According to Polish legends, these unearthed beings known as "Vjesci" were described as pale figures haunting moonlit streets and bloodthirsty creatures lurking in ancient crypts. It was believed that they would emerge during the night to prey upon unsuspecting souls.
While historians have put forth various theories, many suggest that these suspected vampires may have actually been individuals suffering from consumption or tuberculosis. The symptoms associated with this disease, such as pale skin, coughing up blood, and a wasting appearance, align with the characteristics commonly attributed to vampires in folklore.
From Ancient Origins:
Various methods were developed across Europe to prevent vampires from returning from the dead. Some common practices included placing objects such as garlic, crucifixes, or holy water near the deceased person's body. But other, more extreme methods, included decapitation, a wooden stake driven through the heart, the burning of ‘cursed’ remains, and the use of steel rods for pinning down, or locking vampires in their graves.
According to folklore in several regions of Poland, bricks hold a mysterious power over vampires, and people believed certain types of brick prevented vampires from returning from the dead. The origin of this belief probably relates to the specific composition, or perceived enchantment, within the bricks, which were used as spiritual barriers, confining the undead vampires to their resting places, and hindering them from returning to spread chaos in the realm of the living.
n many folkloric systems around the world, the vampire described disease-stricken people suffering consumption (tuberculosis). Because the symptoms of tuberculosis, such as pale skin, coughing up blood, and a wasting appearance matched the characteristics attributed to vampires in folklore,individuals who died from consumption were often thought of as having died from the ‘vampire’s curse’.
However, the origins of vampire legends and beliefs varied across different cultures, and in Poland, not all vampire folklore was inspired by consumption. In 19th-century Poland, vampires were regarded as supernaturally reanimated corpses, returning from the dead to prey on the living. Therefore, not exclusively tied to any specific medical condition like consumption. History records churchmen identifying the vampire’s curse marked on the skulls of newborns, believing not that vampirism was an illness, but that vampires were born from anti-Christian blood lineages.
It is intriguing to observe how deeply ingrained superstitions and limited access to modern medicine during that time period influenced the emergence of these somber folk tales.
Empathy naturally arises when considering the unfortunate fate of individuals who succumbed to the devastating disease of tuberculosis. Following their demise, their bodies were subjected to brutal disfigurement and treated as though they were monstrous entities.
