A disturbing find dated to early modern Poland shines new light on the paranormal beliefs of some Poles at the time.
Archaeologists have discovered evidence of a suspected “child revenant” near the city of Bydgoszcz, according to The New York Times.
The findings, linked to researchers of Nicolaus Copernicus University, were unearthed in a 17th-century cemetery.
The corpse of a 6-year-old child was locked inside of a grave, according to Dr. Dariusz Poliński.
“The padlock would have been locked to the big toe.”
“The child was interred in a prone position so that if it returned from the dead and tried to ascend, it would bite into dirt instead.”
The child was also buried face down.
Poliński indicated the treatment of the corpse was fueled by the locals’ fear it would return to walk amongst them.
“The padlock shows people were afraid of this child after its death,” the scientist told LiveScience.
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In 17th-century Europe, the dead were thought to rise again & bedevil the living. Now, researchers in Poland have found the remains of a suspected child revenant. Buried face down with a padlock by its foot the 400-year-old corpse was locked to its grave. https://t.co/M2xQ6SDdic pic.twitter.com/sMi4surAH2
— Jon Hutson (@JonHutson) September 30, 2023
The bones of the corpse were looted from the grave at some point after its burial — with the exception of its lower legs.
Polish folklore was rife with references to vampire-like ghostly beings who sought to drink the blood of the living and create havoc in their homes, according to the Times.
The cemetery in which the locked corpse was discovered has been identified as a place used for “abandoned souls excluded by society,” according to Poliński.
Another grave near the locked child featured a sickle intended to behead the corpse of a woman in the event that she rose from the dead.
Professor Dariusz Poliński from the Nicholas Copernicus University explained:
🗣 ‘The sickle was not laid flat but placed on the neck in such a way that if the deceased had tried to get up most likely the head would have been cut off or injured’ pic.twitter.com/i39PdBOvgx
— Metro (@MetroUK) September 5, 2022
Another collection of bones and human remains traced to 18th-century Poland is rife with rituals and practices intended to ward off the otherworldly, according to the New York Post.
