'Vampire' Bodies Found in Poland

Mysterious bodies were found buried in a four-century-old cemetery in Poland, and Polish archaeologists believe the remains underwent a "vampire burial" ritual. Could this be ancient Poland's way of preventing the undead from rising from the grave?

There had been records of atrocities and public slaying of people believed to be witches, vampires, or any unnatural being centuries ago, and they have been studied extensively through time. Usually, locals consider migrants to be the primary targets.

Five bodies were found to have sickles on their throats and hips, chains on their legs, and rocks on their jaws. Another interesting find is that some of these bodies actually have holes in their spine, an indication that the body had been "nailed" in place. According to a report from the Seeker, the presence of chains, rocks and sickles are not the only things mysterious about these bodies.

Analysis of these corpses indicated that not only are all of them were young, but they are also of remarkable health. This means that their deaths may have been deliberate and not caused by diseases prevalent at the time. Two of the corpses are able-bodied males between 30 and 40 years of age, two are women of about 14 and 19, and the other is a woman of about the age of 40 to 50.

A report from List Verse noted that Poland is not the only country that has records of these mysterious "vampire" burials. Other European countries such as Bulgaria, Italy, and Greece also have evidence of somewhat similar methods of burial.

Live Science reported that another interesting find from the bodies is that, contrary to what most people believe, the bodies are genetically traced back to that of a local rather than a foreign migrant. The real reason why the locals killed their fellow men relies on future discoveries.