400-year-old 'vampire' grave discovered in Poland; young woman buried with sickle across neck and padlock on toe to prevent return

Archaeologists in Poland have made a remarkable discovery of a 400-year-old grave in the town of Pień, revealing burial practices steeped in fear and superstition. The grave, known as Grave 75, contained the remains of a young woman, aged 17 to 19, who was interred with a sickle across her neck and a padlock on her toe, both intended to prevent her from returning as a vampire.¹³⁶

The excavation, which began in 2022, placed her burial between 1620 and 1674, with the highest probability falling within this range. Researchers noted that the sickle's blade was positioned towards her throat, while the padlock served as an additional barrier against supernatural forces. “Both the sickle and the lock are intended to combat supernatural or demonic forces,” said the lead archaeologist.²

The young woman’s burial is particularly intriguing due to her rare maternal lineage, traced back to Scandinavia, which is almost nonexistent in modern Slavic regions. Despite her apparent high social standing, indicated by the discovery of gilded gold and silver threads from a silk cap near her skull, isotope tests revealed periods of malnutrition during her life.

Disrupted soil layers suggest that her body was disturbed before full decomposition, with signs of movement indicating that someone had attempted to rearrange her remains. “This woman may have become a scapegoat for recent calamities,” archaeologists noted, reflecting the historical beliefs of Polish-Lithuanian communities that often blamed the recently deceased for disasters.

The grave's findings provide a rare glimpse into the macabre burial practices of the 17th century, highlighting the lengths to which communities went to protect themselves from perceived threats from the dead.