Edward Cullen
Type: Vampire
Special Ability: Hears the thoughts of others-with the exception of Bella Swan
About Them: Edward is known for being charming, polite, determined, and very stubborn. He is very protective over Bella and puts her safety, humanity, and welfare before anything else. He often over-analyzes situations and has a tendency to overreact-especially in situations where Bella's safety is at risk. He often uses outdated speech and grammar from his human life in the early 20th century. Edward is impossibly beautiful. His skin is "like marble"—very pale, ice cold, and sparkles like diamonds in the sunlight. His facial features are perfect and angular—high cheekbones, strong jawline, a straight nose, and full lips. His hair, which is always messy, retains the unusual bronze shade that he inherited in from his biological mother. His eyes, once green, are now described as gold.
Edward has certain unique abilities that are his alone. He is the fastest of the Cullens-able to outrun any of them and almost any other vampire alive. Perhaps as a result of a talent for empathy in his human life, Edward can now also read the mind of anyone within a few miles of himself; Bella is the sole exception to this rule, which Meyer has stated is due to Bella having a very private mind. Edward finds it very frustrating to not be able to read Bella’s thoughts; however, Bella prizes it very highly.
Edward is musical as he is able to play the piano like it is second nature. He enjoys a wide range of music, including classical, jazz, progressive metal, alternative rock, and punk rock, but dislikes country. He prefers indie rock to mainstream, and appreciates rock and classical music equally. He mentions in Twilight that he likes music from the fifties better than the sixties, dislikes the seventies, and says the eighties were "bearable." Edward also composes music and Esme always brightens up whenever she hears Edward playing or composing. In Twilight we hear of Esme’s favorite composition and the new song he composes for Bella: Bella’s Lullaby.
Edward has the expensive hobby of collecting cars. He owns a Volvo S60 R and an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish as a "special occasion" car. He also gives his sister, Alice, a Porsche 911 Turbo as a gift in Eclipse for holding Bella hostage while he was gone. He bought a motorcycle to ride alongside Bella, but gave it to Jasper after he realized that riding motorcycles was a hobby she enjoyed sharing with Jacob.
Their Early History: Edward Cullen, originally born Edward Anthony Masen, was actually born on June 20, 1901 in Chicago Illinois. He is the adopted son of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, the adopted brother of Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper, and the husband of Bella Swan. While dying of the Spanish influenza in 1918, Edward was changed into a vampire by Dr. Carlisle Cullen after Edward's mother, Elizabeth, begged him to save Edward as her dying wish. Carlisle instilled in him a sense of morality uncommon in most vampires, and central to his way of life is the refusal to consider humans as food. Being a stubborn person, Edward often struggles with himself and the way of life he leads during his younger years as a vampire. Carlisle had faith and love beyond measure with Edward however, and let him leave every time Edward decided to run off. In the end, Edward accepted who he was, and stayed with Carlisle as the family grew.
