Werewolf

STATUS

Extant

RELATED SPECIES

Human

Evolved Werewolf

Hybrid

Witch

DISTINCTION

Transform into hyper-aggressive wolves on the night of a full moon, provided their gene has been triggered

Werewolves (also called Lycanthropes, Loup Garou, Rougarou, Beasts, or even just Wolves for short) are a supernatural shapeshifting species of individuals who unwillingly transform into large, fearsome, and extremely hostile wolves on the night of the full moon. They were created by the witch Inadu as revenge against her tribe for killing her. Even in their human form, werewolves possess superhuman physical prowess, though not to the same level as a vampire, and their abilities are not as powerful compared to those they possess on the full moon while transformed. These creatures are the most dangerous enemies of vampires due to their venomous bite, which is lethal to them. Werewolves are also hardwired to kill vampires on sight in their wolf form, though they still hunt human prey whenever there are no vampires to kill.

Lycanthropy is an inherited genetic condition due to a curse, and a person can only be a werewolf if they are born to at least one werewolf parent; they cannot be turned by a bite or scratch. Furthermore, the werewolf gene must be "triggered" by taking the life of a human, either intentionally or by accident, in order to gain access to their enhanced physical abilities, though this comes at the cost of transforming into a wolf during every full moon. It does not matter if the kill was accidental or intentional, premeditated or out of self-defense — if a werewolf causes the death of a human in any way, their werewolf gene will be activated. Untriggered werewolves, however, can kill vampires without activating their curse.

In Voodoo in My Blood, the origins of the Werewolf Curse and Werewolves were revealed. A powerful witch, that was known as "the Hollow", cursed the members of her tribe that were responsible for her murder and created the Seven Werewolf Bloodlines. The Hollow was hunted by wolves, and was killed on the night of a full moon. These circumstances would cause future werewolves to have to take a human life to activate the werewolf gene, forcing the species to have to painfully shapeshift on the night of a full moon into the very animals that hunted Inadu down.

Werewolf Settlements

According to Klaus, werewolves exist throughout the United States from the East to the West coasts, though they are not always easy to find. Most werewolves gather in packs, where some of them, such as Ray Sutton's pack, remain on the road, only gathering at the full moon so they turn freely in remote mountains or parks. Nevertheless, some werewolf communities will gather in one place and settle there to create long-term homes in towns and cities where they may make up a significant fraction of an area's supernatural population, such as the Crescent Wolf Pack and the Bayou Pack, who have settled in the greater New Orleans region on the southern coast of Louisiana.

Physiology

Food

Like normal humans, werewolves can eat human food if they wish. However, because they turn into ferocious beasts during the full moon, they are carnivores. When in wolf form, they can feed on human or vampire body parts and organs, but they are not required to ingest them in order to prolong their existence, like vampires, must do with blood. There are no known consequences from abstaining from human or vampire flesh while in werewolf form. It seems that most werewolves do not get to feed on humanoid flesh, because most tend to lock themselves up during the full moon, or are scared or distracted away from their victim before they can eat them.

Werewolves have not been seen to attack each other in human or lupine form, but have been known to hunt both human and vampire prey while transformed under the full moon.

Appearance

Werewolves in their wolf form are quite similar to natural wolves, although unlike natural wolves, werewolves have glowing yellow or orange eyes, wicked fangs, and a much more feral and predatory appearance. They can also be distinguished from regular wolves by their displays of supernatural strength, blurred speed, and size which is comparable to fully grown humans. The fur color of wolf forms differs from one to the other (e.g., Tyler Lockwood's fur color is dark brown, Mason Lockwood's is white and grey, Jules' is light brown with a hint of white, and Hayley's is tan and brown). Werewolves appear the same as any other human the rest of the month, aside from their enhanced abilities of speed, strength, and healing.

Werewolf Transformation

A werewolf will only transform into a wolf under a full moon. The first transformation is quite slow, and the person is subjected to at least five or six hours of intense, bone-breaking pain before the actual transformation. After the first transformation, the experience does not last nearly as long, but it is still painful and something many werewolves come to dread. Klaus mentions that embracing the transformation rather than fighting it as most werewolves do, would make the process faster.

Psychological Characteristics

Werewolves are known to be aggressive, strong and fast, even in human form. Tyler Lockwood often had trouble controlling his temper, especially leading up to and during the full moon. Those with the werewolf curse still latent can exhibit some supernatural traits which can be triggered by aggression, along with unusual physical strength for the person's given size and age, but they cannot fully transform, and they also have a tendency to black out when they become overwhelmed in fits of rage. Werewolves seem to have a strong sense of duty and loyalty to protect their own and feel a responsibility to help their fellow werewolves whenever they can

Code of Loyalty

Werewolves are very similar to witches when it comes to their own kind. Unlike vampires, werewolves have an unwavering sense of loyalty, and will often bond with other werewolves they meet. They form packs and work with each other as sort of an extended family. The bond of loyalty between werewolves is so strong that while changed under full moons, the only beings they do not attack are other werewolves (regardless of whether or not they have activated their werewolf gene). This code does seem to extend to Klaus' hybrids, as well. It's possible that another reason why Klaus' hybrids were so loyal, aside for the Sire Bond between them, was because of their werewolf heritage.

Powers and Abilities

Super Strength: Werewolves possess supernatural strength that makes them far stronger than immortals, Supernatural Hunters, and humans, such as when Tyler pulled the door off his locker, or when Diego ripped apart a bully.

Super Speed: Werewolves are much faster than humans and some other supernatural beings. They possess this ability both in and out of transformation, with an animalistic quickness. For example, while in human form, Rafael Waithe scaled up and down the side of a building in under twenty-seconds.

Super Agility: Werewolves possess superhuman agility. In both human and wolf form, they have demonstrated that they can move, jump very high, climb, flip, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion. They can also jump down from incredible heights with almost gravity-defying grace.

Super Durability: Werewolves can take far more trauma than humans without nearly as much discomfort or injury, however, not as much as vampires. They can also exert themselves for longer periods without tiring.

Healing Factor: Werewolves possess superhuman regenerative abilities, meaning that if they are physically injured, their bodies will heal rapidly. Like vampires, werewolves can heal from the most grievous of injuries, even in human form, albeit more slowly in comparison to vampires. However, unlike vampires, when a werewolf's neck is broken, they stay dead.

Super Senses: Werewolves have extremely keen and heightened senses of smell, sight, taste, hearing, and touch that exceed their wolf counterparts and that of regular canines. With this, experienced werewolves such as Jules could sniff out vampires - something vampires themselves are incapable of - and Tyler could taste vervain placed in his coffee, which would otherwise be impossible since coffee's intense flavor typically masks the taste of the herb.

Lycanthrope Enhancement: Werewolves are able to make their eyes glow when angry or threatened, but only for a short amount of time. When a werewolf is furious or forced to defend themselves, their anger increases all their power and abilities for a short period of time, which allows them to access some of the power of their wolf form to give them an edge.

Shapeshifting/Transformation Control: During a full moon, they will unwillingly transform from their human form and into their wolf form. However, if a female werewolf is pregnant, they will not turn for nine months as the transformation would kill the baby.

Werewolf Bite: A werewolf's venom is extremely lethal to non-original vampires. While an Original vampire cannot die from the venom, they are not wholly immune to the effects of the bite. For non-Original vampires, the venom acts as an poison of sorts that will enter the bloodstream and deliver the toxin throughout the body, producing discomfort and weakness, developing uncontrollable hunger that progresses to delusions, hallucinations, rabid rage, and dementia, culminating in death. Original vampires undergo the same effects, but do not die and will eventually fully recover.

Full Moon: A werewolf's strength, speed, agility, and all their powers are enhanced to their peak during a full moon.

Immunity to Silver: Werewolves are immune to magic bonded to silver. Weapons made of silver might wound them, but the wound still heals at supernatural rates and will not be fatal to them.

Weaknesses

Wolfsbane: When ingested, wolfsbane causes a werewolf to become severely weak and feverish. Also, If a werewolf's skin is exposed to wolfsbane, it will burn them.

Mortality: In most situations, minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds, and broken bones will cause a werewolf pain and slow them down until they heal. However, they still share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings and can perish from extreme trauma (e.g. suffocation, extreme blood Loss, a broken neck, decapitation, fire, heart extraction, etc.). They can also die from old age.

Magic: Werewolves are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical objects such as the Starling Necklace, Gilbert Device, and dark objects. Multiple spells have been performed by witches against werewolves to cause several effects against them, such as slowing down or speeding up a werewolf's transformation during a full moon, telekinetically ripping a heart from a werewolf's chest, or cursing a pack of werewolves to be trapped in their wolf form at all times except for a few short hours during the full moon when they return to their human forms.

Former Weaknesses

Doppelgänger Blood Magic: If blood from the last pair of doppelgängers is used in the Magic Purification Spell, all activated werewolves revert back to being a mortal with an untriggered wolf gene like Tyler. Kai absorbed the magic purification spell and as such, it no longer exists.

Trivia

There are seven original Wolf Packs, with each bloodline having their own unique strain of werewolf venom.

The Northeast Atlantic Pack and the Crescent Wolf Clan are said to have been fighting against each other since the beginning of the werewolf species.

Werewolves procreate sexually, and the werewolf gene or curse is carried down through their bloodlines.

Werewolves are the antithesis to vampires, as vampires are typically solitary creatures due to their immortality, while werewolves group in packs.

Hayley is the first pregnant werewolf in the series.

This also makes her the first werewolf to not transform during a full moon without being a hybrid, an evolved werewolf, or while wearing a moonlight ring.

Every werewolf to appear on The Vampire Diaries has been killed.

In the books, the Original Pack, Tyler Smallwood, Caroline Forbes, Caroline's unborn twin children and Jacob Smallwood were the only werewolves.

A werewolf could also be a witch if one of their parents were a witch, such as Klaus when he was alive. However, Klaus was untapped prior to triggering his curse. In the television series, it remains unknown if triggering the werewolf curse would allow witches to continue to practice witchcraft.

It is established through Ansel in Chasing the Devil's Tail that at least some werewolves can sense and be drawn to the newly born members of their bloodlines in their wolf form; this is how Ansel knew Hope is alive.

The Originals writer Carina MacKenzie confirmed that temporarily killing a vampire, such as breaking their, would not trigger the werewolf curse.[2]