It was 1836 when a group of innocent young boys accidentally discovered and unearthed a strange sight that is still a mystery to this day.
On their adventure, the boys stumbled upon a cave near a rocky peak known as Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland. The cave was covered in large pieces of slate, which the boys moved over and discovered a creepy sight on the inside.
In the cave were 17 tiny Coffins, each only about 4 inches long, meticulously placed in three separate tiers. Inside each of the coffins, the young boys discovered small Dolls carved out of wood staring back at them, dressed in clothes made of cotton.
The discovery has been a mysterious one ever since, but there have been multiple theories over the years as to who may have made these dolls and coffins and why they would have done so.
Some people pointed toward witchcraft as the explanation, suggesting that witches would create these dolls to represent their enemies and cast spells upon them or use them as ritualistic offerings.
However, the dolls were not mutilated and were rather carefully created and clothed. Others thought that perhaps they were simply creepy toys of some children long ago.
Another idea was the rumored practice of creating a proper burial for a loved one who was lost at sea or died in another land. Perhaps these dolls and coffins were simply a part of this type of burial.
However, it is believed that these types of practices were not often seen in Scotland and were more popular in other areas of Europe.
And one of the biggest theories, with perhaps the creepiest background, comes from the trading of corpses in 19th-century Edinburgh.
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During this time, medical students and teachers were limited to the amount of bodies they could use for their studies and research, so they would often buy bodies from others through the popular underground trade.
William Burke and William Hare sold the body of a tenant at their boarding house who perished suddenly to Dr. Robert Knox. Once they realized how much money this could get them, the two men turned to murder rather than waiting around for other random deaths.
They would make victims out of travelers so that the town wouldn’t realize anyone was missing. Eventually, the two got caught in their evil acts.
This story relates to the mysterious small coffins because some believe that it’s possible that someone created them to pay tribute to these murders.
Researchers have confirmed that the wood used to make them was from around the same time, and just like there were 17 dolls and coffins found, there were 17 victims of Hare and Burke.
Do you believe any of these theories? What is your take on this unexplained mystery?
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