Buzz
The unusual practices seen in “witch” burials underscore the intense fear of magic that lingers even after death. It’s common for these individuals to be buried with heavy stones or have their mouths propped open. The label “witch” often stems from societal and political motives. Since humans universally believe in curses and divination, those accused of witchcraft become convenient targets. Unexplained tragedies and illnesses are frequently blamed on sorcery. Many labeled as “witches” had physical abnormalities, exposing society’s bias against those who deviate from the norm.
10. The Nailed Witch
In 2011, archaeologists discovered the 800-year-old remains of a woman accused of witchcraft, with seven nails hammered into her jawbone. Found in Tuscany, the site was deemed a witches’ burial ground after another woman was found buried with 17 dice—a game prohibited for women at the time. Both women, believed to be aged 25 to 30, were laid to rest in shallow graves without coffins or shrouds. Alongside the nails in her jaw, the suspected witch was surrounded by 13 additional nails, likely used to secure her clothing.
The nails indicate a deep fear among locals that the witch might rise from the dead. The nails in her jaw were possibly intended to stop her from casting curses after death. The most puzzling aspect is why these alleged witches were buried in consecrated ground, contradicting the burial customs of the time.
9. Rita of Rollright
In 2015, a hobbyist treasure hunter unearthed the remains of a 1,400-year-old Saxon woman near the Rollright Stones in Warwickshire, England. Legend has it that this Neolithic site was formed when a witch transformed a power-hungry king and his knights into stone. The woman was buried with a patera, an early Saxon religious tool, leading some to believe she was a pagan witch. Standing at 150 centimeters (4’11”), this small-statured Saxon woman has been nicknamed “Rita.”
Dating back to approximately AD 600, Rita is not the legendary Rollright Witch, as the site was built between 2500 and 2000 BC. Alongside the patera, Rita was buried with a spindle whorl, a large amber bead, and a silver mount set with amethyst, indicating her high social standing. Pateras were originally used by Roman soldiers for making offerings to the gods. Rita’s patera, however, features a long, slender handle, differing from the Roman design.
8. Viking Witch
In 2013, archaeologists determined that a peculiar metal object found in a ninth-century Viking woman’s grave was a magic wand. The 90-centimeter (35 in) curved rod had puzzled experts since its addition to the British Museum’s collection in 1894. Unearthed in Norway’s Romsdale province, the artifact was initially thought to be a meat roasting spit or a fishing hook. However, it is now believed to have been a mystical instrument wielded by a sorceress.
The grave also contained items such as a whalebone plaque, hinting at the woman’s high social standing. Scholars suggest the wand was used for seior—an ancient Scandinavian form of magic primarily practiced by women. This involved divination and casting spells. The wand was likely bent intentionally before burial, a common Viking ritual to signify the object’s retirement.
7. Grave of the Last Scottish Witch
In 2014, archaeologists uncovered what is thought to be the burial site of Scotland’s last witch on a Torryburn beach. Lilias Adie, accused in the early 1700s of causing illness among her neighbors, was arrested and admitted to practicing witchcraft. She confessed to taking the Devil as her lover and master. Before her trial and execution by burning, Adie died in prison and was buried beneath a heavy stone slab.
According to Scottish folklore, those executed or who died by suicide could return to haunt the living. To prevent this, large stones were placed on their graves. Researchers found a massive slab with an iron ring socket on the beach, confirmed to have been quarried elsewhere. In the 19th century, Adie’s grave was robbed, and her remains were sold as antiquities. Without excavation, it’s unclear how much of her body remains.
6. Witch of Tiree
In 2015, archaeologists discovered an enigmatic grave of a woman on Scotland’s Tiree island. Known as the “Witch of Tiree,” she suffered from the earliest recorded case of vitamin D deficiency in the British Isles. Aged 25 to 30, she exhibited severe symptoms of rickets and stood at just 145 centimeters (4’9”), significantly shorter than the average woman of her time, who measured around 165 centimeters (5’5”). Analysis of her remains indicated she lived between 3340 and 3090 BC and was a local, yet she avoided fish, which could have alleviated her condition.
While genetic rickets can occur in children, experts believe this was not the case here. Most agree she spent much of her life indoors. Some speculate she was enslaved, while others suggest she was accused of witchcraft. It’s probable that her condition led to her being ostracized and feared by her community.
5. Natufian She-Shaman
In 2008, archaeologists unearthed the burial site of a 12,000-year-old woman believed to be a witch in northern Israel. Her grave contained 50 tortoise shells, a leopard pelvis, golden eagle wings, cow tails, two marten skulls, a wild boar’s forearm, and a human foot. The woman, approximately 45 years old, had a spinal deformity that caused her to limp and drag one foot. Ten heavy stones were placed on her body, possibly to deter animals or to prevent her spirit from escaping the grave.
Scholars suggest the woman was a spiritual leader for the Natufian civilization, which thrived between 15,000 and 11,500 years ago and is considered one of the first human societies to settle permanently. This culture marked the shift from nomadic foraging to structured agriculture. The items buried with her indicate she was seen as having a deep spiritual connection to the animal world.
4. Scurvy Witch
In 2014, archaeologists uncovered the grave of a 13-year-old girl accused of witchcraft in Northern Italy. Found in the San Calocero complex in Albenga, she was buried facedown, a practice rooted in ancient beliefs that the soul exited through the mouth. This burial method was thought to prevent an impure spirit from escaping and harming the living. Dating to the mid-1400s, her remains were placed deeper in the tomb and in a secluded area of the cemetery, typically reserved for the elite.
Examination showed she was under 152 centimeters (5’0″) tall and died from vitamin C deficiency. Her bones displayed signs of severe anemia caused by scurvy. She likely appeared pale, with bulging eyes, bleeding limbs, and a frog-like posture, possibly experiencing epileptic seizures. Misunderstood by her community, she was feared and buried in the most degrading manner they knew.
3. Nunnery Witch
In 2015, during the excavation of a medieval Benedictine nunnery in Oxford, archaeologists uncovered a series of “highly unusual burials.” Among the remains were those of a leper, a victim of violence, and a stillborn child. The most puzzling discovery was a young woman buried facedown, a position often reserved for witches. Intriguingly, her lower legs were later removed to accommodate the burial of a baby—an uncommon practice in a nunnery.
Established in 1110, Littlemore Priory was no stranger to scandal before its dissolution in 1525. Bishop Atwater’s 1517 report claimed that prioress Katherine Wells had a child with a priest from Kent. A 1518 account accused Wells of “playing and romping” with young men. Seven years later, Cardinal Wolsey closed the priory, a move widely believed to be politically motivated, with stories possibly exaggerated to align with King Henry VIII’s agenda.
2. Vampire of Venice
In 2009, Italian archaeologists found the remains of a woman accused of witchcraft in a 16th-century mass grave of plague victims near Venice. Her mouth had been wedged open with a brick, a practice believed to prevent the dead from harming the living. Known as the “Vampire of Venice,” she was likely blamed for the plague, and the brick may have been an attempt to stop the disease’s spread.
Analysis of her diet revealed she primarily consumed vegetables and grains, indicating a lower-class status. Experts estimate she was between 60 and 70 years old. Medieval superstitions held that witches could cheat death with the Devil’s help, making elderly women like her targets. During the European witch hunts from 1550 to 1650, most of the 60,000 executed were older women.
1. Rebecca Nurse Graveyard
In Danvers, Massachusetts, the Rebecca Nurse Homestead and Graveyard stand as a testament to the witch hysteria of the past. In 1692, Rebecca Nurse, a 71-year-old woman, was accused of witchcraft by the Putnam family during a land dispute. Initially acquitted by a jury, she was later sentenced to death after the judge urged reconsideration. On July 19, 1692, Nurse was hanged and buried in unconsecrated ground near the gallows. Her family secretly retrieved her body and provided her with a dignified burial on their property.
During Nurse’s lifetime, Danvers was called Salem Village. Interestingly, the graves of most Salem witch trial victims have been lost over time. After the accused were tried, executed, and buried, their burial sites were never officially recorded. Of the 19 victims, the locations of 17 graves remain unknown.
