'Vampire child' with padlock found in 17th century grave. It was to prevent...

The 'vampire child' was found next to the 'vampire' woman buried with a padlock and sickle. (FIle)

Archaeologists have delved into the shadowy past of a 17th-century Polish village uncovering the remains of a young "vampire" child who had been interred face down and secured to the earth with a padlock. This macabre discovery in the village of Pień sought to quell concerns of the deceased's return from beyond the grave.

The lead archaeologist on the excavation, Professor Dariusz Poliński of Nicolaus Copernicus University, unveiled this grim tableau, describing the unmarked, mass cemetery as a resting place for "the excluded" - those shunned from Christian burial grounds for diverse reasons.

The child's skeletal remains, believed to be that of a 5 to 7-year-old, were unearthed in proximity to a fellow "vampire" inhabitant - a woman who was buried with a padlock binding her big toe and a sickle ominously poised to sever her head should she attempt a resurrection.

This eerie necropolis, known as the "city of the dead," stands testament to a bygone era’s beliefs and practices that defy conventional understanding.

A ‘vampire child' has been found in a cemetery of lost souls.

Archaeologists uncovered the 17th century skeletal remains with a padlock attached to its foot in the village of Pień, Poland.

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Traditionally the padlock would prevent the vampire returning to claim more victims. pic.twitter.com/OYhAW3sbMO

— Mr Pål Christiansen (@TheNorskaPaul) August 11, 2023

These so-called "anti-vampiric" measures include triangular padlocks, reminiscent of dark rituals, that were fastened to the feet of the dead to anchor them firmly to the earth. Signs of grave disturbances and post-burial excavations underline the desperate efforts to contain the restless spirits believed to stalk the living.

Unravelling the cryptic motives behind these unsettling interments, Poliński explicates that a myriad of factors contributed to such practices. Some individuals may have exhibited peculiar behaviour during their lives, invoking fear and trepidation.

Others might have succumbed to ailments or physical conditions that rendered their appearances unusual, marking them as potential sources of dread. "Sudden death," Poliński elucidates through a translator, "was often considered something people should be afraid of.”

These "vampire burials" bore witness to the parallel struggles against unexplainable mass deaths that plagued Christian Europe from the 14th century onward. Researchers speculates that these enigmatic "vampires" were perhaps symbolic manifestations of pandemics or large-scale poisonings that left communities grappling with the incomprehensible.