Vam'pire, in the folklore of the Slavs, a corpse which leaves its grave during the night and sucks the blood of living human beings, particularly of young people and children. The victims gradually lose strength and finally die from no apparent malady, while the vampire retains all the appearance of a living human being. Vampires are supposed to be either criminals or wizards or, perhaps, totally innocent persons who have been the victims of vampires. The only way to destroy a vampire is to dig up the body and burn it with a stake driven through the heart.