Vampires Vs. Werewolves: What Is the Difference?

The whole vampires vs. werewolves debate is as old as time itself, with even the great thinkers weighing in on the subject (Stephen King, for instance, once famously said that “vampires are elegant. Werewolves are messy”).

However, the fundamental difference between the two creatures is much more basic than you might think.

The biggest difference is that vampires are immortal monsters who prey on humans in the dead of night.

In contrast, werewolves are just people cursed by a solitary lunar event and are thus more similar to us than any other monster.

Vampires Vs. Werewolves: Strength and Weaknesses Comparison

Powers and Abilities

Weaknesses

Understanding Vampires

Vampires are mystical creatures that have existed for a very long time, appearing in ancient European legends and folklore and now in mainstream media.

These creatures became famous thanks to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a novel published in 1897, and his adaptation laid the foundation of the modern vampire we know today.

While several folklores have their description of a vampire’s appearance and features, vampires are generally believed to be pale or purplish in appearance. They have fangs that they use to pierce their victims’ necks, sucking their blood and long nails. 

Some vampires possess magical powers, while some can shapeshift (Like Count Dracula in Dracula Untold, who can shapeshift into bats).

Vampires are primarily found in rural settlements where they can get enough supply of human blood (although some cultures believe they also feed on the blood of animals).

Vampires also have the ability to control people’s minds by staring into their victims’ eyes and hypnotizing them. However, this trick usually only works on humans and doesn’t affect fellow vampires.

Unlike its closest undead relative, the zombie, vampires are portrayed as fast, strong, and intelligent creatures. 

While some stories say vampires don’t have mirror reflections, maybe due to their lack of a soul, other adaptations give them this attribute.

I remember watching The Originals and screaming whenever Niklaus walked past a mirror, and i would see his reflection. (Nerd alert!)

How to Become a Vampire?

Since vampires are undead, they can’t mate and give birth; however, there are other ways one can become a vampire.

Vampirism can be transferred when a human drinks the blood of a vampire (as seen in many vampire series like The Originals, Vampire Diaries, etc.) or when someone sells their soul to the devil (like Dracula).

Vampires don’t eat normal food and rely on a regular dose of blood to survive, which is why most of them settle in remote towns where they can prey on humans without drawing attention to themselves.

However, only the most vicious of the bunch enjoy preying on humans, and others prefer to prey on animals or purchase blood from a blood bank.

Vampire Weaknesses

Although vampires have super abilities, they also have weaknesses, the most important one being their inability to stand sunlight.

Since they are creatures of the night, contact with direct sunlight can leave them badly injured or burned alive.

So, most vampires prefer to stay indoors until dusk before they go out to feed. 

But there’s a loophole; vampires can move around during the day with the help of a magic ring called the Daylight Amulet of Daylight Ring (as used in Vampire Diaries and The Originals).

This ring is fitted with a Lapiz Lazuli gemstone enchanted by witches, and it helps protect them from sunlight.

Some vampires can also summon rain clouds or fog to protect themselves from direct sunlight (as in Dracula Untold).

New vampires are usually linked to those who turned them (popularly called sireline), and so killing a vampire can immediately kill everyone they have ever turned as well.

Vampires can be weakened or killed by driving a wooden stake through their hearts, severing their heads or hearts from their bodies, or burning them alive.

They can also be killed from the bite of a werewolf (probably that was where the vampires vs werewolves feud began), are susceptible to silver, garlic, and holy symbols. 

Another weakness is that vampires can’t enter a house without being invited by a member of that house, and any vampire who tries to enter forcefully can get badly wounded or even die.

When vampires are killed, they sometimes turn to dust or remain grey corpses.

Understanding Werewolves (Lycans)

Like vampires, Werewolves are creatures of the night. They are most powerful during a full moon, but they look a lot like humans when they’re not in wolf form and can move around in daylight.

These mystical creatures also possess superhuman strength and speed (though not as fast as vampires) and can heal fast. 

According to different legends, werewolves are vulnerable to silver bullets and silver in general. They are also susceptible to wolfsbane and a bite from other mystical creatures like vampires.

They primarily don’t prey on humans and can eat the same food we eat, but their favorite meal is raw meat.

Werewolves don’t isolate themselves like vampires; they group themselves into packs, which is also their greatest strength.

In a werewolf pack, there’s usually a hierarchy, with the Alpha as the leader, followed by Betas, who are the other group members. The third rank is Omega or the lone wolf.

Omegas are werewolves who have been driven from their pack and are roaming on their own.

They are usually less strong than their counterparts and are most likely to be killed by other mythical creatures or, worse, hunters.

Different Types of Werewolves

There have been many misconceptions about the origin of werewolves and their characteristics.

However, typical werewolves are divided into three, which I will explain one after the other.

Shapeshifter

The first type of werewolf is the shapeshifter wolf. According to Legends, werewolves had the original ability to transform into wolves and back to humans at will; however, this power was taken away via the werewolf curse.

Although it’s a rare gift, pure shapeshifters can change from human into any animal.

Legends say shapeshifters are born with their ability, which cannot be transferred through a werewolf bite.

Twilight Saga fans are familiar with this kind of wolf, as several members of the Quileute tribe, including Jacob Black, can change form at any time.

Wolfman

The second type of werewolf is the Wolfman, used in most werewolf movies (Teen Wolf and Harry Potter fans can relate to it).

This humanoid creature has a wolf’s head in a human body; it can stand on two legs but is covered in wolf hair with fangs and claws.

The Wolfman is often considered a werewolf because many Legends believe it shares many of the traits of the werewolf curse (or lycanthophy).

Sometimes, wolfmen are humans by day and wolves by night, but other adaptations always describe them as full wolves.

Well, I feel wolfmen start as humans who can only transform to wolfmen during full moons, then it becomes every night until eventually, they become full wolfmen at all times.

Wolfmen also lose their ability to control their minds and emotions as the turnings become frequent.

True Werewolf

The last type is known as the true werewolf. According to most legends, the true werewolf is a shapeshifter who lost the ability to control his transformation during a full moon due to the werewolf curse. 

It is believed that the original werewolf curse took away the ability of a shapeshifter to turn into a werewolf at will and also took away their ability to control their human minds while in wolf form. 

In wolf form, werewolves have uncontrollable rage and hunger, which drives them to kill everything and anyone they come in contact with, regardless of their relationship as humans. 

Since they do not have control of their minds, they wake up in human form, not remembering anything that happened at night, although they may revisit these memories in their dreams.

These werewolves can transfer their curse to another person through a scratch or a bite, assuming the human survives the injury. 

Vampires Vs Werewolves: Why Are They Enemies?

Perhaps the biggest question in history is why vampires and werewolves are enemies.

The main origin of their feud is unknown, and ancient folklore does not prominently mention any relationship between the two mystical creatures.

No historical evidence of shooting at this creature has ever crossed paths. 

But we do know that vampires and werewolves have been at war for ages, maybe due to competition for prey, as some modern fiction and adaptations suggest, or that werewolves protect humans from falling prey to vampires.

In some other adaptations, there has been an ancient power struggle between the two factions over who controls the night.

When it comes to fiction, there is no right or wrong way to tell the vampire and werewolf struggle, but historically speaking, there is no evidence to show that these two creatures have ever crossed parts or are mortal enemies.

Who Would Win a Battle Between Vampires and Werewolves?

This is a tough question. It would depend on the sizes of the creatures and the numbers involved.

If there were 100 Werewolves and 10 Vampires, and they fought in a forest, I am sure the Werewolves would win because they would work better in larger groups and have a lot of extra power.

However, if the groups were reversed, the Vampires would win because they are fast, light, and can shapeshift; plus, they have the element of surprise, and only a few Werewolves could get to them. 

But in a fair fight, a vampire would likely win. Though werewolves have better senses and are more physically powerful, vampires are highly intelligent creatures and can kill them quickly with this advantage. 

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