All The Tropes

Silver Bullet: Difference between revisions

Page Discussion

Silver Bullet (view source)

Revision as of 19:15, 24 December 2021

1,152 bytes added ,  2 years ago
Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.8.5
VisualWikitext
m (remove unneccessary quote box template)
(Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.8.5)
 
(14 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown)
Line 1:
{{trope}}
[[File:silver_bullet_5637silver bullet 5637.png|frame]]
 
{{quote|''That silver could have fed my entire village for a year.''|'''[[The Lone Ranger|Tonto]]''', ''[[Robot Chicken]]''}}
 
The silver bullet is a common form of [[Depleted Phlebotinum Shells]]. It's often called for when supernatural creatures are around for whom silver is an [[Achilles' Heel]].
 
Throughout mythology and subsequent fiction, silver has been a common ward against evil. Silver, especially if blessed, was thought to ward off or harm certain supernatural beings (including vampires) since the Middle Ages. The use of silver bullets to kill werewolves has become popular [[Newer Than They Think|only since]] it was invented by Curt Siodmak, the writer of the 1941 film ''The Wolf Man'' (though in the 1933 novel ''The Werewolf of Paris'' by Guy Endore, someone did use a silver bullet on Bertrand Caillet, though it did not slay him, only landing in the leg).
 
A [[Sub -Trope]] of [[Silver Has Mystic Powers]].
{{examples|Examples:}}
 
== Anime and Manga ==
 
* In the ''[[Hellsing]]'' anime Alucard uses silver bullets against other vampires; after a while, he is given a new gun which uses mercury ("[[Istanbul (Not Constantinople)|quicksilver]]") bullets. Since mercury has about the same density as lead, but is a liquid, the effect it has upon striking a body is quite horrific (it practically explodes).
* In ''[[Berserk]]'', silver possesses protective properties against astral creatures, such as [[All Trolls Are Different|Trolls]]. Farnese and Casca wear shirts made out of silver mail for this reason, and the former has a silver knife to fight them off.
 
Line 19:
 
* In the [[Solomon Kane]] comic book story "The Silver Beast of Tonkertown" (not based on one of Howard's original stories), Kane melts down an inn's silverware to create a silver pistol ball which he uses to slay a werewolf that is terrorising the town.
* In a [[Two Gun Kid]] special from [[Marvel Comics]], Two-Gun uses a silver bullet he obtained from "Kid Clayton" (a [[Lawyer -Friendly Cameo]] of [[The Lone Ranger]]) to kill a werewolf.
* The [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] [[Batman (Comic Book)|Batman]] used silver bullets to slay the vampire/werewolf hybrids the Monk and Dala as they slumbered in their coffins.
* In The ''Astounding Wolf-Man'', an assassin explains that even if the story about Silver Bullets wasn't true, silver bullets should at least hurt as much as regular ones. As it turns out, there are a few elements harmful to werewolves, but Silver is the most commonly known one.
* In ''[[Scare Tactics (Comic Bookcomics)|Scare Tactics]]'', the werewolf clan the Ketchums load their shotguns with silver buckshot when they ambush their runaway member Fang.
* [[Doctor Strange]] foe Silver Dagger not only wielded his namesake knives as weapons but also commanded a group of zealot commandos armed with automatic weapons loaded with silver bullets.
** Doc nearly lost his own life to a silver bullet, fired from the very pistol with which Hitler committed suicide. Apparently the combination of the two was enough bad mojo to get through his magical protections.
Line 31:
== Film ==
 
* Hilariously, in the [[MST3KMystery Science Theater 3000]] fodder movie ''[[Werewolf (Filmfilm)|Werewolf]]'', after spending over 10 minutes going on and on about how the skeleton they discovered isn't of "your white man's movie monster werewolf", but a traditional Native American skinwalker, when one of the characters turns into one he's quickly killed with a silver bullet.
{{quote| '''Crow''': "So...you've got Coors Light in your gun?"}}
* In ''[[The Monster Squad]]'', one of the protagonists crafts silver bullets but neglects to bring a gun. Rudy, the oldest of the Squad, eventually has to use a gun from a fallen cop to deliver the fatal bullet to the Wolf Man.
** He most likely seated them into .38 cartridges with the intention of grabbing a dropped service revolver, as there were going to be plenty of those to go around [[Police Are Useless|once the cops showed up]]. He belonged to a club [[Crazy Prepared|formed around dealing with monsters]], remember?
* Assorted silver weapons, including bullets containing silver nitrate, were used on [[Our Werewolves Are Different|Lycans]] in ''[[Underworld (Filmfilm)|Underworld]]'', whilst the Lycans used some sort of UV tracer round against vampires.
* ''[[The Howling|Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf]]'' subverts this trope and reveals that silver bullets ''don't'' actually kill werewolves, they just incapacitate them for a while. The real metal of choice when dealing with werewolves is revealed to be titanium.
** This troper's understanding of the dialogue was that silver bullets worked just fine against young werewolves, but ancients like Stirba were immune to silver (hence the titanium). Somewhat amusing in that one of the protagonists somehow manages to get eight shots out of a six-shot revolver without reloading.
* Averted, and mocked, in ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'': David, the eponymous werewolf, is advised by his undead victims to kill himself. When he asks, "Don't I need a silver bullet?", his dead best friend Jack replies, "Oh, be serious!"
* In ''[[Love Atat First Bite]]'', Dr. Rosenberg tries to kill Dracula with silver bullets. Dracula then informs him he's thinking of werewolves.
** The same punchline is used in ''[[My Best Friend Is a Vampire]]''.
* In ''[[Brotherhood of the Wolf]]'', Jean-François de Morangias uses a one-handed musket and silver bullets as his signature weapon.
* ''[[Silver Bullet]]'' is a 1985 film adaptation of [[Stephen King]]'s ''Cycle of the Werewolf'' (see below).
* In ''[[Project Metalbeast]]'', Silver Bullets can kill werewolves but this particular one happens to be cybernatically enhanced, so it requires a silver tipped bazooka shell to kill it.
* Silver is good against werewolves ''and'' vampires in ''[[Van Helsing]]'', with silver bullets and stakes being employed against both.
* ''[[Blade]]'' employs silver bullets and stakes as part of his vast vampire-killing arsenal.
* In the ''[[Fright Night (2011 film)|Fright Night]]'' remake, Amy tries using silver bullets against [[Our Vampires Are Different|Jerry]], who seems more amused than injured as he pulls the bullets out of his shoulder, chiding her: "Werewolves." {{spoiler|She then throws a cupful of holy water in his face, responding in kind: "Vampires."}}
 
== Literature ==
Line 55:
** However, the book reveals later that it was not the silver slug, but rather the children's [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe|belief in its killing power]], that made it work.
** Silver bullets are used to kill the title creature in King's ''Cycle of the Werewolf''.
* In [[GKG. K. Chesterton]]'s [[Father Brown]] story "[https://web.archive.org/web/20131010042845/http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/c/chesterton/gk/c52fb/chapter30.html The Dagger with Wings]," a man speaks of using white magic against his enemy, and shows he had a blunderbuss specifically so he can charge it with silver bullets. He cites the legend of Dundee, who had [[Deal Withwith the Devil|sold his soul to the Devil]] and so could be shot only with a silver bullet. {{spoiler|Father Brown debunks, throughly, and concludes he is the murderer, posing as the victim.}}
** Note that this was a genuine legend; while Dundee was not shot with a silver bullet (or button) that story really was told.
* In the Silver John vignette "You Know the Tale of Hoph" by [[Manly Wade Wellman]], John uses a silver bullet to slay the Hoph. Silver, not necessarily in bullet form, is generally effective against evil creatures elsewhere in the stories.
Line 63:
** And {{spoiler|Caine}} uses silver-headed arrows to shoot {{spoiler|Brand}} during the final battle. It doesn't pay to take chances with that family.
* Part of the local [[Vampire Hunter|night team]]'s arsenal in ''[[Night Watcher]]''.
* In [[The Brothers Grimm (Creatorcreator)|Grimm]] [[Fairy Tale]] '' The Two Brothers'', silver bullets are used to kill a [[Wicked Witch|witch]] who is otherwise [[Immune to Bullets]].
* In Brian Lumley's ''[[Necroscope]]'' books silver is deadly to vampires, and the historical use of silver as a backing for mirrors is considered to be the origin of the whole vampires afraid of mirrors in folklore.
* In the novel ''Digital Knight'', [[Jason Wood (Literature)|Jason Wood]] makes some silver bullets first to fight a vampire (which didn't work) and then a werewolf (which did). He ran out of silver bullets while fighting the werewolf king, and was forced to improvise with several buckets of silver chloride taken from an x-ray development room.
* ''[[The Talisman (Literature)|The Talisman]]'' features a weaponized silver coin used against Sunlight's son {{spoiler|because in ''[[The Territories]]'' he is a horrible monster and thus vulnerable to silver.}}
* In ''[[The Witcher]]'' series, silver is especially effective at warding off and causing pain for monsters. Hence, it's customary for Witchers, trained monster slayers, to fight them using silver swords and to have silver lining their armor.
* Silver is confirmed to be dangerous to werewolves on the [[Discworld]]. Along with fire, it is one of the few weaknesses they have.
* Silvered weapons, mostly blades, feature in ''[[Anno Dracula]]'' as one of the few guaranteed ways to harm a vampire. ([[Jack the Ripper]] is originally known as Silver Knife.) Silver bullets also make an appearance; in one of the books' many [[Shout -Out|Shout Outs]] they're called "[[The Lone Ranger|the Reid design]]"
* ''[[Monster Hunter International]]'' notes silver is too soft to engage rifling correctly and has established several different kinds of silver bullet as work arounds.
** Silver shot is the simplest and (relatively) inexpensive as it is (relatively) easy to make. As shotgun ammo rifling isn't important. Only 12 gauge is mentioned, but it could exist in other sizes.
** US (and possibly other) government forces use frangible bullets with silver powder instead of lead. The company that makes these refuses to sell them to private organizations.
** Older hunters or those forced to make their own ammo would use saboted silver. Not especially accurate, but better than shot for longer ranges.
** Modern hunters use Pow'R Ball ammo with silver in place of the polymer. This is only offered in a limited number of calibers, primarily 45 auto and various 30 caliber cartridges.
** {{spoiler|Some Finnish hunters took things further and used fey blessed silver. This is potent enough an untransformed werewolf is seriously hurt just by touching it and one shot with it explodes}}.
 
== Live Action TV ==
Line 76 ⟶ 82:
** The Disney film was intended to feature werewolves as the antagonists though, if early reports are to believe.
** Another motivation: making the bullets valuable was a reminder that firing a lethal weapon (even when done [[Blasting It Out of Their Hands|without lethal intent]]) was not a thing to be done lightly. See the entry under "Radio".
* ''[[Myth BustersMythBusters]]'' tested the effectiveness of a silver bullet compared to a standard lead bullet. They didn't test it on an actual werewolf or other supernatural creature, however.
** [[Fan Dumb|It would not be surprising if they received complaints from fans for that exact reason.]]
* In ''[[Supernatural]]'', the Winchester Boys often use silver bullets, most commonly against shapeshifters.
* In the ''[[Kolchak the Night Stalker]]'' episode "The Werewolf", Kolchak improvises silver buckshot by melting down the silver buttons of a ship captain's uniform.
* In the ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' episode "Battlefield", the Brigadier uses these to destroy the Monster of the Week.
* Cain the werewolf hunter in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' makes his own custom silver bullets for use in plying his trade.
** Fyarl demons are particularly vulnerable to silver and will die immediately after being stabbed with it. In "The New Man" Buffy grabs a silver letter opener to kill one, but it turns out to be a fake. {{spoiler|Which is a good thing, as the fyarl demon was actually Giles.}}
Line 88 ⟶ 94:
== Manhwa ==
 
* Ivan Isaacs of ''[[Priest (Manhwamanhwa)|Priest]]'' uses silver bullets against zombies. Priest zombies are immune to the traditional headshot unless the head is completely destroyed, but silver bullets will kill them regardless of where they hit.
 
 
Line 94 ⟶ 100:
 
* In some epic folk songs about Bulgarian rebel leader Delyo, he is described as invulnerable to normal weapons, driving his enemies to cast a silver bullet in order to murder him.
* "Silverstrike" by Ablazer.<ref>Melodic Death Metal band (Finland)</ref>
 
== New Media ==
Line 102 ⟶ 109:
 
* In ''[[Frank and Ernest]]'', Tonto tells the Lone Ranger that he oversold it and everyone thinks silver bullets are the solution to everything.
* ''[[Modesty Blaise (Comiccomic Stripstrip)|Modesty Blaise]]'': The villagers use one to slay what they think is the vampire in "The Vampire of Malvescu".
 
== Radio ==
Line 112 ⟶ 119:
 
* ''[[Werewolf: The Forsaken]]'' has silver weapons of any kind do aggravated damage to [[Our Werewolves Are Different|Uratha]] once the silver touches blood. While using silver on other werewolves would be expedient, it's also a sin against the code of werewolf ethics. Still, the Uratha have a step up on their cousins, the Pure, who apparently can't even ''touch'' silver without it messing them up something fierce.
** ''[[Werewolf: The Apocalypse (Tabletop Game)|Werewolf: The Apocalypse]]'' has no such moral compunction, though wielding silver does blunt a werewolf's magical effectiveness. Still doesn't stop a lot of werewolves from making silver [[BFS|klaives]].
* Silver bullets are hard to make in ''[[GURPS]]'' but have no negative effect on range or damage, against werewolves they do multiplied damage. ''High-Tech'' points out one potential problem: because they are relatively soft silver bullets can mess up rifled firearms.
** ''High-Tech'' is ''wrong''. Silver is ''harder'' than lead, but also less dense. It has also been discovered that a silver bullet will shrink while cooling, and thus a silver bullet cast in a regular bullet mold comes out smaller than the intended size. Also, silver does not "mushroom" in the barrel as much as lead does. Thus, the bullet does not form a proper seal against the grooves of the barrel, allowing much of the gas to escape around the bullet, and the bullet does not get as much spin imparted to it. As a result, a silver bullet has a shorter range and less stopping power (except against werewolves, of course) when compared to a lead bullet.
* A rule of thumb in ''[[Rifts]]'' is: "If Mini-missiles won't work, try silver." Silver is useful not only against werebeasts, but also vampires (damages, and a silver stake works just as good as a wooden one) and most other Undead, demons, and some gods. One country in South America actually issues silver-plated swords to it's [[Humongous Mecha]] because they're at war with a kingdom of vampires.
* ''[[Dungeons and& Dragons]]''. Starting in early editions of the game, the only mundane weapons that could hit a number of monsters are those made of silver. The monsters include not just the usual lycanthropes (e.g. werewolves) but also devils, night hags and many undead (such as ghosts, wights, wraiths - and wraithsvampires).
** To prevent silver weapons being a [[Game Breaker]] in ''[[Dungeons and& Dragons]]'', the Dungeon Master guide says the DM should impress upon the players that fighting with swords made of such a soft metal all the time is a bad idea... Silver is harder than bronze, but much softer than steel. It's also less elastic than bronze. In an iron-age setting against heavy armor (like plate), a silver piercing weapon like a short sword or dagger would stay effective longer than a silver slashing weapon like a long sword.
{{quote| '''Guide''': "Oh dear, you stabbed that orc's plate armor with your silver sword and the blade bent!"<br />
'''Guide''': "You know, you've been using that silver spear for so long that the point is dull. It's like hitting that ogre with a clumsy club, only it doesn't work that well!" }}
** It looks like ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' got it right. Silver is harder than bronze, but much softer than steel. In terms of durability, therefore, silver would be somewhere between the two. In an iron-age setting against heavy armor (like plate), a silver piercing weapon like a short sword or dagger would stay effective longer than a silver slashing weapon like a long sword.
** In later versions they then decreed that the silver that worked against supernatural beings wasn't ''actually'' silver but "alchemical silver" ... much as "cold iron" was a metal that looked a bit like iron but wasn't. Okay, technically it's normal silver alchemically bonded (whatever that means) to an iron blade, so you get the best of both worlds, but whatever.
 
Line 134 ⟶ 140:
* In ''[[Silent Hill 4]]'', silver bullets are the fastest way to down a ghost, and without it, it becomes nearly impossible to pass the water prison the [[Copy and Paste Environments|second time]] around... There are only two of them in the game, so they are best saved for the Water Prison and Building World ghosts.
* Konami's licensed ''[[The Lone Ranger]]'' [[Action RPG]] allows you to use the show's staple silver bullets, which can drop almost anything in one or two hits. They are rather hard to obtain however, and as such are usuallly [[Too Awesome to Use]].
* Like the book series it's based off of, silver is especially effective against monsters in ''[[The Witcher]]'' games. Geralt carries a silver one for dealing with them alongside a steel sword for humans, though as he puts it, "[[Humans Are Bastardsthe Real Monsters|both are for monsters.]]"
* In every game of ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'', enemies such as ghosts and wraiths can only be harmed by weapons that are enchanted, or made of silver. Werewolves are also vulnerable against it.
* ''[[Dwarf Fortress]]'' allows weapons and ammo to be crafted out of silver. It is the worst material available for any type of edged weapons. Since it treats all weapons as a completely rigid item, it does make for very effective [[Drop the Hammer|war hammers]] and maces.
Line 146 ⟶ 152:
 
* Spoofed in ''[[Wallace and Gromit]]: Curse of the Were-Rabbit'', where it's ''gold'' bullets (24 [[Incredibly Lame Pun|"carrot"]] gold).
* In ''[[Ben 10 (Animation)|Ben 10]]'', when the Yenaldooshi, a Native American Werewolf, is on the rampage, Gwen asks if they need to use a Silver Bullet to kill it, only to get the response that it only works in movies. The real solution does require a silver pendent though. However, this is inverted when it turns out to be a {{spoiler|alien that just looks like a Werewolf.}}
 
== Real Life ==
 
* During the 18th century hunt for the Beast Of Gévaudan, Jean Chastel reportedly loaded his gun with silver bullets. However, in this case the bullets were not 'special' because they were made of silver, but because the silver was obtained from a blessed medallion of the Virgin Mary (the creature was thought to be demonic in nature).
* Silver has a density of 10.5 grams per cubic centimeter. Lead has a density of 11.3 g/cm<sup>3</sup>. In the ballistics game, higher density means better performance, which is why bullets are still made out of lead. (Uranium, it should be noted, has a density of 19 g/cm<sup>3</sup>, which is one of reasons why anti-tankarmor rounds are made of the stuff.)
* [http://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/silver/silverbullets.shtml Book author's husband researches making silver bullets]. It's not as straight-forward as casting bullets from lead. Silver melts at 1761&nbsp;°F (versus 621&nbsp;°F for lead), this makes just melting it a problem for home-made bullets. And silver has a different coefficient of expansion, and the hardness difference means the bullet has to be crafted more precisely. And silver jewelry and coins are made with silver alloys that are harder still (to reduce wear, as well as cost). The bottom line is that silver bullets aren't something even someone who home loads can make in a hurry, from materials at hand; they take planning and preparation.
* During the 17th Century, many people believed that only a silver bullet could kill a king.
** Well, [[Shapeshifting_Lover#Folklore_and_Mythology|some reputedly had Melusine]] in the genealogical tree. This sets expectations.
* Count Jan Potocki, a Polish [[Gentleman Adventurer]] and author of ''The Manuscript Found In Saragossa'', allegedly killed himself with a silver bullet made from the knob of his mother's sugersugar bowl and blessed by the castle priest.
 
{{reflist}}
Line 160 ⟶ 167:
[[Category:Gray Tropes]]
[[Category:Applied Phlebotinum]]
[[Category:Tropes Examined By the Mythbusters]]
[[Category:Bullet Index]]
[[Category:Horror Tropes]]
[[Category:SilverTropes BulletExamined by the Mythbusters]]
[[Category:Trope{{PAGENAME}}]]
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/427955...1946014"