The remains of a “vampire” were discovered by archaeologists in a cemetery in Poland, according to a report in the New York Post. Scientists found the remains of a woman with a sickle around her neck and a triangular padlock on her leg. The find was made in the village of Pień in Poland. The sickle was meant to prevent a deceased person believed to be a vampire from returning from the dead, researchers said.
The research team was led by Professor Dariusz Polinski from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The team said the remains also had a silk headdress – woven with gold or silver thread – and that the padlock and sickle are linked to 17th-century superstitions, both of which “may have protected against the return of the deceased”.
The researchers explained that the “anti-vampire” practice of placing the blade on the neck was done so that the head would be severed if the deceased tried to “get up,” the USA Today report said. This practice became common throughout Poland in the 17th century in response to a reported vampire epidemic. The experts are planning a further survey of the cemetery and a survey of the entire area. In an interview, Professor Polinski said he was left speechless by the find. “Such a discovery, especially here in Poland, is astonishing, especially now – centuries later, Pure wonder.”
