Remains of ‘vampire’ discovered pinned down with sickle across throat

It's not the first time this sort of burial site has been discovered

Archaeologists in Poland have been left bemused after they discovering the remains of a woman who had been dubbed a 'vampire'. Researchers were digging at a 17th century cemetery in the village of Pien when they found the bones - with the skeleton also found with a sickle directly over her neck. The Daily Mail reports that along with the farming tool around the neck, the woman's toe has also been padlocked to ensure she couldn't rise from the dead, which is why she was dubbed a 'vampire.' But she also had a silk cap on her head, which experts believe shows she had a high social status at the time of her death. [caption id="attachment_356842" align="alignnone" width="626"] (Miroslaw Blicarski/Aleksander Poznan)[/caption] The research team's leader Professor Dariusz Poliński from the Nicholas Copernicus University said the type of burial was unusual for the era. Myths about people returning from the dead date as far back as the 11th century in eastern Europe. Burial sites have previously been uncovered where a metal rod or steak has been hammered into the skull of the deceased. But this is also not the first time archaeologists have discovered a similar use of the sickle. The researchers said back in 2015: "When placed in burials they were a guarantee that the deceased remained in their graves and therefore could not harm the living, but they may also have served to protect the dead from evil forces."

"According to folk wisdom, a sickle protected women in labour, children and the dead against evil spirits.

"It also had a role in rituals designed to counter black magic and witchcraft," they added.