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Chris@ChristopherCant.comYou’ve probably seen werewolves in movies or read about them in books. They’re often portrayed as either half-human, half-wolf creatures like Wolverine in X-Men (did I just blow your mind? He even ‘transforms’ when he extends his claws!) or as humans who fully transform into wolves.
They are often superhumanly strong and tough, and heal quickly, and sometimes are locked in an eternal, ancient war with vampires. Which begs the question, are werewolves immortal, just like their vampiric foes?
To be honest, there's no definitive lifespan for a werewolf; in some parts of culture they are immortal, or live a very long time, or have the same lifespan as humans. In some ancient examples they are mortal until they die, and then they may rise again as a different immortal creature!
Some of these ideas sound pretty interesting to you? Read on then, I’ll explain!
The one thing that defines all werewolves is shapeshifting, and to be specific, a human who can shapeshift into a wolf, or perhaps into something of a human-wolf hybrid. The way they shapeshift varies depending on the story. Some werewolves can transform at will, while others are forced to shift only under a full moon, with no control over the timing.
The origin of their transformation also changes from one story to another. A human might become a werewolf through a scientific experiment, a curse, being bitten by another werewolf, or other unique methods. Perhaps you can come up with your own ideas of how someone might turn into a werewolf and write about it!
Like most things in folklore and fantasy, a werewolf's lifespan depends on the story and its author. Some tales make them immortal, while others give them a lifespan shorter than a regular human. Let's look at all of the options.
In Lovecraft’s works, werewolves are immortal. How do we know this? Because they’ve been depicted in his stories as surviving captivity for over 800 years without food or water. If that’s not immortality, what is?
Lovecraft’s werewolves also have heightened senses—better hearing, smell, and sight than both humans and wolves. Interestingly, in this universe, werewolves are even stronger and faster than vampires!
The Underworld films also portray werewolves as immortal. The Lycans of the Corvinus strain can live indefinitely—provided they’re not killed by one of their vampiric rivals.
In Greek folklore, there were many ways to become a werewolf: being excommunicated, eating meat from a sheep injured by a wolf or werewolf, being buried on unholy ground, or even transforming after death if you lived a sinful life.
Greek werewolves can die in many ways—just like humans. They’re susceptible to death by drowning, old age, and disease. However, unlike humans, werewolves in Greek mythology can rise from the grave after death. When this happens, they transform into vampires called vrykolakas. These reborn creatures are immortal, retain their fangs, hairy palms, and glowing eyes.
Interestingly, red-haired people with gray eyes were often suspected of being vampires in those times, assumed to have crawled out of their graves!
In The World of Darkness, the Garou (a race of werewolves) live about as long as humans, maybe up to 100 years due to their enhanced healing abilities. However, they often die young due to the constant danger of being hunted.
In French folklore, the Loup-Garou werewolves were cursed humans. The curse often befell those who engaged in demonic activities or defied the church. Under specific circumstances, they would transform into full wolves, losing their humanity and compassion. These werewolves lived as long as their human counterparts.
In Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), werewolves are humans cursed to transform into wolf-like hybrids. These creatures are fast, powerful, and bloodthirsty, often coming from the evil lands of Ingmire. While they are not immortal, they can live for centuries, embracing chaos and worshiping the dark deity Amuvor.
In Marvel, characters like Wolverine and Sabretooth are essentially werewolves with mutated bodies. They possess enhanced healing abilities, strength, and heightened senses like improved sight and smell. While they do age, it’s much slower than humans. Over time, their healing abilities weaken, but their physical strength continues to grow.
A more recent idea floating around the internet suggests that werewolves might not live as long as humans, based on biology. Werewolves are said to be inhumanly strong, and a creature much stronger than a man would require a high metabolism–and a high metabolism often correlates with shorter lifespans.
So there you have it! It's tough to give a straight answer as no one agrees on it; perhaps werewolves are immortal, or perhaps they burn through their lifespan as fast as a real wolf. Perhaps they age no differently than normal people, and maybe they will even then rise again as an immortal vampire!
All of this is to say, there’s no official answer. So just let your imagination run wild, or create your own version of werewolves—immortal, mortal, or something in between!
We are both massive fantasy, sci-fi and mythology nerds!
I started making digital art in 2009, and became a full-time freelance artist in 2016, able to work on my own schedule from anywhere in the world.
I created this blog to help young artists make the same journey.
