Santiago Santiago is a vampire and the leading thespian of Theatre des Vampires, introduced in
Interview with the Vampire (1976). He is portrayed by
Stephen Rea in the
1994 film adaptation and
Ben Daniels in season 2 of the 2022 television series
Interview with the Vampire.
Madeleine Introduced in
Interview with the Vampire, Madeleine is a human dollmaker whom Louis turns into a vampire at Claudia's request. She and Claudia become very close, and when Claudia is condemned to death by exposure, Madeleine is destroyed with her. She is portrayed by
Domiziana Giordano in the 1994 film adaptation and
Roxane Duran in season two of the 2022 television series
Interview with the Vampire.
Gabrielle de Lioncourt Gabrielle is Lestat's mother, introduced in
The Vampire Lestat (1985). She is Lestat's first fledgling, and the second to leave him after
Nicolas de Lenfent. She has yellow-blond hair like her son's and cobalt-blue eyes with "too small, too kittenish" features, as Lestat described them, that "made her look like a girl". Gabrielle comes from a prosperous Italian family. She was educated and had traveled to and lived in many cities in Europe. Then she was married at a young age to Lestat's father, Marquis d'Auvergne. Gabrielle gave birth to seven children, but only 3 survived. Out of these sons, the youngest (Lestat), was to become her favorite. She and Lestat shared a special bond: they both were trapped in a place they hated and struggling endlessly to escape. Gabrielle was cold and uncaring to everyone. She was the only person who was educated in her family and read her books every day, yet lacked the patience to teach her sons to read or write anything. Over the years she sold two of her heirloom jewels from an Italian grandmother to aid Lestat, the only person she loved and cared for. She lived life through him; he was the male part of her. She suffered a rapidly declining health due to bad winters and multiple childbirths. It eventually developed into
tuberculosis. She funded Lestat's trip to Paris with Nicolas by giving him gold coins and advising him to hitch a ride on the postal carriage. Lestat became an actor there and was far happier than he ever was back home. He was grateful and loved his mother for all that she had done for him over the years so he sent letters to her telling her about his life in Paris. She encouraged his acting career, which gave him a lot of strength. She carefully hid her rapidly declining health to keep him strong. Lestat was made into a vampire by
Magnus, and inherited near-inexhaustible wealth when Magnus killed himself in a bonfire. He repaid those who helped him with gold and indulged in his new-found wealth. To hide the truth from Gabrielle, Lestat told her tales of going to
the Bahamas, marrying a rich woman, and coming into vast wealth. Intrigued, she went to Paris to see her son before she died. Lestat went to see his mother the second night she was in Paris and tried to hide the truth from her, but she found out upon closer inspection of Lestat's changed appearance that he had become a vampire. When Gabrielle began dying right in front of him, a desperate Lestat made her a vampire. Lestat was now the maker, parent, and teacher, while Gabrielle became the fledgling, the child, and the student. Lestat took her to his tower where they lived happily for months. Things changed, however, when Lestat destroyed the
Satanic cult headed by
Armand, founded a theatre, and made Nicolas into a vampire. After this, Lestat and Gabrielle went traveling around the world. Gabrielle became increasingly distant and cold to her son. They finally parted in Egypt just after the
French Revolution. Gabrielle went into the deep jungles of
Africa and Lestat went underground to sleep. Gabrielle was off exploring the world on her own for the next 200 years. She did not reappear until 1985 (during 1988's
The Queen of the Damned.) She was there to help her son fight against Akasha and help save the world. During this time, she developed a slight bond with Marius, but nothing became of it and she drifted away from everyone again. Gabrielle resurfaced for the last time after
Memnoch the Devil, in
The Vampire Armand (1998) while Lestat was in his catatonic sleep. In the 2006
musical,
Lestat, Gabrielle was portrayed by
Carolee Carmello who was nominated for a
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role.
Jennifer Ehle portrays the character, now
Gabriella de Lioncourt, in season three of the television series.
Akasha Introduced in
The Vampire Lestat, Akasha is the progenitor of all vampires. Born into a noble family in
Uruk, Akasha becomes queen of
Kemet c. 5000 BC through her marriage to Enkil, Kemet's reigning king. Akasha and Enkil are tormented by the malicious spirit Amel. An ethereal, invisible being, Amel is envious of those with physical bodies unlike himself. During an assassination attempt on Akasha and Enkil, Amel enters a dying Akasha's body through her stab wounds and fuses his essence with her blood, making Akasha the first vampire. In turn, she makes Enkil a vampire, and together they create many others. After millennia, Akasha and Enkil's telepathic powers become so powerful that they lose themselves in the thoughts of others, becoming catatonic living statues who must be hidden and protected, any harm or pain befalling Akasha being shared by all vampires, as they are all connected through her spirit-infused blood; if she is injured, so are her children, and if she dies, so do all vampires. Called "Those Who Must Be Kept", Akasha and Enkil are cared for by a series of ancient vampires in numerous locations around the world, and the truth of their origins becomes lost over the centuries. In the late 1800s, Lestat discovers Those Who Must Be Kept in the care of Marius. Lestat drinks Akasha's powerful blood, which drastically enhances his vampiric powers. In 1985, Lestat awakens Akasha with his rock music in
The Queen of the Damned. Akasha kills Enkil, absorbing his power, and takes Lestat as her new consort. She wreaks global havoc, telepathically inciting mass riots in human populations, and destroys nearly every other vampire on the planet. The few remaining vampires are forced to put aside their grievances and form a plan to stop her. Akasha is portrayed by
Aaliyah in the 2002 film
Queen of the Damned and
Sheila Atim in season three of the television series.
Nicolas de Lenfent Nicolas "Nicki" de Lenfent is Lestat's closest friend and lover in Paris, introduced in
The Vampire Lestat (1985). Lestat is abducted from their bed and made a vampire by Magnus. Lestat later makes Nicki a vampire as well, which only amplifies Nicki's depression. Nicki was portrayed by Roderick Hill in the 2006 musical
Lestat and was also portrayed by Joseph Potter in season 2 of Interview with the Vampire.
Magnus Magnus is the vampire who turned Lestat into a vampire in
The Vampire Lestat (1985). Magnus is characterized by black hair and eyes of the same color. As a mortal, he was an
alchemist. He was an old man when he trapped the vampire Benedict in chains and stole the Dark Gift/Blood for himself. That happened at some point during the
Middle Ages. According to the "Old Queen" (Allesandra) of Armand's coven in Paris, Magnus was 300 years old when he made Lestat, which would put his year of birth in the late 15th century. Over time, he was driven mad by his vampiric nature and his immortality. Before killing himself, he sought an heir to inherit the immense wealth that he had accumulated over the years. Magnus searched for years for an heir, with no success. In his dungeon, he had hundreds of decomposing bodies stored in a room, the discarded remains of his search for a suitable heir. Every one of these candidates had blond hair and blue eyes, just as Lestat does. After choosing Lestat as his heir and giving him explicit instructions to scatter his ashes after he had burned up, Magnus leaped into a pyre that he had made for himself. He left Lestat to struggle and learn for himself of his new vampiric nature and its powers. Lestat would later lament that he learned "absolutely nothing" from the one who made him. Magnus is portrayed by
Damien Atkins in season three of the television series.
Antoine Introduced in
The Vampire Lestat, Antoine is a French musician, exiled to Louisiana and made a vampire by Lestat. He returns in
Prince Lestat (2014). Antoinette, a gender swapped version of the character, appears in the 2022 television series
Interview with the Vampire, portrayed by Maura Grace Athari. In the story, she is a
blues singer taken as a lover by Lestat. Eventually, Louis and Claudia insist that Lestat kill her as a condition of reuniting their family. Lestat pretends to, presenting her severed finger as proof, but instead makes her a vampire to spy on Louis and Claudia. They ultimately destroy her in their incinerator.
Aaron Lightner Aaron is a member of
the Talamasca who possesses a particular interest in the Mayfair Witches. Introduced in
The Queen of the Damned (1988), the character appears in the entire
Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy (1990–1994) as well as the 2000 crossover novel
Merrick.
Pandora Pandora is an ancient Roman woman, previously named Lydia, whom Marius de Romanus is forced to make a vampire, and who helps him care for Those Who Must Be Kept for centuries.
Maharet and Mekare Maharet and Mekare are four-thousand-year-old twin witch sisters from ancient
Mount Carmel valley who inadvertently began the cycle of vampirism in the world by summoning the demon spirit Amel, who possesses a dying Akasha and turns her into a vampire. Maharet is the blood ancestor of Jessie.
Mael Mael is mentioned briefly in
The Vampire Lestat. Along with Marius de Romanus and Pandora, he is one of the legendary ancient vampires. When Marius tells the young Lestat the story of his life, he says that Mael was the druid priest who abducted him to become the new "God of the Grove". Marius escaped. Mael later returns in
The Queen of the Damned (1988). He is a companion to
Maharet and also seeks to protect her mortal descendant Jesse Reeves. Mael is present when Maharet tells Jesse her story when they later try to reason with Akasha, and when
Mekare kills her. The third appearance by Mael is at the end of
Memnoch the Devil. Lestat goes to Heaven and Hell with the Devil, Memnoch, and he brought back
Veronica's Veil, causing chaos among mortals and bringing out many of the ancients. Mael tells David Talbot and Lestat that he is going to burn himself in the sun for God. Mael is ancient and thereby too strong for the sunlight to kill him ordinarily, but he believes that the presence of the Veil negates his supernatural powers (but not his vulnerabilities). The final implication is that Mael dies as the novel ends, but it is revealed by Marius in
Blood and Gold (2001) that Mael survived his suicide attempt; "He was badly burnt and brought low, as can happen with us who are very old, and after one day in the sun, he hadn't the courage for more suffering. Back to his companions, he went and there he remains." He appears in
Blood and Gold when Marius tells Thorne about his life, in which Mael is included. Marius has just left Pandora when he meets Mael and his maker Avicus in Rome, the city he moved to. When Marius had escaped and the old god had been killed (because they had Marius), Mael is chosen to become the new "God of the Grove". The druids find out about Avicus in England and they travel there. When they get there Avicus uses "the Mind Gift" on Mael and learns about Marius's escape. To give Mael "the Dark Gift" Avicus wants a victim and freedom, but it all ends up with that Mael is turned into a vampire and they escape together. Mael and Avicus become companions and eventually meet Marius in Rome, where they reveal all this. There is a lot of anger between Mael and Marius while Avicus tries to keep them from fighting. They come to peace where they all live in the city. Mael and Avicus keep the city clean from The Children of Darkness, but one night Mael is injured and Marius agrees to help. Marius must give Mael blood so he can heal and then Mael sees visions of Those Who Must Be Kept. Gradually they get to know more and more, and Avicus seems to have been made by Akasha before becoming "A God of the Grove". Mael is furious that Marius kept such an important secret to himself, about that Marius destroyed his belief and about the connection between Avicus and Marius. Marius eventually takes them to Those Who Must Be Kept and Mael tries to drink from Akasha.
Enkil does not like it and Marius saves Mael in the last minute from being killed by Enkil. Later when Rome is falling Marius goes to sleep and they try to wake him but do not succeed. A hundred years later they decide to leave for Constantinople and finally successfully awaken Marius. In Constantinople, they separate, and then Mael becomes Maharet's companion.
Santino Santino is the leader of a coven of
Satanic vampires, the members of which hold a common belief that they are meant to be the scourge of humankind. He approaches Marius in Rome, some 500 years before Marius meets Lestat, and confronts him about Those Who Must Be Kept, whom Marius has been thinking of. This startles Marius greatly, as he is much older than Santino, so reading his mind should be impossible. He decides to scare the young Santino, by setting his cloak on fire and telling him to leave. Marius does not hear of Santino again until sometime later, when Mael tells Marius of his meeting with Santino. Santino and his satanic coven ultimately attack Marius's Venetian home, his followers burning his house and killing some of the boys he harbors. Marius is badly burned from this incident and his fledgling Armand is taken, along with a number of Marius's boys. The coven burns the boys alive in a giant fire. Santino rescues Armand, claiming to his followers that the young fledgling has a heart for God. Armand does not come over to the darker life of the coven so easily though. With the help of his follower Allesandra, they keep Armand locked up in their crypt, starving him for days before allowing him to feed. Eventually, Armand gives in and is accepted as Santino's apprentice. After some time Armand is chosen to become the leader of the Paris coven, whose former leader went into the fire. Allesandra picks the name Armand for him as a new name and goes with him to Paris. Santino is not heard of again until in the novel
The Queen of the Damned (1988) where he comes with Eric to Maharet's place, meeting Jesse who is still human at that time and where he accompanies
Pandora to rescue Marius from the icy wall in which
Akasha has entrapped Marius, possibly hoping to redeem himself in his eyes for the wrongs he had done to the elder. After the events of
Queen of the Damned, he stays for a time on Armand's Night Island, occasionally playing chess with Armand. He is also mentioned in
The Vampire Armand (1998), when Armand, after going into the sun sees both his old master and his old coven master destroying evidence the humans had of vampires existing. Marius never takes his revenge against Santino for destroying his life in Venice and taking his Armand from him (at first because he doesn't have the opportunity and later because the new vampire queen forbids vampires from killing each other, as their numbers are low). Marius harbors a deep hatred for Santino, and centuries later tells his story to a vampire companion named
Thorne. When Marius and Thorne met Santino, Thorne slays Santino with the Fire Gift so that Marius's heart will be at rest. This results in Thorne's confinement.
Khayman Khayman is a powerful and ancient vampire introduced in
The Queen of the Damned (1988). He was the third vampire in existence, after Akasha and her consort, Enkil.
Azim Azim is the ancient "blood god" who has ruled in a Himalayan temple for a thousand years. He collects worshippers into his temple using his vampiric gift and drains their blood during the frenzied ceremonies. Azim is described by
Pandora as plump, bronze-skinned, and wrapped in a lavish robe and a silk turban. Despite being "as old as Marius" and therefore powerful, Akasha invades his temple and kills him with a flick of her hand, his skull detonated and his body incinerated by her primal power.
Eric Eric is mentioned only in
The Queen of the Damned (1988) and
The Tale of the Body Thief (1992). Eric is made a vampire by Maharet around 1000 BC at the mortal age of twenty-nine. His origin and past life are unknown. He survives Akasha's worldwide slaughter due to his immortal age of three thousand years and is one of the immortals who gathered at Sonoma to stand against Akasha. His first and only appearance is in Queen of the Damned where he came to Maharet, Jesse, and Mael with his Italian companion, Santino, who argued with Maharet via telepathy. As they leave, Santino is furious and Eric confused because he did not understand their argument; being Maharet's fledgling, he couldn't read Maharet's mind. It was also stated that there were times that he came to visit Maharet, Mael, and Jesse while bringing with him films from other countries and sometimes joining the three in their singing. Being a vampire of 3,000 years of age, he is very powerful, his skin is hard and as white as marble and therefore couldn't easily burn under the sun. He is also described as having a youthful appearance and soft brown eyes. His brief conversations make him out to have a deceptively fragile personality. His cowardice in particular makes him stand out.
Memnoch Memnoch is an incarnation of the fallen angel
Satan, the devil. He is referenced in
The Tale of the Body Thief (1992), and is a central character in the eponymous
Memnoch the Devil, in which he hunts and abducts the vampire Lestat, to convince the latter of his ideology and to enlist him into his cause.
Avicus Avicus is an ancient vampire who appears in
Blood and Gold (2001). Avicus is far older than Marius, but he does not know his own strength, although it is implied in
Blood and Gold that his powers are second to those of Marius. Avicus is from
Egypt, and some statements in
Blood and Gold indicate that he was created by Akasha herself. The powerful blood he supposedly received and his age give him his strength. If he was not created by Akasha, then his powers have most certainly increased with age, as he was a "God of the Grove" for hundreds of years. When the druid priest
Mael needs a new "God of the Grove" (due to Marius's escape and the destruction of the old "God of the Grove") it's decided that Mael is to become the new "God of the Grove". The Druids learn about Avicus, who can be found in
England, though the book indicates the forests to the north. This is most likely Scotland which, at the time when the book is set, had a large druid presence and was completely covered by the Caledonian forest. They travel there to get Avicus, but Mael and he make an arrangement — Avicus will give Mael the Dark Gift if he is given a victim and freedom. After becoming the God Of The Grove and learning (from using the Mind Gift on Mael) that Marius had successfully escaped, Avicus also wants to escape. Ultimately, Avicus and Mael escape together and thus become companions. They eventually meet up with Marius and the three live together for a time. In
Constantinople, Marius, Avicus, and Mael discover
Zenobia, a vampire fledgling of the ancient
Eudoxia. Mael, Avicus, and Zenobia are left behind by Marius when he takes
Those Who Must Be Kept out of Constantinople. Over 1,000 years later, Marius learns from Mael that Avicus was in love with Zenobia and persuaded her to leave with him, abandoning Mael. Mael blames Marius for this, as he blamed Marius for all his misfortunes in ancient times.
Eudoxia Eudoxia is a vampire who appears in
Blood and Gold (2001). After the
Fall of Rome, Marius de Romanus, Avicus and Mael move to Constantinople with Those Who Must Be Kept. Shortly after their arrival, they are contacted by the young vampires Asphar and Rashid. They ask them to come to Eudoxia, "the vampire empress" in the city. When her guests arrive she tells them her story. She was around fifteen and about to get married when she was abducted by a vampire. She was then also made one. She never names her maker, but they stayed together for several years. Eudoxia's maker was very cold and uncaring. After a few years, she is taken to Those Who Must Be Kept to drink their blood and is directly after left by her maker. She decides to make copies of different texts for mortals in order to know the world. While she's at this she opens her house to mortals, and an unnamed young man falls in love with her. He offers to leave his life for her and Eudoxia makes him into a vampire. They spend a few years together until the Great Fire. The power of all vampires resides in Those Who Must Be Kept and one of the Elders of their temple has put it to the test. All young vampires are burnt to death as they are in the sun, including Eudoxia's lover. She travels to Egypt and finds out that Those Who Must Be Kept are in the custody of Marius. She spends her life trying to find him. She does not succeed and forms a coven in Constantinople. Her companions are Rashid, Asphar, and Eudoxia's vampire lover Zenobia. All of them are young when made because Eudoxia thinks they are better off without a connection to their mortal life. When Marius finally comes to the city, she confronts him. She demands to get possession of Those Who Must Be Kept, but Marius cannot allow this. He doesn't know if he can trust Eudoxia or what Those Who Must Be Kept want. The meeting ends in a fight where Eudoxia is defeated, despite being the elder of the pair, as Marius had drunk more of the blood of Akasha. In the fight, Marius discovers that he has the Fire Gift when he uses it to burn Rashid to ashes. The next night Eudoxia shows up at Marius's house and he agrees to let her see the shrine. As she talks to Akasha and Enkil, Akasha takes her and drinks her blood but Eudoxia is saved by Marius. To heal, Eudoxia needs a victim for feeding. They find a real nobleman, but they let the people know that he has been murdered. The blame falls on Marius and they destroy his house. In his anger, he destroys Asphar and all other vampires before he throws Eudoxia to Akasha, where she meets her destruction.
Thorne Thorne is a vampire who appears in the novel
Blood and Gold (2001), which details the life of the vampire Marius de Romanus. Thorne is a Viking warrior originally called Thornevald that is sent to slay a vampire-witch that has been killing villagers and stealing their eyes. Thorne finds the vampire and learns that she has no eyes of her own, and must take eyes from her victims to see. After a time, the mortal eyes wear out in her immortal body and she must take another pair from one of her victims. This vampire is Maharet, one of the most ancient vampires, and the story of how she lost her eyes is recounted in
The Queen of the Damned (1988). Maharet does not slay Thorne but turns him into a vampire and keeps him as her companion. Soon the pair are joined by other vampires, including the druid vampire Mael, who shares an uneasy friendship with Marius. Jealous of Maharet's attention to the other vampires, Thorne eventually leaves her. He lies asleep for centuries in the ice of the far north, his jealousy gradually growing into a mad obsession. He is awakened by the events of the novel
The Queen of the Damned. Marius makes contact with him using the Mind Gift, a form of telepathy. Thorne journeys south and finds Marius in a large city near the Arctic Circle. Marius enjoys it here as the noonday darkness allows him to live more like a normal person. Marius takes him to his home and discovers that Thorne still harbors a jealous rage for Maharet. Knowing that Maharet could easily destroy Thorne in a battle, Marius tries to dissuade him from his suicidal obsession and begins to recount his life story to Thorne. Marius's story accounts for the bulk of the novel. Thorne politely listens to Marius's account of his life and what he has learned as a vampire. Thorne is particularly interested in the story of the brutal attack on Marius by the vampire Santino and his Satanic cult of followers, who burn Marius in his house and kidnap his apprentice Armand. At the end of the tale, Thorne questions Marius why he has not taken revenge on Santino and offers to help kill him. Marius explains that Maharet now rules the vampires as regent for her mute sister, Mekare, and Maharet forbids it. Marius pleads with Thorne to forget the past and talk of revenge, but Thorne still insists on Marius taking him to see Maharet. Marius reluctantly agrees and the pair are mysteriously whisked away. They awaken in a jungle location, where Maharet lives in seclusion with her sister, the new Queen of the Damned. Several other vampires are present, including Pandora, Marius's long-lost love; Armand; and Santino. After a brief, bitter discussion, Marius admits that he still wishes to kill Santino. However, he will not because Maharet forbids it, and Marius believes that for Maharet's rule over the vampires to be valid, all vampires must obey her. Thorne abruptly kills Santino himself and then attacks Maharet in a jealous rage. Mekare comes to her sister's aid and easily pulls Thorne away. Thorne, knowing he is undone, whispers a request to the mute Queen as they struggle and she complies. Mekare removes Thorne's eyes from their sockets and hands them to Maharet. Maharet accepts the gift and binds Thorne with ropes made of her hair, the only material strong enough to hold a vampire. Thorne ends the novel as Maharet's eternal prisoner, but he is happy knowing that the object of his obsession will always be near him and that her new eyes will last her forever.
Teskhamen Teskhamen is the "Blood God" from the grove, maker of Marius de Romanus, elder and founder of Talamasca.
Stirling Oliver Stirling Oliver is an elderly member of the Talamasca, introduced in
Blackwood Farm (2002). An observer of the Mayfairs, he is attacked by
Tarquin Blackwood, but saved by Lestat, who warns him not to report to the Talamasca that Quinn is a now a vampire.
Rhoshamandes Rhoshamandes is a peace-loving vampire, part of the Queen's Blood contingent of vampires. Made directly by Akasha, one thousand years after the Blood Genesis or 1,000 after Akasha herself was made — to be more precise, in the year 3000 BC. His fledglings include Allesandra — the old vampire that Lestat has met during his descent to the catacombs beneath Les Innocents cemetery in Paris, Benedict — a monk turned vampire from whom Magnus stole the Dark Gift, Eleni and Eugénie de Landen — made in the early Middle Ages, as well as Everard de Landen, also made in the Middle Ages. Eleni is the female fledgling who informed Lestat of their progress in the new Theatre Coven led by Armand in The Queen of the Damned. She was presumed dead due to Armand trying to extinguish the coven, as he was the leader.
Seth Seth is the son of Akasha and Enkil. He is made a vampire by his mother and is initially a member of her immortal army, but he eventually rebels against his parents and disappears for millennia. He emerges in the modern age, becoming the protector of Fareed, a doctor turned vampire. He first appears in the novel
Prince Lestat (2014) ==References==