29/12/2025
A Cheshire Cat Grin, from the Threshold… There’s a reason the silver bullet never belonged to ordinary time. Across folklore and literature, silver only works when something is caught between states ~ human and beast, curse and clarity, shadow and truth. That’s Liminality. The in-between. The moment when masks slip and monsters are briefly visible for what they are.
The ancient Greeks believed silver was a gift of the moon, dangerous to illusions. Norse legends carried it as protection against unseen forces. Medieval Europe turned to silver when wolves walked like men and witches refused to stay dead.
In 1804, poet Thomas Green Fessenden wrote of a witch felled not by strength, but by recognition … a silver bullet fired on a dismal night. The Brothers Grimm knew the rule well. In The Two Brothers, a witch shrugs off lead until silver buttons are torn from a coat and loaded with intention. Against silver, “her arts were useless.” Even the Beast of Gévaudan couldn’t escape the myth. When French author Élie Berthet retold the tale, history bent toward symbolism the killing blow had to be silver. And then there’s the American echo: The Lone Ranger, who didn’t just carry silver he named his horse Silver. A reminder that silver isn’t about violence. It’s about values, timing, and leaving proof behind.
At These Curious Times Network, we’ll tell you this with a grin you might recognize: “Silver bullets aren’t shortcuts. They’re not solutions for every problem. They only work at the threshold ~ when something must be seen clearly, named honestly, and ended precisely. Just truth, delivered at the exact moment it can no longer hide. Somewhere between moonlight and myth, the silver still gleams. 🌙
