Werewolves vs. Vampires

You've all seen it somewhere. Werewolves and their mortal foes the vampires. You'll often find those two beings side by side in fiction, usually at each other's throats. It makes logical sense, if you step ack and look at it. Fictional vampires and werewolves typically have a lot to fight about.

Hungry Werewolves, Hungry Vampires

Picture this: you're a beast-like creature that feeds on human flesh, hunting at night. You can also sire an heir, make a human into a werewolf, with a mere bite. Humanity is both food and reproduction to your kind.

There is another creature that feeds on humans. The vampires. They are undead creatures that drink human blood, hunting at night. They can sire heirs, make humans into vampires, with a mere bite. Humanity is both food and reproduction to their kind.

If you think you just read the same thing twice, then you're right. Werewolves and vampires share a prey species to almost every last detail. They occupy the same ecological niche. Of course there would be fierce competition. Every time a werewolf feeds, a vampire starves.

Protector Werewolves, Predator Vampires

What about the Twilight approach? There are many stories that feature werewolves as heroic. Why do werewolves and vampires fight in those stories?

The answer lies in the fact that the above situation, werewolves and vampires competing for food and breeding stock, has occured so much in fiction that it's difficult to steer away from the idea. It's certainly possible to have a werewolf story with no vampires, but how many could you name off the top of your head?

Werewolves against vampires is practically a staple of horror fiction, even if one of the two does not mean humanity harm. So what would you think if I told you that in the origins of the mythology, werewolves and vampires never fought with each other?

The Original Creature of the Night

The original mythology of the vampire was a creature that drank blood, avoided sunlight, and could transform into a bat or a wolf. In other words, the first vampire was also a werewolf!

Somewhere along the line, the two transformations got split, and today we have the feuding beasts we love to see in fiction.

Werewolf: The Forsaken: Silver and the Moon

A while ago, I showed everyone a picture of the alchemical symbol for silver:

As you can see, it looks like a crescent moon. That's because in ancient days, people believed that the moon was made of silver. So how did the myth arise that werewolves were harmed by silver if people believed this?

A modern paper and pencil game sheds a little light on this oxymoron. The game, called Werewolf: The Forsaken.

Quoted from Wikipedia:
"...Over time Luna, the spirit of the moon, began to travel the world in a body of flesh. She had many suitors but choose only Father Wolf as a mate, due to his strength and power. With him she sired the First Pack (children part human, part wolf, and part spirit), who were the ancestors of all Uratha and assisted their father in his duties.

Over time Father Wolf grew weak and was no longer able to fulfill his duties. When his children saw his weakness, they began to rebel against their father and succeeded in killing him and taking his place. As Father Wolf died, the barrier between the worlds became so strong that traveling from one to another was only possible in special places for most beings. The pain over the death of her lover caused Mother Luna to curse all children she had ever borne, so that silver (her sacred metal) is able to kill them..."

The Werewolf Cafe

Believe it or not, there is a fansite for werewolves. It's called "The Werewolf Cafe".

The site comes in two parts, a main site and a forum. The main site has information about what the various full moons during a year are called, as well as information on movies, books, and other media starring or majorly featuring werewolves. It also includes a major find section for cool werewolf products. The main section of the site used to only be available during the full moon, but its popularity led it to being made available 24/7.

The forums are a place for member to post their own finds, as well as distribute their own werewolf related creations. I myself am part of the forums, and I am pleased with what I have seen so far. There's even a section for people to role-play as a werewolf or related creature.

The link to the main site is http://www.werewolfcafe.com/home.php, and the link to the forums is http://forum.werewolfcafe.com/index.php.

Happy howling!

The Weakness of the Werewolf

Werewolves were typically feared in folklore and myth. Benevolent werewolves only begin to appear in modern day fiction, and even there they are a minority. It should come to no surprise that people would comfort themselves with their knowledge of what kills or otherwise harms these monsters.

Silver

A thousand ounce bullion bar of this precious metal  (Source)

Everyone knows the foolproof method of slaying a werewolf. The silver bullet. Guaranteed to pierce through the werewolf's durability and regenerative abilities.

Or is it?

Not as effective as claimed? (Picture source unknown)

Stories of werewolves being weakened by silver don't actually show up until the 19th century, much later than the myths of werewolves themselves.

If that isn't enough to make you scratch your head, take a look at silver's alchemical symbol, in use since ancient times:

Look familiar? It's a symbol also often associated with werewolves...

Progress Update

First off, Happy New Year everybody! I hope everybody had a safe Dec. 31st/Jan. 1st!

I've already completed my New Year's resolution: finish the draft of my book! That's right! The whole story is complete! An editor is looking through Behemoth as I type this!

My deepest apologies for taking so long to post here. The next post will come much sooner, I promise.

Twilight: The Nature of Werewolves Then and Now

I absolutely love the Twilight saga. It's a fascinating story about the modern and supernatural worlds intersecting, of teenage and not-so-teenage high school romance, and the deadly game one plays when throwing oneself into the unknown.

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight features a unique take on vampires, and while this interpretation may be unpopular with some, but considering the most recently released movie of the series, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1", made $588.3 million in ticket sales around the world in about three weeks, it's difficult to honestly say it wasn't effective. (source)

But this is a blog about werewolves, not vampires, so move over Edward Cullen, and say hello Jacob Black.

"Hello there, ladies." (source)

A Quick Glimpse into Behemoth

"They came the past two nights. Tuesday they got me while I was walking down the sidewalk. Yesterday they attacked me in my home. Today... well, they haven't come yet, but I can feel it. They're coming.

"The sun's setting. That's around the time they arrive. I hear the growls first, then the clatter of their claws as they stalk. I don't see them until the moon shines through the clouds. Gray wispy fur. Soulless yellow eyes...

"Mom, Dad, the parents who loved my as if I was really their child. Alex, my best friend who never let me give up. Dawn, the woman I barely met and swore I would never forget. To all of you, if I don't make it through this night...

"Thank you, and goodbye."

Behemoth is the first book that I'm writing to completion. As of this moment, I have written one hundred sixty pages, a total of twenty-seven chapters. I started writing Behemoth on September 22, 2011. I received the inspiration to write it the day before that.

It has been a long three months, fraught with writer's block, busy schedules, and massive computer crashes. I've spent insomnia-cursed nights, trips on buses, and fifteen-minute breaks at work typing this book. It hasn't been a chore, though. I've thoroughly enjoyed every step of the way.

I hope you enjoy these brief glimpses into Behemoth as I finish the story they belong to, and I look forward to finally releasing the book to you all.

 - Michael Durtschi