"… and so the lion fell in love with the lamb." ―Edward to Bella[src]

Edward Cullen (born Edward Anthony Masen, Jr., on June 20, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois) is a telepathic vampire and a founding member of the Olympic coven, as well as a protagonist of the Twilight Saga.

He is the husband of Bella Swan and the father of Renesmee Cullen. Edward is the adoptive son of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, as well as the son-in-law of Charlie Swan and Renée Dwyer. He is the adoptive brother of Emmett and Alice Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale.

After nearly dying from the Spanish influenza in 1918 in Chicago, Edward was turned into a vampire by Carlisle, as the only alternative to death. Over the next ninety years, the pair gathered a family of vampires around themselves and called themselves "vegetarians". His Life and Death counterpart is Edythe Cullen.

He is portrayed by Robert Pattinson in the movie adaptations.

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Biography

Early life

Edward Anthony Masen was born on June 20, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois; 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 did have 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.

Twilight

"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb."

"What a stupid lamb."

"What a sick masochistic lion." ―Edward and Bella[src]

At the beginning of Twilight, Edward is rather depressed, sullen and brooding, and his family notices it. They know he is missing something from his life, though he himself doesn't. When Bella Swan moves to town, he feels frustrated by his inability to read her thoughts and is forced to listen to everyone else's thoughts about her to find out what he can, and realizes that all of the boys already like her. He feels very protective of her, trying desperately to rationalize his feelings of lust over her overwhelmingly attractive scent. When she is forced to sit next to him in Biology and he smells her blood, he insanely wants to kill her, and thinks about massacring the whole class as well. Promptly after leaving school he left for Denali, where a fellow vegetarian coven lived, to avoid causing disappointment to his parents, in particular Carlisle Cullen.

A week later, he returns after some persuasion from Tanya, the leader of the coven in Denali, with his family being extremely protective of him, watching for any signs of danger. Not wanting to leave a bad memory to Bella, he introduces himself to her in Biology, and is fascinated by her blood and by the fact that he can't read her mind, and because of that, he isn't quick to dismiss her like he would any other human. She answers all of his questions in different ways than he thought she would, mostly because he cannot read her thoughts. He saves her from Tyler's van, and then refuses to speak to her for a long period of time. But after all the time not speaking to her, the other boys, Mike Newton in particular, think that nothing is going on between the two and decide to make a move on her. As Edward watches them he realizes that he is starting to feel jealous of them, but decides to dismiss it. However, after sneaking into her room at night several times to watch her sleep, she says his name and he realizes that he has fallen in love with her. Over the next few weeks, he starts to pursue her and after one night together in Port Angeles, he discovers that she knows he is a vampire and that she has fallen in love with him too. The two then form a deep emotional relationship. After a while, Edward invites Bella over to his house to meet his family, who, except for Rosalie, immediately take a great liking to Bella.

Alice, Edward's sister, invites them both to play baseball with them. Edward takes Bella to the field, but some unexpected guests show up: James, Laurent, and Victoria who are nomadic vampires. James catches her scent and decides to hunt Bella for sport, as tracking was his obsession. After some thoughts from Bella, Alice, and Emmett, Edward allows them to try to use Bella's plan: Bella convinces Charlie that she is leaving town, and Alice and Jasper take her to hide in Phoenix. Edward tries to lead James away, but loses his trail. He then flies to Phoenix to see Bella and finds James, who has bitten her. Edward first thinks she's dead and goes crazy with pain and guilt. Bella describes him as "an angel that is unfortunate to be so unhappy that he cries tearless broken sobs". This makes him more beautiful than she ever has seen, besides the time he became outraged because she didn't care at first that he wanted to kill her. Edward's family arrive and destroy James, while Edward sucks the venom out of Bella's system to prevent her from turning, though it takes a high level of willpower to keep him from killing her. He then lifts her up and carries her out of the burning building. At the hospital, he tries to talk Bella into moving to Florida to live with her mother in order to protect her from his world, but she talks him out of the idea. After they return to Forks, Edward takes Bella to their prom, much to her dismay. He resolves that he isn't going to change her into a vampire, but she is adamant that the discussion isn't over.

Midnight Sun

Midnight Sun retells the events of Twilight from Edward's perspective. That day Bella first arrives at Forks High School, Edward has already heard everyone's expectations and treated the news with nonchalance.

When he first sees Bella in the cafeteria, he realizes he is unable to read her mind, much to his annoyance. Later in Biology, her scent hits his nostrils with a surge and nearly overwhelms his vampiric side as she is his "singer". With barely enough control over his primal instincts, Edward makes it through the hour and runs off to Denali. Tanya talks him into returning home and face his problems head on, which encourages him to properly introduce himself to Bella the next week.

As Edward converses with Bella, he finds himself infatuated by her in ways he never expected: none of her answers ever came out of his anticipation, and her actions always drew attention. Finding himself unable to face Bella without putting her at risk, Edward prepares to leave Forks again. However, that next morning, Tyler Crowley nearly crushes Bella with his van when it spins out of control in her direction. Edward impulsively rushes in to save her and reveals his supernatural side in front of Bella.

While discussing the matter with his family, Rosalie and Jasper contemplate killing Bella to keep their family safe, which Edward repels with defiance. The discussion comes to a new direction when Alice reveals two visions: either Bella joins their family or she dies as a human. Repulsed by the idea of ending Bella's life, Edward is determined to keep his distance. He successfully avoids contact with Bella at school for nearly two months. His resistance comes to an end when he realizes he has fallen in love with her.

Still determined to keep her alive and humanity intact, Edward slowly opens up his infatuation toward the human girl. When she tells him she learned he is a vampire after encountering Jacob Black down on La Push and that she doesn't care, Edward is both furious and touched: furious because she refuses to stay away from him; touched because she cares for him enough to be with him.

New Moon

"Bella, you're everything to me. You're everything." ―Edward to Bella[src]

The story of New Moon begins with Bella being very upset by her 18th birthday, because she'll be "older" than the permanently 17-year-old Edward. During her birthday party Bella accidentally gets a paper cut while unwrapping a present, and Edward's brother, Jasper, attacks her, although members of the Cullen family hold him back while Edward knocks Bella behind him in an attempt to get her away from Jasper. Bella falls through a glass table, receiving an arm laceration and forcing Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, a worried Edward and an apologetic Esme to leave the room. Jasper's instinctive hunger for Bella's blood reminds Edward of the continual danger their relationship puts her in.

In a misguided attempt to protect Bella, he convinces her that he does not want her anymore and abandons her in the forest. He moves away with his family, leaving her heartbroken and depressed, as if her life as she knew it ceased to exist. Although Edward lived as a vampire without romantic love for nearly a century before meeting Bella, he finds it difficult to live without her, becoming severely depressed at the prospect of an infinitely long and meaningless life. To keep his mind occupied, he leaves his family up North and tries to hunt Victoria, but loses her trail in somewhere in South America.

After he mistakenly learns from his sister Rosalie that Bella has committed suicide based on a vision Alice had of Bella cliff diving - which is later explained to be done for recreational purposes - Edward becomes completely broken and attempts to convince a coven of powerful Italian vampires, the Volturi, to kill him, by explaining that he broke one of the most important vampire laws: telling Bella, a human, about the existence of vampires, but Aro, the leader of the Volturi, refuses as he finds his power useful to their collection. Then, Edward decides to expose himself by appearing under sunlight during the St. Marcus Festival to make them kill him. Alice immediately has a vision of his death, and she and Bella rush to Italy to stop him before he fulfills his plans. During the festival, he is about to step into the light, but Bella manages to stop him and show him that she was still alive. Bella is then brought to meet the Volturi, and Edward and Alice find out that she is immune to other vampires' powers as well as his. Though Aro is intrigued with Bella's immunity, they think of her as a liability that must be disposed of, until Alice shows them a vision she previously had of Bella becoming one of them in the future, and wins the permission to leave Volterra peacefully.

After they return from Italy, Edward explains why he left and apologizes to Bella. She forgives him entirely, and they continue on with their relationship as if Edward had never left, with him promising never to leave her ever again. His family also moves back to Forks to continue the way things were before they left. Upon realizing that their current situation – fear for Bella's humanity while they are together – is untenable, Bella successfully seeks the support of Edward's family for the idea of turning her into a vampire. Edward becomes furious at the thought of Bella losing her humanity in order to be with him, but later agrees to change her himself if she agrees to marry him first. Bella, traumatized by her parents' fate, argues against this.

Sometime later, Jacob Black, a Quileute werewolf and friend of Bella who helped her while Edward was gone, confronts them. Edward thanks Jacob for protecting Bella while he was gone, and asks if there was anything he could do to repay him. Jacob says that he wants Edward to leave and never return, but Edward says that is only in Bella's power. Jacob also reminds Edward (though he hasn't forgotten) about the treaty, saying that it would be broken if he bit Bella. This sparks anger from Bella, protesting that it is none of his business and that it is her choice. Her fury is interrupted by Charlie, who demands that Bella comes inside after Jacob turned in her secret motorcycle, and she storms home.[1]

Eclipse

"The outside world holds no interest for me without you." ―Edward to Bella[src]

Eclipse continues the drama of Bella and Edward's relationship. Edward explains that he is reluctant to change Bella into a vampire because he believes that vampires are soulless creatures who have no place in heaven. Bella, whose opinion of marriage is jaded by the early divorce of her own parents, agrees to marry Edward on the condition he will make love with her while she is still human and change her into a vampire. He initially refuses, saying that he could easily lose control in the heat of the moment. However, seeing how important it is to Bella, he agrees to try and make love with her while she is still human, but only after they are married.

At first, Edward completely despises of the idea of having Jacob Black or the wolves near Bella and does everything he can to prevent their encounter, even buy Alice a yellow Porsche in exchange for a slumber party with Bella while he goes on a weekend hunting trip. Eventually, he realizes how much he is forcing Bella based on his privilege on the wolves and agrees to tolerate her visits on a few conditions. He also learns from Bella that the Quileutes only turned into werewolves when they cross paths with vampires, allowing him to realize that they aren't really werewolves, but shapeshifters with the power to transform into wolves. This revelation is delivered to the Quileutes and the Volturi in Breaking Dawn. Meanwhile, Jacob Black declares his feelings for Bella and forcibly kisses her, trying to convince her to leave Edward for him. Bella and Edward are both furious at Jacob for this, and Edward vows to break Jacob's jaw if he ever kisses Bella without her consent again.

The plot is driven by the machinations of the vampire Victoria, who first met Bella and the Olympic Coven during the first book, Twilight. Victoria, seeking revenge for the death of her mate James, is hunting Bella and creating newborn vampires to build an army. To combat this threat, the Cullens call on the Denali Coven for help, but the Denalis abandon them when the Cullens refuse to let them avenge Laurent's death. It is apparent that Irina was in love with him during a brief stay with her coven. Without any other options, an alliance is made between the Cullens and the Native-American werewolf pack led by Sam Uley and Jacob. However, before the battle starts, Jacob overhears Edward and Bella's marriage plans, and threatens to get himself killed because Bella won't love him. Bella agrees to kiss Jacob if he stayed and while doing so, she realizes that she is also in love with him as well, despite her engagement to Edward. Edward surprisingly accepts this, saying that no matter who Bella chooses he'll be happy as long as she is. Bella realizes that she loves Edward more than Jacob, and chooses him. Soon after this, Victoria and Riley, a newborn whom she pretended to love, find Bella's hiding spot. Edward manages to kill Victoria, with Seth Clearwater killing Riley. The Cullens and the Quileute werewolves, meanwhile, destroy her newborn army.

After the battle, Bella visits Jacob and tells him that she has chosen Edward over him. Edward spends the night holding Bella as she cries over pushing Jacob away. After she calms down, Edward asks Bella if she is sure that choosing him was the right decision, since he had never seen her in such pain. Bella, who had been in worse pain when Edward left her, assures him that she can live without Jacob, but not him. After hiring Alice to plan out their wedding, Edward tells Bella that they can make love before they get married, as he realizes that she spends too much of her life trying to please other people. However, she refuses his offer and says that she will do everything the right way: marriage, making love, and then becoming a vampire. Bella then tells Edward that they need to tell Charlie about their engagement.[2]

Edward later secretly sends Jacob an invitation to his and Bella's wedding, thinking that Jacob deserves the choice to come or not. The ending shows Jacob running away in his wolf form after seeing the wedding invitation.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

"The vampire with the dark red hair met my eyes with a fierce warning glare, and I knew I would die if I tried for the girl, but the agony in my throat made me feel like I would die if I didn't. It hurt so much that I screamed out loud in frustration." ―Bree Tanner[src]

In The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Riley Biers tells the army about a coven of yellow-eyed vampires who plan to attack them and reclaim Seattle for themselves, and also mentions some of them having powers. This successfully manipulates the newborns into working together to destroy the Cullens. Edward makes his appearance at the end of the novella, referred to as the "redheaded mind reader" by Bree Tanner. Right before she dies, she uses her thoughts to tell him what she knows about Jane and Victoria's agreement, and also asks him to be nice to her surviving friend, Fred, if they ever cross paths in the future.

In Eclipse and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Edward tells the Volturi that Bree didn't know what she was doing and invites her into their coven, but the Volturi disagree. In the movie Eclipse, Carlisle and Esme are the ones to speak up.

Breaking Dawn

"It would be hard to find someone less sad than I am now. Impossible, I'd venture. Not many people get every single thing they want, plus all the things they didn't think to ask for, in the same day." ―Edward on his happiness[src]

Near the beginning of Breaking Dawn, Edward marries Bella in a beautiful ceremony orchestrated by Alice. There is, however, a disturbance: Jacob's unexpected arrival, who eventually becomes violent towards Bella when he finds out that Edward is going to make love to her before turning her, as he fears that Edward will kill her. Soon after, Edward and Bella spend their honeymoon on Isle Esme, a small island presented to Esme by Carlisle. They consummate their marriage, but Edward's passionate lovemaking sparks a fight between the newlywed couple: Edward is horrified that he has bruised and battered his new wife, but she insists that she is fine and wants Edward to make love to her again. He vows not to do so again while she is still human, but eventually gives in and is glad to know that he has managed to avoid bruising Bella again. They spend their honeymoon hiking in the jungles, diving and keeping themselves occupied with all kinds of games. After a short period of time, Bella becomes very sick, and realizes that she is pregnant when she discovers a box of unused tampons. Bella soon receives a phone call from Alice, and asks to speak to Carlisle. Edward soon falls into shock when he listens to their conversation. He realizes that what grows inside Bella needs to be killed.

Edward rushes Bella off the island to see Carlisle, who confirms she is expecting his child. Edward fears that the pregnancy will kill her, and, unable to stand the thought, he tries to convince her into having an abortion. However, she feels a bond with her unborn child and insists on giving birth. Edward doesn't give up so easily, going as far as to ask Jacob if he would conceive a child with Bella. The baby, however, eventually wins Edward over; when old enough, is able to let him hear its thoughts, and he is both shocked and delighted to find out that it already loves the two of them. Bella nearly dies giving birth in an emergency c-section, but Edward successfully delivers his baby girl with Jacob's help, whom Bella had named Renesmee. Edward then injects his venom into Bella's heart, thus healing her wounds by turning her into a vampire. During Bella's painful transformation, Jacob goes crazy with rage when he thinks she is dead. Irrationally blaming Renesmee, he tries to kill her, but ends up imprinting on her instead.

In the movie, when the Uley pack attempts to destroy his daughter, Edward rushes to stop them with Alice and Jasper. They were initially outnumbered, but the rest of their family come to their aid in seconds, and then the Black pack. Through Jacob's thoughts, he learns that he had imprinted on his daughter.

During Bella's transformation, Edward sits patiently by her side, waiting for her to recover. He is also relieved by the renewed peace between the wolves and his family, and more importantly, the arrival of their half-human daughter; but incredibly irritated by Jacob's imprinting on her.

When Bella wakes up from her transformation, Edward takes her out on her first hunt so she won't attack Renesmee. He is impressed by her ability to resist the smell of human blood, but still irritated by his inability to read her mind. They are also given a cottage renovated by Esme as a present. Edward and Bella are extremely annoyed by Jacob's imprinting on Renesmee, but they later accept that it was involuntary. By this time, Edward and Jacob appear to have become friends, who does them a "favor" by telling Charlie about the supernatural world but restrains from telling him about vampires, which allows the Cullens to stay in Forks for a while longer.

Three months later, Irina, of the Denali coven, reports Renesmee to the Volturi as an immortal child, whose creation is forbidden. The Volturi gather their entire guard against the Cullens. In the month it takes for them to arrive, the Cullens turn to all their allies (the La Push werewolves, the Denali Coven, and numerous other vampires) for assistance. When the Volturi finally arrive, the confrontation comes close to a fight. Bella's gift becomes apparent in the fact that she can protect her and others around her from the Volturi's mental attacks. This causes the Volturi to rethink their position. In the end, however, the Volturi are convinced that Renesmee is not a threat, and they leave. With the confrontation over, Edward, Bella and Renesmee are free to live their lives, though they suspect it may not be forever.[3]

At the end of the story, while alone with Edward, Bella removes her shield, allowing him to read her mind for the first time and realizing how much she truly loves him, which brings them even closer. And from then on, their happily ever after begins.

Physical appearance

"Time had not made me immune to the perfection of his face, and I was sure that I would never take any aspect of him for granted. My eyes traced over his pale white features: the hard square of his jaw, the softer curve of his full lips—twisted in a smile now, the straight line of his nose, the top of his forehead—partially obscured by the tangle of rain-darkened bronze hair…" ―Bella Swan[src]

Edward is noted to be extremely attractive. Bella has often described his appearance as similar to the mythical Greek god, Adonis. His facial features are described as perfect and angular—high cheekbones, a strong jawline, perfect eyebrows, a straight nose and full lips. His untidy hair retains the unusual bronze shade that he inherited from his biological mother, Elizabeth Masen. His eyes, once green, are now described as topaz or liquid gold. His appearance changes if he goes long without feeding: his eyes darken, becoming onyx black, and purple bruise-like shadows appear beneath his eyes. Edward stands at 6'2", and has a thin and lanky but muscular body, remaining frozen physically at 17 years old, though he is technically over a hundred.

He usually wears light colored clothes accompanied by a light beige leather jacket.

In the book The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Bree called Edward by "redhead mind reader", as she never knew his name.

Personality and traits

"I'm nothing if not traditional." ―Edward[src]

Edward is usually described as brooding and stubborn, but also very kind and compassionate. Bella also describes him as charming, polite, and determined. He easily dazzles human females with his beauty, scent and body, and persuades them to do his bidding. He always puts Bella's safety, humanity and welfare before anything else, and goes to great lengths to protect her from what he sees as danger. Edward is also a bit of a romantic at heart. He often over analyzes situations and has a tendency to overreact, especially in situations where Bella's safety is potentially at risk - evident in his decision to disable her vehicle to prevent her from visiting the emotionally unstable Jacob Black.

He retains some of the traditional mindset and outdated speech from his human life in the early 20th century. The development of Edward Cullen's character was influenced by Gilbert Blythe, Fitzwilliam Darcy, and Edward Rochester―particularly the latter, who, like him, sees himself as a "monster".[4] Edward puts his free time to great use. Since vampires do not sleep, he employs the night hours reading books and studying languages, science, business and music, becoming a virtuoso on the piano he owns in his house. As a human, he learned to play the piano and became a very well-playing pianist. This trait was carried on to his transformation, and as a result he has a liking to composing something that comes passionately. Edward enjoys listening to a wide range of music, including classical, jazz, progressive metal, alternative rock, punk rock, but he dislikes country. He prefers indie rock to mainstream, and appreciates rock and classical music equally. He surprises Bella in an early car ride by having Debussy in his CD player.[5] Edward mentions in Twilight that he likes music from the fifties better than the sixties, and dislikes the seventies entirely and comments that the eighties were "just bearable". He never comments on the music from his own teen years, as well as the twenties swing music which came a few years after his turning.

Edward and his family all enjoy driving fast. He has a hobby of collecting cars.[5] He owns a Volvo S60R, which becomes a C30 in the movie adaptation, and an Aston Martin Vanquish as a "special occasion" car. He also gave his sister Alice a yellow Porsche 911 Turbo as a gift in Eclipse. He bought a motorcycle to ride alongside Bella, but gave it to Jasper after realizing that this was something she did with Jacob. Esme described him as a gentleman. Although Edward appears convinced of his own soulless status, Bella noted that he must believe on some level that he possesses a soul as, when he saw her in Volterra while believing that she was dead, his automatic assumption was that he had gone to Heaven with her rather than that she was still alive.

Stephenie Meyer explains that Edward started out as a pessimistic character. He always thought of himself as an abomination of nature, not deserving happiness nor believing that his relationship with Bella would last, until he gave her a daughter and brought Bella more happiness than he could have ever imagined. To him, Bella's happiness was everything; furthermore, he was the one who gave her that. At the end of Breaking Dawn, he has become a much more positive person and fearlessly faces the Volturi.[6]

Powers and abilities

Edward is the fastest vampire in the Cullen family. He is also a skilled fighter in the Cullen coven, though for his speed rather than being the strongest. As a vampire, he has sharp senses, superhuman strength, speed, endurance, healing factor, and agility. He describes himself as the most dangerous predator in the world whereas his appearance, scent and voice are enormously attractive to his prey, so much so that he occasionally sends Bella into a daze entirely by accident. Edward explains that vampires do not need to breathe, though they often do so out of habit and to retain their ability to smell. He cannot digest human food, and compares its attractiveness for him to the prospect of eating dirt for a regular person. He also compares his family's "vegetarian" diet to a human only eating tofu, as it gives them the same strength as human blood but never fully satisfies them.

Telepathy

Main article: Telepathy

"I can read every mind in this room. Apart from yours." ―Edward to Bella on his gift[src]

Edward possesses the gift to read the thoughts of those around him. His gift is different from Aro's, which is limited by his need to touch the target and can access every thought a person has ever had. Aro is intrigued by Edward's power because he can read people's thoughts from a distance and what is going through their mind at that moment, and wishes to make him part of the Volturi guard. However, Edward has no interest of belonging to any authority.

Edward's power seemingly comes from his dormant ability to read people as a human, which became a supernatural talent when he became a vampire. He can hear all "voices" in close proximity with him, but has learned to block out the ones he is uninterested in by focusing on one voice or something in particular. Edward mentions that his ability is like being in a room where everyone is talking at once. He can tune out the "voices" so that it's just a low buzzing in the background.

The closer and more familiar he is to a person, the farther away he can reach that person's mind when he wants to, but can only keep track of them within a few miles. He mentions in Twilight that he can use it to dismiss people who feel attraction toward him and his family. He can also telepathically experience Alice's visions and keep track of a shape-shifter's telepathic link to his pack when he is within range. However, Bella Swan is the first exception to his gift as she is shielded from psychic powers, which is part of what made him curious about her when they first met.

Relationships

Edward Cullen is the husband of Bella Swan and the father of Renesmee Cullen, as well as the son of Edward and Elizabeth Masen. He is also the son-in-law of Charlie Swan and Renée Dwyer and the stepson-in-law of Phil Dwyer. He is the adoptive son of Carlisle and Esme Cullen and the adoptive brother of Emmett, Alice, Rosalie and Jasper.

Edward's relationship with his biological parents was very old-fashioned. He loved them, especially his mother. In New Moon, Carlisle mentions that it was Elizabeth who made up his mind to transform Edward into a vampire, in order to save his life.

Bella Swan

Main article: Bella Swan and Edward Cullen

"I struggled to find the words to name the feelings that flooded through me, but I had no words strong enough to hold them. For a long moment, I drowned in them."

"When I resurfaced, I was not the same man I had been."

"My life was an unending, unchanging midnight. It must, by necessity, always be midnight for me. So how was it possible that the sun was rising now, in the middle of my midnight?" ―Edward describing his newfound feelings for Bella Swan[src]

Bella Swan is Edward's wife. Edward had a strong attraction to Bella's blood, making it extremely difficult for him to even be in her presence. The Volturi called Bella, in their own words, his la tua cantante or his "singer". For Edward, Bella is the center of his existence.

Early on in Twilight, Edward struggled to stay away from Bella in an attempt to protect her, but he eventually convinced himself that his lust for her scent was a budding love for her despite his apprehensions. For this reason Edward sees himself as selfish, knowing that he should stay away from Bella for her safety, but not being able to bring himself to do it. He also finds her interesting due to his inability to read her mind, and often surprises him with actions and thoughts that never quite go the way he expects. Even though he gets to know her better, he is constantly frustrated by his inability to read her thoughts. While Bella is human, he has to constantly keep himself in control to protect her, for even a simple touch he could kill her. He confesses to himself that by meeting Bella, he has found the human side that was long ago buried under.

When he thought she was dead in New Moon, he found himself devastated and broken, which later improved his ability to maintain absolute control of his lust for her blood. As much as he loved her, Edward was averse to changing Bella into a vampire, despite her strong desire to become one, because of his belief that vampires are soulless creatures. However, in New Moon he agrees to do so after they are married, and she eventually accepts his proposal in Eclipse. Bella and Edward marry in the beginning of Breaking Dawn, and Edward later changes her into a vampire with venom straight to the heart to keep her from dying from childbirth. By changing Bella into a vampire, Edward is able to touch her without worrying about hurting her.

At the end of Breaking Dawn, Edward and Bella are free to live their lives with their daughter, Renesmee "Nessie" Carlie Cullen. Bella learns to remove her "shield", allowing Edward to read her thoughts for the first time, bringing the two of them closer to each other.

Renesmee Cullen

"She's like nothing else in the world." ―Edward on Renesmee[src]

Renesmee Cullen is Edward's half-human half-vampire hybrid daughter, whom he fathered with Bella.

When Edward first finds out that Bella is pregnant, he hates the baby for hurting Bella and wishes to abort it as soon as possible, but when it develops enough to have a mind for Edward to read, he hears that the baby already loves them both and does not intentionally want to hurt Bella. In that moment, his hatred for his child vanishes and is replaced with deep newfound love. He is the one who delivers Renesmee during Bella's life-threatening labor. After she was born, Edward thinks of her as one of the most beautiful creatures he has ever seen, second to Bella. Although he finds it annoying to nickname his daughter "Nessie", he begins to adjust to it after hearing it in everyone's thoughts. Edward puts his love for Renesmee on an equal level to his love for Bella.

Renesmee, showing the opposite version of his power, can allow people to read her thoughts by touching them, though Edward's telepathy allows him to hear her thoughts from a distance. He also seems content that Renesmee has inherited Bella's human eyes, which he comments as "beautiful".

Two months later, Irina mistakes Renesmee for an immortal child and reports to the Volturi of the crime. Edward and Bella stay with Renesmee while the others set out to locate their friends to help witness in their favor.

During their confrontation with the Volturi, Edward hears Renesmee's mind and realizes that Bella has decided to hand her to Jacob's care in order to help her escape. This forces Edward to share a sad moment with his daughter before a potential battle commenced. This doesn't happen, however, and the three are able to live peaceful lives once again. After learning from half-vampire Nahuel that Renesmee will reach full maturity at the age of seven, his initial worry of his daughter's growth disappears.

Jacob Black

"Goodbye, Jacob… my brother. My son." ―Edward to Jacob[src]

Jacob Black is Edward's rival-turned-companion. In Twilight, they only interact at the end, though they are already unpleasant towards each other. After changing into a "werewolf", Jacob develops antagonistic feelings towards Edward because wolves and vampires are mortal enemies. This hatred was also due to the fact that they both developed romantic feelings for Bella. The only thing kept them from killing each other was the treaty that Carlisle made with Jacob's ancestor decades ago.

Jacob eventually declares his feelings for Bella, becoming Edward's rival for her love. Although Edward never liked Jacob, he doesn't feel true hatred towards him, even when he sees Bella kissing Jacob, which is also the moment she realizes she has feelings for him as well. Edward even shows extreme concern for Jacob’s well-being, shown by his reaction when Jacob is injured by a newborn vampire, although this is only because he knows Jacob’s pain would affect Bella. When Bella tells Jacob that she had chosen Edward, Jacob's hatred for Edward reaches its peak while Edward regrets the pain that Jacob is in.

They find common ground in their mutual hatred toward Bella's unborn baby, as both wish to kill it to save her. However, after Edward develops love for the child, Jacob feels betrayed and hurt. Edward later asks for Jacob's permission to change Bella into a vampire to save her, which he agrees moments before she went into life-threatening labor.

After Jacob unintentionally imprints on his newborn daughter, Renesmee, his hatred for Edward disappears, but Edward develops hatred and irritation for this incident. He eventually learns to accept that Jacob is made for his daughter.

When the stand against the Volturi looks like it is going to turn into a fight, Edward says goodbye to Jacob, referring to him as his "son". The situation, however, doesn't turn violent, and by the end of book there is no longer any hostility between Edward and Jacob.

Carlisle Cullen

"I knew that he would forgive me for this horrible act that I would do. Because he loved me. Because he thought I was better than I was. And he would still love me, even as I now proved him wrong." ―Edward on Carlisle Cullen[src]

Carlisle Cullen is Edward's adoptive father and creator. He changed Edward into a vampire in 1918 during the second wave of the Spanish influenza, after the passing of his both parents. Edward was initially resentful of Carlisle for turning him into a monster, and used his compassion against him. After Esme joined their family, he left on his own and fed on humans, but a few years later, he developed guilt over his murders and returned to Carlisle and Esme.

Since then, Edward has learned to praise his father for his discipline and compassion for human and vampire beings, which allows him to sustain on animal blood rather than human. He always does his best to live up to Carlisle's expectations, even though he knows that he wouldn't be blamed for making a mistake.

Edward considers Carlisle the best father anyone could ever have because of his kindness and generosity. He has also given Edward the love that he never received from his real father, who was physically and emotionally distant compared to Carlisle.

In New Moon, while Edward thought Bella was dead and went to the Volturi to get himself killed, he considered multiple options to provoke them, including killing in public. But in the end, he decides to show himself to the humans during sunlight. Part of his decision comes from Carlisle's discipline.

Esme Cullen

"If Carlisle was the soul of our family, then Esme was the heart." ―Edward on Esme Cullen[src]

Esme Cullen is Edward's adoptive mother. Initially, they faked themselves as siblings. But after Esme and Carlisle fell in love, she became his mother. Since Edward's natural mother passed, Esme became his substitute. Edward loves her from the bottom of his cold heart, and hates to cause her pain, for instance, when he leaves for Alaska to avoid Bella's compulsive scent. He finds hurting her inexcusable, because she is always generous, tender and soft.

Esme admits to Bella that Edward means more to her than the rest of her "children", because he was her first son since she became a vampire, and is very thankful that he has found love in Bella. She is also very supportive of their relationship. She especially enjoys hearing Edward play the piano.

In the movie adaptation of Twilight, he introduces Esme to Bella as his mother "for all intents and purposes".

Alice Cullen

"How can someone so tiny be so annoying?" ―Edward on Alice Cullen[src]

Alice Cullen is Edward's youngest adoptive sister, of whom Edward is very fond, because she is fun to be around and is most understanding. Of all siblings, Edward is closest to her. He likes her as a sister because she adapted to him quite well. She also helped him with his sadness over not having a mate. Edward always said to Bella that he likes Alice the most because she helped him get over things and was really a lot of fun to be around. Another reason to why they are so close is because he can understand her burdens of constantly having visions of the future.

They sometimes share secretive, one-way conversations to keep others out, although Emmett would notice now and then and get frustrated. They share secret conversations so often that they've developed their own 'secret' sign language, making it almost unnoticeable when they're conversing.

After Alice and Bella stopped his suicide attempt, he promises to give Alice a Yellow Porsche, which he does in Eclipse.

Another reason they are closer is because Edward's telepathy allows him to experience Alice's visions every now and then. When Alice left with Jasper in Breaking Dawn, he is pained by her decision but decides to respect her choice. But they return one month later, with witnesses to help them testify against the Volturi.

Rosalie Hale

"Rosalie was thinking, as usual, about herself. She'd caught sight of her profile in the reflection of someone's glasses, and she was mulling over her own perfection. Rosalie's mind was a shallow pool with few surprises." ―Edward's thought on Rosalie's mind[src]

Rosalie Hale is Edward's first adoptive sister. She was changed into a vampire by Carlisle Cullen after he found her near death in the street. She has blonde hair and is described as the most beautiful woman in the world. Carlisle had originally hoped that she would be a romantic companion for Edward. However, their feelings for each other remained those of loyal siblings, and Rosalie eventually fell in love with Emmett Cullen instead. Rosalie maintains a deep irritation by the fact that Edward never showed any romantic interest in her, but she remains loyal to him as a sister.

Edward mainly dislikes her self-absorbed and shallow mind, which was what repelled him from her from the beginning. Of all four siblings he shares a connection with, his relationship to Rosalie is never on the best of terms.

Their relationship strains at times in Breaking Dawn, when Rosalie guards Bella and unborn Renesmee from the rest of their family, including Edward, who wishes to abort the baby as soon as possible, but it returns to normal once Edward learns to accept Renesmee, if not closer.

Emmett Cullen

"No one had a better brother than mine." ―Edward on Emmett[src]

Emmett Cullen is Edward's adoptive brother, who was physically 3 years older than him when he transformed. Emmett joined their family in 1935 after Rosalie saved him from a bear and Carlisle changed him to save his life. Over time, they have grown into a close relationship as brothers, though Edward finds him annoying at times due to his dark humor. Edward enjoys wrestling and practicing martial arts with his brother as well as going on hunting trips together on a regular basis, along with Jasper, who joined their family in 1950. He doesn't find himself intrusive to Emmett's mind, because he always expresses his thoughts and desires.

When Edward first thirsted for Bella's blood, Emmett considered telling him to simply kill her and get it over with, but he dismissed it. After he started showing his feelings for Bella, Emmett constantly mocked him for having become crazy with obsession.

The three brothers are quite capable in martial arts; Emmett is known as the physically strongest member, the third fastest (after Edward and Jasper) and the third best fighter (after Jasper and Edward). Edward is only able to beat his brother due to his ability to read minds, which allows him to read his opponent's thoughts and parry Emmett's attacks. Emmett has remarked that if he weren't telepathic, he would definitely be able to beat him.

Edward has described Emmett in the Midnight Sun draft as the best brother in the world, and owes Rosalie for saving him in the first place.

Jasper Hale

Jasper Hale is Edward's second adoptive brother.

He and Alice joined their family in 1950. He has always thought of himself as the weakest link due to his old background and is often comforted by Edward on this fact. They enjoy playing wrestling with each other, and hunting together on a regular basis, along with Emmett. When the Cullens and Edward left in New Moon, Jasper felt saddened from reading the emotions coming off Edward and how lonely and heartbroken he was without Bella.

The three brothers are quite capable in martial arts. Jasper is known as the truly strongest fighter among them and he shows off his skills in Eclipse, but is only the second fastest (after Edward) and the second strongest (after Emmett), but he lost the "fight" against Alice. Edward is only an equally strong opponent to Jasper, due to his ability to read his mind to anticipate his moves. If he did not have telepathy to his aid, Jasper would have easily beaten him.

Since Jasper is not used to their lifestyle, he often has a hard time being around humans, and Edward and Alice are always by his side to help him maintain control, by reading his mind and predicting his moves. Jasper finds this annoying, which is why he enjoyed seeing Edward get the same treatment when he first met Bella.

Tanya

"I think you will go back. No matter what it is… or who it is… that is haunting you. You'll face it head on. You're the type." ―Tanya to Edward[src]

Tanya is a strawberry-blonde vampire who lives in Denali, Alaska with her family, the only other known group of vampires who, like the Cullens, have chosen not to feed on the blood of human beings.

Tanya's family think of themselves as cousins to the Cullens, due to their diet. She expressed an interest in Edward when they first met, but he turned her down politely. In Twilight, Edward goes to Alaska to escape the urge of killing Bella. Tanya helps Edward get through his problems and convince him to go back to Forks and face his obstacles. Edward later tells Bella that Tanya poses no threat to their relationship, teasing Bella that he has always preferred brunettes.

When she finds out that Edward is marrying Bella, she seems slightly disappointed, but accepts his choice. She also continues to think of him as part of her family, with her affections seemingly faded. This is what prompts her to willingly testify for his family and protect his daughter, Renesmee.

Seth Clearwater

"Man, you can cook." ―Seth Clearwater to Edward[src]

Seth Clearwater is one of the youngest wolves of the Quileute wolf packs.

Originally, there was no interaction between Edward and Seth. When the wolves and the Cullens agreed to join together to fight Victoria's army, Seth and Edward ended up fighting side-by-side against Victoria and Riley. After defeating them, there was clearly no hostility between Edward and Seth, despite the fact that wolves and vampires were natural born enemies. They find it easier to cope with one another because of their will to protect humans, unlike most vampires.

By Breaking Dawn, Seth and Edward have become close friends. This friendship is part of the reason Seth joins Jacob's pack in his revolt against Sam's authority as Alpha when Sam decides to launch an unprovoked attack on the Cullens. Seth also stands with Edward and his family when the Volturi arrive to destroy them.

Charlie Swan

"His thoughts were partially concealed, not absent. I could only make out the tenor, the tone of them..." ―Edward's realization of Bella and Charlie's similar mental defense.[src]

Charlie Swan is Edward's father-in-law. Even though Charlie liked the Cullens, he became a little defensive when Edward started dating his daughter, Bella. His dislike grew into hatred when Edward and his family left Forks, inducing in Bella in an emotional depression that lasted for half a year. Though his return made her normal again, Charlie's dislike of him continued, but he came to respect his daughter's choice, even walking her down the aisle to marry Edward.

They grew closer to each other after he was introduced to the supernatural world, now being able to see Edward, Bella, and Renesmee more often. Near the end of Breaking Dawn, he receives a sonar system as Christmas present from Edward, which he gladly accepts.

Renée Dwyer

"The way he watches you. It's like he's willing to leap in front of you and take a bullet or something... You're different with him. He moves, you move. Like magnets." ―Renée to Bella about Edward's attachment to her.[src]

Renée Dwyer is Edward's mother-in-law. Unlike Charlie, she has accepted him ever since she first met him at the hospital in Phoenix where Bella was institutionalized after a near-death attack from James. Renee has accepted the fact that he and Bella will be a package, and wholeheartedly supports their teen marriage and attends their wedding.

Edward finds her thoughts very childish, but notes that she has a clear view about the world.

Angela Weber

Angela Weber is Edward's schoolmate when he was living in Forks. They had literature and biology classes together while attending Forks High School.

Edward takes a special liking of Angela for her naturally good heart and kindness toward Bella, and considers her a friend worth having. Even before Bella's arrival, he had always noticed her unusual kindness.

To repay her, he secretly schemes her love interest, Ben Cheney, into finding the courage to ask her out.

Etymology

Stephenie Meyer said that she wanted a name that was romantic, and used Charlotte Brontë's Mr. Rochester and Jane Austen's Mr. Ferrars as Edward's namesakes.

Film portrayal

Edward is portrayed by British actor Robert Pattinson throughout the franchise.

Stephenie Meyer claimed on her website that "The only actor I've ever seen who I think could come close to pulling off Edward Cullen is Henry Cavill."[7] She also felt that any actor who portrayed him must be younger than 21. However, she also noted that neither she nor the fans could choose the actor. In the end, Rob was cast as Edward Cullen in the film adaptation of Twilight. He reprised his role in all sequels. Since his character was American, Pattinson had to imitate an American accent for the films.

Appearances

Mentioned in

References

See also







