(Slavonic Vlkoslak, Wampyr) Any of a class of spirits associated with tainted souls who cannot rest in their graves. The idea of vampirism has taken hold of popular imagination in recent decades; the Slavic original is quite recognizable, even through the filter of pop culture. The idea is that certain individuals have unclean souls, and after death they cannot pass on, but rise to stalk the night in search of blood and warmth. The solution to this problem is the ritual of "Double-Burial", involving the use of wooden stakes, or cremation in extreme cases.
