17th-Century ‘Vampire Child’ Unearthed in Poland

Archaeologists have made a new discovery in Poland. They have uncovered some strange remains of a child who lived during the 17th century.

What’s unusual is that the child’s foot had a padlock attached to it. This has led researchers to believe that people at the time might have thought the child was a vampire and used the padlock.

During Medieval Europe, there were widespread worries that deceased individuals might return as “vampires.” To prevent this, steps were taken to make sure that the dead remained at rest.

A team of researchers, led by Dariusz Poliński from Nicolaus Copernicus University, investigated what they called an early Medieval “necropolis.”

A ‘vampire child' has been found in a cemetery of lost souls. 

Archaeologists uncovered the 17th century skeletal remains with a padlock attached to its foot in the village of Pień, Poland.

Traditionally the padlock would prevent the vampire returning to claim more victims.🧛‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/OYhAW3sbMO

— Mr Pål Christiansen (@TheNorskaPaul) August 11, 2023

They dug up graves at a location close to Dąbrowa Chełmińska in Poland, looking for distinct types of burials. The experts also estimated that the boy’s age would be five to seven years old.

A woman’s body double protected ‘from rising from the grave’

In the same location, a similar discovery was made just last year. Archaeologists there found the burial of a young woman from medieval times. Her body was given a double layer of protection to prevent her from coming back to life.

A triangular padlock was found to be fastened to the big toe of her left foot, and a sickle with its blade pointing downward was placed around her neck.

The child’s body was uncovered in a burial arrangement with his face turned downward within the burial site. This indicates that there was a sense of fear or apprehension associated with the child’s state even after his passing.

🇵🇱POLAND: Archaeologists discovered a 17th-century 'vampire child' with a padlocked ankle in a graveyard.

People associated "vampiric" outbreaks with times of mass deaths that were unexplainable at the time but are now assumed to have been pandemics or mass poisonings. pic.twitter.com/CqijD9MzVH

— Project Papyrus (@ProjectPapyrus) August 11, 2023

During medieval times in this region, it seems that such burials in which the faces were positioned downward, were carried out. Such burials possibly symbolizes the idea of the deceased figuratively “biting into the ground.”

Moreover, the intention of this practice was to ensure that the deceased individuals wouldn’t be seen as a potential threat to the living, as explained by researchers in a statement.

Green colored jaw fragment discovered

Near the child’s burial site, researchers also came across a group of children’s skeletons that puzzled them. One of these skeletons had a piece of the jawbone that was colored green.

Interestingly, this same greenish shade was observed on the roof of the mouth of the woman whose remains were found last year, according to researchers.

Researchers suspect there could have been an item made of copper alloy placed inside this person’s mouth.