Origins of the 'vampire' myth?

New Scientist reports that a recently-excavated mass grave in Venice shows evidence of an early obsession with so-called 'vampires'.

Matteo Borrini of the University of Florence in Italy found the skeleton of a woman with a small brick in her mouth while excavating mass graves of plague victims from the Middle Ages on Lazzaretto Nuovo Island in Venice.

At the time the woman died, many people believed that the plague was spread by "vampires" which, rather than drinking people's blood, spread disease by chewing on their shrouds after dying. Grave-diggers put bricks in the mouths of suspected vampires to stop them doing this, Borrini says.

There's more at the link, including pictures.

This is very interesting. I'd heard of the vampire myth, of course, but not this early in European history, and not in association with the spreading of the plague. I've looked for additional references to early vampire myths, but haven't found much so far. If I find more, I'll post it in a follow-up article.

Peter