Градът. “Неправилните" мъртъвци през ХІІ-ХІХ век (по мат. от град Самоков и Самоковско)
The “wrong” dead in the 12th-19th centuries: study cases from Samokov and Samokov region

Summary/Abstract: The paper analyses burial and post-burial practices against vampires as used in Samokov in the 12th-19th century. Two types of materials are studied: archeological findings around Beljo Church and interviews on the popular culture in the region in the past. Out of the 54 graves examined in the yard of Beljo Church, 8 have skeletons with post-mortem deformations. The juxtaposition of the archeological data and the materials of the popular culture suggest that the main means used against the vampires was the post-mortem mutilation of the dead bodies. It was believed that the mutilation of the limps of the dead body prevented vampire’s going out the grave; the mutilation of its pelvis destroyed its seminal functions; the mutilation of its head destroyed its mental abilities.

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