Very fitting for halloween. The fear of vamires or vukodlachi in Hungary and eastern Europe in general often led to the mutilation of the dead in such a way as to prevent the dead from arising. How different from western Europe, especially in the late 19th and 20th centuries, where certain people took extraordinary measures to ensure they could communicate with the living in the event they were buried alive, such as speaking tubes leading from the coffin to the gravestone. -----Original Message----- From: hungary-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:hungary-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Cheryl Wenberg Sent: Friday, October 01, 2010 12:26 PM To: hungary@rootsweb.com Subject: [HUNGARY] Nailing The Ghost 1906 The Pensacola Journal Pensacola, Florida March 11, 1906 Nailing The Ghost An extraordinary instance of rustic superstition has been brought to light in a Hungarian village. Owing to sinister rumors as to the cause of death the authorities had the body of a peasant exhumed and were horrified to find the hands and feet nailed down to the coffin, while a long nail had also been driven through the heart. An inquiry was held at once, with the result that an old woman confessed that the act had been perpetrated under her directions. The man had died a sudden death, and, there being a superstition in Hungary that persons dying under such circumstances haunt the house in which they die, the further superstition has grown up that postmortem reappearances can be prevented by nailing the body in its coffin. The old woman further admitted having done the same thing in all similar cases for many years. London Globe ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to HUNGARY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message