In
Twilight,
vampires deviate from traditional myth in many ways, a fact often alluded to in the series, usually for humor. Meyer has said she did not research vampire mythology before writing the series. For example, they are unharmed by garlic, holy items, or wooden stakes; they have reflections and shadows, and are able to be out during daylight, but the
crystalline properties of their cells will cause them to have a sparkling effect. Vampires are also capable of eating human food, though their bodies are unable to
digest it and they must cough it up later. They do not have to breathe, but typically find it uncomfortable to be without a sense of smell. All vampires possess refined and perfected physical features (including their voice and scent), allowing them to lure in prey. Their skin is flawless, has the texture and feel of marble due to being stronger than
granite, and sparkles in direct sunlight because of the crystalline properties of their cells. Newborn vampires have bright red eyes; for vampires who choose to drink human blood, the most revitalizing kind of blood for a vampire, eye color fades to a deep crimson over the course of a year. If they feed on animal blood, like the Cullens, their eyes fade to a deep gold color. Regardless of meal preference, all vampires' eyes grow darker with thirst, eventually fading to black; vampires tire only from lack of blood. All vampires possess superhuman physical and mental attributes. Their
superhuman strength gives them the ability to subdue their prey, uproot trees, throw cars, and crush metal. Newborn vampires are known to be exceptionally strong during their first year because of the excessive amount of human blood still in their systems. Vampires have very keen senses and are able to see and hear clearly for miles in total darkness and move with such speed that they become a blur to human eyes. They are effectively
immortal and nearly impossible to destroy, only permanently killed when
dismembered and then burned, as their body parts continue to move even after being detached. Vampires also do not have to sleep; they do not feel physical fatigue, and mental fatigue passes very quickly. After transformation, a vampire's certain ability becomes enhanced, sometimes resulting in a specialized, supernatural skill. While not definite, the theory behind these special abilities is that the power is reminiscent of the individual's original personality. Some vampires have no special abilities, and instead have a prominent personality or physical trait from their human life magnified.
The Volturi ''. The vampire coven known as the
Volturi live in
Volterra,
Tuscany (Italy), which they have secretly controlled since the time of the
Etruscans. They are regarded as "royalty" by other vampires because they have lived for well over 3000 years and ensure that vampires remain a secret from humans. They often send emissaries or enforcers from Volterra to prevent overzealous covens and renegade vampires from exposing their kind. They are guarded by several powerful vampires who have been recruited for their powers and skills. Carlisle once stayed with the coven as a guest, but left due to his desire to avoid harming humans and established his own coven in the United States. At the end of
New Moon, the Volturi discover that
Bella, a human, has learned that vampires exist and demand that she become a vampire or else be killed. In
Eclipse, they arrive in Forks under the pretense of eliminating Victoria and her newborn army for violating Volturi law; their true intentions, however, were to allow Victoria's army to destroy the Cullen clan, whom Aro envies for its large size and for its members' supernatural talents. In
Breaking Dawn, the vampire Irina goes to the Volturi and informs them that the Cullens have created what she believes to be an immortal child. The Volturi travel to Forks to destroy Renesmee and the Cullens, but leave when Aro not only sees the vision of his covens fate but meets another human with vampire traits of 150 years of age. It is noted at the end of the novel that the Volturi may one day attempt to destroy the Cullen family again. The Volturi leaders include Aro, an ambitious vampire who can read every thought a person has ever had once he has made physical contact and is known to be steadfast in his decision, Marcus, who senses the strength and nature of relationships and willingly embraces death, and Caius, an arrogant vampire who is strict about the laws in place and has no known ability. Aro's wife Sulpicia, Caius' wife Athenodora, and Marcus' late wife Didyme, who had the power to make others happy, also act as leaders. The Volturi guard consists of 32 members, including Jane, who creates sensations of pain; her twin brother Alec, who is able to block others' senses; Demetri, who can track anyone once he has the tenor of their mind; Felix, who possesses exceptional physical strength and speed; Chelsea, who can change emotional bonds and causes members of the Volturi to be loyal to the coven; Chelsea's mate, Afton, who can cast mental invisibility to cover himself; Corin, who is able to invest addictive contentment and is primarily charged to please the leaders' wives; Heidi, who is extremely beautiful and hard to resist and serves as the "fisher" for outside humans to come to Volterra for the Volturi to feast, since the Volturi must maintain their secrecy in Volterra by not feeding on the local humans; Renata, who can make anyone feel distracted and wandering when they are near her (classified as a "shield"); and Santiago, who possesses heightened strength similar to Felix. The majority of the Volturi guard remain nameless throughout the series. There is also a human secretary named Gianna, who appears in
New Moon and is killed by the Volturi by the events of
Breaking Dawn, despite her hope that they would turn her into a vampire. Aro, coveting their talents, invites Carlisle, Edward, Alice, Kate, Benjamin, Zafrina, and Bella to join the Volturi, but all of them refuse. In
The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the cast of the Volturi includes
Michael Sheen as Aro;
Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius;
Christopher Heyerdahl as Marcus;
Dakota Fanning as Jane;
Cameron Bright as Alec;
Charlie Bewley as Demetri;
Daniel Cudmore as Felix; and
Noot Seear as Heidi;. Fanning, Bright, Bewley, and Cudmore all reprised their roles in
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. They all returned, joined by
Lateef Crowder dos Santos as Santiago, for
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.
Nomads James ''. From left to right: Laurent, James, and Victoria.
James is the main antagonist of
the first novel. He is a merciless,
sadistic "tracker" vampire who hunts human beings and other vampires for sport. Fellow coven member Laurent says that James is unusually gifted at what he does and always gets what he wants, though it is later revealed that then-human Alice Cullen escaped him years ago by being turned into a vampire before James could attack her. Unlike the Cullen family, he drinks human blood. Towards the end of
Twilight, James is destroyed by the Cullen siblings Emmett, Jasper and Alice after he lures
Bella to an empty ballet studio and nearly kills her. The shimmery scar left by his venomous bite still remains on Bella's hand as a symbol of his unsuccessful attempt on her life. James is described as having light brown hair and being quite average-looking. James is portrayed by
Cam Gigandet in the
Twilight film. In the film, he is given the surname "Witherdale".
Victoria A red-haired, catlike vampire,
Victoria is originally a member of James' coven. She plays a small role in the first book assisting James, her lover and coven leader, in hunting Bella Swan. After James is killed, she decides to exact revenge on Edward Cullen by plotting to kill the woman he loves, Bella. Bella is sufficiently protected from her wrath by the
Quileute shape-shifting wolves. Months later in
Eclipse, Victoria creates an army of bloodthirsty newborn vampires in
Seattle to rise up against the combined forces of the werewolves and Cullen family. During this battle, both she and her new fighting partner, Riley, are destroyed by Edward and the young wolf Seth Clearwater. Her supernatural talent is self-preservation; she can sense if others are planning to harm or kill her, and her voice is said to sound high and girlish. Victoria is portrayed by
Rachelle Lefevre in the films
Twilight and
The Twilight Saga: New Moon.
Laurent A dark-haired, olive-toned vampire,
Laurent is the leader of a trio of vampires wreaking havoc in the
Olympic Peninsula in
Twilight. When James and Victoria choose to track and murder Bella, despite her being under the Cullens protection, Laurent leaves them, warns the Cullens about James, and travels to
Denali, Alaska, hoping to find solace among a coven of "vegetarian" vampires. He never adopts their strict diet of drinking animal blood, and "cheats" by occasionally feeding on humans. During this stay he takes a special liking to a vampire named Irina, though the infatuation is not strong enough to keep him there, as he later returns to Forks in
New Moon as a favor to Victoria. During this visit, he stumbles across Bella and tries to kill her, before being ambushed by the Quileute wolves and subsequently destroyed. Laurent is described as power-hungry in
The Official Illustrated Guide, but decides to help Carlisle save Bella from James. Laurent is portrayed by
Edi Gathegi in
Twilight,
The Twilight Saga: New Moon and in a flashback seen In
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1. In the films, he is given the surname "Da Revin".
Newborn army Riley Biers As a vampire,
Riley Biers is tall and muscular with bright red eyes and blond hair. Victoria bites and changes Riley when he is approximately Bella's age in
Eclipse. Once Riley ages and gains some control, he helps to lead Victoria's army of newborn vampires. He performs his work faithfully because of his love for Victoria, which she pretends to return. In a battle between the army of newborns and the Cullens at the end of
Eclipse, Edward voices Riley's concern that Victoria has been lying to him. Edward tries to convince Riley to stop fighting by explaining Victoria's true motives, but in the end Victoria bolsters Riley's faith in her and he is destroyed by Edward and Seth Clearwater. In the film
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Riley is described as a "good-looking college student" and is portrayed by Australian actor
Xavier Samuel.
Bree Tanner Bree Tanner was a young vampire created by Victoria as a part of the newborn army that attacks the Cullens in
Eclipse. While she was human, Riley found her and brought her to Victoria, who bit and changed her. Her age is said to be 15 or 16, and she is described as petite with chin-length black hair. Because of her youth and her willingness to surrender, the Cullens spare her life during the newborn attack, and Carlisle even offers to make her part of the family. When the Volturi arrive, however, Jane orders her destroyed by Felix despite her innocence. Stephenie Meyer's novella
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, which is written from Bree's perspective, tells of Bree's life as a newborn vampire and her interactions with Riley, the Cullens, and other members of the newborn army. In the film
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, she is portrayed by Canadian actress
Jodelle Ferland.
Mexican coven Maria is the only permanent member of the Mexican coven centered in
Monterrey,
Mexico. She was formerly a member of the Monterrey coven, which was eventually wiped out and left Maria as the only survivor. Together with
Lucy and
Nettie, the only surviving members of the Northern Texas and Arkansas covens, respectively, the coven became known, as with other covens in Mexico, for their tact in using newborns as soldiers, whom they dispose of after they cease to be newborns. Maria also bit and recruited Jasper Hale as her second-in-command for his ability to influence other people's emotions, and also Peter on Jasper's request. After discovering that Lucy and Nettie were plotting to overthrow her, Maria killed them with Jasper's help. However, Maria has to lead the coven alone when Peter fell in love with a newborn, Charlotte, and ran away with her to become nomads, while Jasper eventually followed them due to his increasing disapproval over the coven's way of life. In the film
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Maria is portrayed by
Catalina Sandino Moreno, Lucy by
Kirsten Zien, and Nettie by
Leah Gibson.
Amazonian coven Zafrina,
Senna, and
Kachiri are female vampires who comprise the Amazonian coven in
Breaking Dawn. They are described as tall and intimidating, with dark skin, long hair, and clothes made of animal fur. Most vampires have never heard of them, not even the Volturi, as they prefer to have a reclusive life in the
Pantanal against humans and vampires alike, only occasionally going out to feed on humans. The Cullens only discovered them when they happened to cross paths with them while they were hunting during their trip to South America. Zafrina's special ability is to create illusions; her illusions do not affect Bella or anyone who is under her protective shield, and she assists Bella in improving her shield. Zafrina develops a friendship with Renesmee, who is said to like Zafrina and her "pretty pictures", and at the end of the novel she has Bella promise to bring Renesmee to visit her in the future. In the film
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - part 2,
Judi Shekoni portrays Zafrina and Tracey Heggins portrays Senna, as Kachiri never appears.
American nomads Peter, his mate
Charlotte,
Mary, and
Randall are American nomads. Peter is Jasper's good friend, and helped Jasper escape his previous life as a general of newborn vampires. Though he feeds on human blood, he does not agree with the execution of newborns after they have outlived their usefulness. In the past, Jasper lived with Peter and Charlotte, but chose to leave because of his ability to sense his human prey's emotions. All four of these nomads join the Cullens as witnesses in
Breaking Dawn. In
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II, Peter is portrayed by Erik Odom, Charlotte by
Valorie Curry, Mary by
Toni Trucks and Randall by Bill Tangradi.
Denali coven Eleazar and his mate
Carmen,
Tanya,
Kate, and later Kate's mate,
Garrett, are members of the Denali coven. They originally resided in
Slovakia, but after Sasha and Vasilii's executions, they moved to
Denali,
Alaska. Like the Cullens, the Denali coven practices a diet of drinking animal instead of human blood. They are considered to be cousins of the Cullen family, though the relationship is put under strain in
Eclipse when they refuse to fight Victoria and her army because of Irina's vendetta against the werewolves. Tanya, their leader, has strawberry blonde hair and once expressed an interest in
Edward Cullen, though he turned her down. Carmen speaks fluent Spanish and was the first to listen to and not fear Renesmee for being a half-breed. Eleazar, a former member of the Volturi guard, speaks fluent Spanish as well and has the ability to vaguely identify the gifts of other vampires. Garrett, a tall, rangy vampire with ruby eyes and long sandy hair, is an adventurer, and is a veteran of the
American Revolutionary War, fighting alongside his fellow
Patriots, and for the liberty of his
Newborn Nation. He joins the Denali coven in
Breaking Dawn and becomes Kate's mate. Kate's special ability is the production of an electric current over her skin that can shock and incapacitate attackers. She assists Bella in learning to use her new ability to mentally shield those around her.
Sasha,
Vasilii, and
Irina were former members of the Denali coven. Sasha, who created Tanya, Kate, Irina, and Vasilii, was executed by the Volturi for creating an immortal child, Vasilii. Volturi law prohibits creating an immortal child, as they are unpredictable and have no self-control. For this reason, both Sasha and Vasilii were destroyed, and since then the Denalis have maintained respect for Volturi law.
Laurent was Irina's mate, and she holds a grudge against the Quileute wolves for destroying him. She arrives to make peace with the Cullens in
Breaking Dawn, but before speaking with them, she sees Renesmee, mistakenly assumes she is an immortal child, and notifies the Volturi. After determining that Renesmee is not an immortal child, the Volturi summarily executed Irina in order to provoke her sisters into attacking them, thus giving them an excuse to destroy them along with the Cullens and their allies. In both parts of
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, the Denalis are portrayed by
MyAnna Buring as Tanya,
Christian Camargo as Eleazar,
Maggie Grace as Irina,
Mía Maestro as Carmen,
Casey LaBow as Kate, and
Lee Pace as Garrett. Sasha is portrayed by Andrea Powell.
Egyptian coven Tia,
Amun,
Benjamin, and
Kebi are members of the Egyptian coven. The coven is said to be the oldest vampire coven in existence, predating even the Romanian coven. They were once rivals with the Romanian coven until the Volturi's rise in power, after which the Volturi decimated both groups while taking away any gifted vampires the Egyptians had, including Demetri, who was created by the coven's leader, Amun. Amun, the mate of Kebi, is shown to be very unhappy to stand witness for the Cullens in
Breaking Dawn, and he and Kebi later flee in fear of the Volturi. Benjamin, the mate of Tia, has a high awareness of what is right and wrong, and his special ability is to control the elements of nature, air, earth, fire, and water. Benjamin's ability is unique in that it involves physical manipulation, as opposed to illusions of the mind. This fact is what made Amun very protective of him, in fear of losing him to the Volturi. In
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II, the members of the Egyptian coven are portrayed by
Rami Malek as Benjamin,
Omar Metwally as Amun,
Angela Sarafyan as Tia, and Andrea Gabriel as Kebi.
European nomads Alistair,
Charles, and
Makenna are European nomads. Alistair considers Carlisle to be his oldest friend, though he does not visit him often and is highly standoffish. His special ability is tracking. When he is called to be a witness for the Cullens in
Breaking Dawn, he leaves out of fear of the Volturi. Charles is the mate of Makenna, and his special ability is to sense if a statement is true. Alistair is portrayed by British actor
Joe Anderson.
Irish coven Siobhan,
Liam, and
Maggie are members of the Irish coven. Liam is Siobhan's mate. Siobhan's suspected special ability is to alter the course of a situation through willpower. Maggie, a redhead, has the ability to sense if someone is lying. They were called upon to witness for the Cullen clan in face of the Volturi in
Breaking Dawn. In
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II, the members of the Irish coven are portrayed by Marlane Barnes (as Maggie), Lisa Howard (as Siobhan), and Patrick Brennan (as Liam).
Romanian coven Vladimir and
Stefan used to rule the vampire world along with other Romanian vampires about 1500 years ago. The Volturi overthrew them and destroyed their castle. After the rebellion, it became apparent that Vladimir and Stefan were the only survivors of their coven. They hold a grudge against the Volturi and are willing to do anything for revenge, and so they eagerly serve as witnesses in
Breaking Dawn, hoping to watch the Volturi fall. In
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II, the Romanian coven are portrayed by
Noel Fisher (as Vladimir) and Guri Weinberg (as Stefan).
Ticuna coven Nahuel is a Mapuche vampire/human hybrid conceived by human Pire and vampire Joham about 150 years ago. From his father, Nahuel has three half-sisters: the Norwegian Serena, the Algerian Maysun, and the American Jennifer, all of whom are also vampire/human hybrids. His mother died giving birth to him, and when he was born, he bit his aunt, Huilen, who hated him for causing her sister's death, causing her transformation into a vampire. He is thus the only known hybrid who produces venom, in contrast to his half-sisters and Renesmee. He refused to join his father's family, and stayed with Huilen. Knowing that he was the one who killed his mother, Nahuel blamed himself for this. He was found by Kachiri, Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale in Chile to seek his aid in protecting their family. By finding the other hybrid, Renesmee Cullen, and meeting her family, he begins to realize that he himself may not be as evil as he had always thought and learned to forgive himself for his mother's death. Nahuel is portrayed by
J. D. Pardo in
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.
Huilen is a Mapuche vampire and the older sister of Pire. She was turned by her nephew, Nahuel, who is a half-human, half-vampire. Huilen and Nahuel came to Forks with Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale to witness against the Volturi that Renesmee, another half-human, half-vampire hybrid, wasn't a threat to the vampires' secret world. After the Volturi left, she stayed behind with her nephew during celebration and was one of the last to leave. Bella assumed that she and Nahuel would have gone with the Amazon Coven, but they departed earlier. In the film
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Huilen is portrayed by actress Marisa Quinn.
Unknown Coven Toshiro is a Japanese vampire. He was tracked down and surrounded by the Volturi in
London. He denied siding with Carlisle but Aro saw elsewise upon reading Toshiro's mind and had him executed. In the film
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Toshiro is portrayed by actor Masami Kosaka. == Werewolves ==