Written by Phillip Berrie
In this article we look at some of the strange aspects and properties of the element Silver both in fact and in fiction.
Talk about Silver Linings
Last article I mentioned that Silver, like Gold was used as a thin foil for edible decorations in certain cuisines and cultures. Now, while such comparatively large pieces of Silver don't harm the body, the metal in a more digestible form (dissolved or airborne particles of Silver) can bring about a permanent, irreversible condition called Argyria, as shown below.
Image from Wikipedia Commons made available under a creative Commons Licence
by Herbert L. Fred MD and Hendrik A. Van Dijk
The Silver appearance of an Argyria sufferer is caused by actual deposits of Silver in the skin of the subject and despite the emaciated appearance of the patient in the image above. Argyria by itself is not fatal.
Folklore and the Silver Bullet
In modern times, Silver — especially in weapon form — is viewed as anathema to evil/magical creatures. This association has even entered modern parlance in the form of 'the silver bullet' that instantly destroys or solves any problem, as if by magic. However, this power of Silver has little basis in fact and appears to be the product of modern story tellers, especially those from Hollywood and the role playing industry. Similarly, the efforts of these same story tellers has made it very hard to find out any decent information about this phenomenon on the Internet.
It would seem that the common belief that Silver can be used against werewolves is a Hollywood-based phenomenon derived from the 1940s movie 'The Wolf Man' by Universal pictures. Historically, there is little support for this from true folklore, which is hardly surprising, Silver is not hard enough or strong enough for the making of real weapons. There are however references in folklore to the use of Silver bullets.
The seventeenth century Bulgarian rebel leader, Delyo, was supposedly so hard to kill that his enemies made Silver bullets to murder him, or so goes the folk songs. Similarly, one of the supposed 'Beasts of Gévaudan' (a pack of man-eating wolves that terrorised 18th century France, see below for references) was supposed to have been killed by a Silver bullet. Like the folk song, this later reference appears to be an embellishment invented later by a writer (Chevalley 1936) to sensationalise them. I find it interesting to see the correspondence in dates of Chevalley's story and the Wolf Man movie and wonder at the supposed inventiveness of the Hollywood writers.
Note: Silver, which is softer than copper and steel (used for jacketed bullets) and lighter than lead, can indeed be made into bullets. However, the bullets would not be as effective as normal because the momentum and penetrating power of the bullet would be less. Still, as even the wadding used in blank cartridges can cause serious injuries at close range, it is not surprising that a Silver bullet could still be lethal.
While researching the apparent vulnerability of werewolves to Silver I kept seeing references to it being more effective against vampires, though how was not divulged. However, it is Silver's supposedly sacred nature(?), that explains why their reflection can't be seen in mirrors ... apparently, no one explained that to Hollywood, as I'm sure most of the mirrors they use in modern settings would have an Aluminium coating.
Still the idea of Silver being a sacred metal was intriguing so I searched on. Alas, apart from Judas Iscariot taking his payment in Silver pieces and the reliquaries of Saints being mainly made of Silver I could not find any pertinent references in the time available to me. If anyone can give me pointers on this I would be grateful.
I think the biggest thing to take away from this article is the power of fiction to change popular thinking. Silver appears not to have the mystical properties attributed to it by popular culture. These beliefs are solely based on the inventive power of writers. Now, in following with the nature of these Reality Bit(e)s articles, I could go into it being an author's responsibility to present the truth to their readers. Alas, all I can think of at the moment is bad jokes about 'silver linings'.
Still, it's a good thing werewolves aren't real, isn't it?
References:
Disease from consuming too much Silver
ref="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria
The meaning of the term 'Silver Bullet'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_bullet
The Wikipedia on Silver in folklore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver#Folklore_and_popular_culture
The Wikipedia on the vulnerability of Werewolves to Silver
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolves#Vulnerabilities
The Wikipedia on 'The Wolf Man' movie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullets#Materials
The Beasts of Gévaudan
http://labete.izfree.com/index.htm
Reference to Abel Chevalley's book
http://www.priceminister.com/offer/buy/16911732/Abel-Chevalley-La-Bete-Du-Gevaudan-Livre.html
The Wikipedia on Bullet materials
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullets#Materials
N.B. Please note that I although I use the Wikipedia (and WikiMedia Commons) a lot for references, this is for expediency and the familiarity of my readers. Anyone interested in further studies should make use of the references where available and understand that the Wikipedia is a co-operative project contributable to by anyone and must always be looked at in that light.
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