Isabella "Bella" Marie Swan (later
Isabella Marie Cullen) is an average, clumsy, accident-prone girl who moves from
Phoenix, Arizona, to
Forks, Washington, to live with her father, Charlie. Though many boys are attracted to her when she arrives, she falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious boy she discovers to be a vampire. In an attempt to protect Bella from his dangerous lifestyle, Edward leaves her. Bella falls into a depression and is comforted by her friend,
Jacob Black. She comes to love Jacob as well, though not as deeply as she loves Edward. She eventually marries Edward and, after giving birth to their daughter Renesmee, becomes a vampire at 18. After her transformation she has the ability to shield her and others' minds from mental attacks.
Edward Cullen (born
Edward Anthony Masen) was born on June 20, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, and is frozen in his 17-year-old body. While dying of the
Spanish influenza, he was changed into a vampire by Dr. Carlisle Cullen after Edward's mother, Elizabeth, begged him to save Edward as her dying wish. Edward has the special ability to read minds, with the exception of
Bella Swan's. He falls in love with Bella soon after she arrives in Forks. Edward knows that he could kill Bella easily, a fact that torments him so much that in
New Moon he decides to leave Forks so he and his family won't be able to hurt her. He returns, however, because he realizes he cannot live without her. Edward marries Bella in
Breaking Dawn and they have a child, Renesmee.
Carlisle Cullen (also known as Stregoni Benefici) is Esme's husband and Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper's adoptive father. His first appearance was in Twilight and his physical age is 23. Carlisle is described to look like a model; he has blond hair, stands at 6 ft 2 in (1.9 m), and is slender but muscular. Carlisle theorizes that when a human is turned into a vampire, they will have an enhanced ability from their previous life. He believes he brought compassion from his human life. Carlisle has had centuries to perfect his medicinal talents, therefore making him an excellent doctor. Unlike most vampires, he is not at all tempted by the scent of human blood, due to the over 300 years he has spent holding back his temptations. Carlisle Cullen was the son of an Anglican pastor, born in 1640s London, England, during a time of religious upheaval. His father and other pastors would hunt down creatures such as witches, werewolves, and vampires, often mistaking humans for them. As his father got older, Carlisle was put in charge. One night, he was attacked by a vampire and left to die on the streets. Knowing he would not be accepted by society, he hid himself and silently went through the painful transformation, emerging as a vampire. Horrified, he tried various methods of killing himself, but nothing worked due to his power. One night, he could endure hunger no longer and fed on a group of passing deer. Subsequently realizing that he did not have to live off humans, he set out to perfect his resistance to blood lust and become a doctor. For a short time, Carlisle lived with the Volturi, though he eventually left and traveled to the New World. While treating patients with the Spanish Influenza, he met a woman who begged him to do whatever he could to save her son, Edward. Out of loneliness, Carlisle transformed him into a vampire and Edward became his companion. Soon after, in 1921, Carlisle moved to Wisconsin where he treated Esme, after a failed suicide attempt brought on by the loss of her infant son. Carlisle felt compelled to save her life and turned her into a vampire, subsequently falling in love with her, and marrying her later on. Carlisle then transformed Rosalie Hale, a young woman who was almost killed by her drunken fiancé and his friends in Rochester, New York, and left in the street to die. Later, while hunting, Rosalie found a young man named Emmett who had been mauled by a bear, and carried him over 100 miles to Carlisle. Carlisle then changed Emmett, since Rosalie was unwilling to do it herself for fear of blood lust overwhelming her. After Carlisle changed Emmett, Carlisle and his family moved to Hoquiam, Washington, where they made a treaty with the Quileute Native American tribe, that the Quileutes would leave the Cullens alone if the Cullen family did not bite any humans or trespass on their land. The Cullens agreed to this treaty, and lived in relative peace until they had to move on. Between the Cullens' first and second stay in Forks, Alice and Jasper joined his coven as well, having found Carlisle on their own. Throughout the Twilight saga, Carlisle works as a doctor, acting as the coven leader and offering medical advice and help when Bella is pregnant in Breaking Dawn.
Esme Cullen (born Esme Anne Platt and later Esme Anne Evenson) is the wife of Carlisle and adoptive mother of Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper. She enjoys restoring old houses and her physical age is 26. She has no special power, but has a strong ability to love passionately. Esme is described as being 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m) with caramel-colored hair; she also has a heart-shaped face with dimples, and her figure is slender, but rounded and soft. Esme was born in the late 1800s, living in Columbus, Ohio, where she was treated at the age of 16 by Carlisle after breaking her leg when climbing a tree. She married Charles Evenson, but was abused by him. After finding out she was pregnant, she ran away and gave birth to a son, who subsequently died a few days later. Mournful of his death, Esme attempted to kill herself by jumping off of a cliff. Presumed dead, she was brought to a morgue. Carlisle, who remembered treating her years before, was able to sense her heartbeat and changed her into a vampire. Esme fell in love and married Carlisle soon after. She loves her adoptive children as much as she did her own son, but still grieves that she cannot bear children. Esme is present throughout the entire Twilight series, revealing her past to Bella during the Cullens' baseball game in Twilight. Esme treats Bella as her own daughter, comforting her after several traumatic events. In Breaking Dawn, it is revealed that Esme owns a South American island named "Isle Esme" that was purchased for her by Carlisle, where she allows Edward and Bella to spend their honeymoon.
Rosalie Lillian Hale is the adopted daughter of Esme and Carlisle, adoptive sister of Edward, Alice, and Jasper, and wife of Emmett. Her physical age is 18, and she was born in 1915 in Rochester, New York, as the daughter of a banker. Rosalie is described as being the most beautiful person in the world, even for a vampire; she is tall, statuesque, and has long, wavy blonde hair. As a human, Rosalie was described as a woman who had beauty, elegance, class, and eyes resembling violets. Royce King II took an interest in her and soon the two became engaged. Rosalie was extremely envious of her good friend Vera and her baby boy and, while on a visit, noticed that she did not share the same relationship with Royce as Vera did with her husband. Dismissing it, Rosalie later walked home and met an intoxicated Royce and his friends. Royce bragged about his fiancée's beauty, leading to her being beaten, presumably raped, and left to die. Carlisle, coming across her, decided to change her into a vampire. After her transformation, she tortured and killed those who had beaten her, including Royce, but did not drink their blood. Rosalie first appears in Twilight, acting as the sister of Jasper. She is mean to Bella, jealous of her being human, and not wanting Bella to choose a life as a vampire. Rosalie is rather vain, self centered, and wishes to be human and have children, so much so that she would give up her immortality and beauty for it. In New Moon, she mistakenly reports to Edward that Bella is dead after she supposedly commits suicide, though Bella was actually just partaking in the sport of cliff-diving. Edward proceeds to travel to Italy, desiring to have the Volturi kill him. In Eclipse, Rosalie reveals her past to Bella with the hopes that she will choose to stay human. She also joins the fight against a group of savage newborn vampires. In Breaking Dawn, Bella contacts Rosalie after finding out she is pregnant, knowing that Rosalie has always wanted children. She stays by Bella's side throughout the pregnancy, defending her choice to keep the baby. Rosalie acts as a guardian to the child, Renesmee, taking care of her while Bella is going through her transformation into a vampire. When the Volturi plot to destroy Renesmee, Rosalie helps gather vampire nomads to provide evidence that Renesmee isn't a danger.
Emmett Cullen (born Emmett McCarty) is Rosalie's husband, Carlisle and Esme's adopted son, and Edward, Alice, and Jasper's adoptive brother. Emmett is described as being tall, burly, extremely muscular, and, to most humans, the most intimidating of his adoptive siblings. He has slightly curly dark hair and dimpled cheeks. Emmett was 20 and living in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in 1935 when he was mauled by a bear. The injuries from the attack were severe and he was found by Rosalie, who had been hunting in the area at the time. Rosalie, who was reminded of her friend's baby having the same curls, dimples, and innocent appearance, carried him over a hundred miles to Appalachia where Carlisle Cullen was, asking him to spare Emmett's life by turning him into a vampire. Emmett joined Carlisle's coven, but initially had trouble adjusting to the family's diet of animal blood. In Twilight, Emmett is at first wary of Bella, but eventually warms up to her. He often teases her for her clumsiness and constant blushing, and votes in favor of her becoming a vampire in New Moon. In Breaking Dawn Emmett jokingly makes innuendos about Bella's sex life, until being silenced when she defeats him in an arm wrestling match.
Alice Cullen (born Mary Alice Brandon) is the adopted daughter of Carlisle and Esme, adoptive sister of Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett, and wife of Jasper. Alice is described as being petite and pixie-like at 4 ft 10 in (1.5 m), with a graceful gait and hair that is short, spiky, and black. Her special ability is to see the future, an enhanced version of her ability to have premonitions as a human. However, her ability is limited; she is only able to see the outcome of a decision once it is made. Due to this, decisions made in the spur of the moment can not be foreseen. Alice can see futures involving humans and vampires, though is unable to see the futures of werewolves or half-breeds, such as Renesmee. In Breaking Dawn, Alice theorizes that she can see vampires very clearly because she is one, can see humans somewhat less clearly because she was one, and cannot see werewolves or half-breeds because she never was one. Alice is portrayed as being bubbly and optimistic, and loves and cares for Bella like a sister. Her hobbies include shopping, make-overs, and throwing parties. Alice's early history is very vague, as she remembers nothing of her human life and woke up alone as a vampire. It is eventually revealed that she was born around 1901 in Biloxi, Mississippi, and was kept in an asylum because she had premonitions. Alice was changed by an old vampire who worked at the asylum in order to protect her from James, a tracker vampire who was hunting her. After doing some research, Alice found her grave and discovered that the date on her tombstone matched the date of her admission to the asylum. Through her research she additionally discovered that she had a little sister named Cynthia, and that Cynthia's daughter, Alice's niece, was still alive in Biloxi. Throughout Twilight, Alice uses her ability to see the future and help Bella when she is in danger. The two soon become friends, loving each other like sisters. In New Moon, Alice foresees Bella jumping off a cliff and assumes she is trying to commit suicide, though Bella actually was partaking in the sport of cliff diving. Rosalie, believing Bella to be dead, informs Edward. After discovering the truth, Alice accompanies Bella to Italy to stop Edward from killing himself. They are successful, but are taken to see the Volturi, who act as police of the vampire world. Through Alice's premonitions, Aro is able to see that Bella will eventually become a vampire and invites her, Alice, and Edward to stay with them. They all refuse and return to Forks. In Eclipse, Alice, who proves to be an adept fighter, joins in the fight to destroy a group of rampaging newborn vampires, created by Victoria in an effort to take revenge on Edward. Alice acts as Bella's maid of honor at her wedding in Breaking Dawn and helps with Renesmee until leaving to search out a crossbreed after the Volturi plan to destroy Renesmee, believing her to be an immortal child. Alice is successful and the Volturi, not seeing a threat, leave.
Jasper Hale (born Jasper Whitlock) is the adopted son of Carlisle and Esme, adoptive brother of Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie, and husband of Alice. He was born in Texas and joined the Confederate States Army in 1861 to serve in the Civil War. Due to his extremely charismatic personality, he ascended through the ranks quickly. Jasper was turned into a vampire in 1863 by a vampire named Maria when he was 20 years old. As a vampire, he gained the ability to manipulate the emotions of those around him. Recognizing his high rank in the army, Maria decided to change him into a vampire to help her claim territory in Monterrey. Jasper's responsibility was to train young vampires and then kill them when they were no longer useful (about a year after their transformation- when their strength began to fade). After about a century of this, he grew weary of the lifestyle and joined an old friend, Peter, and his mate Charlotte. Jasper left the two eventually, not wanting to feed on humans because he could feel his prey's emotions as they died. Alice, foreseeing that they would be together, met him in a half-empty diner in Philadelphia, and together they sought out the Cullen family. Due to his past, where he was able to feed on humans whenever he chose, Jasper lacks strong self-control. He is described as tall with honey blond hair, and is muscular but lean. His body is covered with crescent-shaped scars, after the many years of fighting and training newborn vampires. In Twilight, Jasper accompanies Alice and Bella when they are hiding from James. He uses his ability to calm Bella when she is stressed or afraid. In New Moon, he attacks Bella after she gets a paper cut, prompting the Cullen family to leave Forks to protect Bella. In Eclipse, Jasper teaches the werewolves and vampires fighting techniques to defend themselves against newborn vampires. In Breaking Dawn, Jasper leaves with Alice to find a vampire-human hybrid, and returns with her to defend Renesmee from the Volturi.
Renesmee "Nessie" Carlie Cullen is the half-vampire, half-human daughter of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, born on September 10, three days before Bella's nineteenth birthday in Breaking Dawn. Her name is derived from the amalgamation of the names of Bella's mother, Renée, and Edward's adoptive mother, Esme. Her middle name, Carlie, is a combination of the names Carlisle, Edward's adoptive father, and Charlie, Bella's father. She has the same facial features and hair color as Edward, but the curly hair of her grandfather, Charlie Swan, and the brown eyes of Bella. She is described by Bella and Jacob as being the most beautiful person in the world, even though she is so young. Her heart pumps blood, giving her a blush, and her pale skin glows in the sunlight. Her skin is very warm and soft to the touch, but is as strong as a vampire's. Renesmee can survive on either blood or human food, though she prefers blood, and she doesn't produce venom. Her special abilities are being able to show someone a thought by touching their skin, and penetrating mental shields. Renesmee grows both mentally and physically at a fast rate, being able to speak only seven days after her birth, and by the end of Breaking Dawn she is able to read, run, hunt, and perform other tasks at advanced levels for her young age. Her intelligence stuns everyone - Bella and Edward especially - as she can understand what is going on around her when the Volturi arrive. Jacob Black gives her the nickname "Nessie" because he considers her full name to be a mouthful, though Bella strongly dislikes him nick-naming her child "after the Loch Ness Monster". However, by the end of the book, all of the characters adopt this shortened version. She will reach physical maturity after about seven years, when her physical appearance will be around seventeen, and will then stop aging. After Jacob Black imprints on Renesmee, Irina, a vampire from another coven, sees Renesmee and believes she is an "immortal child", a child who had been bitten by a vampire. She informs the Volturi, as immortal children are not allowed to live. Intent on killing Renesmee and decimating the Cullens, the Volturi travel to Forks. However, the Cullen family members gather witnesses from around the world to prove that Renesmee is not an immortal child. Alice brings another half-breed, Nahuel, who explains what he is. No longer seeing Renesmee as a threat, the Volturi leave.
