Archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń have conducted an examination of the “vampire” burial found near Bydgoszcz, a city in northern Poland.
In 2022, archaeologists announced the discovery of human remains buried with a sickle positioned over the neck and a padlock fastened to the left foot's toe.
Archaeologists concluded that the deceased was a female who held a high social status and lived during the 17th century. It was theorised that the items were placed to prevent the woman from rising as a revenant and ascending to vampirism.
During the late 17th and 18th century, the folklore for vampires as we imagine became rampant in the verbal traditions and lore of many European ethnic groups. They were described as the revenants of evil beings, suicide victims, witches, corpses possessed by a malevolent spirit, or the victim of a vampiric attack.