The Olympic Coven (Cullen Clan)

"And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town... They all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those eyes - purplish, bruise-like shadows. As if they were all suffering from a sleepless night... Their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful."

―Bella on seeing the Cullens for the first time

The Olympic Coven, better known as the Cullen family, Cullen clan, or Cullen coven, is a coven of vegetarian vampires. It consists of Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Emmett, and Edward Cullen, as well as Rosalie and Jasper Hale. Later in the series, Bella Swan and her daughter with Edward, Renesmee Cullen, also become members of the coven.

They are known to be very loyal to each other and put more value on human life than most other vampires. Abstaining from human blood takes the competitive aspect out of their hunting instincts, and as a result allows them to form stronger family bonds than traditional vampires. They currently live in Forks, Washington, which they have no plans of leaving, unless forced to.

The Cullens prefer to stay in one place as long as possible, choosing cloudy climates where they can go outside during the day without revealing their inhuman nature. But after 6-7 years, they are forced to move on before their lack of aging is noticed. They own several residences so that they can return to places they have especially enjoyed - but only after enough time has passed that they won't be recognized as the same people who once lived there.

Each member maintains several well-tended identities, complete with documents to support them, which allows the Cullens to establish themselves in new locations as necessary.

Each time the Cullens move to a new place, the relationships they claim to share with one another may shift, too. In one place, two members might pose as father and adopted son, in another, brothers, or uncle and nephew. Regardless, the bonds of love and respect between them are the same.

They form four couples: Carlisle and Esme, Edward and Bella, Emmett and Rosalie, Alice and Jasper. Edward, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett were turned by Carlisle, Jasper by a vampire named Maria and Alice by an unknown vampire at a mental asylum. Bella was turned by Edward, seconds after giving birth to their daughter Renesmee.

The Cullens are the second largest and most powerful vampire coven, with only the Volturi ranking higher in number and power, but more mature and stable than most of the others, a result of abstaining from human blood.

History

Early lives

Carlisle stayed with the Volturi for a time.

Carlisle Cullen: Born in 1643 in England, Carlisle Cullen is the founder of the Olympic Coven. At a time when humankind believed in mythical creatures, he was tasked by his father to hunt evil creatures. He then found an actual coven of vampires and was bitten by one when he led a mob to kill them. He was repulsed when he realized what had happened to him, and tried many times to kill himself, though ultimately unsuccessful. He eventually found that he could survive on a diet of animal blood without harming human beings, and so began to practice feeding only on animals.

He traveled to Europe and eventually found the Volturi. After staying with them for two decades, he left because he was unwilling to feed on humans, which they endlessly attempted to entice him to. He eventually found his way to America, and became a doctor.

Carlisle and Edward in 1918.

Edward Masen, Jr: In 1918, Carlisle was working night shifts in a Chicago hospital, when Spanish Influenza hit the city. Among the many people who were dying from it, there was a 17-year old boy named Edward Anthony Masen, Jr. After being unable to save his parents, Carlisle decided to turn him, partly out of loneliness and partly because Edward's mother, Elizabeth asked him to do anything he could to save Edward. Carlisle realized Edward's power soonafter his transformation. They began to travel together, using the cover story of Edward being the younger brother of Carlisle's late wife.

Esme Platt-Evenson: In 1921, Carlisle changed a young 26-year old woman named Esme Anne Platt Evenson to save her from dying after an attempted suicide. They first met each other in 1911 when Carlisle treated her broken leg. This encounter made an impact on each other so much that neither of them forgot the other. Carlisle and Esme fell in love and later on got married.

In between 1927 and 1931, Edward left Esme and Carlisle to try a vampire/vigilante lifestyle, preying only on the worst people in society while avoiding the innocent. His first victim was Esme's abusive ex-husband. Over time, however, his guilt of these justifiable murders compelled him to return to them and drink animal blood again.

Rosalie Hale: While living in New York in 1933, Carlisle changed an 18-year old girl named Rosalie Lillian Hale after she was nearly killed by her drunken fiancé and his friends. He intended for her to be Edward's mate, but their relationship never advanced beyond that of siblings. Other than Carlisle, she was the only one who retained her surname. After getting her revenge on her fiancé and his friends, Rosalie begrudgingly joined their family.

The Cullens make a treaty with the Quileutes.

Emmett McCarty: In 1935, Rosalie found a young 20-year old man named Emmett McCarty being mauled by a bear. Rosalie carried him for miles to Carlisle, who then changed him into a vampire. Emmett and Rosalie soon fell in love. In 1936, the Cullens moved to Forks, where they ran into a pack of shape-shifters led by Ephraim Black. The two groups signed a treaty, agreeing to a truce as long as the Cullens lived there. The Cullen family moved away from Forks some time after this.

Jasper Whitlock and Mary Alice Brandon: Two more vampires, 19-year olds Mary Alice Brandon — known as Alice — and Jasper Whitlock, found the Cullens and joined them in 1950. Alice changed her surname to Cullen and Jasper changed his to Rosalie's surname of Hale, and out of the similarities in their appearance he poses as Rosalie's twin. This becomes their cover story while attending high school with humans.

The Cullen family encountered many vampire covens, but never found one that shared the same dietary on animal blood until they met the Denali Coven, and stayed with them for a while. They eventually began to attract too much attention - due to their similarities and the amount of numbers - and the Cullens moved back to Forks. By this time, the Cullens were aware that Ephraim and his pack were dead, but still respected the treaty by staying away from Quileute lands. 

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