With a sickle at her neck: The secret of the 400-year-old 'vampire' begins to be revealed
About four years after a mysterious 400-year-old grave was discovered near the village of Pien in northern Poland, researchers are publishing the first systematic study on the young woman found inside, nicknamed 'Zosia'. The grave featured unusual measures: a padlock on her toe and a sickle over her neck, intended to prevent her from rising from the dead.
About four years after a mysterious 400-year-old grave was discovered near the village of Pien in northern Poland, researchers are publishing the first systematic study on the young woman found inside, who was nicknamed 'Zosia'. The appearance in the grave was unusual: a padlock was attached to her toe and a sickle was placed over her neck, apparently to decapitate her if she tried to rise from the dead. Now, using DNA tests and other analyses, researchers are trying to discover who the young woman was, where she came from, and most importantly – why the people who buried her were so afraid she would return.
Zosia's grave was discovered in 2022 in an unmarked cemetery near the village of Pien. From the moment of discovery, it was clear that this was not a normal burial. A sickle was placed on the young woman's neck, and a triangular padlock was attached to her left toe. Both measures are considered by researchers to be an attempt by people of that time to ensure that the deceased could not leave her grave and harm the living.
"It was unusual that there were two precautionary measures, two ways to show that this skeleton should remain in the grave – and therefore the fear that the body would return to life was greater," explained archaeologist Dariusz Polinski, who led the research. The tests revealed another intriguing detail: the padlock was attached to the young woman's big toe at the time she was buried, although it was found open later. The sickle, on the other hand, was placed on her neck at a later stage.
Researchers estimate that it was added before the body had completely decomposed. If the grave had been opened after only the skeleton remained, they would have expected to find bones and joints moved from their places – but that did not happen. From this, they conclude that tissues were still holding the bones in place at the time the sickle was placed there. Its position was not accidental: it was placed in a way that could have decapitated Zosia in case she tried, according to the beliefs of the people of that time, to rise from the grave.
Researchers also discovered that an object containing copper and gold was placed in Zosia's mouth or on her face after her death. The object left a greenish mark on her palate. At first, it could have been thought that it was a coin, but the researchers determined that the ratio between the copper and the gold does not match the alloys used in historical coins. According to the study, it is possible that this action was also part of a ritual intended to protect the living from what was then perceived as a supernatural threat.
One of the questions that occupied the researchers was whether Zosia was a stranger who arrived in the area and was therefore perceived as unusual. Chemical tests conducted on her teeth indicate that she most likely grew up in the area where she was buried. The food and water she consumed in childhood left marks in her teeth similar to those found in other people in the cemetery. However, the researchers emphasize that the same characteristics can also appear in other parts of Central Europe, and therefore it is impossible to determine this with absolute certainty.
Her mitochondrial DNA test pointed to the possibility of female relatives whose origin is related to Scandinavian populations. However, the researchers were unable to extract nuclear DNA, which could have provided a much more detailed picture of her origin.
It was precisely the tiny items found near her head that provided a significant clue about her status. The researchers found remains of silk fabric, which was likely part of a hat or head covering decoration. Pure gold and silver metal threads were incorporated into the fabric. According to the researchers, this is a strong sign that the young woman, who was 17 to 19 years old at her death, came from a wealthy family. The study even notes that in the burial clothes of King Sigismund III Vasa of Poland and Queen Constance of Habsburg, who were buried around the same period, not even one thread of pure gold was found. That is, the fact that Zosia was buried in an unusual way does not necessarily indicate that she was a person without status on the margins of society.
So why were they afraid of her? This is exactly the question that the researchers still cannot solve. Previous tests raised the possibility that Zosia suffered from a hemangioma – a tumor of blood vessels – in the area of the sternum. Such a condition could have caused pain and even swelling or deformity in the chest. However, the new study did not find signs of injury or disease in her bones that could explain how she died. Polinski estimates that it is possible that the locals blamed her for disasters such as diseases or famine. In the 17th century, there were cases where such events were attributed to the supernatural activity of the dead. The word "vampire" was not yet common at that time – it entered wider use in the 18th century – but graves of this type were later given the nickname "vampire graves."
The mystery expands when examining the entire cemetery. Excavations at the site began as early as 2005, and so far 101 graves from the 17th century have been discovered. The cemetery was likely used for about four generations. In dozens of the graves, unusual burial forms were found: a child buried face down, a skeleton placed in a position reminiscent of crucifixion, stones placed around skulls as if intended to prevent the dead from biting or moving, as well as other graves where sickles and padlocks were found.
The location of the cemetery also raised questions. It is located far from the village, on a slope near a crossroads and without a church or chapel nearby. Researchers raise the possibility that the place was used for the burial of people rejected by society or those who continued to arouse fear even after their death.
Burial intended to prevent a dead person from "returning" was not unique to Zosia. Historian and archaeologist John Blair from the University of Oxford explained that measures intended to supposedly neutralize bodies are known from different periods and places in the world, although the specific use of sickles seems characteristic of Poland in the early modern period.
Historian Martin Rady also explained that the locals likely believed that the young woman might return from the dead and therefore used two methods – the padlock and the sickle. In other places in Central Europe, other extreme measures were used, including decapitation, burning the body, or staking.
The research has not yet solved the two biggest mysteries: what Zosia died of, and what exactly caused the people who knew her to fear her so much that even after her death they tried to ensure she could not leave her grave. The researchers continue to test DNA samples and plan to investigate more graves at the site. They hope that the next findings will allow for a better understanding not only of the young woman's story, but also of the community that lived in the place about 400 years ago – and the fear that led it to take such extreme measures against the dead.
