The remains of a “female vampire” have been discovered by archaeologists in a 17th-century cemetery in Pień, Poland. Professor Dariusz Poliński and a team of researchers from the Nicolaus Copernicus University were conducting the excavation when they discovered the skeletal remains of the woman, who had been pinned to the ground with a sickle around her neck. The popular agricultural tool was commonly used by superstitious Poles in the 1600s to try to contain a dead person believed to be a vampire so they could not return from the dead. “The sickle was not lying down, but was placed on the neck in such a way that if the deceased tried to get up … the head would have been cut or injured,” Poliński told the Daily Mail. The professor also noted that the deceased had a padlock wrapped around her toe – further bolstering the theory that she was considered a vampire at the time of her death. Scythes were commonly used by superstitious Poles in the 1600s to try to contain a dead person believed to be a vampire. Miroslav Blicharski / Aleksander “The sickle was not lying down, but was placed on the neck in such a way that if the deceased tried to get up… the head would have been cut or injured,” said Poliński. Miroslav Blicarski / Alexander Poliński claimed that the lock would have been used during the burial process to symbolize “the impossibility of return”. Investigators did not reveal the dead woman’s presumed age, but said a silk cap found on her skull indicated she was of high social status. According to Smithsonian magazine, residents throughout Eastern Europe first feared vampires in the 11th century, believing that “some people who died would emerge from the grave as blood-sucking monsters that terrorized the living.” By the 17th century, “unusual burial practices became common throughout Poland in response to a reported vampire outbreak,” Science Alert reported. There is still no scientific consensus on how people were classified as “vampires,” but they were often violently executed in different parts of the continent, according to Poliński. By the 17th century, “unusual burial practices became common throughout Poland in response to a reported outbreak of vampires,” Science Alert reported.Miroslav Blicharski / Aleksander The researchers did not reveal the dead woman’s alleged age, but said a silk shroud was found. on her skull shows that she had a high social status. Miroslav Blicarski / Alexander And, even after their deaths, their bodies were further mutilated to make sure they wouldn’t return to wreak havoc on the local villagers. “Other ways to protect the dead from returning include cutting off the head or legs, placing the dead face down to bite the ground, burning and crushing them with a stone,” said Poliński. The discovery of the “female vampire” in Pień – located in the south of the country – comes seven years after the remains of five other alleged vampires were discovered in the town of Drawsko, 130 miles away. The excavation was carried out in the town of Pień, in southern Poland. Beata Zielinska-Golembiewska All five of those found there were similarly buried with scythes around their necks. Meanwhile, in 2013, The Post reported that archaeologists had uncovered a “vampire grave” outside the town of Gliwice, where several decapitated skeletons were found with their severed heads at their feet.
