Johannes Cuntius, Vampire of Silesia

The Silesian Vampire case was accounted by Henry More in his book “An Antidote Against Atheism” published on 1653.  Johannes Cuntius was accidentally kicked by his horse in the groin area, it eventually lead to some sickness that caused his death.  But before his last breath, he pronounced that his sins were unforgivable even by the Gods and that he made a pact with the devil.  Upon his death, his son saw a black cat scratched the face of Johannes violently.

Cuntius was dead for about 2 or 3 days when a nasty rumor started to circulate around the village.  Talks about an incubus taking Cuntis’ form are roaming around the town, sexually assaulting women and events believed to be cause by poltergeists.  Bizarre sounds and random movements of object started to happen inside the house of the deceased Cuntius.  People who are sleeping during nighttime reports about someone disturbing them, in addition dogs around the village would not stop barking especially during the night.  Footprints that clearly do not belong to a man were left by the unknown entity.

There were more reported eerie events that happened in the town.  The molestation of the woman did not stop, and the specter of Johannes was also blamed for strangling different men.   Some of the unexplained accounts of the witness includes, turning milk into blood, sounds of galloping horse inside the house, leaving a pot of blood inside the church, killing dogs, devouring chickens, cows dried up of bloods, vomiting fire and foul smell that emanates from the house of Cuntius.

Signs of vampirism were also reported by the villagers like holes that extend through the coffin.  Though the villagers would try to fill in the holes and cover it, the holes would reappear the next day.  The exhuming of Cuntius’ body was accounted by Montague Summers in The Vampire in Europe.

“His Skin was tender and florid, his Joynts not at all stiff,but limber and moveable, and a staff being put into hishand, he grasped it with His fingers very fast; his eyes alsoof themselves would be one time open, and another timeshut; they opened a vein in his Leg, and the blood sprangout as fresh as in the living; his Nose was entire and full,not sharp, as in those that are ghastly sick, or quite dead:and yet Cuntius his body had lien [sic] in the grave fromFeb. 8 to July 20 which is almost half a year. . . .His body, when it was brought to the fire, proved asunwilling to be burnt, as before to be drawn; so that theExecutioner was fain with hooks to pull him out, and cuthim into pieces to make him burn. Which, while he did,the blood was found so pure and spiritous, that it spurtedinto his face as he cut him; but at last, not without theexpense of two hundred and fifteen great billets, all wasturned into ashes. Which they carefully sweeping uptogether . . . and casting them into the River, the Spectrenever more appeared.”