Edward Cullen is a fictional character from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. Cullen is a vegetarian vampire who finds resisting flesh easy, until he meets a beautiful young woman named Bella Swan, whom he falls in love with.Twilight Lexicon: Edward Cullen

The brooding vampire, who was born a human back in 1901, finds immense conflict in loving the mortal Bella, whose safety is greatly in jeopardy in the presence of so many vampires. Throughout Edward's story he must reconcile this concern with his deep love for Bella, whom he has been waiting over one hundred years to meet and love. Further tormenting Edward is Bella's desire to be converted into a vampire.

Edward manages to temper his worry by attempting to leave Bella, and later refusing to turn her into a vampire until the situation has become life-or-death. Edward is eventually able to find happiness in eternal existence with Bella, who becomes not only a vampire, but also his wife, and mother to their daughter, Renesmee Cullen.

• Biological Father: Edward Masen, Sr.
• Biological Mother: Elizabeth Masen
• Adoptive Father: Carlisle Cullen
• Adoptive Mother: Esme Cullen
• Adoptive Sisters: Alice Cullen and Rosalie Hale
• Adoptive Brothers: Jasper Hale and Emmett Cullen
• Spouse: Bella Swan
• Children: Renesmee Carlie Cullen
• Father-In-Law: Charlie Swan
• Mother-In-Law: Renee Dwyer

Edward Cullen was born as a human to wealthy parents, Edward and Elizabeth Masen. The family resided in Chicago, IL, where Edward Sr. worked as a lawyer, and lead a relatively uneventful existence against the backdrop of WWI. But in September of 1918, the Spanish Influenza epidemic struck, claiming the lives of both of Edward's parents. As her dying wish, Elizabeth Masen pleaded to her attending doctor, Carlisle Cullen, to save her son, Edward, who was also on death's door. Dr. Cullen reluctantly agreed and changed Edward into a vampire.

Edward was adopted by Carlisle, but kept living in the world of humans, repeatedly attending high school, and even completing medical school twice.

As a vampire, he hated killing and swore off human flesh. He stuck to his strict anti-human diet until he met the girl of his dreams, Bella Swan. They attended the same school and the scent of her blood sent him into a frenzy. Their relationship and struggles of adolescence served as the center of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.Twilight Lexicon: Edward Cullen

Throughout most of the Twilight series, Edward Cullen is at odds with Bella Swan's best friend, Jacob Black. Jacob is a Native American teenage boy who is part of the Quileute tribe.StephenieMeyer.com: New Moon The Story

Jacob tells Bella near the beginning of Twilight about a Quileute tribal legend that alludes to Edward and his family being vampires.Twilight Lexicon: Edward Cullen

In New Moon, not only does Jacob transform into a werewolf for the first time, he falls in love with Bella as well. However, Bella only sees Jacob as a friend.StephenieMeyer.com: New Moon The Story Even though Bella isn't interested in Jacob romantically, he still worries for her safety because he's afraid she'll be turned into a vampire. There's a treaty between the Quileute werewolves and the vampires that states if a vampire bites a human, a war will erupt between them.Twilight Lexicon: Edward Cullen

In Eclipse, Bella comes to the realization that she also loves Jacob, but her feelings aren't as strong for him as they are for Edward. As a result, Jacob flees the area.

In Breaking Dawn, Jacob returns to Forks for Edward and Bella's wedding. By the end of the book, a friendship between Edward and Jacob is forged following the birth of Edward and Bella's daughter, Renesmee.

• Twilight
• New Moon
• Eclipse
• Breaking Dawn
• Midnight Sun

• Twilight Lexicon: Full Twilight Series Timeline

• June 20, 1901: Born

• 1918: Became a vampire

• 1927-1931: Leaves the Cullens to try other ways of life

• 2003: The Cullens move to Forks, Washington

• January 2005: Meets Bella Swan and becomes enchanted by her smell

• March 16, 2005: Drinks Bella's Blood to save her life

• September 15, 2005: Cullen family moves away from Forks

• March 16, 2006: Sets off for Italy to petition to Volturi to kill him

• March 18, 2006: Bella saves him

• March 22, 2006: Proposes to Bella

• June 11, 2006: Graduates high school

• June 13, 2006: Bella finally accepts his marriage proposal

• June 15, 2006: Newborn vampires attack Forks | Vampires and werewolves work together

• August 2006: Scheduled to marry Bella

"It would be more… prudent for you not to be my friend. But I’m tired of trying to stay away from you, Bella." (Edward Cullen, p. 84, T)

"I decided as long as I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly." (Edward Cullen, p. 87, T)

"What if I’m not a superhero? What if I’m the bad guy?" (Edward Cullen, p.92, T)

"Honestly — I’ve seen corpses with better color. I was concerned that I might have to avenge your murder." (Edward Cullen, p.99, T)

"I can’t be sure, of course, but I’d compare it to living on tofu and soy milk; we call ourselves vegetarians, our little inside joke." (Edward Cullen, p.188, T)

"If you’ve ever seen a bear attack on television, you should be able to visualize Emmett hunting." (Edward Cullen, p.216, T)

"They gave you a few transfusions. I didn’t like it — it made you smell all wrong for a while." (Edward Cullen, p.460)

"Mistake after mistake. Could he have destroyed his own happiness any more thoroughly?" (Edward Cullen, p.17, NM)

"Anyway, you don’t irritate the Volturi. Not unless you want to die—or whatever it is we do." (Edward Cullen, p .20, NM)

"Well, I won’t forget. But my kind… we’re very easily distracted." (Edward Cullen, p.72, NM)

"They have a name for someone who smells the way Bella does to me. They call her my singer—because her blood sings for me." (Edward Cullen, p.490, NM)

"Don’t worry. You’re human—your memory is no more than a sieve. Time heals all wounds for your kind." (Edward Cullen, p.71, NM)

"After all the thousand times I’ve told you I love you, how could you let one word break your faith in me?" (Edward Cullen, p.510, NM)

"Well, I’m nearly a hundred and ten. It’s time I settled down." (Edward Cullen, p.540, NM)