T H E    W E R E W O L F   M Y T H O L O G Y   -  T h e  B t v s  W a y

In the mythology of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there seems to be no end to the variations upon the lycanthropic or shape-shifting theme. Each time the subject has been touched upon, it has been in a manner entirely different from the others, and completely in keeping with the program. Interestingly, the werewolf concept presented in the series is much closer to its traditional representation than the vampires and demons in the series are. A werewolf, in Buffy's world, is a human being who had the misfortune to have been bitten by a werewolf and survived. This person will, from that day forth, transform into a wolf for the three nights of the full moon, every month. A werewolf can be killed only with weapons made of silver - most commonly a silver bullet.

One major departure for the series, however, is that the presentation of the werewolf is a sympathetic one. The werewolf is the victim of a curse and is not responsible for his och her actions while in the wolf state. Which makes things wonderfully complicated, of course.