Archaeologists in Poland have unearthed the 400-year-old remains of a woman, suspected by locals to be a “vampire,” buried with unsettling measures to prevent her return from the grave. Known as “Zosia,” this individual’s burial included a sickle across her neck and a padlock on her toe, precautions believed to be rooted in medieval superstitions, according to Reuters.
The discovery was made by researchers from Nicolaus Copernicus University in 2022 in an unmarked graveyard in Pień, Poland. Zosia’s burial details—such as her silk headdress woven with gold or silver threads—indicate her high social standing. Archaeologists also collaborated with Swedish expert Oscar Nilsson to reconstruct her appearance. Using DNA, 3D printing, and clay, they portrayed Zosia with fair skin, blue eyes, and a single prominent incisor, underscoring her unique features.
Remains of a female “vampire”, pinned to ground with a sickle across her throat to prevent her returning from dead, were found during archaeological work at a 17th Century CE, cemetery in village of Pien in Poland.
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“It’s ironic,” Nilsson commented, explaining how past villagers aimed to keep her buried, while he and his team “did everything we can in order to bring her back to life.”
According to Nilsson, folklore suggests that Zosia was initially interred with only a padlock on her toe. However, a series of mysterious incidents led villagers to reopen her grave, where they reportedly found the padlock unfastened. In response, they added the sickle across her neck, a tool placed to decapitate her should she attempt to rise. Such burial practices reflect a pervasive “vampire” paranoia prevalent in 17th-century Poland, as noted by Professor Dariusz Polinski, who led the excavation.
Historical records show that other graves from this era employed similarly drastic measures to prevent suspected vampires from returning, including burning bodies, decapitation, or placing stones over the deceased. The find adds to a series of similar discoveries, including a recently uncovered “vampire child” whose remains bore signs of decapitation.
Now fully reconstructed, Zosia’s remains offer a lens into medieval Poland’s deeply held fears surrounding death and the supernatural. As Nilsson noted, he hopes the reconstruction “gives her some human dignity back,” restoring a sense of humanity to a figure once viewed with fear and suspicion.
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