The remains of a 'vampire' child were found shackled in a tomb.

In Poland, those who buried a 5-7 year old child suspected of being a "vampire" used a triangular shackle to keep it in the grave for 400 years.

The skeleton of a child was buried with shackles in a grave. Photo: Dariusz Poliński — The skeleton of a child was buried with shackles in a grave. Photo: *Dariusz Poliński*

Researchers unearthed the remains of a "vampire" child buried face down with their feet shackled to the ground, likely to appease villagers' fears and ensure the dead would not return. The remains of the child, aged approximately 5-7, were discovered in an unnamed mass cemetery in the village of Pień, near Ostromecko, Poland, Business Insider reported on August 11th. Last year, the same research team found the remains of a "vampire" woman in the same cemetery, shackled at the thumb and with a sickle placed across her neck to prevent her from rising from the grave.

Professor Dariusz Poliński, an archaeologist from Nicolaus Copernicus University who led both excavations, said the two graves were located two meters apart in the cemetery. He and his colleagues believe this was a temporary cemetery for "exiles" who were not allowed to be buried in the Christian cemetery for various reasons.

Poliński's team excavated about 100 graves in the cemetery, many revealing unusual burial practices, including measures to ward off vampires such as triangular shackles worn on the feet to secure the deceased to the ground. They speculated there were several reasons why a person might have been buried in such a cemetery. The individual may have exhibited strange behavior during their life that frightened those around them, or they may have died from an illness that caused their appearance to become unusual. It was also possible that the person died suddenly under inexplicable circumstances.

Villagers in the 17th century tended to fear children buried without being baptized or those who had drowned. According to Poliński, the archaeological team also found a series of bones near the child's grave along with the body of a pregnant woman who was about six months pregnant.

According to Matteo Borrini, an anthropology lecturer at John Moore University in Liverpool, the practice of burying vampires was common in Europe from the 14th century. People at the time believed that vampires would hunt down and kill family members first, then neighbors and others in the village.

An Khang (According to Business Insider )

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