Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations Â»

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places Â»
Seiryudo Cave – named after Seiryu, the Azure Dragon, this cave features deep vertical columns surrounded by dense vegetation.
Genbudo Park
Hunter House Hamburgers
Jesus Backpacker
One of the chamber’s rooms.
Dr. Wolf’s Wunderkammer
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'Ăš Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatĂ  is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
This event showcasing the bounty of the Traverse City region’s amazing agriculture, craft, and creativity culminates with a Grand Tasting on August 23.
The Atlas Obscura Guide to Traverse City’s Event Season
She’ll get you and your little dog too.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Explore Witch History Without the Kitsch?
How to Turn Your Road Trip Into a Nature Scavenger Hunt
Graceland Cemetery.
Prowling for Coyotes in Chicago’s Graceland Cemetery

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the Netherlands Assen Yde Girl

Yde Girl

Remarkably preserved body discovered in a peat bog.

Assen, Netherlands

Added By
treeswithknees
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  Wikimedia
  Wikimedia
  Wikimedia
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On May 12,1897 Dutch peatcutters were in for quite a surprise while dredging peat from a Stijfveen bog near the village of Yde in the Netherlands. Upon discovering a preserved body with fire red hair, the peatcutters were horrified and ran away, convinced that they had seen the devil. They returned later that day to hide the body under some stacks of peat, where she remained until the local mayor found her nine days later.

The Yde girl wore a woolen cape and a noose that wrapped around her neck three times, suggesting she had been sacrificed or executed. A stab wound was also found near her collarbone. A CT scan suggests that she was about 16 at the time of death, and that she suffered from scoliosis. Carbon-14 dating suggests she may have died in the first century AD.

Like that of most other bog bodies, the Yde girl's skin and features are still preserved due to the tannic acid in the marsh water. Though found well preserved, the peatcutters’ tools had considerably damaged her body and villagers are responsible for pulling out some of her hair, teeth, and bones. Fortunately, the Drents Museum intervened and preserved what was left of her.

In 1992, Richard Neave of Manchester University made a reconstruction of her head using criminal pathology techniques. With a face to go with her body, the Yde girl soon became internationally famous and received significant coverage. Today, both the reconstruction and the Yde girl’s remains can be found on display at the Drents Museum in Assen.

Related Tags

Mummies Bog Bodies Memento Mori

Community Contributors

Added By

treeswithknees

Edited By

brianthekid

  • brianthekid

Published

November 28, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Wikipedia: Yde Girl: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yde_Girl
  • James M. Deen's Mummy Tombs: Mummy Museums: Yde Girl: http://www.mummytombs.com/museums/nl.assen.drents.yde.htm
  • National Geographic: "Tales from the Bog" (September 2007): http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/09/bog-bodies/bog-bodies-text
Yde Girl
Brink 1
Assen
Netherlands
52.993333, 6.563978
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope

Zwiggelte, Netherlands

miles away

Berend Botje Statue

Zuidlaren, Netherlands

miles away

Zendstation Smilde Replica

Hoogersmilde, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Netherlands

Netherlands

Europe

Places 354
Stories 20

Nearby Places

Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope

Zwiggelte, Netherlands

miles away

Berend Botje Statue

Zuidlaren, Netherlands

miles away

Zendstation Smilde Replica

Hoogersmilde, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Netherlands

Netherlands

Europe

Places 354
Stories 20

Related Stories and Lists

The Bog Bodies

mummies

By Allison Meier

Related Places

  • Grauballe Man.

    HĂžjbjerg, Denmark

    Grauballe Man

    Preserved "bog person" that is over 2,000 years old.

  • Tollund Man

    Silkeborg, Denmark

    Tollund Man

    Iron Age "bog person" preserved for over 2,300 years.

  • Nazca culture mummies and skulls cemetry in Peru

    Nazca, Peru

    Chauchilla Cemetery

    Plundered and left asunder by grave robbers, this ancient necropolis has been painstakingly pieced back together.

  • Schleswig, Germany

    The Bog Bodies at the Schleswig-Holstein Landesmuseum

    Ample proof that watery ends make for well-preserved, millenia-old mummies.

  • A bog body.

    Dublin, Ireland

    Kingship and Sacrifice

    This permanent collection of preserved bodies taken from Irish bogs is one of the leading authorities on such morbid mummies.

  • Stonington, Connecticut

    Severed Arm of Saint Edmund

    How did the right arm of a 13th-century English bishop wind up in a Connecticut church?

  • The mummified forearm

    Prague, Czechia

    The Thief's Arm at Kostel Sv. Jakuba Vetsiho

    A 400-year-old mummified arm dangles from the ceiling of St. James the Greater, serving as a warning to thieves.

  • Mummy at St. Nicholas Church

    Gommern, Germany

    St. Nicholas Church

    The resting place of 18th century German mummies.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.