Archaeologists in Poland have made a chilling discovery: the remains of alleged “vampire children.” One of the children was decapitated, presumably to prevent them from rising from the grave.
“The burial clearly shows signs of anti-vampire practices,” said Dr. Stanisław Gołub, an archaeologist leading the excavation. The skeletons were unearthed during a garden renovation project at the Palace of the Uniate Bishops in Chelm.
The remains, believed to date back to the 13th century, were weighted with stones to prevent a demonic entity from escaping the grave. They were interred without coffins or traditional funerary ornaments in a site far from any known cemetery.
The burial practices were consistent with anti-vampire rituals of the time. One child was buried facedown with a stone on their torso, their skull having been removed. “Burying with the face to the ground, cutting off the head or pressing the body with a stone are among the methods used to prevent a person believed to be a demonic being from leaving the grave,” Dr. Golub explained.
The “vampire children” were also buried in gypsum soil and oriented on an east-west axis—common customs at the time. Postholes found at the burial site suggest that locals may have monitored the graves for signs of a vampiric resurrection.
Researchers are now analyzing the remains to learn more about burial practices during this era. The discovery of these “vampire children” sheds light on the widespread belief in vampires and revenants throughout medieval Europe, particularly in Eastern Europe.