Skeletons treated for vampirism found in Bulgaria

[Hum]

SOFIA, Bulgaria ? Bulgarian archaeologists say they have unearthed centuries-old skeletons pinned down through their chests with iron rods -- a practice believed to stop the dead from becoming vampires.

According to Bozhidar Dimitrov, head of the National History Museum in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, two skeletons from the Middle Ages were found in such a state last weekend near the Black Sea town of Sozopol.

He said Tuesday that corpses were regularly treated in such a way before being buried in some parts of Bulgaria, even until the beginning of the last century.

Widespread superstition led to iron rods being hammered through the chest bones and hearts of those who did evil during their lifetimes for fear they would return after death to feast on the blood of the living.

According to Dimitrov, over 100 corpses stabbed to prevent them from becoming vampires have been discovered across Bulgaria over the years.

"I do not know why an ordinary discovery like that [has] became so popular. Perhaps because of the mysteriousness of the word "vampire," he said.

source

[Growled Member]

Sounds like it worked. :p

[exotoxic]

They used to do this in England (and probably other places) for people that committed suicide or sudden death because they did not have a "good" death (last rites). People thought they would come back as the living dead, so they staked them in to the ground.

That's how i remember it from the TV show "Tony Robinson gods and monsters" :p which was a very good, telling some lesser know parts of English myth/history. It is a shame the last episode was never shown. I even emailed them and they said they were not allowed to tell me why it was not shown :/ For some reason i got the feeling it was because there was something too controversial to show, i suppose only the people on the inside will ever know the reason :p