From Bram Stoker to Nosferatu, vampires have featured in our books, films, and nightmares for hundreds of years.
Now, the remains of a real 15th-century ‘vampire’ who was decapitated to stop him rising from the dead have been found in a medieval fortress in Croatia.
Račeša, a suspected stronghold of the Knights Templar 70 miles (112km) southeast of Zagreb, is the site of more than 180 burials, but one stands out as particularly unusual.
According to experts, this grave had been desecrated in an attempt to prevent a suspected vampire from taking his revenge on the living.
Archaeologists discovered the remains of a middle-aged man whose body was dug up shortly after death, beheaded and reburied with his torso facing down.
Archaeologist Dr Nataša Šarkić, lead author of a paper on the remains, says: ‘The way the body was arranged could not be explained by any environmental force.
‘This was a human intervention, and it occurred while the soft tissue was still present.
‘Meaning that someone opened a freshly-buried grave, carefully separated the skull, and turned the thorax onto the stomach. There must be a reason for that.’
The remains of a ‘vampire’ who was decapitated to prevent him from returning from the dead have been found in a medieval fortress in Croatia
Just like in the film Nosferatu, vampires were once believed to be undead spirits who returned to live in to order spread disease and feed on the living
Although the suave, sophisticated vampires seen in Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Interview with the Vampire are a modern invention, the belief in blood-sucking undead actually dates back to pre-Christian times.
In Slavic countries like Croatia, Dr Šarkić says that people strongly believed in the existence of vampires for hundreds of years.
She noted the case of Jure Grando Alilović, a Croatian villager who died in 1656, and is described as a vampire in historical records.
Neighbouring Serbia offers another example – Petar Blagojević, who died in 1725, and whose body was staked through the heart, and burnt as a suspected vampire.
Likewise, archaeologists have found several ‘vampire’ burials in Poland including the body of an 18-year-old girl pinned to her grave with a sickle and a padlock to prevent her returning.
Since vampires were believed to be nearly indestructible forces of evil, medieval people took extreme measures to prevent them from returning.
‘The characteristic of vampires is their near indestructibility,’ says Dr Šarkić.
‘For that reason, precautions were taken to prevent the transmutation of the newly dead into vampires.
Archaeologists found the remains at Račeša, a suspected stronghold of the Knights Templar in 70 miles (112km) southeast of Zagreb
After their death, the ‘vampire’ had been unearthed, decapitated, and buried with their torso facing downwards
‘The most common way to do this was to destroy the corpses of those thought to be most at risk of becoming a vampire, specifically by driving a stake through the corpse’s heart.
‘But other methods were also viable, including burning the corpse, and beheading the corpse, before burying the head between the feet and legs.’
In some cases, people would also try to prevent the ‘vampire’ from escaping their grave by burying them upside down or weighing the body down with stones.
Based on these well-known traditions, it seems clear that the body found at Račeša fort was suspected of turning into a vampire.
His body was found dismembered in the ‘most disfavoured spot’ along the outermost wall of the graveyard.
Since there are no cut marks on his neck or shoulders, it is likely that his head was simply pulled from his body while the body was still fresh.
His torso was then carefully arranged upside down with the head placed 30cm away, a ‘massive brick’ was also found between his legs and there was a huge rock placed beneath his head.
However, looking at his bones gives some more clues as to why he was singled out for such violent treatment.
Experts say this was a deliberate attempt to stop the suspected vampire from rising from their grave to harm the living
In their paper, published in Military Orders and Their Heritage, the researchers argue that the man was probably between 40 and 50 when he died and lived in the 15th or 16th centuries.
Dr Šarkić says: ‘He exhibited significant markers of occupational stress, indicating he had engaged in a lot of physical activity throughout his life.
‘What catches our attention are injuries that show that he had sustained numerous traumatic events at various points in his life.
‘Some of these injuries appeared to be the result of accidents, while others clearly indicated interpersonal violence.’
This suggests that the ‘vampire’ was probably a soldier or knight during his life and may have even been associated with the Knights Templar who are suggested to have used Račeša as a fortress and church.
Throughout his life, this man received three major injuries which were clearly caused by violence.
The first was caused by a ‘very large blade and an extremely powerful close-range blow’ which struck him in the face around his mouth and nose.
Although he survived the blow, the researchers write: ‘His face may have been disfigured, its appearance causing fear and repulsion.’
Analysis of the vampire’s bones reveals that they had a very violent life and were likely a soldier or knight. Their face would have been badly scarred by a huge injury to the face
They were killed by a series of blows from a bladed weapon, probably a sword, delivered to the back of their head. This person’s violent life and death made them a likely candidate to become a vampire in the eyes of the medieval people
The ‘vampire’ was still recovering from a second injury, a blow which fractured several of his ribs, at the time of his death.
Finally, the researchers found a group of injuries to the skull inflicted by a sharp bladed weapon which showed no signs of healing, indicating that the wounds were fatal.
The fact that these injuries are on the back of the head suggests that he was struck from behind by his assailant.
His alarming appearance and apparently violent lifestyle may have singled him out for such drastic treatment after his death.
‘In the case of the “vampire” from Račeša, several factors make him an excellent candidate for the anti-vampire intervention,’ says Dr Šarkić.
‘According to tradition, a vampire is often seen as an angry spirit with the desire to harm others.
‘This figure can represent a person who deviated from community norms during their lifetime, displaying sinful and violent behaviour. It may also be someone who died violently and seeks revenge.’
Sometime after his burial in the churchyard, bad dreams, illness, or misfortune among his surviving relatives might have triggered the accusation that the deceased soldier was returning as a vampire.
But he wouldn’t have matched the modern ‘Hollywood’ idea of a vampire.
Dr Šarkić says: ‘Unlike the aristocratic vampires known for their pale skin and slender figures, vampires from Balkan folklore were often described as bloated, long-nailed, and having a ruddy or dark complexion.
‘This description aligns with partially decomposed corpses.
‘Therefore, any corpse in an advanced stage of decomposition can resemble a vampire.’
