Polish teenager buried with sickle to prevent return from the dead

In 17th-century Poland, people buried a teenage girl named Zosia with items meant to prevent her from rising from the grave.

Archaeologists discovered Zosia’s burial at Pień in 2022 and have now detailed the unusual precautions taken with her remains. Someone fastened an iron padlock to her left foot and, after the initial burial, reopened the grave to place a sickle across her throat, with the blade facing her neck.

Researchers believe these measures were intended to stop Zosia from becoming a revenant, a feared corpse believed capable of returning to harm the living. This combination of a sickle and padlock is unique among known burials. The team also found traces of copper in Zosia’s mouth, suggesting an object or substance was placed there. Zosia, who died between ages 17 and 19, was likely a local resident with possible Scandinavian ancestry through her mother’s line.

Evidence suggests she came from a wealthy family, as her headwear included expensive materials like silk and silver. Despite the elaborate burial, the cause of her death remains undetermined, adding to the mystery of why the community feared her enough to take such extreme measures. The Pień cemetery contained over 100 similar unusual burials, suggesting it served as a final resting place for people ostracized or feared by the community.