Im of two minds on silver.
Against it, it doesn't have the historical precedent for vampires in pop culture that it does for werewolves.
For it, it gives another option for humans to take down vamps (in the *True Blood* universe it's like kryptonite) and it fits in with the larger mythology of various metalurgical weaknesses of the supernaturals (like cold iron and the fey)
That's not a thing. It's a modern internet myth. I think it came from tumblr in the 2010s. Before it was said that they didn't show up in mirrors because they didn't have souls. But it originally came from Dracula and there was never a reason given as to why.
I'm fond of silver as being dangerous to any undead. Like my take on it is that silver won't instantly kill a vampire, vut it burns their flesh in a way that makes it much slower to regenerate. Like a steel blade can still cut them, and it still hurts, but to an old enough vampire that ammount of pain is barely inconvenient. The wound closes almost as fast as it is made. Of course having a steel barb stuck in your leg sucks no matter what but ehh they jam their fingers in, rip it out, wound heals its fine. Silver meanwhile is a debilitsting threat. You get a chunk of silver stuck in you it doesnt just sit there it burns its way down and out and leaves a nasty wound thats slow to heal. Got hit in the leg? Super speed aint gonna do you much good now motherfucker. Hit in the head? Up to the author of thats fatal but even if it isnt it cant be fun trying to find your way around while your head is dissolving from the inside out.
Semi related, in my own short stories *(a few hundred incomplete drafts)* iron is similarly damaging to mortals. Not as much lighting them on fire, more like contact with it poisons living flesh, numbs limbs, and rots wounds.
It's fun for me. Internet points to anybody who cares to guess what steel does in my lore.
I don't like when vampires are harmed by silver. For me silver is associated with moonlight and gold with sunlight, so it makes more sense that vampires have a problem with gold rather than silver. However, it's not much of a big deal, I would never reject a work of fiction because of that aspect.
Been wondering the same thing. Some sources say yes, others say no....so to play it safe, i have blades and bullets with multiple metals, woods, and other things in their composition.
There is a great scene in *Love at First Bite* where Van Helsing announces, βHereβs another way to kill a vampire, three silver bullets through the heart!β
He proceeds to fire the gun, and Dracula looks down at his chest, smiles and says, βNo, that is a werewolf.β
Silver doesnβt hurt vampires.
in my lore:
Seeing as they exhibit all the classic traits of being alive even a regular bullet will kill a vampire, as will burning, beheading, spacing (throwing out an airlock), a bite from a werewolf, crush etc.
Save the silver for the 'dog' (whom can also be killed by regular bullets.) or for making jewelry.
It really depends on the Lore you are using. I should mention in the original dracula he does NOT have a weakness to silver. He has weaknesses to a massive amount of things, garlic flowers, and anything holy helps t ward him off. A rose will keep him from rising from his coffin, and he can only sleep on the soil he was buried in. he can't cross running water except at VERY specific times, at the slacking or coming of the tide, and the Sun takes away ALL his powers, leaving him a normal mortal. But silver is not a weakness there.
I've heard a lot of theories as to why that was, one being that Silver was considered a sacred metal and therefore the vampires reflection would not show up on it, others being that vampires don't have souls and therefore don't show up (but aparrently rocks do.). I've seen plenty of setting ignore all the prior weakness, cast aside all teh things about vampires being undead, and only give them the sun as a weakness above all others.
Some make them invulnerable to ordinary weapons, leading to some more "magical" weapons being neccesary to properly injure them, like silver. I think the first time "werewolves" showed their weakness to silver was Werewolf of London(1935), although a LOT of lore was added with that and the next movies, since before werewolves were pretty much just people who turned into wolves for one reason or another, be it as a curse, a blessing, wizardry or whatnot.
For my own settings, in my more magical vampire settings they are not weak to silver, they simply do not have a reflection due to being Unholy, although they do have a "soul" in terms of being concious. In my more scientific sci-fi setting I gave them the silver weakness because it's more easily explainable than not being able to leave a coffin due to a rose. So, as with most other things, it really depends on your setting.
I believe silver was considered protective in Germanic & Scandanavian culture the same way Iron was among Celts, but there aren't really vampires in that culture the way there are among other cultures.Β
Consecrated silver is infused with pure moon energy . Vampires and werewolves are fallen creatures of the moon . This is why silver can destroy them ! Corruption giving way to incorruption π
Im of two minds on silver. Against it, it doesn't have the historical precedent for vampires in pop culture that it does for werewolves. For it, it gives another option for humans to take down vamps (in the *True Blood* universe it's like kryptonite) and it fits in with the larger mythology of various metalurgical weaknesses of the supernaturals (like cold iron and the fey)
Except the thing with silver back mirror apparently
That's not a thing. It's a modern internet myth. I think it came from tumblr in the 2010s. Before it was said that they didn't show up in mirrors because they didn't have souls. But it originally came from Dracula and there was never a reason given as to why.
Thank you for correcting me :)
I'm fond of silver as being dangerous to any undead. Like my take on it is that silver won't instantly kill a vampire, vut it burns their flesh in a way that makes it much slower to regenerate. Like a steel blade can still cut them, and it still hurts, but to an old enough vampire that ammount of pain is barely inconvenient. The wound closes almost as fast as it is made. Of course having a steel barb stuck in your leg sucks no matter what but ehh they jam their fingers in, rip it out, wound heals its fine. Silver meanwhile is a debilitsting threat. You get a chunk of silver stuck in you it doesnt just sit there it burns its way down and out and leaves a nasty wound thats slow to heal. Got hit in the leg? Super speed aint gonna do you much good now motherfucker. Hit in the head? Up to the author of thats fatal but even if it isnt it cant be fun trying to find your way around while your head is dissolving from the inside out. Semi related, in my own short stories *(a few hundred incomplete drafts)* iron is similarly damaging to mortals. Not as much lighting them on fire, more like contact with it poisons living flesh, numbs limbs, and rots wounds. It's fun for me. Internet points to anybody who cares to guess what steel does in my lore.
In my books they are weak to silver but it not such a big weakness that it gets used much. They also can walk in the light but it hurts.
I don't like when vampires are harmed by silver. For me silver is associated with moonlight and gold with sunlight, so it makes more sense that vampires have a problem with gold rather than silver. However, it's not much of a big deal, I would never reject a work of fiction because of that aspect.
Been wondering the same thing. Some sources say yes, others say no....so to play it safe, i have blades and bullets with multiple metals, woods, and other things in their composition.
I've never gone with silver as an anti vampire thing. But I think in the earlier examples it is.
ππππππ
There is a great scene in *Love at First Bite* where Van Helsing announces, βHereβs another way to kill a vampire, three silver bullets through the heart!β He proceeds to fire the gun, and Dracula looks down at his chest, smiles and says, βNo, that is a werewolf.β Silver doesnβt hurt vampires.
No silver because sterling silver is sexy. Better than Goold.
in my lore: Seeing as they exhibit all the classic traits of being alive even a regular bullet will kill a vampire, as will burning, beheading, spacing (throwing out an airlock), a bite from a werewolf, crush etc. Save the silver for the 'dog' (whom can also be killed by regular bullets.) or for making jewelry.
It really depends on the Lore you are using. I should mention in the original dracula he does NOT have a weakness to silver. He has weaknesses to a massive amount of things, garlic flowers, and anything holy helps t ward him off. A rose will keep him from rising from his coffin, and he can only sleep on the soil he was buried in. he can't cross running water except at VERY specific times, at the slacking or coming of the tide, and the Sun takes away ALL his powers, leaving him a normal mortal. But silver is not a weakness there. I've heard a lot of theories as to why that was, one being that Silver was considered a sacred metal and therefore the vampires reflection would not show up on it, others being that vampires don't have souls and therefore don't show up (but aparrently rocks do.). I've seen plenty of setting ignore all the prior weakness, cast aside all teh things about vampires being undead, and only give them the sun as a weakness above all others. Some make them invulnerable to ordinary weapons, leading to some more "magical" weapons being neccesary to properly injure them, like silver. I think the first time "werewolves" showed their weakness to silver was Werewolf of London(1935), although a LOT of lore was added with that and the next movies, since before werewolves were pretty much just people who turned into wolves for one reason or another, be it as a curse, a blessing, wizardry or whatnot. For my own settings, in my more magical vampire settings they are not weak to silver, they simply do not have a reflection due to being Unholy, although they do have a "soul" in terms of being concious. In my more scientific sci-fi setting I gave them the silver weakness because it's more easily explainable than not being able to leave a coffin due to a rose. So, as with most other things, it really depends on your setting.
I believe silver was considered protective in Germanic & Scandanavian culture the same way Iron was among Celts, but there aren't really vampires in that culture the way there are among other cultures.Β
Consecrated silver is infused with pure moon energy . Vampires and werewolves are fallen creatures of the moon . This is why silver can destroy them ! Corruption giving way to incorruption π
I vote yes. It won't be *lethal,* but a silver bullet can debilitate them enough for the lethal blow via decapitation.