Wealthy woman from 17th-century Poland buried as a vampire

Researchers in Poland have analyzed the remains of a young woman from a 17th-century "vampire" burial, uncovering a contradiction between her high social status and the ritualistic measures taken to prevent her from rising from the dead. The remains, discovered in 2022 in the town of Peń within the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, belong to a girl aged 17–19. The burial is classified as deviant due to the presence of traditional anti-vampire deterrents used in 17th-century Europe. Specifically, investigators found a large metal sickle with a wooden handle placed across the neck area and a padlock secured to the foot. Analysis indicates that the grave was reopened and disturbed before the soft tissues of the body had completely decomposed, suggesting the ritual was performed shortly after the initial interment to "lock" the deceased in the grave. Radiocarbon dating places the time of death between 1620 and 1674. The site was located in a necropolis that appears to have been Protestant, distinguishing it from the predominantly Catholic population of the region.