At least two severed skeletons of what many believe to be “vampire" children were recently discovered by Polish archaeologists. It is based on certain burial practices from the 13th century, meant to keep the dead from revival. The government’s Culture Ministry said that two children’s corpses were discovered in a shallow burial ground in Chelm, Poland when workers were cutting tree branches next to a mediaeval cathedral. The gravesites were not marked.
The research’s chief archaeologist, Dr Stanisława Gołuba, stated on Facebook that neither skeleton was placed in a coffin and that one of the kids was buried in a manner typical of an anti-vampire burial. The post stated that the child’s head was detached from its body and that the skull was positioned on a stone with its face pointing downward into the earth.
According to Gołuba, this, coupled with the orientation of the skeletons, seems compatible with prehistoric burial practices meant to keep a person believed to be an evil spirit from rising from the grave.
In accordance with local traditions at the time, the supposed infant Dracula was similarly buried in gypsum soil along with facing east-west.
Postholes were also present at the burial place, perhaps for the purpose of keeping an eye out for any indications of a vampire revival.
According to the statement, the children’s skeletons were taken out of their graves, documented and are awaiting additional examination.
In mediaeval Europe, resurrection interference was a frequent practice, especially in Eastern Europe, where there was an abundance of folklore about vampires and revenants, or rising dead.
However, much like during the infamous Salem Witch trials in the 1600s, superstitious locals were ready to attribute otherworldly beings to everything from widespread diseases to undiagnosed mental health conditions.
Those who received these scarlet letters were, in many instances—some dating back to the 18th century—just suffering from TB.
In 2022, a woman’s bones were discovered by Polish researchers at a Pień village graveyard. The woman had a triangular shackle on her foot and a sickle around her neck.
The padlock was believed to keep a deceased person who was believed to be a vampire from rising from the grave, according to folklore.
In case the deceased attempted to resurrect, it was thought that the sickle would cut off the neck.
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