The Cullen family weren’t the only vampires in the Twilight universe, and there were other covens with different lifestyles. Here’s every one of them.
Although the Cullen family is the main focus of the Twilight universe, there are other vampires as well that also live in covens, and here’s every group active by the time of the events of the series. In 2005, Stephenie Meyer shared her vision of vampires and werewolves in the novel Twilight, the first entry in a series of four books. The novel was a big success and quickly amassed a loyal fanbase, who defended the romance between vampire Edward Cullen and mortal Bella Swan and even divided into two factions: Team Edward and Team Jacob, this last one in support of Bella’s best friend (who also happened to be a werewolf) Jacob Black.
The Twilight series followed Edward and Bella as they overcame different obstacles, such as a clan of vampires named Volturi, an army of newborn vampires, and packs of werewolves, among those Jacob. As the story progresses, more vampires were introduced, especially as more and more learned about Edward Cullen’s relationship with a mortal and they have no plans to turn her into a vampire, which represents a threat to all vampires around the world. Readers and viewers met new clans of vampires in Breaking Dawn, as some of those close to the Cullens participated in Edward and Bella’s wedding and later joined forces with more groups to defend their daughter, Renesmee, who is a human/vampire hybrid.
In order to be a coven, it has to be a group of a minimum of three vampires, and in large covens, members can turn on each other for domination of blood (this among vampires that drink human blood, as they are wilder). Vampires don’t usually live and travel in covens as they prefer to do so alone or in pairs, mostly to avoid drawing too much attention. As “family” is one of the main themes in the Twilight novels and movies, covens were included when the Cullens needed help, and here’s every vampire clan and how they’re different from each other.
Olympic Coven
The Olympic Coven is best known as the Cullen family and consists of Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Edward, Bella (after her transformation in Breaking Dawn), and Renesmee. They are the second largest and most powerful coven, and also one of the most mature and stable in large part thanks to their diet consisting only of animal blood, thus calling themselves “vegetarians”. This lifestyle has also taught them to be loyal to each other and to value human life, which not all vampires do. By not drinking human blood, the competitive aspect of their hunting instincts has disappeared, resulting in stronger family bonds. The Olympic Coven prefers to stay in one place as long as possible, choosing places with cloudy climates so they can go out and live “normal” lives without revealing their true nature, but after some time they are forced to leave. This coven was founded by Carlisle and Edward, who initially used the cover story of Edward being the younger brother of Carlisle’s late wife.
Volturi Coven
The Volturi are the largest and most powerful coven of vampires, as well as the ones who enforce the laws of the vampire world, and they’re the equivalent of royalty. By the end of the Twilight series, the Volturi consists of five core members: Aro, Caius, Marcus, Sulpicia, and Athenodora, along with a bunch of followers, including a subgroup known as the “Volturi guard”, of which Jane and Alec are members. The Volturi feed on human blood, so their eyes are red as opposed to the Cullens’ golden eyes and have a list of rules to follow as their main purpose is to keep the secret society of vampires hidden from the human world. They reside in Volterra, Italy, and among their rules is that hunting is forbidden there, so their food has to be brought from outside. When they learned about Edward and Bella’s relationship, they tried to have her join the clan but she refused, after which they decided she had to die as she knew too much, but Alice convinced them that it was in Bella’s future to become a vampire. Years later, they went after Renesmee as they thought she was an immortal child, but they eventually left. The Volturi were founded by Aro and Marcus.
Denali Coven
The Denali Coven consists of Tanya, Kate, Garrett, Carmen, and Eleazar and takes its name from their residence: Denali, Alaska. Just like the Cullens, they are vegetarians and have a close bond with them, to the point where they consider themselves their extended family. The Denali Coven was founded by Sasha and Tanya, with the former being responsible for the latter’s transformation, along with Kate and Irina’s. Sasha was considered their mother, and after she was executed by the Volturi for creating an immortal child, Tanya took the role of leader.
