The cemetery is a quiet place and the last refuge of those who have left this world forever. And by definition it should be a center of peace. In general, this is how it is. If some dead people had not moved around the territory, confusing the living with this activity.
Archival records preserve the story of the 15th century about the movement of the grave of a certain Mr. Stetenberg to the cemetery of the Austrian city of Linz. The locals couldn’t think of anything better than to suspect the long-deceased man in connection with dark forces. Because of which he could not find peace in afterlife. The remains were set on fire, and an aspen cross was placed at the site where the ashes were buried. So that he certainly won't come back.
A similar story happened in 1627 with the grave of the Spaniard Pedro Asuntos. The best inquisitors of their time tried to figure out the movement of the last shelter. But the investigation did not bring results.
Two shepherds in the 1740s. discovered a grave near Ravensburg, Germany. Quite a full-fledged one, with a tombstone on which the name of the deceased was carved - Christina Baer. The men swore that they had walked these places up and down many times. And there were no burials there, especially old ones.
The priest of the local church said that Christina was a true believer and one of the most faithful parishioners. For which she received the honor of being buried in the church cemetery. Where, at the site of the grave, an empty, flat area was discovered. The coffin was found exactly where the shepherds found the tombstone.
The priest could not find a better explanation than referring to God's will. But the locals, just in case, tried to avoid the place using the tenth road.
English passions
And this case was actively covered in the press. In 1928, the great-nephew of the long-deceased Roger Haslem arrived at the Glenysville cemetery in Scotland to visit the graves of his relatives. And although Arthur had already been here several times, he did not find the burial of his ancestor. But he remembered very well that nearby there was a very remarkable crypt, decorated with the figure of a mourning angel.
With the help of the cemetery caretaker, Arthur Haslem found the gravestone. But it was located as much as 200 meters from the previous location. What is this, an outrage or someone's joke? Arthur ordered to excavate the old place. Where nothing was found. And on the new one, under the Maltese cross, the remains of an ancestor were found in a dry coffin.
On the khalang of the finger was a family ring with a monogram. Which proved that these were indeed Roger's remains. They did not move the burial: the bones had grown too tightly and thoroughly into the clay. Which dismisses the idea of pranksters or defilers. Firstly, they would have to do a tremendous amount of work, and secondly, there were no signs of separation of body fragments.
Our days
Already in our time, there have also been cases of displacement. In 1989, a grave topped with a stone headstone “strayed” onto Kansas Joe Bernie’s farm. With the help of workers, the man removed the slab and dug up the hill. At a depth of one and a half meters, the remains of a coffin and a human body were found, thoroughly embedded in the ground.
The joke is again out of the question. Because it was all possible to extract it carefully only with the help of an excavator. The remains were taken further out into the steppe and buried.
Unanswered Questions
Some peoples have a mystical explanation for the existence of graves moving along an unpredictable trajectory. It is explained by the work of sorcerers, magicians and witches.
Voodoo priests pour tree sap on the graves or make a border of shells to prevent the grave from moving. And representatives of one of the tribes of the Tongo Islands have a practice of double burial: this way one soul will resist the movement of another if that one has such an idea.
The archives contain an interesting story by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado. He described the case of moving the burial places of the Inca priests. According to tradition, they were buried on the coast, and then, for inexplicable reasons, the graves ended up on a plateau located six kilometers away from the original location.
At the moment, one thing is clear: cases of graves being moved have indeed been recorded. But their reasons remain unclear.