| Woge | |
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| Participants: | Wesen |
| Appearances | |
| TV Show: | All Episodes |
Woge (VOH-gə; Germ. Wogen "surge"), named from the psychological impulse that drives it, refers to the act of morphing into one's Wesen form; it is used as a gerund. In the Grimm series, English-speaking Wesen disregard the grammatical rules surrounding verbs, using anglicized forms "woge" and "woges". ("Big Feet")
As Woge is impulse-driven, a dead Wesen will woge back (or "retract") into human form. Likewise, a Wesen tends to enter Woge once they perceive something as a threat come close to their vicinity. As such, to voluntarily enter one without necessary cause could take a while, as seen in "Woman in Black", where it took Monroe a few seconds to shift into his Blutbad form.
Monroe once referred to the event as "the first time you 'fang out.'" ("Let Your Hair Down")
Many Wesen develop an ability to woge on demand by rolling their heads or other specific movements ("Last Grimm Standing"); others may find it difficult to do on demand. ("Woman in Black") A Grimm will also see this.
Varying degrees of woge
One of the more extreme examples of a Jägerbar giving into her woge.
Woge can occur in different degrees, a higher degree of woge yielding a more complete transformation. One particular Wesen, the Jägerbar, has even been observed in a complete transformation into a grizzly bear.
Many Wesen have been observed partially transforming, and most known Wesen have been observed transforming only to a degree detectable by a Grimm. Monroe and Holly demonstrated being able to shift partially by localizing the Woge around their eyes, turning them into a fiery red color. Others have only partially woged before, such as Doug Shellow morphing only his arm in "Beeware".
There also appears to be a large degree of separation between the human and Wesen forms. One Klaustreich showed scars on his face, clearly sustained during a past fight, every time he transformed yet did not possess scars on his human form. A male Dämonfeuer also demonstrated this as his human face, but not his Wesen face, was badly damaged.
A Klaustreich developing extensive facial scaring during woge which are not present on its human form.
On the other hand, it should also be noted that some species seem incapable of becoming totally human and their Wesen forms and abilities blur together with their human bodies to a greater or lesser degree.
One such Wesen is the Siegbarste who retain their dense bone structure and high tolerance for pain even in their human form. The Spinnetod also retain their regeneratve abilities despite being in human shape.
Apparently, Wesen can tell if their own is being truthful or not via their woge, as seen in "Island of Dreams".
Wieder Wesen
A Wieder Spinnetod, unable to molt her aged skin due to the reformed way of living.
Wieder Wesen are Wesen who have mastered control of their Woge. Wieder Wesen often adopt an almost entirely harmless lifestyle, either by choice or out of necessity.
For example, the Wieder Blutbad Monroe switched to a vegan diet to help himself avoid having to confront his Woge, ("Bears Will Be Bears") while the Wieder Spinnetod Charlotte experiences the effects of rapid aging since she is unable to molt without consuming human entrails. She also refrains from wearing shiny things, because Spinnetoden are attracted to them and she is resisting her impulses. ("Tarantella")
They may show signs of "giving in" by instinct, as seen when Monroe shifted into Blutbad form after seeing several kids rode past him, but this is often short-lived. Typically, they only succumb to their Woge for defensive purposes; and thus offer themselves an edge during confrontations.
Loss of Woge ability
A Hexenbiest's Wesen spirit dying; this Hexenbiest will be unable to woge ever again.
In Hexenbiester, the ingestion of a Grimm's blood causes the Wesen within the individual to die, and the person is unable to woge into a Wesen form again, effectively rendering the person a normal human. ("Love Sick")
Woge retraction disorder
In some rare cases, a Wesen may not be able to retract or woge back following the transformation. Four such cases were caused by a sudden drop in supply from a subcutaneous drug pump that pumped homeopathic herbs, spices, and traces steroid amounts into the bloodstream of Wildermänner. ("Big Feet")
This was also accompanied by a wild rampage. This may be attributed to the Wesen developing a dependency on the drug that suppresses their woge, since after it ran out, they begin to exhibit dangerous symptoms