8 Vampire Myths Explained Vampires have haunted literature, art
and folklore since the dawn of mankind. Stories of vampirism can
be traced as far back as biblical times, with Lilith the first
rumored vampire. The term vampire did not become an everyday
superstition, and fear, until the 17th and 18th centuries in
Europe. Was the belief in vampires considered some type of mass
hysteria, since numerous countries all had their own form of
blood suckers, from the Russian Vurdalak to the Romanian
Strigoi? Or are there other explanations for the myths? Staking
a vampire through the heart has been the most popularized method
of extermination. Many different countries show references to
driving a stake through the heart as well using specific woods
to get the job done. Certain types of wood have tied symbolism
to Christianity, such as Ash, Blackthorne, Maple, Hawthrone,
Buckthorne and Aspen. A stake was driven through the chest
cavity to ensure deflation of a bloated corpse, so it would be
deflated before its transfor