A quick link from a friend here, this is an interesting article on a find based on 17th century beliefs of witchcraft in Britain.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17245-londons-magical-history-uncorked-from-witch-bottle.html
As always, some of the more interesting stuff happens in the comments… but take everything you read there with a grain of salt 
One of the experts mentioned in the article, Brian Hoggart, runs a website called Apotropaios, which is Greek for “evil-averting”. He’s collecting physical evidence of items that were buried or placed inside, under or around houses or buildings that were used to ward off evil… and you can help!
by admin on March 19, 2009
Vampire by E. Munch
In the news recently an article came up about an archaeology team in Italy who found proof of what was possibly a “vampire” exorcism.
Turns out, back in the 16th century it was believed that bodies that had been buried in mass graves and subsequently dug up could have been vampires. The bloated bodies contained blood that would ooze out the skin, making them appear that they were still “alive” (but dead) and holes were formed in the cloth used to shroud their faces as bacteria from inside the bodies ate away at the material. They were thus thought to be eating the shrouds… seeking nourishment from beyond the grave.
What led the diggers to believe these were thought to be vampires? They found one body… a woman… who had had a brick placed in her mouth. This follows a the belief held at the time that placing a brick in their mouth would stop the vampire from eating… and hence harming others.
In fact, the term “shroud eater” is used to describe a certain European-style vampire, quite different from those described in the works of Bram Stoker
or Anne Rice
.
Those interested in this particular branch of vampirism would be inspired by the site found at http://www.shroudeater.com. Mr. Rob Brautigam has done an outstanding job researching actual, documented cases of vampires (aka shroudeaters) and invites you to take a tale and do some digging of your own to uncover the truth.
Help support this site by clicking on the links included above and purchase some books. Use irewards coupon!
Read about the find, including a photo, here.
