‘Real-life vampire’ discovered padlocked and pinned inside grave for 350 years, archaeologists reveal

Just successful clip for spooky season, archaeologists person unleashed grisly caller accusation astir really a “real-life vampire” spent her last moments.

An elite female “vampire” who died immoderate 350 years agone was first unearthed 2 years agone astatine a medieval graveyard successful Pień, Poland. Dubbed Zosia by researchers, caller illustrations of what nan 18-year-old vampiress mightiness person looked for illustration propose she had adjacent skin, bluish eyes, short hairsbreadth and a azygous protruding incisor tooth.

Zosia was besides laid to reset pinch a silk headdress connected her head, which signifies that she was of a precocious societal status.

But her rank wouldn’t prevention her from being accused of evil: Of astir 100 different skeletons astatine nan sedate site, only Zosia was covered pinch a sickle crossed her cervix and a elephantine padlock connected her toe.

Professor Dariusz Polinski, who has led caller investigation connected Zosia pinch study partner Magda Zagrodzka, told nan Daily Mail, “It tin beryllium assumed that for immoderate logic those burying nan female were acrophobic that she would emergence from nan grave. Perhaps they feared she was a vampire.”

Experts judge that nan sickle and padlock were fitted to nan corpse arsenic a shape of “double protection” for villagers retired of fearfulness that nan “vampire” could emergence from nan grave; nan sickle would’ve ensured that she would beryllium decapitated had she attempted to emergence from her grave.

“The sickle was not laid flat, but placed connected nan cervix successful specified a measurement that if nan deceased had tried to get up astir apt nan caput would person been trim disconnected aliases injured,” Polinski explained.

Polinski and Zagrodzka worked pinch Oscar Nilsson, a facial nickname master who took a integer scan of Zosia’s skull and made a transcript utilizing a 3D printer. He utilized clay to mold caller “muscles” of her face, arsenic good arsenic silicon to springiness caller skin.

Bone scans examined by aesculapian interrogator Dr. Heather Edgar astatine nan University of New Mexico recovered an abnormality successful Zosia’s bosom bone.

The abnormality suggests location mightiness person been a beingness deformity that caused her awesome symptom and “marked this personification [to others] successful a antagonistic way,” being a logic she was feared to beryllium a vampire earlier she was sacrificed and buried, Edgar told the Times.

With nan Swedish-Polish wars ensuing during nan clip of her death, researchers judge it’s imaginable that Zosia was Swedish and considered an “unwanted outsider.”

About 30 of nan 100 graves were recovered pinch signs of being restrained, which yet led to nan site’s nickname, “Field of Vampires.”

Polinski said that nan cemetery was specifically for group who were “excluded from nan community;” however, each of nan graves were near unmarked and location are nary written records regarding nan bodies.

Among nan different graves see a partially exhumed child, a female pinch precocious syphilis, a pregnant female and a man pinch a child’s corpse astatine his feet.

Some bodies were turned look down, immoderate were weighed down pinch stones and others had coins successful their mouths.

“Ways to protect against nan return of nan dormant see cutting disconnected nan caput aliases legs, placing nan deceased look down to wound into nan ground, burning them, and smashing them pinch a stone,” Polinski told nan Daily Mail.

Zosia having nan sickle complete her cervix suggests that she was feared nan astir by those who killed her.

According to Smithsonian magazine, Eastern Europeans initially became fearful of vampires successful nan 11th century, believing that “some group who died would claw their measurement retired of nan sedate as blood-sucking monsters that terrorized the living.”

By nan 17th century, “unusual funeral practices became communal crossed Poland successful consequence to a reported outbreak of vampires,” Science Alert reported.

Polinkski and Zagrodzka scheme to return for much excavations, including a night-time excavation utilizing fluorescent lighting that could uncover caller bones.

The latest findings astir Zosia, nan “real-life vampire,” are nan taxable of a caller two-part documentary called “Field of Vampires,” which will aerial connected Sky History connected Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 astatine 9 p.m.