Werewolves will avoid wolfsbane when they can, as well as holly artifacts and silver. Being stabbed or cut with a silver knife can sometimes force a werewolf to revert to human shape. The silver bullet legend is probably true, but not all hunters believe in it. You hear grumbles around the gathering places. I was at Harvelle's not too long ago and heard three hunters complaining that either they'd done something wrong when they made their silver bullets or some werewolves just weren't affected.
Lycanthropy might have a cure. According to some traditions, killing a particular werewolf removes its curse on all those it's bitten-severing the bloodline, in a way.
The one time we put that theory to the test, it didn't work. The werewolf in question was a receptionist named Madison Owens. Nice girl, went walking in the wrong part of town on a full-moon night, got mugged. What she didn't know was that her attacker was a werewolf, and he managed to take a bite out of her neck. Next lunar cycle, she started turning. Worst part was, she had no idea. She turned after she fell asleep, and woke with no memory of roaming the streets in were form, ripping the heart out of anyone who registered as a threat to her animal instinct.
We did our best. Dean hunted down the werewolf who'd bitten Madison. Shot him through the heart with a silver bullet. But it didn't work. And by then, a lot had gone on between Sam and Madison. They'd connected. He was ready to do whatever it took to save her. Unfortunately, there was nothing. At least as far as we could find. We scoured every source, called every hunter we knew. Seems like if you're a werewolf, there's no cure.
That severing-the-bloodline legend sure is sticky, though. It comes up again and again. We think it originates from the old European idea that if you kill the daddy vampire of a particular infestation, the rest of the nest will die (well, re-die) too.
Of course, then we'd just have to start in on all the rest of the world's dangerous shapechangers. Hamrammr, boudas, aswang, bruxsa, ilimu, kanima-you're next.
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Supernatural the book of monsters, demons, spirits and ghouls
Non-FictionI'm just writing the whole Supernatural The Book Of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, And Ghouls book for people who don't have access to it.® xx All copyrights go to Alex Irvine, I don't own anything here :)
