Bulgarian 'Vampire' 1st in National Geographic Facebook News

The National Geographic Facebook article about the medieval vampire skeleton, which was recently discovered in Bulgaria's Black Sea town of Sozopol has turned into the most shared link of news in the last four months.

The information about the discovery of the skeleton, which was brought to the National History Museum in the capital Sofia, has been shared over 4 000 times and there are over 300 comments.

The Bulgarian vampire is ahead of other sensational news such as the newly discovered Maya Temple in the Guatemalan tropical forest, the LZ1 asteroid getting dangerously close to the Earth on June 15th, or film-maker's James Cameron record dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, released on March 25th.

The news was reported by the Bulgarian 24 Chassa (24 Hours) daily, writing that the comments reveal very strong interest and curiosity about all details surrounding the "vampire" discovery.

One American Facebook user had written that this might be a skeleton of a Bulgarian politician since they are all known to be bloodsuckers.

The skeleton was the one of a man with an iron stick in his chest. He was buried over 700 years ago and was stabbed multiple times in the chest and the stomach, as his contemporaries feared that he would rise from the dead as a vampire.

After the discovery, media in the US, Europe and Asia all broke the news in the press and in online editions.

The story found its place in two articles of the most-read tabloid in the world – The Daily Mail, in the Washington Post, BBC, and a number of Russian media.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian tour operators reported that the interest has been huge and Germans and Brits have inquired about "vampire vacations" in Sozopol.

National History Museum Director Bozhidar Dimitrov explained the vampire's name was Krivich (The Crooked) and he was a legendary pirate, manager of the Sozopol fortress or one of his heirs.

The Crooked, as his contemporaries called him, has been a crippled, but extremely intelligent man. He outshined everyone with his knowledge about the sea, the stars and herbs. Byzantine chronicles describe how he plundered a Venetian ship. It is possible that he was declared a master of the witchcraft because of these talents, which explains the metal stake through his heart.

Experts also believe that the man may have been an intellectual and perhaps a medic, as such individuals often raised suspicions in the Middle Ages. The grave was discovered near the apse of a church, which suggests that he was an aristocrat.

According to archaeologists, this is the first time a "vampire" burial has been discovered in Sozopol.

Over 100 buried people whose corpses were stabbed to prevent them from becoming vampires have been discovered across Bulgaria over the years, according to Dimitrov. More details on Dimitrov's account READ HERE