Archaeologists have dug up the remains of a " female vampire dating to the 17th century".
The team of researchers from the Nicholas Copernicus University found the bones in Poland.
Around the body were measures used hundreds of years ago by those fearful the dead would rise, including a sickle placed over her neck and a padlock on a toe.
The sickle would have decapitated the monster when it sat up while the padlock symbolised the impossibility of the beast returning.
The woman had a protruding tooth at the front of her mouth, which may have been what made people in the 17th century believe she was a blood sucker, reported The First News.
Professor Dariusz Poliński said: “Ways to protect against the return of the dead include cutting off the head or legs, placing the deceased face down to bite into the ground, burning them, and smashing them with a stone.
“[The sickle] was not laid flat but placed on the neck in such a way that if the deceased had tried to get up most likely the head would have been cut off or injured.”
Magdalena Zagrodzka added: “This is a unique find. There has never been anything like it before.”
The team discovered the remains in a 17th century cemetery under a grave they recognised as an anti-vampire burial.
Earlier this year, a vampire-slaying kit which once belonged to a British lord sold at auction for more than £13,000 - with not a clove of garlic in sight.
The lockable box dating from the 19th century included tools and holy items used to ward off any bloodsuckers, including two brass crucifixes on the lid.
Inside are more crucifixes, as well as pistols, holy water, rosary beads and a bible.
It also has the most crucial of all items used to destroy the undead - a wooden mallet and stake to drive into their heart.
The box, which once belonged to former administrator of India Lord William Hailey, had an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000, but finally sold for £13,000 as interest soared.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “Interest in this item ahead of auction was intense and it attracted strong advance bids. Nevertheless, the result exceeded all expectations.
“Bids came in from all over the world including France, America and Canada. Objects like this fascinate collectors and this one had particularly interesting provenance.
“It originally belonged to Lord Hailey, a British peer and former administrator of British India.
"Whether through fear or fascination, it’s interesting to know a member of the highest aristocratic social order, a man with a place in the House of Lords, acquired this item.”
