Ghoulish Remains of Vampires Found by Archaelogists.

Bulgarian Archaeologists dig up Vampire remains

Since fictional knowledge of supernatural creatures, such as vampires, came into our minds through stories, etc; many of us have wanted to believe in such beings. Over time we have even twisted and re-fashioned them into anti-heroes, convincing ourselves they live among us secretly and preserve some strange good. We re-invent them as beautiful Gothic type creatures that we might want to fall in love with. I think some of these strange Goth dressed teenagers, of today, would run headlong into the path of a vampire to be bitten into the supernatural world of such beings. We even have loads of tv, books and film series based on such things. However, this is all fantasy, but the original folklore comes from rural Balkan people and their belief of such things. Vampires were very real, to these people, at one time, and because of such beliefs; they often did things from hysteria and panic concerning their conviction of vampires. 

In remote areas of Eastern Europe, the people have always harboured a fear and belief of vampires. Such creatures were not so pretty to the small perspective of peasant villagers and the remote type of world they lived in. Even up to a few decades past. Often people, believed to be vampires, were buried with stakes through their heart to stop them returning as undead supernatural beings. Often they were visualised as the rotting flesh of dead people walking about, but sometimes possessing abilities to portray an image of allurement to deceive a victim into thinking they were an image of love.

Recently in Bulgaria, archaeologists found two medieval skeletons pierced through the chest with iron rods to supposedly stop them from turning into vampires. The discovery highlights the dreadful belief and practise common in some villages up until a century ago, say historians.

People suspected of becoming undead (vampires) had their hearts stabbed after death, for fear they would return to feast on living humans' blood.

Many such archaeological sites get unearthed in countries throughout the Balkan region as this area is home to a great number of vampire burial grounds.

In the photo at the very top of the blog, searchers came by two specimens in their graves, dating back to the Middle Ages, in the Black Sea town of Sozopol. The skeletons were stabbed with rods betraying a practise which was common in many Bulgarian villages up until around 1910 of the 20th Century. This is according to Bozhidar Dimitrov who is based at the National History Museum in the Bulgaria's capital city, Sofia.

People believed the stake would impale the undead to their graves thus preventing the 'believed' vampire  from leaving the grave at night to roam and terrorise the living.

In 2004, archaeologists discovered another six nailed-down skeletons at a site near the eastern Bulgarian town of Debelt. These ghoulish religious rites were also practised in neighbouring Serbia and too.

Vampire legends form an important part of the region's folklore. The most famous tale is that of Romanian count Vlad the Impaler, known as Dracula, who staked his war enemies and drank their blood.  Also a Hungarian Countess that was tried for such things concerning bathing in virgin blood.

The myth inspired Irish writer, Bram Stoker, to create his legendary Gothic horror novel, Dracula, which was first published in 1897 and has since been turned into numerous film versions.