Medieval ‘Vampire’ Found Buried With A Sickle Across Her Neck To Prevent Rising From The Dead

Archaeologists recently discovered skeletal remains of a Medieval “vampire” pinned to the ground with a sickle placed across her neck to prevent her from rising from the dead.

The remains of the alleged vampire were found in a 17th century graveyard in Pień, Poland by Professor Dariusz Poliński and his team of researchers from Nicolaus Copernicus University.

“Ways to protect against the return of the dead include cutting off the head or legs, placing the deceased face down to bite into the ground, burning them, and smashing them with a stone,” Poliński told the Daily Mail.

“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.”

They also discovered a padlock on the person’s toe which Poliński said was likely symbolic for “the closing of a stage and the impossibility of returning.”

Also discovered with the skeletal remains was a silk cap on the person’s head and a protruding tooth.

The silk cap would indicate that the woman she held a high social status.

Anti-vampire burial practices were common in Eastern Europe from the 11th to 19th century

According to Science Alert, such burial practices “became common across Poland in response to a reported outbreak of vampires” by the 17th century.

Smithsonian magazine reports that the myth that some people who died would claw their way out of the grave dates back to as far as the 11th century across Eastern Europe.

Other methods of anti-vampire rituals that have been discovered included a metal rod being hammered through the skeleton.

In July of this year, a 19th century vampire slaying kit was sold at auction for $15,517.

It included two brass crucifixes on the lid with more crucifixes inside the box, a matching pair of pistols, a brass powder flask, holy water, a Gothic Bible, a wooden mallet and stake, brass candlesticks, rosary beads and Metropolitan police paperwork from the period.

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