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Archaeology & History

Archaeologists find Bulgarian 'vampires'

By T.K. Randall
June 6, 2012 · Comment icon 31 comments

Image Credit: sxc.hu
Two medieval skeletons with iron stakes through their chests have been discovered in Bulgaria.
The country has seen its fair share of 'vampire skeleton' burials over the years with over 100 discovered, up until a century ago it was common practice to put a stake through the heart of the deceased in fear that they would rise again at night and terrorize the living.

"These skeletons stabbed with rods illustrate a practice which was common in some Bulgarian villages up until the first decade of the 20th Century," said Bozhidar Dimitrov of Bulgaria's National History Museum.
Archaeologists in Bulgaria have found two medieval skeletons pierced through the chest with iron rods to supposedly stop them from turning into vampires.


Source: BBC News | Comments (31)

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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #22 Posted by tyrant lizard 13 years ago
They were staked in order to NOT turn into Vampires. If they hadn't turned before being staked, removing it wouldn't do anything... Unless they were infected as vampires whilst in the grave as the people that buried them obviously believed possible... A thing they used to do in eastern europe was to roll the corpse up tightly in a long rug, fasten it with hundreds of knotted strings and bury it head first at a cross roads. The cross roads represented the crusifix, the rug was thought to be houdini proof, in old lore a vampire would have to undo all knots before it could move on, and lastly the... [More]
Comment icon #23 Posted by Taun 13 years ago
Unless they were infected as vampires whilst in the grave as the people that buried them obviously believed possible... A thing they used to do in eastern europe was to roll the corpse up tightly in a long rug, fasten it with hundreds of knotted strings and bury it head first at a cross roads. The cross roads represented the crusifix, the rug was thought to be houdini proof, in old lore a vampire would have to undo all knots before it could move on, and lastly they thought that if buried upside down it would dig downwards instead of up. I'd have just put it through a meat grinder and fed it to... [More]
Comment icon #24 Posted by tyrant lizard 13 years ago
Undead vampiric pigs we don't need.... Pigs may fly - all else becomes plausable
Comment icon #25 Posted by InfamousI 13 years ago
I feel like most people probably have heard the theory for the catalyst for vampirism. Europe, already containing a wealth of nonsense folkloric myth and legend; unfortunately, has been plagued by more than just a lack of education with a lot of these stories of anthropomorphic and metamorphic victims. Having gone to school with a couple gentleman from Bulgaria and my exgf being from Albania, I've heard of; needless to say; quite a few real life horror stories. Having been in isolation for so many years, many of the people in these areas obviously aren't going to be even high school diploma sa... [More]
Comment icon #26 Posted by TattooMan 13 years ago
@ Mider... where do you think the vampire myth originated??? Bram Stoker learned of the vampire myth from eastern Europe and wrote Dracula to romanticize that myth. The vampire legend was around long before Stoker. Same holds true of other myths and legends that were around before they were put into books.
Comment icon #27 Posted by KNash 13 years ago
I read that it was also common practice to bury the dead with nets over their bodies so that the "vampire" would be stuck in the grave and would only be able to untie the knots at a rate of one per year before ever being able to get out. And that the heart was sometimes cut out and boiled.
Comment icon #28 Posted by Device 13 years ago
Interesting insight into old customs and beliefs. I think these vampire myths might have arisen from the activities of early serial killers. It may have been too incomprehensible for people back then - as it is for many today - to think that an 'ordinary' person could do such things, so they attributed it to 'supernatural, evil beings' - vampires.
Comment icon #29 Posted by libstaK 13 years ago
I thought it originated from Count Vlad the Impaler.. http://en.wikipedia....lad_the_Impaler But even Count Vlad was chosen by Bram Stoker specifically for his easy assimilation into an existing lore about vampirism I suspect
Comment icon #30 Posted by BrianPotter 13 years ago
Just going to put the link to the pictures up that have been released,in case anyone is interested.. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/pictures/120724-vampire-skeleton-toothless-bulgaria-science/#/new-vampire-skeletons-found-bulgaria-box_57053_600x450.jpg
Comment icon #31 Posted by Super-Fly 13 years ago
Nice, interesting. Thanks,
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