Werewolves and silver – are they just allergic?

Moon-moons

The term werewolf and its abbreviations can be found in old German, Nordic or English testimonies. It is basically the compound of words man (were) and wolf (wulf). In ancient Greece there was term lycanthropy, referring to the act as well as ability to transform into wolf. Lycanthropes were thus people with this ability – origin of this word is also quite similar as it is composed of words lúkos - wolf and ánthrōpos - man. In Slavic folklore there is the term vlkodlak and its abbreviations and it means “wolf-skin”. So, yes, they are quite widespread through different mythologies and cultures.

What are some characteristics of werewolves? Well, werewolves actually differ from one folklore to another. They usually transform into wolf or half man – half wolf. Sometimes they are wizards, demons or just cursed people. There is also this belief that they turn only during full moon and that they have to carry actual wolf-skin in order to transform. There are also certain traits that might help you recognize werewolf in its human form, such as curved fingernails, meeting of both eyebrows at the bridge of the nose, etc. One of the methods of identifying a werewolf in human form was cutting the flesh of the accused, under the pretence that fur would be seen in the wound. But what about their proposed weakness against silver?

This vulnerability to silver is actually quite new. The idea probably comes from legend of Beast of Gévaudan in which a gigantic wolf is killed with a silver bullet. The term silver bullet is nowadays used as a metaphor as well – for a simple and seemingly magical solution for a difficult problem (This was new to me). So, werewolves in fiction are often depicted as invulnerable with their only weakness being silver. Sometimes even mere touch of silver object causes burns. This particular symptom seems a bit like allergy or contact dermatitis. Let’s take a closer look.

What are allergies?

Allergies refer to number of conditions that are caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to something that usually causes little or no problem in most people. Symptoms accompanying exposure to the allergen (that something you are hypersensitive to) include sneezing, rash, red eyes, but also fever, or even anaphylaxis - a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death. Primary treatment of anaphylaxis is to inject epinephrine (adrenaline) into muscle or blood stream. Many times, it is not necessary to ingest the allergen, but only touch it - this may cause contact dermatitis or eczema.

How do allergies actually work? Let’s watch the video bellow! (It is explained there very nicely + it is short)

There is actually an allergy to nickel. It is triggered by contact with the nickel-releasing object. The primary allergic response is a skin rash that may occur at the site of contact with nickel or even spread to the rest of the body. So, the main take-home message from this? You can be allergic to metals! And what is silver? Yes, metal. I think that there is actually nothing like allergy to silver (or at least I did not find any mentions about it), but there is a condition called argyria that is caused by excessive exposure to chemical compounds containing silver or to silver dust. Your skin will turn blue-gray due to this...

What made me think about werewolves and silver in this context?

It was all due to the story my girlfriend showed me. It was about three teenage girls that knowingly exposed their allergic classmate to pineapple (those girls are now facing criminal charges). Hmm? Well the victim, a 14-year-old girl, had a severe allergy to the fruit. One of the other girls rubbed pineapple on her own hand and then high-fived the allergic one. Luckily the girl was transported to hospital and treated – so she is okay! But. She could also go into anaphylactic shock, if not properly and quickly treated, and die. Just a personal note- I think this is horrible… (You can read the story HERE)

Well, I would think that if you happen to have allergy to certain food you have to it eat – that touch is not enough. But actually, touch might be sufficient enough. And then I started to think, like why are werewolves vulnerable to silver? They cannot be hurt with anything else, probably regenerate quickly and silver is not super strong, dense or anything. Maybe this vulnerability is related to biology, I thought. Or magic (you can always use magic as an explanation for something you do not understand, haha). But as one of my favourite characters – Jemma Simmons (from TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) says: Magic is just science we don't understand yet!

Concluding remarks

Yes, I know that articles like this are silly. But I think they posses certain scientific value – you at least learned about history of werewolves and a bit about allergies. So, if you happen to be werewolf and do suffer from these symptoms at least you now know what may be behind it!

What do you think about this? Let me know in the comments! :)

Have a great day!