Grave Containing 450 Headless 'Vampires' Discovered During Roadworks

Credit: UG Luzino

While completing some road maintenance, workers in Poland came across a mass grave, where some have speculated that the skeletons may be "vampires."

You know, there used to be a lot of superstition and concern about whether individuals might revive after they had died, and some of the many skeletons that have been found at this location show the signs of people seeking to break a "vampire curse."

To put it another way, some have been beheaded, some have been placed in odd ways, and some have coins in their mouths and skulls between their legs.

Credit: UG Luzino

In 18th-century Eastern Europe, several of these items were thought to prevent the reappearance of the dead.

However, these kinds of traditions were by no means unique to that region of the world; in fact, they appear to exist in all cultures.

Workers digging on a road in Luzino, Poland's northeast, uncovered the 450 skeletons.

Maciej Stromski

They are currently being observed by archaeologists, who are obviously quite curious about what is occurring underground in this specific spot.

Maciej Stromski is one of the archaeologists who has been asked to study the bones, and he said: "We discovered examples of belief in the dead returning from the grave, which could only be stopped by decapitation.”

"It was believed that if a member of the deceased's family died shortly after the funeral, then he or she could be a vampire.”

Maciej Stromski

"Therefore, after burial, the grave was dug up and the deceased's head was cut off, which was then placed in the legs.”

"We also discovered an example of a woman after decapitation.”

"The skull of a child was laid on her bosom."

Maciej Stromski

A third of the skeletons were found with bricks placed near their arms, legs, and skulls, according to reporting from MailOnline.

This most recent discovery came after a woman was discovered in Pie with a sickle pinning her to the ground by the throat.

She may have been thought to be a vampire.

Maciej Stromski

In addition to the sickle, the woman also had a padlocked toe, which is supposed to have been another effort to prevent individuals from reviving.

The fact that this woman was wearing a silk cap on her head suggested that not only was she a noblewoman, but also that she might be a vampire.

There have been skulls discovered with metal rods hammered through them at various locations besides simply Poland, which is meant to ensure that the dead stay dead and don't return back to life.