Long before Dracula gave Britain its elegant, aristocratic vampire, our dead were considerably less sophisticated. They got out of the grave, lumbered around frightening the neighbours, spread disease and occasionally required somebody to hit them with a spade.
Tag: Medieval Folklore
When the Sky Turns Red – Blood Rain
For centuries, red rain was recorded as a warning of war, plague and divine displeasure. But sometimes the explanation was travelling towards Europe from thousands of miles away. From ancient omens and medieval chronicles to Saharan dust carried across continents, what happens when the sky appears to bleed?
Sharing's Caring!
The Dead They Feared – The Strange Burials of Wharram Percy
At Wharram Percy, ten people were cut, broken and burned after death. Forensic anthropology reveals what happened to their bodies – but can it tell us what their community feared?
Sharing's Caring!
The Blood-Filled Corpse: England’s Twelfth-Century Vampire?
A wicked man dies unshriven, rises from his grave and brings pestilence with him. When villagers exhume his swollen, blood-filled corpse, medieval England gets disturbingly close to a vampire.
Sharing's Caring!
When the Dead Don’t Stay Dead
There are few things that humanity has been quite so consistently afraid of as a dead person who refuses to behave like one.
