This interesting skull has been passed around online as proof of a vampire skull. Let's have a look and see what this fella really is - "
"Andover Skull" (photo above of unknown origin)
The story goes that in the 1950s a couple bought a house and the wife, going through the contents of the attic found a box nailed shut, opened it and found a skull that was not normal. It was described as having large eye sockets, bones that were broken off, strange carvings like writings on one side of the skull and the canines were very elongated. The skull was larger than a usual human and domed (so far, all these descriptions fit the slope-headed otamid skull types that were carnivorous and had elongated skulls and large eye sockets--ancient giants).
According to the story, the wife buried it, thinking it was evil. The husband dug it up and gave it to a museum for Native American finds, reportedly. Reports say that it is missing in action at this point, a common fate for unusual finds.
What we have here describes well the finding of an ancient giant's skull that someone had hidden away and the new homeowners did not understand what they had.
Somewhere along the telling of the features of the skull, it became a "vampire" in the retelling. What I find highly telling is (if the photo above is genuine) is the spiral in the center of the forehead - If this was tattooed through skin into bone - it is significant. The origins of this photo are questionable and it may or may not be the original skull, but that anyone would know to place tattooing on bone and a spiral into the skull is rather remarkable.
Note this red-headed giant skeleton from China - with the giants' symbol - the spiral on tattooed onto the face. (above)
Chirabaya mummy tattooed hand with spirals from Peru - 900 to 1350 AD (above)
Moche Peru Mummy from 450 AD with tattoos including spirals (above)
Some skulls thought to be vampire skulls might very well have been the Otamid skull types that were large, with large eye sockets, and pronounced canines that showed their carnivorous origins.
Other skulls, though, show some fears of locals. Often, bodies are buried up in Europe that show signs that in olden times, there was fear people might come back from death as vampires.
In this skull (above) from Poland, the teeth were removed and a stone placed in the mouth. A leg was also staked down to presumably hold them to the coffin.
Another burial in New England from the 1800s baffled. When they excavated the cemetery graves, they were all normal and then there was one painted red. When they opened it, they found the occupant had been beheaded and the bones rearranged to make a Jolly Roger type of formation. This was done five years after the burial. There was a sweep of fear of vampires in the area and it was believed this was done to prevent such occurrence as a reanimation. This apparently happened around the same time as a nearby incident of mania -
In 1854, in neighboring Jewett City, Connecticut, townspeople had exhumed several corpses suspected to be vampires that were rising from their graves to kill the living.
From cemetery warning bells to mummification, Victorian Era prolonged mourning to fear of vampires rising from their graves, man has always had a strange reverence and fear of death. Were any of these skulls true vampires? It wouldn't appear so, although the Andover skull sounded terribly interesting, it also completely fit the skull type being thrown aside by archaeologists that appears "archaic" and doesn't fit into what they were taught in school. In many ways, it would seem, archaeology is like religion; one must develop a belief based on what they are told and then follow it no matter how illogical or be excommunicated.
We might be beyond the fear of vampires today, but it is fascinating to think what some might think in the future when they dig up the organic burial sites and backyard burials that are becoming trendy. There might be some understanding that man has figured out how to cope with the transition from this physical realm.
Comments
Post a Comment