There was a mystery that brought many scientists upside down and was that of the vampires of Poland. Two findings, one in Gliwice, with 17 graves of more than 500 years old, whose corpses appeared with heads separated from the neck and located next to other parts of the body, and another in Drawsko, where 6 graves were found (in this case 400 years ago) whose bodies had stones in their jaws, fanned the mysteries around these battered bodies So long ago.Why this strange ritual in the occupants of these graves?
If 5 centuries ago these actions were performed on the bodies of the deceased, it was with the intention of preventing the corpses from being resuscitated, who could come back to life later.These events resulted in hundreds of stories and theories that pointed to the existence of vampires and many questions among the scientific community.Also it was worth the c Gliwice cemetery the nickname of "The Vampire Cemetery".
The mystery of the vampires of Poland
The first thing the research teams did was try to discern who they could be the supposed vampires to elucidate some more information about this ritual, about what could have led to this tradition: were they foreigners? People passing by who aroused the suspicion of the inhabitants of those lands? Not at all.Scientists were surprised to analyze the remains and discover that the "vampires" had lived in the area before they were buried, were local.
Why kill your own settlers? What leads you to think that your neighbor is a vampire? Scientists suggest that this type of burial is related to an epidemic of cholera that hit the region during that time (17th century).I also affirm the co-author of the study around the subject, Lesley Gregoricka.that cholera is a disease that is characterized by causing terrible diarrhea, which dehydrate at breakneck speed who suffers, and can cause death in a few hours in the most severe cases.
As commented by Tracy Bestsinger, who also participated in the study, the stories of the dead that come back to life are truly ancient and date back to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Babylonians and even further back, so it is not uncommon for the vampirism hat to round the minds of the Poles of that time.
In fact, tales about" undead "circulated throughout the world since at least the eleventh century, increasing the stories of vampires from the seventeenth century through the newspapers.It should be said that the concept of "vampire" in Polish folklore at that time does not fit exactly with what we have today.The vampire was considered a diabolical spirit that, up to 40 days "post mortem", returned the body to life to harm its neighbors.
But who could be vampires? What does it have to do with cholera? Then it was believed that those who were likely to become vampires were those who had not been baptized, who had died violently, people marginalized in life, deformed, those who came from other regions and those killed because of an epidemic.is! "Deceased because of an epidemic," such as the one caused by cholera.
Epidemics and vampires
The scientists of the study suggest that the notion of "vampire" may have arisen during some plagues and epidemics, in which countless corpses were exposed and decomposing for a long time.People did not understand what was happening, they felt overcome by the magnitude of the tragedy and vampire theory could have been a way of giving force an answer they didn't have, to justify so many deaths.
In the case of Drawsko's bodies, there were no signs of violence or serious trauma in the bodies, so the scientists began to rely on the theory that these people had been the first to fall into one of the epidemics of cholera .These would be, for the rest of the inhabitants, the people most likely to come back to life as devilish creatures: vampires.
However, in the case of the cemetery of Gliwice the thing is complicated.The bodies had been beheaded , specifically and according to the analysis, with a sword.The executioner had followed a special ritual and, in addition, had placed their heads on other parts of the body, probably so that it would be impossible to relocate it.The tragic thing about these cases is that by studying the bodies better , they found that they were something "different" to the men of the time: many of the bodies ran they sponsor men and women much higher or lower than normal, hunchbacked, with some malformation ...They were physically different from the rest to whom, according to the researchers, I do not doubt accuse of "vampires" when the epidemic of cholera began to scourge the area.
For now, scientists continue to conduct research to provide more data on this mystery, which seems to be almost solved.The arrival of a illness of incomprehensible behavior aroused the most basic instincts and the most absurd beliefs , to the point of claiming lives and requiring macabre rituals that evidently had no results.
Image ala.d, Jay Trefethen, L.Whittaker
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