Archeologists discover dozens of 'vampires' buried in locked graves in Poland
Hard to believe that it was only about 400 years ago that some folks believed this stuff.
https://www.channel3000.com/news/shareable-stories/archeologists-discover-dozens-of-vampires-buried-in-locked-graves-in-poland/article_771f2389-8e6b-59c9-9bf2-f8b81e546519.html
Archeologists discover dozens of 'vampires' buried in locked graves in Poland
Video Elephant 2 hrs ago
Vampire Burials Discovered and Disturbed in Poland Dig
In Poland, a team of archeologists made an unsettling discovery. Using non-invasive ground-penetrating radar, they discovered a long forgotten graveyard site, believed to be used mainly for those outcast from society and buried as vampires, with precautions taken in case they rise from the dead.
The 400-Year-Old Remains of a Child Once Believed to Be a Vampire Was Discovered in a Locked Grave in Poland
The tomb was padlocked as a safeguard against the deceased.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/400-year-old-child-remains-found-in-locked-grave-poland-2367569
Adam Schrader, October 28, 2023
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“He was originally buried in an upright position, face down, with a triangular iron padlock folded under his feet,” Polinski said.
The boy’s remains were excavated, except for his shins and feet. Polinski said the grave was disturbed after the boy was buried but researchers have not been able to pin down exactly when. It is also unclear what the people who had exhumed his body had intended to do with it, though it is possible they intended to burn or destroy the corpse. A short distance from his grave, archaeologists excavated the remains of three more children.
Last year, researchers in Poland excavated a 17th-century woman buried with a sickle around her neck and padlock on her foot near where the child was buried. Photo courtesy of Łukasz Czyżewski
Polinski added that the boy’s grave is unique and that no other child burials have been observed in a similar state.
“In fact, from the moment of discovery, it was clear that the padlock that was discovered, in a sense closing this tomb, was a safeguard against the dead child,” he said, and not a measure to protect the boy’s remains in any way.
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Only the shins and feet of the boy, believed to be about six years old, were found. Photo courtesy of Łukasz Czyżewski
A picture of the padlock that was around the boy’s foot can be seen. Photo courtesy of Łukasz Czyżewski
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In fact, there was mass hysteria in South Jersey over the Red Devil in the early 20th century. These myths and legends have staying power. Even when I was growing up, my grandmother would threaten us with tales of the Jersey Devil when we were too rambunctious. The Red Devil presumably was fond of the tender flesh of young children. That shut us up! 
I grew up in South Jersey, not that far from the Pine Barrens, where the majority of people grew up with the Leeds' family story, the 13th child narrative and Mother Leeds' infamous curse. There were a couple of other story versions but the curse on the child that led to the once-born babe flying up the chimney with leathery wings, hooves and a pointed tail is a favorite tale, the sort to scare young children into obedience. LOL.
What always fascinated me was the panic that presumably broke out in my hometown in the early 1900s. This mass hysteria was among the adults of the town and led to injury and property damage. Lasted over a weekend as I recall from the documentation of the event.
Ignorance and delusional thinking can be powerful, dangerous. As we all (unfortunately) know from recent experience. Everything old is new again! 
