14 Strange and Gruesome Facts About Bog Bodies

With the average mummy found in Egypt, the cause of death varies widely - disease, an accident, a bone or birth defect, and more. However, when scientists look at the mummies pulled out of peat bogs, they find that they generally have one thing in common: a violent passing. The majority of these bodies show that these people were murder victims or possibly sacrifices. A few have their skulls broken, some show signs of being beaten for long periods of time, and one or two showed evidence of being repeatedly stabbed. A few famous ones still have nooses around their necks upon discovery.

The Dätgen Man was found in Germany in 1959, with the head separated from the body. The decapitated body was staked down to the ground, under the peat, indicating that someone had done this post-mortem. The body also exhibited evidence of multiple lacerations. According to archaeologist K. W. Struve, the treatment of the Dätgen Man’s remains indicates that the people might have thought he would rise from the grave as a wiedergänger - or a zombie. German folklore dictates that certain types of people, such as criminals, were thought to return.

One facet about bog bodies that intrigues scientists is that the skin and internal organs often remain preserved. The Dröbnitz Girl was discovered in Poland in 1939, and she was found to have amazingly preserved internal organs. Upon analysis, it was found that her stomach was intact enough to examine her last meal. Archeologists determined that the roughly 14-year-old girl had been eating gruel and several types of vegetables before her death, so she was relatively well fed. They also discovered a cloak and a wooden comb with the remains, concluding she lived around the year 650 BC. Further analysis can’t be conducted on the remains, as her body and grave were destroyed during World War II.

When scientists and archeologists examine bog bodies, they find that most of the bones have been dissolved or destroyed. The remains are just skin, organs, and hair. The skull, hands, and feet seem to be the last parts to retain their bone structure. During the mummification process that happens in many peat bogs, acids get into the body. The acids seep into the bones and dissolve the calcium phosphate there, which completely destroys the bones' structure and hardness. Because internal organs, skin, and hair contain little or no calcium phosphate, the acids don't attack them the same way.

In 1941, the skull and a few bones of what was believed to be a woman were discovered in a bog in Denmark. Though mostly skeletal and not particularly well-preserved, the skeleton was mostly complete, and scientists brought it in for further study in the Fyns Stiftsmuseum. The study revealed that the Koelbjerg Woman - now known as the Koelbjerg Man - was between the ages of 20 and 25. Researchers were able to tell that he had no sign of tooth decay and fed mostly on crustaceans, land plants, and fish, but could not determine the cause of death. The body showed no evidence of foul play or serious illness, and it's possible he simply drowned. When scientists did a pollen analysis from the inside the skull, tests showed that the body was from around 8000 BC. To this day, it is the oldest bog body ever discovered in Denmark.

In 1998, Jury Rybin, a military historian, was researching some local dogfight battles that happened during the Second World War. Based on where he thought one plane would have gone down, he went out looking in a local bog. He located the plane wreckage and then found the mummified remains of Soviet pilot Boris Aleksandrovich Lazarev inside. Lazarev's skin and organs were intact, as were his clothes, badges, flight logs, and more. He was the newest bog body to add to an ever-growing list.

In 1950, a family was out on the peat bogs near Bjældskovdal, Denmark, trying to get enough fuel to use back at home. As the two brothers, Viggo and Emil, were digging, they noticed something peculiar in the bog: the body of a man. The man seemed to have recently passed, but he had a noose around his neck. The brothers alerted the police, assuming this was a victim. The police, upon hearing where the body had been found, had the presence of mind to call a local museum to come out with them. When the researchers saw the body, they announced that this was not, in fact, a recent death, but an important archeological discovery - later known as the Tollund Man.

The Tollund Man was one of the most significant bog bodies discovered. He was found in a curled position, as if sleeping, with a noose still looped around his neck. He was wearing a belt and a cap and still had his hair, including beard stubble and eyelashes. Unlike most other bog bodies, the Tollund Man retained his facial features to the point where it looks like he might just be sleeping, and one can see exactly how he looked the day he was put into the bog. When scientists went on to examine him, they found he was one of the most well-preserved bog bodies of all time. He had retained his stomach, which contained seeds and grains, rather than fruit or seafood, indicating he did not live near any major bodies of water.

One thing that the peat bog method of preservation does is leave hair almost perfectly intact. Braids stay braided, curls stay curled, and even eyelashes may remain. Many bodies, such as the Osterby Man, have hair so well preserved that the style remains pristine. His hair is tied in a Suebian knot, a style that has been found on a few bog bodies, but the reddish color is a product of the bog. Even though the head was dated at over 2,000 years old, anthropologists can use bog bodies with hair to learn more about the diet, health, and even hairstyles and fashions of the time.

Not all bog bodies are found completely intact. As with the Osterby Man, sometimes all scientists find is a decapitated head wrapped up in cloth or a number of heads all minus bodies. This gives rise to the belief that many of these bog bodies were killed in ritual sacrifice, even though beheading isn't always the cause of death. One such head found in Denmark is named the Stidsholt Woman. Researchers were never able to find her body or determine her age. The head was decapitated at the vertebra, and the hair was woven into an intricate pattern. Scientists believe this level of care suggests that her death was a special occasion. Another head was found nearby.

It wasn't just adults who were preserved in bogs. The youngest body ever found was that of the Röst Girl, who was uncovered in a bog in Germany in 1926. Her skin was preserved, and she was wrapped in a shawl, which was used to date her as being from around 200 BC. Researchers determined she was a toddler, approximately 2 or 3 years old at the time of her passing. Her cause of death is unknown, and her remains were destroyed during World War II.

Bog bodies have been found all over the world, including in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway, and even in Florida in the United States. The best-preserved bodies tend to be in Denmark and Germany. Discovered remains are not all from the same tribe, nation, race, or time period. Because of this, bog bodies can give researchers snapshots of various instances throughout human history, rather than just insight into one group of people.

Peat bogs can preserve any type of organic matter. Clothing, shoes, books, animal hide, tools, and more have all been found in peat bogs. When a body is cast into a peat bog, it sinks under the surface, which cuts off the flow of oxygen. The environment is incredibly acidic, with is perfect for eradicating any bacteria or fungus that would otherwise destroy organic matter. Peat bogs also tend to have sphagnum moss. This moss removes water, quickly dries out and preserves flesh, prevents rotting, and basically transforms the body into leather.

Scientists and researchers are not sure why peat bogs were used as a type of burial site throughout history. The fact that many bodies look like they were sacrificed may indicate that people thought of the place as spiritually significant. Researchers can’t conclusively determine whether the people of the times knew the preservation qualities of peat bogs. It's hard to pinpoint a common thread between the separate bog bodies - given the age range, the vast expanse of years the bodies come from, the methods of death, and the numerous locations - besides the fact that most appeared to have passed under violent circumstances.