Taphophobia. Fear of being buried

Until recently, one of the most terrible phobias for humanity was Taphophobia - the fear of being buried alive. Scientists have been looking for ways for centuries to determine whether a person is truly dead before burying him.

Inventors made their proposals.

Safety coffins


Safety coffins are one of the projects, the idea is that a person buried alive will wake up in a coffin, he will pull the cord tied to the ground bell, the cemetery workers will hear.
But this project had its drawback, during decomposition the dead body swells and it can accidentally cause a call and a false alarm. No wonder people believed in ghosts.

Design for Security Coffin. Dr. Johann Taberger der Schentod, Hanover, 1829.

The first morgues
Morgues were built at the end of the 19th century in France and Germany, where corpses were laid out to see the first signs of decomposition.
The corpses were constantly inspected by mortuary staff, and some morgues were built with large glass windows so that the public could come and look too. The bodies were treated with antiseptics to prevent infections, in case the person turned out to be alive.

The first morgue in New York City opened in 1866 at Bellevue Hospital.

Finger


It was believed that with the help of a finger one could feel even a faint heartbeat - the pulsation of the blood.

Dr. Collong, a prominent medical innovator, created the dynamoscope, a device that measured vibrations from living things, and the necroscope, a device that confirmed death based on the lungs, heart, and brain.
Although none of the inventions carried over into the modern era, Collong was on the right track.

Language


Death of General Robert E. Lee, at Lexington, Virginia, October 12, 1870. Lithography.

Many doctors believed that death could be accurately determined by applying substances such as lemon, vinegar or alcohol to the tongue.
Doctor I.V. Laborde of France was famous for studying the relationship of tongue to death, and allegedly claimed that he revived a woman who was thought dead by attaching forceps to her tongue and pulling on it for several hours until she awoke. Surprisingly, the tongue-stretching machine design was not implemented.
The idea - to cause pain and it will immediately become clear whether the person is alive or not, was implemented in different forms. For example, a person's finger was held over a burning candle, boiling water was poured on the body, or fingers or toes were amputated.

Hand of a Hanged Man
These techniques only indicate that at that time the study of processes in the deceased body was not at a high enough level.

The closest method to our modern proven methods was galvanism. Luigi Galvani pioneered the field of bioelectromagnetics back in 1780, when he tested the effects of electricity on animal corpses. Together with his wife, Galvani was a sort of Italian Doctor Frankenstein, exploring the connection between electricity and muscles and nerves. In fact, Galvani's experiments later contributed to the creation of the defibrillator. But at that time they were not popular in the scientific medical community.

Luigi Galvani

Luckily today, we know what a coma is, we can detect a heartbeat, and we don't wake up with fewer fingers and toes.

Taphophobia is a mental disorder associated with the fear of being buried alive. According to Buddhists, all people face death every day. When going to bed, a person experiences a small death. However, some people are very afraid that while they are sleeping they will be buried alive.

This phobia is a rather exotic condition, but, nevertheless, it occurs frequently. It is known that very famous personalities suffered from it, for example, Schopenhauer, Gogol and many others.

• Sources on the Internet and media. Articles appear on the Internet that people fell into a lethargic sleep and were buried alive. And this happened through the fault of the doctors. There are also cases where people who fell into a lethargic sleep were actually buried and froze. The feeling even for an ordinary person is actually creepy.
• Heredity. No, people do not inherit the tendency to fall into lethargy. However, there are families who have had similar cases. If such stories are passed on from one generation to another, then a hereditary factor can also be identified.

In addition, there is generally a category of people who are afraid of everything. Most people approach the prospect of their own death with fear, and this is a completely natural state. Thus, taphophobia is the fear of being buried alive; people begin to experience attacks of real panic attacks at the sight of someone else's procession. They are afraid of cemeteries and funeral agencies.

Very close to this condition are claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces) and nyctophobia (fear of the dark). Their nature is similar. Doctors say that according to statistics, approximately 60% of women and 40% of men see their deceased relatives and friends in their dreams. However, it is not uncommon for them to have the idea that these people were buried by mistake.

If an ordinary person experiences unpleasant thoughts about the inevitable end of human life, then the phobe cannot relate to this in the same way. Of course, modern medicine has every opportunity to determine the fact of death, for this there are special procedures and devices, however, there are no absolute methods for diagnosing this fact. All these procedures are not used if death at home is certified.

Therefore, it is not surprising that some people regard the fact of death as a mistake. And they begin to fantasize about this topic.

Where does this fear come from?

According to psychologists, many phobias are a consequence of fear experienced in childhood. Moreover, this fear is associated specifically with death. On the other hand, many, unfortunately, have to experience the passing of their relatives and friends. Therefore, when a child is immersed in an atmosphere of sorrow, grief, he has a fantasy that a person can wake up in a coffin after he is buried.

What happens if the deceased wakes up? As he grows up, he finds out that there is such a disease as lethargy. An impressionable and emotional child begins to try on his own fantasy. Gradually, the fear of funerals begins to acquire new details. As a result, even his own thoughts scare him, and he cannot get rid of them.

Gradually, taphophobia acquires irrationality and persistence, which gradually takes on the form of an obsessive state. The taphophobe turns out to be so frightened by his own imagination that he can no longer attend ritual processes, for example, the funeral of close relatives. Adult life requires showing respect for death, but the phobe is afraid of such events; he is not able to cope with a panic attack, which in this case is inevitable. It is easier for a taphophobe to look impolite than to show everyone his inadequacy during a panic attack.

Another cause of phobia is often horror films, which many enjoy watching. A particularly common plot is when the main character is buried while alive, and, unable to escape, dies due to tragic circumstances. Therefore, doctors recommend that people with morbid imaginations not watch such pictures, especially before going to bed.

How the disorder manifests itself

As with many phobias, the symptoms are similar. However, this disorder has several distinctive features:

• Chronic insomnia. As a rule, a sick person has nightmares in which he is buried alive. This may be due to an uncomfortable position or other sleep disorders.

Let's look at them in more detail. Most often, an attack of phobia occurs in the evening, when it is time to go to bed. Since you need to take a horizontal position in bed, a person has the feeling that he is being placed in a coffin. Therefore, he tries to fall asleep in obviously uncomfortable positions, for example, to fall asleep exclusively in a sitting position, in a standing position, and raise his legs high while sleeping. Thus, it creates barriers of a psychological nature between the phobe himself and the deceased person.

In addition, the phobe has thoughts that he may not wake up. Most often such thoughts appear in the evening. Therefore, there is a desire to surround himself with people who could wake him up or stir him up so that he cannot fall into a deep sleep. This makes the phobe feel calmer. However, he cannot completely get rid of the manifestations of the disorder.

Most often, in a dream, visions appear that he is being buried alive, while he may experience attacks of suffocation, and the feeling that boards and earth lie under him pours onto the coffin lid. After suffering a nightmare in his sleep, it is difficult for him to return to normal. The horror is felt even after waking up.

• Obsessive states

As a rule, Taphophobes leave a variety of notes, record video, audio, and often keep records in the form of diaries. Often a person leaves notes to loved ones, and does this every time before going to bed. The note gives instructions that his body should not be touched until the doctors are sure of this, and in addition he does not consent to the autopsy. Such people are regular patients of somnologists, which is very typical for a phobe.

• Physiology of the disorder

Manifestations depend entirely on the person’s personality, as well as on his reaction to a stressful situation and the strength of his nerves. From a physiological point of view, it manifests itself:

• Sweating;
• Lack of appetite;
• Tendency to overeat;
• Inability to control your thoughts;
• Attacks of aggression;
• Hypertensive and hypotensive attacks;
• Tachycardia;
• Fainting;
• Lack of air;
• Attacks of dizziness;
• Feeling of a lump in the throat;
• Attacks of nausea and often vomiting;
• Tendency to constipation or, conversely, loose stools;
• Painful sensations in the back area;
• Cramps in the legs and arms;
• Attack of dry mouth;
• Memory impairment.

Therapy tactics

Taphophobia can seriously complicate a patient’s life, so it needs to be gotten rid of. One of the options for disposal may be a will drawn up by a notary. Perhaps this will help the person calm down. The document will not cause any harm, but certified by a notary, it will help a person gain peace of mind.

In order to cope with attacks of fear, it is worth signing up for sessions with a psychotherapist. The doctor will select techniques that are determined by the specialist’s field of activity. These can be methods of free association, desensitization and NLP. There are many options for approaching the situation. They have varying degrees of effectiveness, but can relieve the disorder.

To get rid of an acute condition yourself, you can do the following:

• Try to get rid of unpleasant thoughts by reading books, watching movies, listening to pleasant music, going on a trip or on vacation;
• Try to find information about your condition. Information can be useful not only to understand it, but also help you rethink the situation and your life;
• Strive to reduce situations that cause discomfort to a minimum. This will help get rid of acute attacks.
• Start visiting groups with the same patients, for example, websites, support groups.

As we have already said, a psychotherapist can be of great help in getting rid of the disorder. Trying to figure out the problem yourself is good, but professional help is also useful. As a rule, to treat the disease, sessions are prescribed that use methods of cognitive psychology.

If this is necessary, the doctor will select medications that can relieve the main symptoms. They will be especially effective in case of exacerbation of the condition, have a calming effect, and allow the doctor to correct the condition.

However, psychological correction can help if taphophobia is mild. At the same time, the condition can become chronic, that is, he loses the ability to sleep, live a normal life and turns the existence of his family into a nightmare.

In this case, you need to seek help from a psychiatrist. In this case, a course of therapy is selected, which includes therapy with a psychologist and medication regimens are selected. If treatment is started on time, doctors give a favorable prognosis. A person has every chance to return to normal life and learn to control his condition.

Drug therapy includes drugs such as antidepressants and tranquilizers that relieve panic attacks. Typically, these drugs are selective inhibitors. Side effects include headaches, disturbances in normal sexual life, attacks of nausea, and insomnia.

Other drugs can also be prescribed to treat phobias, which often lead to even more serious side effects. In addition, some medications can cause addiction in patients. Especially if the patient independently increases the dosage, there may be memory impairment and much more. Therefore, you should not bring the situation to a chronic state, which often ends in severe neurosis.

Hypnosis and other methods

Since the causes of the disease are usually located in the subconscious, getting rid of them can be quite difficult. As a rule, a person tends to push his problems into the farthest corner of his soul. Therefore, it can be difficult for a psychologist to get to the bottom of things. Hypnosis helps bring the problem to the surface.

This technique is very popular among many doctors, and gives quite good results. Moreover, the doctor can freely look into the patient’s subconscious and make changes. In this way, a person can be instilled with the necessary attitudes that will save him from panic attacks. Or at least neutralize their consequences.

In addition, the doctor will give the patient precise instructions on how to act correctly in unexpected situations. It is very important to instill in the patient a desire to be treated and overcome their fears. There are effective exercises that can correct human behavior. Therefore, in the course of treatment for this disorder, a variety of approaches can be used, which together can help get rid of the problem.

How to learn to live with pathology

If the patient does not want to be treated and does not admit the existence of a problem, then neither effective medications nor the help of a psychologist will be ineffective. Therefore, first of all, a taphophobe needs to admit that he has this disorder. In addition, you need to stop discussing the manifestations of the disease with relatives and not seek help from friends. You need to take responsibility for your condition and force yourself to believe that you can handle the problem yourself. You need to believe in yourself.

Yes, you got it right. Chopin's heart has been carefully preserved since his death in 1849. Before his death, he asked that his heart be cut out and buried in Poland, the country where he was born. The historical phrase uttered by the great man was: “Swear that you will force me to be cut open so that I will not be buried alive.”

Chopin suffered from a phobia of being buried alive. The great composer was far from the only famous person to suffer from such fear. In fact, taphephobia was quite common at the time.

George Washington was so afraid of being buried alive that he wanted his dead body to lie there for three days before being buried. “That way, those around him could be convinced that he was really dead,” writes Sarah Murray in her book “Coming Out.”

The writer Hans Christian Andersen and the founder of the famous prize, Alfred Nobel, also suffered from this fear and wanted their veins to be opened after they seemed to have passed away. This way, those around them could be convinced that they are really not alive.

Live burials have existed since biblical times. According to Kenneth W. Iserson, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Arizona and author of Death to Dust, taphephobia was based on a historical reality that has deep roots.

"We've known that the fear of being buried alive has existed since biblical times," he says. At the time Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it was customary to wrap bodies and bury them in caves. Then a few days later someone went to check if the people were alive. The reason why such a procedure was carried out was that such cases sometimes occurred.

“In cases where people were mistakenly buried alive, we cannot reliably judge what diseases they suffered from,” Iserson says. It is possible that in the 19th century, typhoid fever, which has a very slow progression, led to some premature burials. In general, it is very difficult to determine how famous figures died, judging only from historical records, since the understanding of diseases by people of past centuries differs significantly from how we regard them at the present time.

For a long period of time, instruments for determining organ function were inaccurate, and the only sure way to determine whether a person was dead or not was to leave the body on the surface for a while and see if it had rotted.

"Think about it," Easterson says. - How could people in the past determine that a person was dead? Nowadays this is not difficult, since we resort to the use of modern technologies, for example, electrocardiograms.”

Interestingly, there are many real cases where some citizens were buried alive even in the 20th century. A striking example is the shocking story of Essie Dunbar. The woman suffered from epilepsy, and in 1915 it became known that this resident of South Carolina had died. Her sister arrived at the burial site after the coffin had been lowered into the ground, and the gravediggers agreed to raise it again so that the relative could see the deceased one last time.

“The screws were unscrewed, the coffin lid opened, and the deceased sat down in her coffin and looked at her sister, smiling,” writes medical professor Ian Bondeson of Buried Alive. “The mourners, including my sister, thought it was a ghost and fled in fear.”

In Essie's case, it can be concluded that the woman probably suffered from attacks that caused her to lose consciousness. That's why people thought she was dead. After this strange incident, the woman lived for several more decades and died a natural death only in 1955.

Taphephobia reached its zenith during the Victorian era, when craftsmen began to profit from making "safety coffins". Some of them were basically above-ground graves with a hatch that the buried person could unscrew if he suddenly woke up. Some deceased people were attached to an overhead bell so that the person could ring from his coffin if he came to life.

Purchasing these elaborate coffins could be a chance to overcome the fear of being buried alive, but Iserson notes that there are no proven cases in which these devices have saved someone's life.

The fear of being buried alive began to fade in the 20th century when new burial practices emerged. After cremating the body or embalming it with formaldehyde, it could be stated with certainty that the person was dead.

But people still wake up in morgues, although this happens extremely rarely. In November 2014, morgue staff observed a 91-year-old Polish woman who began to show signs of life. Two similar cases occurred that same year: one in Kenya and one in Mississippi.

Chopin's story can be perceived as quite dramatic, given the time period in which it took place. But recent cases in morgues can be fully understood by readers.

Since ancient times, everything related to death has always caused fear, anxiety and even panic in people. The fear of ritual objects and sudden cardiac arrest is incomparable with the horror that arises at the thought of the possibility of being buried alive. Stories about such cases only increase confusion, giving rise to taphephobia in people - the fear of being buried alive.

A little history

The fear of accidental burial was first noted in ancient times, as soon as people began to bury their loved ones. Even then, everything was done so that people could eradicate this fear. In the 18th century, a mandatory three-day delay for funerals was introduced. The presence of death was verified by several specialists and using different methods. However, taphephobia became widespread in the early 19th century. Famous people suffered from it: N. Gogol, M. Tsvetaeva, A. Nobel, W. Collins.

At the beginning of the 20th century, safety coffins began to be produced, which were equipped with means of communication with the outside world. With their help, the buried person could get out on his own.

Causes and mechanism of fear

Impressionable adults and children are susceptible to taphephobia. They are united by experience and strong outside influence. Each of them suffered tragedy in early childhood: they lost loved ones and attended their funerals. The reluctance to accept their death and ignorance of what happens to a person’s body after burial triggered the fantasy.

Trying to deny the obvious, the child’s psyche built defense mechanisms. He came up with various options, and thoughts came into his head that the man did not die, but was just fast asleep. Seeing that the coffin was covered with a thick layer of earth, the kid understood that the buried were trapped and were unlikely to be able to get out without outside help.

It is not only the experience of attending a funeral that leads to the obsessive fear of being buried alive. Children could have seen similar stories in horror films or read many stories on the Internet. Growing up, they learn about lethargic sleep, coma, medical negligence, the difficulty of establishing the fact of death at home, sudden revival, and their fear only intensifies.

High emotionality leads to the fact that a person is so imbued with stories that he begins to try on the role of someone buried alive. He models various situations and mentally plays them out, which further develops his sick imagination. Nervousness, anxiety, and constant thoughts appear that the person is no longer able to get rid of. A weak nervous system, great vulnerability and impressionability contribute to the fact that fear turns into a behavioral disorder, which psychiatrists diagnose as taphephobia.

Symptoms of a phobia

All cultures have invented various rituals of farewell to deceased loved ones so that their relatives or friends can survive the pain of loss and cope with stress. In addition to calming, this process also brings a persistent rejection of everything connected with burial. People understand that sooner or later all this will affect them. However, only a few percent of people worldwide have taphephobia. They easily stand out among others due to their characteristic behavior:

• People prone to the manifestation of this disease do not always keep their fear inside themselves. They are actively interested in theories regarding the determination of the fact of death of a person, and discuss the topic of burial.
• Those suffering from taphephobia doubt the reliability of all methods and means of determining death. Although these are complex and technologically advanced procedures, they do not believe that death can be reliably determined.
• People are so scared that they are afraid to go to the funerals of well-known and very close people. They understand that their behavior can be regarded as a sign of disrespect for the deceased, but they cannot do anything. Coming up with various excuses and stories, they try by all means to avoid being at the funeral.
• Those with taphephobic disorder often experience panic attacks. This is due to the fact that the burial process gives rise to thoughts that the deceased can come to life. Constant irrational fear intensifies and turns into horror. Hysteria begins, accompanied by screams and attempts to pull the deceased out of the coffin or dig him up.
• At the physiological level, various changes occur in the body of a taphephobe: sudden general fatigue, dizziness appear, blood pressure increases or decreases, sweating increases, and heart rhythm is disturbed. Such symptoms can lead to fainting. A person’s condition changes due to the fact that he begins to imagine himself in the place of the buried person, who finds himself in a dark, cramped and stuffy space, where oxygen will run out after a certain time.
• A person suffering from taphephobia is constantly afraid of falling into a lethargic sleep and being buried alive. A person will visit doctors for a long time to diagnose the possibility of falling into a lethargic coma. Sleep disturbance in patients manifests itself in insomnia, nightmares, and inability to relax muscles. This is due to the fact that soft bed and darkness are associated with the space inside the coffin.
• Taphephobes sleep in unnatural positions in order to avoid looking like a dead person as much as possible.
• Those who are subject to a constant fear of being buried alive are actively interested in who will bury them in the event of sudden death. On this occasion, they leave wills, where they indicate a long period of delay for the funeral.

If all or several symptoms are present, a person should consult a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. This must be done immediately, since being in constant fear destroys the psyche and leads to serious health problems.

Treatment methods

In the Middle Ages, the fear of being buried alive was so widespread that scientists from technical disciplines became involved in its treatment. They came up with various devices to determine the fact of death. It was a lever with a bell. It was attached to the deceased's hand with tape.

If the deceased suddenly came to life, then all he had to do was pull the ribbon, and a ringing sound would be heard above the ground. The cemetery attendant should have heard the sound and rushed to help. Today medicine can offer electroencephalography, ultrasound and radiographic examination of cerebral blood flow. Knowledge of such accurate diagnostic methods gives patients peace of mind.

However, this situation cannot be avoided without the help of a medical specialist. Effective treatment begins in the office of a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. An ordinary psychologist will not help here, since fear consists of other fears: claustrophobia, aerophobia, acrophobia, taphophobia. A doctor has many techniques in his arsenal to help reduce the manifestations of taphephobia or get rid of it.

First of all, specialists start with hypnosis and cognitive therapy. In more serious cases, medications are prescribed. In treatment, specialists actively use not only individual techniques, but also group methods. The patient is included in support groups and undergoes special training, where he can free himself from his worries by discussing problems and sharing his impressions with others.

The psychotherapist uses the following techniques:

• correction of anxiety through conversations, art therapy, autogenic training;
• disensitization and free association method;
• neurolinguistic programming.

To prevent a relapse, doctors advise impressionable people not to watch films on similar topics, especially at night.

Help yourself

In the treatment of taphephobia, self-education and independent work to strengthen mental health play an important role. High efficiency is achieved if the patient actively performs exercises and organizes simple activities:

• reads books and articles with life-affirming information every day;
• listens to calm and melodic music;
• watches informative films;
• goes in for sports;
• spends a lot of time outdoors;
• organizes his vacation as an active activity;
• looks at your fears objectively and analyzes them;
• studies the literature on phobic disorder;
• reevaluates and comprehends his life;
• reconsiders priorities in daily activities, highlighting creative activities;
• tries to minimize situations in which his fear manifests itself;
• excludes staying in closed, dark, stuffy rooms;
• avoids loneliness;
• talks with people who have similar problems;
• provides help and support to those who suffer from taphephobia.

When contacting a doctor, it is important for a patient to remember that only timely and comprehensive treatment will help quickly get rid of the problem of behavioral disorder.

Nikolai Gogol: he was afraid of being buried alive

As you know, the name of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol (March 20, 1809 - February 21, 1852) both during his life and after his death is associated with a lot of mysticism and fables. One of the most striking legends is that all his life the writer was afraid of being buried alive, and the appearance of “Viy” is supposedly an indirect confirmation of his fears.

The writer's fears were not invented by his descendants - they have documentary evidence. The thing is that from about 1839 he began to experience a progressive health disorder. While in Rome, Gogol fell ill with malaria, and, judging by the consequences, the disease affected the writer’s brain. He began to experience seizures and fainting at regular intervals, which is characteristic of malarial encephalitis. In 1845, Gogol wrote to his sister Lisa: “My body had reached the point of terrible coldness: neither day nor night I could do nothing to warm myself up. My face turned yellow all over, and my hands were swollen and blackened and were like ice, this frightened me. I’m afraid that at one point I’ll cool down completely and they’ll bury me alive without noticing that my heart is still beating.”

There were many rumors, however, not without foundation, about the writer’s “religious insanity,” although in the generally accepted understanding he was not a deeply religious person. And he was not an ascetic. The illness, and with it a general “head disorder,” pushed the writer to “unprogrammed” religious thoughts. And the new environment in which he found himself strengthened and supported them (according to historical documents, Gogol joined the “Martyrs of Hell” sect and gave all the money he earned to the sectarians).

Despite signs of depression and insanity, he found the strength to go to Jerusalem to the Holy Sepulcher in February 1848. However, the trip did not bring spiritual relief. He becomes withdrawn, strange in communication, capricious and unkempt in clothes. At the same time, he creates his strangest work, “Selected Places,” which begins with ominously mystical words: “Being in the full presence of memory and common sense, I express here my last will. I bequeath my body not to be buried until obvious signs of decomposition appear... I mention this because even during the illness itself, moments of vital numbness came upon me, my heart and pulse stopped beating...” These lines, combined with the terrible stories that followed after the opening of the writer’s grave during the reburial of his remains (about the allegedly damaged, scratched lining of the coffin lid, about the unnatural, sideways and seemingly crooked position of the writer’s skeleton), gave rise to terrible rumors that Gogol buried alive. That he woke up in a coffin, underground, and in desperation trying to get out, died from mortal fear and suffocation. This creepy mystical legend is not based on any historical evidence. But who knows how it really was...

In June 1931, the cemetery of the St. Daniel Monastery, where the writer was buried in 1852, was abolished. The ashes of Gogol and a number of other famous historical personalities, by personal order of Lazar Kaganovich, were transferred to the cemetery of the Novodevichy Convent. During the reburial of Gogol's ashes, another mystical feature was revealed. The corpse did not turn over on its side and did not scratch the lining of the coffin, but, as Professor Vladimir Lidinu, who was present at the opening of the grave, writes in his memoirs “Transferring Gogol’s Ashes”: “...The grave was opened almost the whole day. It turned out to be at a much greater depth than ordinary burials, as if someone was deliberately trying to drag it into the bowels of the earth - the depth was such that a winch and ladders were not enough to reach the coffin... Having started to dig it out, we came across a brick crypt of unusual strength , but no bricked-up hole was found in it; Then they began to dig in a transverse direction in such a way that the excavation would be to the east, and only in the evening a side aisle of the crypt was discovered, through which the coffin was pushed into the main crypt. The work of opening the crypt took a long time. It was already dusk when the grave was finally opened. The top boards of the coffin were rotten, but the side boards with preserved foil, metal corners and handles and partially surviving bluish-purple braid were intact. There was no skull in the coffin! Gogol's remains began with the cervical vertebrae: the entire skeleton was enclosed in a well-preserved tobacco-colored frock coat; Even underwear with bone buttons survived under the frock coat; there were shoes on his feet... The shoes were with very high heels, approximately 4–5 centimeters, this gives absolute reason to assume that Gogol was short.”

When and under what circumstances Gogol's skull disappeared remains a mystery. One of the versions is expressed by the same Vladimir Lidin: in 1909, when during the installation of the monument to Gogol on Prechistensky Boulevard in Moscow, the restoration of Gogol’s grave was carried out, one of the most famous collectors in Moscow and Russia, Bakhrushin, who is also the founder of the Theater Museum, allegedly persuaded the monks of St. Danilov monastery for a lot of money to get Gogol’s skull for him, since, according to legend, it has magical powers. Whether this is true or not, history is silent.

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From the book of 1777 new conspiracies of a Siberian healer author Stepanova Natalya Ivanovna

From the book Conspiracies of a Siberian healer. Issue 36 author Stepanova Natalya Ivanovna

In order for a husband to be afraid of losing his wife. In order for a husband to value his wife and most of all in life be afraid of losing her, you need to take a newborn kitten from the mother cat in your arms and slowly move away from her. An alarmed cat will follow you around and complain

author Lobkov Denis

Alexander Pushkin: all his life he was afraid of the fortune teller’s predictions Once, considered the “sun of Russian poetry,” the great Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (May 26, 1799 - January 29, 1837) talked with his friend Count Lansky. The conversation turned to religion, and both vying with each other began to expose it

From the book Mysticism in the lives of outstanding people author Lobkov Denis

Sigmund Freud: he was afraid of becoming a victim of plants It’s hard to believe, but the legendary Austrian psychologist, psychiatrist and neurologist, author of numerous books that are today textbooks on psychology, Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 - September 23, 1939, London) could not win

From the book Mysticism in the lives of outstanding people author Lobkov Denis

Innokenty Smoktunovsky: was terrified of the creation of hell It is not known what Sigmund Freud would advise the famous Soviet and Russian actor Innokenty Mikhailovich Smoktunovsky (March 28, 1925 - August 3, 1994) to get rid of fear, but it is known that the favorite

From the book Satanists of the 20th century author Shabelskaya-Bork Elizaveta Alexandrovna

RESURANCE FROM THE BURIED ALIVE (Preface to the Riga edition of 1934) The press has created and is creating either a roar of fame around a chosen name, or a sucking mud of infamy, or, finally, surrounds the writer with an impenetrable wall of silence. The latter is like a burial

From the book The Greatest Mysteries of Anomalous Phenomena author Nepomnyashchiy Nikolai Nikolaevich

BURIED ALIVE Life and Death. Two mysterious concepts inextricably linked with each other. They are only at first glance opposite to each other. Because the line separating one state from another can be very thin. Many people know about painful, painful anxiety