17th-century vampire child found in Poland

Archaeologists in Poland have uncovered the skeleton of a child from the 17th century in a graveyard near Dąbrowa Chełmińska. The body was interred face down, and a small triangular padlock was placed beneath the foot bones. Researchers interpret the unusual position and the lock as deliberate measures connected to local burial customs intended to prevent the deceased from returning to harm the living.

The find echoes a similar discovery last year in the same area, where a medieval woman’s burial also contained a triangular padlock. Archaeologists dated the child’s grave through its context and associated items and say these burials reflect folk responses to disease, death, and fear. They treat the evidence as cultural practice that helps reconstruct past beliefs, not as proof of supernatural events.