350 Years Ago, This ‘Vampire’ Was Locked in Her Grave with a Blade Over Her Neck

Just in time for Halloween, archaeologists detailed the bizarre discovery of a suspected “vampire” who was padlocked inside her grave with a metal sickle-blade over her neck. She was apparently considered so dangerous that they couldn’t bury her without a way to stop her from coming back.

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This woman died around 350 years ago and was suspected to be 18 years old at the time. Her body was discovered two years ago in a medieval graveyard in Pień, Poland, said to be used for people excluded from the rest of the community. 

However, this woman was the only one padlocked in the cemetery.

Researchers nicknamed the “vampiress” Zosia. She seemed to have a protruding incisor tooth, which could match the appearance of a vampire. Because she wore a silk cap, experts believe she was part of a high social class.

As for the strange sickle over her neck—they say it would ensure she was beheaded if she ever tried to escape her grave.

“The sickle was not laid flat, but placed on the neck in such a way that if the deceased had tried to get up most likely the head would have been cut off or injured,” said Dariusz Polinski, a professor who has led recent research on Zosia.

“It can be assumed that for some reason those burying the woman were afraid that she would rise from the grave,” Polinski explained. “Perhaps they feared she was a vampire.”

After performing bone scans on Zosia, medical investigator Heather Edgar at the University of New Mexico explained that the woman might have been acting out due to the pain she experienced from a breast bone abnormality. This visible physical deformity might have caused discomfort and “marked this person [to others] in a negative way,” Edgar told the Times.

Whether or not Zosia was actually a blood-sucking vampire, she was certainly feared enough by her community to have been padlocked in a grave with a sickle over her neck. In reality, the poor woman might have simply been struggling with extreme pain from her physical disability. All around, it’s a sad story.