Edward Cullen is the only child of Edward and Elizabeth Masen.
His father provided Edward with many advantages as a successful lawyer,
including music lessons and the opportunity to attend private school;
however, he and his father were rather emotionally distant due to his
busy career that often drew him away from home for business. This
absence was made up for by his relationship with his mother; he was the
center of her life.
Edward excelled at his studies and became an accomplished pianist. As
he grew older, Edward became enamored with the life of a soldier. World
War I raged during most of his adolescence, and Edward dreamed of
joining the army as soon as he turned 18, which he reminisced about in Midnight Sun,
saying that his love for his mother was the only thing that made him
reluctant to the thought other than his underage. That changed, however,
when he and his parents became sick with the Spanish Influenza in 1918.
His father died in the first wave of the influenza. Edward's mother
later contracted the Spanish Influenza and begged the doctor who was
taking care of them, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, to do everything within his power to save her son. (Elizabeth: "You must do everything in your power.
What others cannot do, that is what you must do for my Edward.")
Carlisle acted on her wishes when Edward was near death himself. Shortly
after Elizabeth died, Carlisle took Edward from the hospital, brought
him to his house, and there changed him into a vampire.
Edward formed a deep bond with Carlisle, who became a father
figure to him, gaining Edward's trust and love the way his natural
father never had. It was Carlisle who first realized Edward's telepathic
abilities; he noticed Edward answering questions that Carlisle had not
asked aloud. Edward had always had a knack for reading people; after his
transformation, this ability blossomed into a true psychic talent. In
1921, Edward gained a mother when Carlisle changed Esme
into a vampire to save her life after her suicide attempt. Edward was
still young enough to appreciate a mother's care, and Esme gave it to
him.
Edward had a rebellious period at the beginning of his vampire life
and left Carlisle and Esme in 1927. During his lone time, he used his
mind reading ability to attack the worst people of society, thinking
that, as long as he was serving justice, it would not matter that he was
feeding on humans. His first victim was Esme's abusive ex-husband, Charles Evenson.
A few years later, he regretted this decision and returned to
Carlisle's family and their diet of animal blood in 1931. In 1933,
Carlisle changed a would-be socialite named Rosalie Hale into a vampire after finding her left for dead by her fiancé.
Carlisle and Esme were sometimes concerned that he had no romance in
his life, which was partly what prompted Carlisle to change Rosalie.
However, as stunningly beautiful as Rosalie was, Edward could not stand
her shallow and self-absorbed mind, and the two became nothing more than
siblings, and weren't always on good terms. Emmett Cullen
became Edward's adoptive brother when Rosalie found him near death from
a bear attack and fell in love with him in 1935. Already vampires, Jasper and Alice
sought out and found the Cullens in 1950, and adopted themselves into
the family after both escaping their tragic pasts. The moment they
arrived, Alice moved into Edward's room, much to his dismay.
When the Cullen family were living in Alaska, they encountered the Denali coven, the only other group that shared their diet of animal blood. The leader Tanya showed affection toward Edward, but he did not share that interest.
By 2005, he had attended several colleges and universities,
earned two medical degrees and studied several subjects. With his
natural parents both passed away, he inherited the Masen house in
Chicago, and about every 50 years, he would inherit his family fortune
from himself, pretending to be a new heir.
Bella Swan was born to Charlie Swan and Renée Dwyer on September 13, 1987, and is the main protagonist of the Twilight Saga. In Twilight, she is a 17-year-old girl who transfers schools from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her father Charlie, where she meets and falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen.
In Breaking Dawn, she marries Edward on August 13, 2006 and becomes a member of the Olympic coven. She is transformed into a vampire by Edward after nearly dying giving birth to their daughter, Renesmee Cullen, a human/vampire hybrid. Bella is the daughter-in-law of Edward Masen Senior and Elizabeth Masen, as well as the adoptive daughter-in-law of Carlisle and Esme Cullen. She is the adoptive sister-in-law of Alice and Emmett Cullen, and of Jasper and Rosalie Hale.
As a human, Bella possessed a natural immunity to the mental
powers of vampires. After her transformation into a vampire, she
develops it into the ability to project a mental shield that protects others from the psychic powers of other vampires.
Jacob Black is a shape-shifter or "werewolf" of the Quileute tribe, former Beta of the Uley pack, and Alpha of his own. In Twilight, he is fifteen years old, and in New Moon, he phases into a wolf for the first time at the age of sixteen. In Breaking Dawn, he imprints on the hybrid baby named Renesmee Cullen, the daughter of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan.
On Stephenie Meyer's official website,
Jacob was originally just a device to inform Bella about the "Cold
Ones." However, both she and her editor liked Jacob so much that they
decided to give him a larger role in the sequels to Twilight, making him a main character in New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.
He forms a deep bond with Bella in the sequels, and tries to fight
against Edward for her love , until she realizes that her love for
Edward is stronger and chooses him over Jacob. Jacob subsequently
imprints on Bella and Edward's daughter, Renesmee, thus freeing himself
from his heartbreak and triangular issues with Bella and Edward.
Renée was born in Downey, California. Her parents divorced when she
was still a child, and she never had much contact with her father. Her
mother, Marie,
was a difficult and bitter woman, but also hardworking and loyal. Renée
had a very different personality: fun-loving, creative and artistic,
but flighty and inconsistent. She did not do well in school, despite the
fact that she tested well. During her teenage years she was unable to
hold onto a job for long, though she always interviewed very well.
The first year after high school, Renée, who could no longer take
living with her pessimistic mother, moved in with a friend who had
space available in her small apartment, working several temporary jobs
to pay for it. Renée couldn't take living with her pessimistic mother
any longer and moved out. The next summer, one of her girlfriends
decided to take a month off and travel the length of the Pacific coast,
camping along the way. This was exactly the kind of adventure that she
loved. She went on the trip with a few other girls, having no idea where
she would live when she got back, if her roommate rented the space to
someone else.
On First Beach, Renée met Charlie Swan.
She was instantly attracted to him because of his difference from her
ex-boyfriends: serious and responsible, yet funny and kind. They spent a
few days together before she departed, but not before promising Charlie
that she would visit on her way back. Renée missed Charlie for the rest
of the trip, and when she returned to Forks, she was easily convinced
to stay for a little while longer. Renée loved being in love, and she
loved feeling like she was living an adventure. When Charlie proposed,
getting married sounded like the perfect cap to the whirlwind romance.
They were married by a justice of the peace, with only Charlie's parents
and three best friends in attendance. Renée sent her mother a picture
of the wedding, but she didn't respond.
At first, Renée enjoyed the novelty of being married. Charlie was
easier to live with than her mother, and his passionate adoration of
her was quite pleasant. She had a great deal of fun decorating their
little house and loved his quiet and kind parents. While living in
Forks, she worked as a waitress, where she loved meeting new people.
Renée was excited when she found out that she was pregnant, and
learned to knit and decorate the nursery. She wrote to her mother again,
and this time Marie sent a gift: her own mother's handmade quilt. Renée
was touched. However, after a few months, everything started to get
stale. The constant covering of clouds and rain depressed her, and
Charlie's busy time at work and caring for his parents left her unhappy
and trapped. Though she loved Charlie, there was no adventure left in
their now staid relationship.
Renée gave birth to Bella Swan
on September 13, 1987. After her daughter was born, she became more
responsible in her ways around the house. Her unhappy time did not
brighten up, though. She hated the thought of letting Bella grow up in
the gloomy town and begged Charlie to leave with her, though she knew
that was not a kind thing to ask. Finally, she decided to leave on her
own and get her life in order, for Bella's sake. She realized that she
had made some life-altering decisions without much thought, and she
wanted to start over and proceed more carefully. They divorced in March
1988.
She moved back in with her mother, who was still difficult, but
who doted on Bella. She enrolled in school and got her elementary
education degree - spending time with Bella had made her realize that
she was good with children and enjoyed them. Once she had her degree and
a job, she moved to Riverside with Bella and found a job in
kindergarten. Bella grounded Renée, who found ways to be satisfied with
small changes in her hobbies and recreational activities. She made many
close friends among the other teachers.
Renée's life was still chaotic, however, as she always got
herself into heavy situations. As Bella grew, she began to assume many
of the adult responsibilities in the home, simply because she was better
suited to them than Renée was. When she took over the bookkeeping at
age 10, their lives became much easier.
They lived in Riverside until Bella was 6 years old. Bella and Renée then moved to Phoenix, Arizona where they remained for 5 years, after Renée's mother passed away. She got a job there.
Though she missed Charlie, she did her best to keep herself from
becoming entangled with other men romantically, worried about the impact
such a relationship would have on Bella. When Bella was in her teens,
she realized that her mother was lonely and encouraged her to date.
Charlie was born and raised in Forks by his parents, Geoffrey and Helen Swan.
Geoffrey and Helen were both in their mid-forties when Charlie was
born; they had thought they were unable to have children, so Charlie was
a huge, but very welcome, surprise. He remained an only child and
stayed close to both his parents. Billy Black, Harry Clearwater, and Quil Ateara IV
were his close friends since childhood. During his teenage years,
Charlie always felt a little bit on the outside of his circle of
friends. He attributed that distance to the fact that the others all
belonged to the Quileute tribe
and he did not. In reality, Billy, Harry and Quil were caught up in the
secret world they were forbidden to tell Charlie about. As an adult,
Charlie joined the Forks Police Department. He wanted to go to college,
but his parents' health began deteriorating at the time and he felt that
he needed to stay close to home. His mother was in the early stages of
Alzheimer's and his father's mobility was being curtailed by severe
arthritis. Charlie did everything he could to help care for them.
During Charlie's first summer as a cop, he met Renée Higginbotham.
She was driving up the Pacific Highway with a group of her friends, and
they stopped to camp at First Beach in La Push. Charlie was visiting
Billy when he met Renée on the beach. There was an instant attraction
between the two. They spent a few days together before her friends were
ready to continue their journey. Renee promised to visit Charlie on the
return trip. In her absence, Charlie realized just how much he had
fallen for Renée. She returned as promised, and he convinced her to stay
when her friends left. Renée was impetuous and romantic by nature, and
she loved the passionate whirlwind relationship. Charlie quickly
proposed and Renée accepted. They were married at the courthouse in Port
Angeles, Washington, just a few weeks later. Charlie bought a small
house down the street from his parents' home. For a little while, he and
Renée were deliriously happy. Charlie was even happier when he found
out Renée was pregnant with their first child a few months later.
Charlie's life took a downturn during Renée's pregnancy. Both his
parents' conditions worsened, and his father needed Charlie's help with
his mother every day. At the same time, depression began to take a major
toll on Renée. She wanted Charlie to leave Forks with her and start
over somewhere sunnier, but Charlie couldn't do that. Renée had the
baby, and her depression was only compounded by the postpartum hormones.
A few months after Bella
was born, Renée decided she couldn't live in Forks anymore. She left
with Bella, leaving Charlie devastated. Charlie wanted to follow her,
but he couldn't leave his parents. He didn't contest the divorce or the
child support. All he asked for was time with Bella. He did not stop
loving Renée.
Four years later, within six months of each other, Geoffrey and
Helen Swan died. Charlie was alone, aside from his summer visits with
Bella. He devoted himself to his job and worked his way up through the
ranks to become chief of police in Forks. He maintained his longtime
friendship with Billy Black and Harry Clearwater, and the three friends
spent a lot of their free time fishing together. Billy in particular was
a great support to Charlie during the difficult years following his
divorce and the loss of his parents; they became even closer. Later,
when Billy lost his wife, Sarah, to a car accident, Charlie was able to
be there for Billy as Billy had been for him.
When the Cullens moved to town, Charlie found their presence
quiet pleasant, but Billy thought the opposite and tried to warn him.
When he found out that some local boys from the Quileute reservation
boycotting the hospital, it caused a rift between Billy and Charlie for a
few years.
He was excited when Bella decided to move back to Forks for the
rest of her school years. Furthermore, she will be living with him.
Esme Cullen is the matriarch of the Olympic coven. She is the wife of Carlisle Cullen and the adoptive mother of Alice, Emmett, Edward, Rosalie and Jasper. Esme is also the adoptive mother-in-law of Bella Swan and the adoptive grandmother of Renesmee Cullen. She was previously married to Charles Evenson as a human.
In 1921, after losing her child, Esme attempted suicide, her attempt was unsuccessful. Later, Carlisle transformed her into a vampire on her deathbed. Some time later, the pair fell in love and married, starting to build a family of like-minded vegetarian
vampires around them. Esme possessed an unparalleled capacity for
passionate love for those around her, which allowed the members of her
adoptive family to consider her as the greatest maternal figure in their
lives.
Carlisle Cullen is the founder and leader of the Olympic coven. He is the second husband of Esme Cullen and the adoptive father of Emmett, Alice, Edward Cullen, and Jasper and Rosalie Hale. He is also the adoptive father-in-law of Bella Swan and adoptive grandfather of Renesmee Cullen.
Carlisle has an unparalleled gift of compassion; this allowed him to perfect his lifestyle as a "vegetarian"
among vampires, to the point that he is able to completely resist the
temptation of human blood even if it is in large amounts and pass this
restraint to his family.
Emmett Cullen is a member of the Olympic coven. He is the husband of Rosalie Hale, the adoptive son of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, the adoptive brother of Alice, Edward Cullen and Jasper Hale as well as adoptive brother-in-law of Bella Cullen and the adoptive uncle of Renesmee Cullen.
After being mauled by a black bear in 1935, Emmett was rescued by Rosalie,
and given a second chance at life after being turned into a vampire by
Carlisle at Rosalie's request. Rosalie and Emmett were rarely separated
after this, having fallen passionately in love. The pair were integral
members of the Cullen family and participated eagerly in removing the
numerous impediments it faced. Like all Cullens, Emmett is a vegetarian
vampire, and has gold eyes instead of red like vampires who drink human
blood. Even considering the unstoppable physical strength of vampires,
Emmett is physically the strongest in the family.
Alice Cullen is a clairvoyant vampire and member of the Olympic coven. She is the soulmate of Jasper Hale, the adopted daughter of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, the adoptive sister of Emmett and Edward Cullen, and of Rosalie Hale. Alice is also the adoptive sister-in-law of Bella Swan and the adoptive aunt of Renesmee Cullen. She also had a younger biological sister, Cynthia Brandon, who remained human and passed away, and a niece, Cynthia's daughter, still living in Biloxi.
In 1920, after having been institutionalized by her family, an
unknown vampire turned her to save her from the relentless tracker, James.
Later, she was led to the love of her life, Jasper, after receiving a
vision of him, and the pair subsequently joined the peaceful coven of
the Cullen family. She is known for her sweet and loving nature.
Rosalie Lillian Hale is a member of the Olympic coven. She is the wife and soul mate of Emmett Cullen and the adoptive daughter of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, as well as the adoptive sister of Jasper Hale (in Forks, she and Jasper pretend to be twins), Alice, and Edward Cullen. Rosalie is the adoptive sister-in-law of Bella Cullen and adoptive aunt of Renesmee Cullen, as well as the ex-fiancée of Royce King II.
In 1933, Rosalie was turned into a vampire
by Carlisle Cullen after being raped and beaten to the brink of death
by a group of drunken men, including her fiancé. Two years later,
Rosalie rescued a young man named Emmett from being mauled by a bear,
and after his transformation into a vampire, the two fell very deeply in
love. Along with Emmett, Rosalie is an integral member of the Cullen
family and fights eagerly against those who threaten their coven.
Jasper Hale is one of the few surviving vampires of the Southern vampire wars, who later joined the Olympic coven. He is the husband and soul mate of Alice Cullen and the adoptive son of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, as well as the adoptive brother of Rosalie Hale, Emmett and Edward Cullen. Jasper is also the adoptive brother-in-law of Bella Swan and the adoptive uncle of Renesmee Cullen.
After becoming a major in the Confederate Army, Jasper was set upon by the vampire Maria,
who proceeded to turn him. After the transformation, Jasper aided Maria
in her creation of a newborn vampire army which successfully conquered
the feeding grounds of Texas. However, Jasper became tired of this
violent and bloodstained life, as he felt uncomfortable because he could
sense the feelings
of his prey, and eventually became a nomad. Fortunately, he was
eventually found by Alice, the love of his life and with her began a
life with the peaceful coven of the Cullen family
Carmen was changed sometime during the 1700s, but the exact date is
unknown. She eventually met Eleazar while he was still serving the Volturi
and the two of them fell in love. Eleazar and Carmen lived together for
a while as Eleazar continued to work for the Volturi, but Eleazar's
struggle between his two worlds deeply troubled Carmen. Due to this, and
his own dislike for some of the Volturi's methods, Eleazar left with
Carmen to find a new and more compassionate life together.
Carmen and her mate Eleazar are both originally from Spain. Eventually, they found the Denali coven and decided they liked their style of life better. They have been mated ever since. Edward described her as a very compassionate soul and explained that if Carmen and Eleazar had not found Tanya's
family they would have eventually found some other way to forgo human
blood. In this respect, Carmen's and Eleazar's canon greatly resemble Alice's and Jasper's, since both couples had a sense of morality before they joined their respective families.
Carmen and Eleazar are "both well suited to the 'vegetarian' lifestyle".
Renesmee Carlie Culle is the resident vampire/humanhybrid member of the Olympic coven. She is the daughter of Edward and Bella Swan and the imprintee of Jacob Black. Renesmee's biological paternal grandparents are Edward Sr. and Elizabeth Masen, while on the maternal side, they are Charlie Swan and Renée Dwyer. She is also the adoptive granddaughter of Carlisle and Esme Cullen and the adoptive niece of Jasper and Rosalie Hale, and Alice and Emmett Cullen.
Renesmee is considered to be Edward and Bella's "miracle",
because of what it took to keep her and her mother alive through the
pregnancy. She has the abilities to show people her thoughts by touching them and presumably break through their mental defenses. Bella initially gets angry and attacks Jacob for giving her daughter the nickname "Nessie" as well as imprinting on her. Irina of the Denali Coven sees Renesmee and believes she is an immortal child, a human child who had been turned by a vampire. She informs the Volturi, as immortal children are not permitted to live. The Volturi reach Forks
intent on killing Renesmee and the Cullens. However, the Cullen family
members gather witnesses from around the world to prove that Renesmee is
not an immortal child. Alice brings another vampire-human hybrid, Nahuel,
who explains that hybrids pose no danger to the vampires. Convinced
that Renesmee is not a threat, the Volturi leave, and Renesmee and her
family are left in peace. She is the only hybrid currently known to show
supernatural gifts.
Edward Cullen
Edward Cullen is the only child of Edward and Elizabeth Masen.
His father provided Edward with many advantages as a successful lawyer,
including music lessons and the opportunity to attend private school;
however, he and his father were rather emotionally distant due to his
busy career that often drew him away from home for business. This
absence was made up for by his relationship with his mother; he was the
center of her life.
