Remains of ‘female vampire’ discovered in 17th century graveyard

The remains of a ‘female vampire’ have been discovered by archaeologists at a 17th-century graveyard in Poland.

Professor Dariusz Poliński along with his team were conducting research in the area when they found a female skeleton pinned to the ground with a sickle around the throat.

Her toe was found padlocked to keep her from ‘returning from the dead’. This strengthened the theory that the female was considered a vampire at the time of her death.

The practice of putting a sickle around the neck of the deceased was used in 1600s by superstitious Poles to restrain a deceased person from coming back to life. The discovery of one around the skeleton’s neck further strengthened the supposition that people considered her a vampire.

“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,” Poliński said while talking to Daily Mail.

AA silk cap was also found at the site, which suggested that the woman held a high social status during her lifetime.

These unusual burial practices became common in Poland in 17th century. Natives believed that ‘vampires’ could return and wreak havoc on local villagers. However, the criteria of classifying someone a vampire is uncertain till date according to Poliński.