History Main / SilverHasMysticPowers

* ''LetsPlay/WitchCraftSMP'': Silver ingots are used liberally in the crafting of items from the Bewitchcraft mod, such as altars, Witch Cauldrons, and the Athame, a dagger used in cursing.

* In the first and third ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', while the player has been facing other human-ish enemies with human-ish attacks before this, players encountering the [[EliteMooks Silver Knights]] for the first time are likely to be absolutely and rightfully intimidated, what with their calm poise, gleaming armor, and penchant for [[LightningBruiser hitting like a bullet train]], [[GreatBow or nailing you to the wall with arrows the size of your arm]]. [[SubvertedTrope Their weapons and armors don't have any magical properties though]]. Not that they need it.

* The protagonist of ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'', Geralt, is a monster hunter, a Witcher, who uses a silver sword in his monster-slaying work. Said monsters are mostly things like zombies, werewolves and vampires, and the like, so silver weapons hurt them more. Specifically, silver works well on "post-conjuction" creatures, meaning creatures from another plane of reality, their presence being explained in the backstory. Witchers, including Geralt, usually carry a steel weapon to deal with non-conjunction creatures, like [[BearsAreBadNews goddamn bears]] or human enemies. Leading Geralt to [[KnightInSourArmor snark/threaten]] that the silver sword is for the post-conjunction creatures, the steel sword is for other foes, [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters both are for monsters]].

* ''[[Literature/Babel2022 Babel]]'' by Creator/RebeccaFKuang: Magic has two key components -- ThePowerOfLanguage and a silver bar to anchor the spell. No one knows why magic depends on silver, but it's a crucial resource; England's industrialization and colonial empire are built on its massive silver reserves, and [[spoiler:it's prepared to [[NoBloodForPhlebotinum go to war with China]] to secure more.]]

* Silvered weapons, mostly blades, feature in ''Literature/AnnoDracula'' as one of the few guaranteed ways to harm a vampire, and is therefore heavily regulated. (UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper is originally known as "Silver Knife", after the weapon he uses to kill his vampiric victims.) It is speculated that the silver content in photographic media prevents vampires from being clearly photographed.

* From a [[http://www.gameskb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/games-dnd/6855/Magical-Metals-Special-Materials Magical Metals list found on the Net]]
--> Silver: The metal of the moon, silver is well-known for being able to ignore lunar-based defensive powers such as those of lycanthropy. Unlike gold, silver will tarnish readily unless protected, but it needs no special preparation for most magical uses. Awakened, 3 ounces of silver (6 quantities for enchanting purposes) will grant moderate bonuses to divinations and magical wards it is used in. Unfortunately, silver is also strongly attuned to goodness and purity, it does not readily tolerate evil enchantments, having a marked tendency to decay into iron should the evil continue to be forced into it, though the presence of blue sapphire will aid the metal in resisting wickedness, and emeralds will weaken the silver if set in it. Like gold, but to a much weaker degree, silver can provide support for a spell, and also like its yellow cousin, it requires strengthening for physical reasons if used in weapons and armor. A wide selection of alloys can be made using silver, many exhibit varying degrees of tolerance for magical lightning, a quality the pure metal does not seem to have. Quite a few spells utilize the innate goodness of silver to strike out at evil, generally this does not harm the metal in the least.

Silver was considered a mystical element in folklore, and thus its properties become reality in fiction. The metal can do many things, from channel magic, to stopping evil (including warding off or harming [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires]] and [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolves]]), making magic mirrors, to turning water into a HealingPotion.

If GoldSilverCopperStandard involves all those metal having magic qualities, expect {{gold|MakesEverythingShiny}} to be even more powerful, while silver still has its own powers. The two of them used together can also be [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine a sign of divinity]].

Compare PowerCrystal, CrystalSkull, ThunderboltIron (another metal with mythic history), ColdIron.

* In the world of ''Manga/{{Radiant}}'' there are two types of silver that affect [[BackGroundMagicField Fantasia]]; Black Silver that creates a void of Fantasia, preventing sorcerers from accumulating it, are used to make cages and chains to restrain them (its filings can be stored in flasks to be thrown like grenades at sorcerers covering them with it having the same effect and using weapons to spread it), but are vulnerable to long-distance attacks, and White Silver which is rarer, while it doesn't create a vaccum of Fantasia it can repel it and is used to make weapons that with the higher purity it pierces through spells more easily, they are mainly used by the [[ChurchMilitant Inquisition]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Silverblade}}'': Within the [[FilmWithinAFilm film within a comic book]] ''The Silver Blade'', the hero Silverblade carries a silver bladed sword that has magical properties. Whenever Jonathan Lord transforms himself into that character, he has the sword. When the Executioner assumed the form of the Winged Avenger, Jonathan is able to exploit the Avenger's vulnerability to silver by stabbing it with the silver blade.

* In the ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' series of books, silver is used as an effective weapon against more than one major villain, either in the form of {{Silver Bullet}}s, or as weaponry.

** ''Literature/LegendOfZagor'' have the player collection two different kind of amulets, Golden Coins and Silver Daggers, to be used against Zagor the Demon Sorcerer. The latter is notably effective for each Silver Dagger reduces Zagor's LifeMeter (of 20 points) by 2 - successfully obtain 10 daggers, and Zagor is effectively killed before the battle even begins!

** ''Literature/HowlOfTheWerewolf'' has the player facing werebeasts of all sorts while on his quest to slay a powerful werewolf lord, so silver weapons comes in play, from silver daggers to silver swords and of course, the trusty SilverBullet in tandem with a flintlock pistol he can obtain.

* In Creator/FritzLeiber's short story ''[[Literature/FafhrdAndTheGrayMouser Ill met in Lankhmar]]'', the [[EvilSorcerer sorcerous villain]] Hristomilo is defeated by means of a siver dagger (granted: a dagger in the eye will defeat even a non-sorcerer).

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', goblin-wrought silver is nigh-invulnerable, and can absorb the properties of what it pierces in order to make itself stronger. It's unclear how the goblins make it this way, or whether it's truly silver or simply called so because the same colour. There are many other objects in the series which are made of silver (the Pensieve) or have the appearance of silver (unicorn blood). Finally, several spells, most notably the Patronus, take a silver colouration.

* In the ''Literature/MagicTheGathering'' novels, silver is the only material that can travel back in time without nasty side effects, hence why Karn the silver golem was made. Silver also channels Blue and White mana, and in Innistrad it has the stereotypical effects against vampires and werewolves.

* In ''Literature/TheNekropolisArchives'', silver is highly effective against a variety of types of Darkfolk which are otherwise difficult to harm, including vampires, werewolves, demons. It is also used as a spell component, though its efficacy as a weapon means that it is treated as a controlled substance.

** Inverted in ''Franchise/{{Mistborn}}'', where silver is one of the few metals which ''doesn't'' have special powers. WordOfGod is that Sanderson originally wanted to use silver in place of tin (which grants SuperSenses), but then he found out the pewter does not in fact contain silver, and had to change it to maintain MagicAIsMagicA (since silver would have been paired with pewter, which grants SuperSpeed, SuperStrength, and SuperToughness, and every pair consists of a metal and its alloy). [[spoiler: It is worth noting however that while silver itself has no allomantic properties it does still have a use in Allomancy - It is used to turn gold into its alloy, electrum. While gold's allomantic properties are seen as largely useless, Electrum is incredibly useful as it nullifies the massive advantage than an enemy Allomancer gains from burning the Godmetal Atium. So useful in fact that the Lord Ruler kept electrum completely secret as an allomantic metal.]]

* In the "Literature/TheSilverCodexIIReflectionsEdition" one of the characters tells how magic is divided by color with Silver Magic being the type that priest and priestess use in their religions for blessings and exorcisms.

* ''Skin Trade'' from Creator/GeorgeRRMartin has a sinister example of this in the [[EldritchAbomination demonic Skinner]]. This mirror-traveling creature easily hunts, kills and skins werewolves because not only is it much stronger physically but it has naturally [[WolverineClaws silver claws]] that are devastating to its lycanthrope victims.

* In ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' verse, witchers typically carry a silver sword to deal with monsters. Do note that these silver swords are not made of pure silver but are either made from steel and silver-plated, or made from one of a multitude of silver-based alloys, in order to make the swords manageable.

* In ''Series/{{Moonlight}}'' it's mentioned that the reason vampires couldn't be photographed is because of the silver used in producing the negative, the silver reflecting the photographee's soul. (Which is also why they don't cast reflections in mirrors.) But modern digital photography and video don't use silver, making vamps easy to capture images of.
* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', silver is one of the most common monster weaknesses (next to salt and iron). Shapeshifters, lamias and werewolves are all, in some way, vulnerable to silver. Hunters often test people with silver to make sure they aren't monsters, or even cut themselves with it to prove they're who they say they are.
* In ''Series/TrueBlood'' vampires are weakened by contact with silver. It hurts too, and will leave burn marks on unprotected skin. Has been shown applied as chains, handcuffs, "pepper" spray, and intravenously as a torture method.

** TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms supplement ''Volo's Guide to All Things Magical''. Silver is the metal most associated with and suitable for magic. Magic items that involve moon-related magics, electricity/lightning and energy discharges (e.g. Magic Missile) will automatically make all saving throws related to item creation magic if they're 60% (or more) silver by weight.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': Leonardo da Miragliano possess the Compass of Meteoric Silver, whose arrow is made from silver taken from a meteorite and always points to the highest concentration of magic in a battlefield.

* ''VideoGame/{{Valheim}}'': Weapons made of silver deal 'spirit' damage, which deals extra DamageOverTime against TheUndead. The only exception to this is the silver spear, because the actual spear-point is made from wolves' teeth.
* The protagonist of ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'', Geralt, is a monster hunter, a Witcher, who uses a silver sword in his monster-slaying work. Said monsters are mostly things like zombies, werewolves and vampires and the like, so silver weapons hurt them more. Specifically, silver works well on "post-conjuction" creatures, meaning creatures from another plane of reality, their presence being explained in the backstory. Witchers, including Geralt, usually carry a steel weapon to deal with non-conjunction creatures, like [[BearsAreBadNews goddamn bears]] or human enemies. Leading Geralt to [[KnightInSourArmor snark/threaten]] that that the silver sword is for the post-conjunction creatures, the steel sword is for other foes, [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters both are for monsters]].

** In "Literature/ShadowsForSilenceInTheForestsOfHell", silver is the only thing that can [[TouchTheIntangible harm the Shades]] or reverse their TouchOfDeath.

* In the world of ''Manga/{{Radiant}}'' there are two types of silver that affect [[BackGroundMagicField Fantasia]]; Black Silver that creates a void of Fantasia, preventing sorcerers from accumulating it, are used to make cages and chains to restrain them (its filings can be keep in flasks to be thrown like grenades at sorcerers covering them with it having the same effect), but are vulnerable to long-distance attacks, and White Silver which is rarer, while it doesn't create a vaccum of Fantasia it can repel it and is used to make weapons that with the higher purity it pierces through spells more easily, they are mainly used by the [[ChurchMilitant Inquisition]].

** The silver of the Staryk [[TheFairFolk Fair Folk]] is infused with their magic, so jewellery forged from Staryk coins gives the wearer a powerful {{Glamour}}.
** The Staryk King can only be bound by a silver chain.

* In ''Series/{{Moonlight}}'' it's mentioned that the reason vampires couldn't be photographed is because of the silver used in producing the negative, the silver reflecting the photographee's soul. (Which is also why they don't cast reflections in mirrors.) But modern digital photography and video don't use silver, making vamps [[SubvertedTrope easy to capture images of]].

** It's possible to purchase weapons made out of silver, which do slightly less damage than normal (read: iron) weapons, but which bypass the damage resistance of Vampires, Were-animals, and some extraplanar creatures. Supplemental books provide an oil that can be used to coat a weapon and give it "silver" properties without making the weapon weaker, but it's hard to use while in combat (so you'll want to use it just before a fight starts, if you can). Third edition calls it "alchemical silver", claiming that it's actually silver alloyed with steel so that it has ''only'' a -1 penalty to damage.
** Silver dust is a common material component of spells as well, ranging from "magic circle against..." to "bless water".

** In "Literature/ShadowsForSilenceInTheForestsOfHell", silver is the only thing that can harm the shades or reverse their TouchOfDeath.

See also {{Mithril}}, a silver-like {{Fantasy Metal|s}} (which is also called "(Moria) silver"). If this trope is true in a work that also has mithril, then the mithril might take it UpToEleven.

* ''Literature/GarrettPI'': taken UpToEleven. Silver is the fuel of sorcerers' magic and thus an extremely important natural resource. [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything The superpowers of the world fight wars over the control of the areas where silver is mined.]]

* On the [[Literature/{{Discworld}} Disc]], silver is one of the two things that can kill a Werewolf, the other being [[KillItWithFire fire]]. And, as Vimes discovers to his dismay in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'', silver is all but nonexistent in {{Uberwald}}.

* In the world of ''Manga/{{Radiant}}'' there are two types of silver that affects [[BackGroundMagicField Fantasia]]; Black Silver that creates a void of Fantasia, preventing sorcerers from accumulating it, are used to make cages and chains to restrain them (its filings can be keep in flasks to be thrown like grenades at sorcerers covering them with it having the same effect), but are vulnerable to long-distance attacks, and White Silver which is rarer, while it doesn't create a vaccum of Fantasia it can repel it and is used to make weapons that with the higher purity it pierces through spells more easily, they are mainly used by the [[ChurchMilitant Inquisition]].

* In the world of ''Manga/{{Radiant}}'' there are two types of silver that affects [[BackGroundMagicField Fantasia]]; Black Silver that creates a void of Fantasia, preventing sorcerers from accumulating it, are used to make cages and chains to restrain them (its filings can be keep in flasks to be thrown like grenades at sorcerers covering them with it having the same effect), but are vulnerable to long distance attacks, and White Silver which is rarer, while it doesn't create a vaccum of Fantasia it can repel it and is used to make weapons that with the higher purity it pierces through spells more easily, they are mainly used by the [[ChurchMilitant Inquisition]].

* In the world of ''Manga/{{Radiant}}'' there are two types of silver that affects [[BackGroundMagicField Fantasia]]; Black Silver that creates a void of Fantasia, preventing sorcerers from accumulating it, are used to make cages and chains to restrain them (its filings can be keep in flasks to be thrown like grenades at sorcerers covering them with it having the same effect), but are vulnerable to long distance attacks, and White Silver which is rarer, while it doesn't create a vaccum of Fantasia it can repel it and is used to make weapons that with the higher purity it pierces through spells more easily, they are mainly used by the [[ChurchMilitant Inquisition.]]

* In the world of ''Manga/{{Radiant}}'' there are two types of silver that affects [[BackGroundFieldMagic Fantasia]]; Black Silver that creates a void of Fantasia, preventing sorcerers from accumulating it, are used to make cages and chains to restrain them (its filings can be keep in flasks to be thrown like grenades at sorcerers covering them with it having the same effect), but are vulnerable to long distance attacks, and White Silver which is rarer, while it doesn't create a vaccum of Fantasia it can repel it and is used to make weapons that with the higher purity it pierces through spells more easily, they are mainly used by the [[ChurchMilitant Inquisition.]]

* In the world of ''Manga/{{Radiant}}'' there are two types of silver that affects [[BackGroundFieldMagic Fantasia]]; Black Silver that creates a void of Fantasia, preventing sorcerers from accumulating it, are used to make cages and chains to restrain them (its filings can be keep in flasks to be thrown like grenades at sorcerers having the same effect), but are vulnerable to long distance attacks, and White Silver which is rarer, while it doesn't create a vaccum it can repel it and is used to make weapons that wich with the higher purity they pierce through spells more easily, they are mainly used by the [[ChurchMilitant Inquisition.]]

* In the world of ''Manga/{{Radiant}}'' there are two types of silver that affects [[BackgroundFieldMagic Fantasia]]; Black Silver that makes a void of Fantasia, preventing sorcerers from acumulating it, are used to make cages and chains to restrain them (its filings can be keep in flasks to be thrown like grenades at sorcerers having the same effect), but are vulnerable to long distancie attacks, and White Silver which is rarer, while it doesn't create a vaccum it can repel it and is used to make weapons with the higher purity piercing through spells more easily, they are mainly used by the [[ChurchMilitant Inquisition.]]

* Like in ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'' (and being written by the [[Creator/JonathanStroud same author]], ghosts in ''Literature/LockwoodAndCo'' are weak to silver.

* The three magical races of ''Manga/ItsMyLifeByImomushiNarita'''s setting are connected to silver. Antikythirans have silver eyes, the other two yet-unseen races are said to have silver horns and silver body markings, respectively.