The Cullen Coven
The Cullen coven, one of the largest stable vampire covens, is also one of the few that does not drink human blood. The Cullens call themselves ?vegetarians? because they instead choose to drink the blood of animals, putting more value on human life than do most of their peers. They consider the Denali clan their cousins, as that coven shares a similar philosophy.
Abstaining from human prey takes the competitive aspect out of the hunt, and as a result they are able to form stronger family bonds than traditional vampires.
The Cullens prefer to stay in one place as long as possible, choosing cloudy climates where they can go outside during the day without revealing their inhuman nature. But after six or seven years in one location, they are usually forced to move on, before their lack of aging is noticed. They own several residences so that they can return to places they have especially enjoyed — but only after enough time has passed that they won‘t be recognized as the same people who once lived there.
Each member of the coven maintains several well-tended identities, complete with the documents to support them, which allows the Cullens to establish themselves in new locations as necessary.
Each time the Cullens move, the relationships they claim to share with one another may shift, too.
Each time the Cullens move, the relationships they claim to share with one another may shift, too. In one place, two members might pose as father and adopted son; in another, brothers, or uncle and nephew. Regardless, the bonds of love and respect between members of the coven are immutable.
The Cullen family began when Carlisle transformed Edward. They then traveled across the United States together, gradually adding other members to the coven. The family is currently made up of eight vampires — four of whom have supernatural abilities beyond those of a normal vampire — and a vampire hybrid, who also has psychic gifts.
?AND THEN, AFTER A FEW MILES, THERE WAS SOME THINNING OF THE
WOODS, AND WE WERE SUDDENLY IN A SMALL MEADOW, OR WAS IT
ACTUALLY A LAWN? THE GLOOM OF THE FOREST DIDN‘T RELENT, THOUGH, FOR THERE WERE SIX PRIMORDIAL CEDARS THAT SHADED AN ENTIRE ACRE
WITH THEIR VAST SWEEP OF BRANCHES. THE TREES HELD THEIR
PROTECTING SHADOW RIGHT UP TO THE WALLS OF THE HOUSE THAT ROSE
AMONG THEM, MAKING OBSOLETE THE DEEP PORCH THAT WRAPPED
AROUND THE FIRST STORY.?
— Bella, on her first impressions of the Cullen grounds (
NAME: Carlisle Cullen
DATE OF BIRTH: circa 1640
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1663, at approximately age 23
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: An ancient vampire living in the sewers of London
PLACE OF ORIGIN: London, England
HAIR COLOR: Blond
EYE COLOR: Blue (human); gold/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 6‘2?
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Carlisle has a well-toned medium frame, collar-length hair, and movie-star good looks. He has a slight English accent from his youth, although he can speak with a flawless American accent.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: He does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: He has attended many universities, both as a student and as a professor. He has studied a variety of subjects, ranging from science to music, and typically works as a doctor.
HOBBIES: He collects art and books.
VEHICLE: A black Mercedes S55 AMG
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: He is married to Esme Cullen and considers Edward Cullen, Rosalie Hale, Emmett Cullen, Alice Cullen, and Jasper Hale his children; Bella Cullen his daughter-in-law; and Renesmee Cullen his granddaughter.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Carlisle‘s father was his only family. His mother died giving birth to him, and he had no siblings.
An Anglican pastor, Carlisle‘s father was a crusader against evil, leading hunts through London and the surrounding areas for witches, werewolves, and vampires. Self-righteous and compassionless, Carlisle‘s father caused many innocent people to be burned.
When he grew too old, he put Carlisle in charge of these raids. However, Carlisle had a very different temperament. He was not as quick to see evil where there was none. He was smart and persistent, though, and he eventually discovered an actual coven of vampires living in the sewers. He gathered a group of hunters and they waited for darkness to fall, suspecting that this was when the vampires would come out.
When a thirsty vampire did emerge, he attacked the hunters. Two were killed and Carlisle was wounded. Knowing that anything infected by the monster would be burned, Carlisle hid himself in a nearby cellar. During the transformation he never cried out, despite the agony he felt. When it was finally over and he realized what he had become, he was horror-struck. He tried to destroy himself by jumping from great heights and attempting to drown himself. When these methods didn‘t work, he tried to starve himself to death.
A newborn vampire‘s thirst is overwhelming, but Carlisle found the strength to resist.
Months passed, and Carlisle, filled with self-loathing, kept to the loneliest places he could find, places where he wouldn‘t stumble across a human. He understood his willpower was weakening.
