Vampire Skeletons Discovered in Bulgaria (VIDEO)
Two skeletons believed to be vampires were discovered in Bulgaria.
The two skeletons unearthed recently in Bulgaria are believed to be up to 800 years old, and lived sometime near the Middle Ages. The skeletons were found pierced with rods to their grave near a Bulgarian monastery, during an archeological dig.
"These two skeletons stabbed with rods illustrate a practice which was common in some Bulgarian villages up until the first decade of the 20th century," Bulgaria's national history museum chief Bozhidar Dimitrov said, according to Mail Online.
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The practice developed out of a pagan belief that people who led bad lives would resurrect as vampires in the after life. The iron or wooden rod was meant to confirm that the person was dead and also to pin that person to his grave. The museum chief noted that no women have been found buried in a similar way and suggested that the village people did not fear witches.
"I do not know why an ordinary discovery like that became so popular. Perhaps because of the mysteriousness of the word 'vampire,'" Dimitrov speculated. "These people were believed to be evil while they were alive, and it was believed that they would become vampires once they are dead, continuing to torment people."
The recordings of vampire folklore spread across many different cultures. Common amongst all of the cultures, was the idea that the creatures would feed on the "life essence" of other creatures.
Others buried with rods going through their chest have been discovered before.
Archaeologist Petar Balabanov unearthed six nailed-down skeletons at a site near the eastern town of Debelt, also in Bulgaria, in 2004. According to Balabanov, findings have occurred outside of Bulgaria as well, near Serbia and the Balkans according to news.com.au.
The famous "Dracula" was actually based on a prince that lived near Romania. Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, who was nicknamed Dracula, was believed by locals to be a vampire. He practiced cruel ways of torturing and killing.
