Poland's vampire cemetery: bodies buried with sickles

In a cemetery near the village of Pień, Poland, archaeologists have uncovered over 100 burials, with at least 30 featuring protective rituals like sickles and padlocks.

One 2022 burial of a young woman had an iron padlock on her foot, intended to prevent the deceased from leaving the grave.

A child aged 5–7 was buried face down with a padlock, indicating similar fears applied to both adults and children.

Archaeologist Dariusz Poliński from Nicolaus Copernicus University cautions against calling them 'vampire burials'; he views the practices as protective customs from the 17th century.