On the morning of May 3, 1983, an eight-year-old Irish boy named Sean O'Leary was wandering a peat bog, accompanying his father who was working in the fields nearby. He was completely unaware of the secrets the mud hid. While exploring the swamp he came across what he claimed was a forgotten toy. Once home, when they presented the object to their father, they realized that the "forgotten toy" was the hand of a corpse! Unknown to them, this well-preserved body part came from a body that had been buried in a swamp a thousand years earlier, a common practice at that time throughout Northern Europe. What can be learned about the culture and rituals of ancient Northern Europe from the preserved bodies of these so-called swamp people? Which theories best explain the death of the swamp dwellers? What are some of the most important similarities and differences found between the bodies? With better knowledge of the history of millions of people, these questions deserve further discussion. These corpses found throughout Northern Europe are known as bog bodies. They were found mainly in Ireland, England, Germany, Holland and Denmark. Over 2,000 bodies and body parts have been found in European peat bogs. The peculiarity of these corpses is that they were naturally mummified. Fungi and bacteria destroy the corpse's tissues but conditions such as acidic water, low temperatures and lack of oxygen in the swamps prevent them from growing. The most famous bodies are Tollund Man, Grauballe Man, Windeby Girl, Lindow Man, Damendorf Man, Yde Girl, Karwinden Man, Huldremose Women, Gallagh Man, Elling Women, Women Haraldskaer, Koelbjerg Women, Clonycavan Men and Oldcroghan Men. Many of the bodies still appear to have recently died; ...... middle of paper ......mbs.com/market/books/bog/bodiesfrombog.htm>.Deem, James M.. Bodies from the Bog. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print."Deviants and the Bog: the Bog Bodies of Northern Europe." Deviants and swamp: the swamp bodies of Northern Europe. Np, nd Web. 20 December 2013. .Lobell, Jarett. "The Man from Tollund." ArchaeologyMay. - June 2010: 1. Print."Tales from the Bog." Tales from the swamp. Np, nd Web. December 19, 2013. “Swamp People.” National Geographic August 1, 1997: 5. Print."The People of the Bog." National Geographic August 1, 1997: 5. Print.Wilcox, Charlotte. Mummies and their mysteries. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 1993. Print.Wilcox, Charlotte. Bog Mummies: Preserved in peat. Mankato, MN: Capstone High-Interest Books, 2003. Print.