File No. 040 of 446
Pień padlocked burial
Also called: Pień vampire, vampire of Pień
The Pień burial is a 17th-century Polish grave in which a woman was interred with a sickle across her throat and a padlock on her foot. Archaeologists interpret both as measures to keep the dead from rising. It gives physical form to the precautions that folklore prescribes against the upiór and strzyga. The find was reported in 2022 and is usually described as a 'vampire' burial.12
First recorded
1650
A 17th-century grave at Pień, reported in September 2022Origin
Polish
PolandWhat causes it
Never explained
Nothing is known of why the woman was feared.Weak spots
- a sickle laid across the neck so that it would cut the throat if the body sat up
- a padlock fastened round a toe
When did it first appear?
A 17th-century grave at Pień, reported in September 2022
field notes
What the sources say
Sources
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