Children of the Night: "Vampire" Children in 17th Century Poland

Figure 1: Padlock found with the "vampire" child burial in Poland

 

Beginning in the 1400s but peaked in the 1500 and 1600s were the European Witch and Werewolf Trials.  Based on historical and bioarchaeological investigations we now know that individuals who were extremely sick, who were social outcasts, social isolates, and anyone who did not conform to the rules of the Church were targeted.  During this period it was common belief that dead werewolves resurrected into vampires.  This idea really took hold in Eastern Europe, leading to an abundance of “vampire burials” throughout this region.  Today’s blog post will address one specific example: the burial of at least one child (although up to three additional children) who were treated as vampires in death.

 

The discovery of the child vampire burial occurred outside of Pnie, a village located in northern Poland.  The 17^th century (1600s) burial was discovered by archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU), who had a couple of years previously discovered another vampire burial (of an adult) interred near this 5- to 7-year-old child.  This child’s remains were found buried face down and included a lower leg bone with a triangular padlock attached to it (Figure 1).  The combination of the face down burial and padlock suggest that the living individuals responsible who burying the child believed them to be a vampire.  It was commonplace to bury “vampires” face down so upon resurrection they could not dig their way out of the burial to attack the living.  The padlocked leg also locked the deceased into their burial, further preventing attacks on the living if vampiric resurrection occurred. 

 

An additional three children were also discovered during this excavation. These children were buried in a pit adjacent to the “vampire” child’s burial.  One of the children’s jaws had evidence of copper staining, which has been interpreted as the presence of a copper coin in their mouth.  There is no evidence that these children were also interpreted as vampires, although some have inferred that they may been considered that based on their proximity to the child and adult “vampires” in the cemetery. 

 

Collectively, the burials at this location are of individuals who could not afford to be buried in the formal cemetery, but this was designated location for any individuals viewed as outcasts or deviants in life.  This means this cemetery may be a fertile area for additional “vampire” or deviant burials (be it werewolves, witches, or other “monsters”).  Excavations at the site are ongoing, so additional discoveries may be announced.

 

Bibliography

Metcalfe, T. (2023, August 11). 400-year-old 'vampire child' found buried with its foot padlocked to stop it rising from the grave. LiveScience.

Milligan, M. (2023, August 7). Child Found Buried Face Down with "Anti-Vampire" Triangular Padlock. Heritage Daily.

World of Archaeology. (2023, August 21). Unearthed: Historical Child Burial with Unique Triangular Padlock . Retrieved from World of Archaeology: https://www.worldofarchaeology.com/unearthed-historical-child-burial-with-unique-triangular-padlock/