Archaeologists investigating a 400-year-old grave in northern Poland have found the remains of a young woman with a sickle around her neck and a lock on the toe of her left foot. Legends and burial customs of the time show that people believed that such measures would protect them from any possible supernatural acts.
Named “Zosia” by locals, the woman’s remains were first discovered in 2022. Since then, scientists have been analyzing her skeleton to understand her background and why she was buried in a way that suggests vampirism or demonic reanimation.
Recently, Swedish forensic artist Oscar Nilsson recreated her facial features using a 3D-printed model of her skull. “He added so many emotions, so many emotions,” Dariusz Polinski, a professor at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland, told CNN. He described the reconstruction as “stunning”.
Further studies on Zosia’s skeletal remains have provided clues about her life and possible hardships. Analysis revealed that she was probably between 18 and 20 years old and may have been suffering from health problems such as severe headaches, fainting and a tumor in the chest. These conditions were not the cause of his death, which remains unknown. More tests are going on.
The fine silver and gold threads found in her tomb suggest that Zosia was from a high-status family, perhaps from southern Scandinavia. Mr. Polinski said that during this era, Poland and Sweden were engaged in conflict.
The burial methods – initially locking his toes, later using a sickle – were typical “anti-vampire” practices of the time. “She was initially buried in a coffin in a natural position, with her head facing west and on a pillow and with a lock on her toe,” Mr Polinsky said. But superstitious locals may have reopened his grave, dismembered his remains and placed a sickle on his neck, possibly attributing local bad luck to his spirit.
The burial site, which archaeologists began exploring in 2005, is believed to have served as a cemetery for about four generations in the 17th century, although no written records exist. The team continues to explore the site, where other unstable graves, including those of a child buried face down and a pregnant woman, suggest a broader ritual pattern.
