status through radiocarbon dating, DNA sequencing, and other advanced techniques.
Written by urgent.news from Notes from Poland's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
