- "Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars—points of light and reason… and then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn’t see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything."
- ―Edward Cullen to Bella[src]
Isabella Marie "Bella" Swan (later Cullen), was born to Charlie Swan and Renée Dwyer on September 13, 1987, and is the main character and the protagonist of the Twilight series. In Twilight, she is a 17 year old girl who transfers schools from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her father, Charlie, where she meets and falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen. In Breaking Dawn, she marries Edward and becomes a full member of the Olympic Coven. She is transformed into a vampire by Edward after nearly dying giving birth to their daughter, Renesmee Cullen, a vampire/human hybrid. Bella is the daughter-in-law of Edward's father and Elizabeth Masen, as well as the adoptive daughter-in-law of Carlisle and Esme Cullen. She is the adoptive sister-in-law of Alice Cullen, Emmett Cullen, Rosalie Hale and Jasper Hale.
As a human, Bella possessed a natural immunity to the mental powers of vampires. After her transformation into a vampire, she develops it into the ability to project a mental shield she can use to protect others from the mental powers of other vampires. Kate and Zafrina were pivotal in her mastery of this skill.
Contents[show] |
Biography
Edit
Early lifeEdit
Bella Swan was born on September 13, 1987, to Renée and Charlie Swan, a young couple living in the small town of Forks, Washington. Her parents divorced when she was only six months old, and Renée took Bella with her to Riverside, California, before moving to Phoenix, Arizona when Bella was five. Very little of Bella's life in Phoenix is mentioned, although she does allude to not fitting in very well at her old school, never having any romantic relationships nor many friends, and that she spent a lot of time with her mother. She mentions briefly taking piano lessons, which she complained about until her mother let her discontinue them, and having a few pet fish. It is also known that she used to take ballet lessons in a studio near her house, and that she wasn't much good; she was always placed, to her relief, in the back at recitals. The ballet studio will later be the site of a fight between Bella, Edward, and James. Bella is also known to have visited Forks in her past to spend time with Charlie. During these occasions, she also spent time with Rachel, Rebecca, and Jacob Black, the children of Charlie's friend Billy Black. Bella used to visit every summer, until she was fourteen years old. This was when she put her foot down, and Charlie went to California for two weeks every summer instead.
Added by Jeffereycullen14TwilightEdit
- Main article: Twilight
- "I've never given much thought to how I would die. But dying in the place of someone I love seemed like a good way to go."
- ―Bella's first quote in Twilight[src]
At the start of the first book, Bella's mother had recently married Phil Dwyer, a minor league baseball player who is much younger than herself. Phil travels a lot due to his profession, and Bella notices how much her mother wants to follow him in his travels. So, to make it easier for them, Bella moves back to her birth town of Forks, Washington, to live with her father Charlie Swan. She enrolls at Forks High School in the middle of her Junior year. She does not notice the physical attraction she holds for the males at the school. She makes a few new friends, including Jessica Stanley, Angela Weber, and Mike Newton, the latter of whom she later discovers is very interested in her.
The one group of people at Forks High School that truly intrigues Bella are the Cullens, a mysterious family consisting of five adopted children. Edward Cullen, in particular, captures her attention. His adopted siblings being Alice, a petite girl with black, pixie-cut hair, who has the ability to see the future; Jasper, her husband, who has the hardest time in the family abstaining from human blood; Emmett, a broad, extremely muscular vampire, who is married to Rosalie, a beautiful, self-absorbed woman. Edward soon finds himself being overprotective to Bella because of her uncanny attraction to accidents.
When a car was about to hit Bella, Edward shoves her away. She soon confronted him in the hospital after realizing that he was four cars away and it was impossible for him to get to her so fast. She was convinced afterwards that Edward wasn't just an ordinary human being. As the story progresses, a family friend, Jacob Black, informs Bella that the Cullens are supposedly vampires. However, they are different from other vampires in that they are "vegetarians", meaning they live off animal blood instead of human. Edward and Bella get to know each other better, and it turns out that it is hard for Edward to be near her, since he is particularly drawn by the scent of her blood. He must constantly control his desire, and he also finds that his mind reading capabilities do not work on her.
In another event, Edward rescues her from a gang of men in Port Angeles. While driving home, Bella told him about her theories on what he really was. 
Added by CullenLoverForever17Despite his desire for her blood, Edward and Bella fall passionately in love. Edward introduces her to his family, and soon after she is invited to watch their baseball game. During the game, danger reveals itself in the form of a visiting vampire coven consisting of Laurent, Victoria, and James. Victoria's mate, James, is a sadistic tracker vampire who has set his sights on killing Bella. He tricks her into coming to her old ballet studio with the sound of her mother's voice, and the Cullen family must rush to Bella's aid. They destroy James before he can kill her, though the other vampires of his coven, Victoria and Laurent, run and survive. Bella spends time in a hospital with Edward constantly by her side, where he admits that his sister Alice saw a vision of Bella becoming a vampire. However, he is determined to keep her human, despite her own will to become a vampire. The reasons behind his intentions are revealed in New Moon.
Added by MerrystarAt the end of the novel, Edward takes Bella to their high school prom, despite her broken leg and angry protests. There are high levels of tension as he turns to action, caused by Edward and Bella's differences of opinion about turning Bella into a vampire. Bella is determined to be with Edward forever, but at the age of 17. Edward wants her to have a normal human life, in other words saying that he will love her at any condition, mortal or not.[1][2]
Added by MaerijaedaNew MoonEdit
- Main article: New Moon
- "These violent delights have violent ends.
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder.
Which, as they kiss, consume."
- ―Bella's quote of Romeo and Julilet in New Moon[src]
The events of New Moon begin on Bella's 18th birthday. Bella is especially upset because it is the day that she becomes older, physically, than Edward, who will always be 17. It didn't help that she also had a nightmare, where she was with who she thought to be her Grandma Marie, but who turned out to be herself. Edward came to her side in the dream and was just as young and flawless as always. Edward persuades her to come to his house on the evening of her birthday for a party thrown by his sister, Alice. Bella receives a paper cut while opening one of her gifts, drawing a single drop of blood and causing Edward's brother, Jasper, to try to attack her. Edward, in the process of defending Bella from Jasper, throws her into a table filled with crystal, which results in Bella getting a deep cut from her wrist to her elbow. Although Bella's injuries are not life-threatening, Edward later decides that she would be safer without him, his family, and his dangerous lifestyle, so he deceives Bella into thinking that he does not love her any longer and leaves Forks with his family.
Added by EmilyfromnzBella sinks into a deep depression for four months, until she is awoken by Charlie, her father. He threatens to send her back to live with her mother in Jacksonville because he is worried about her behavior. To appease her father, she tries to engage in normal, teenage-like behavior. She invites her friend Jessica to go to Port Angeles with her for dinner and a movie. While there, she carelessly approaches four men standing outside a bar. This results in her hearing Edward's voice inside her head, warning her to turn around. Bella soon realizes that whenever she puts herself in a dangerous situation, she can hear Edward's voice with perfect clarity. With this discovery in mind, Bella seeks out Jacob and convinces him to fix a motorcycle for her and teach her how to ride. Jacob and Bella become friends, when suddenly Jacob refuses to answer any of her calls and asks her not to come to his house anymore. It is not until two weeks later that Bella learns what has happened to her friend: he has become a werewolf and is avoiding Bella for her own safety. She also learns that Victoria has returned to kill her, out of revenge for Edward killing Victoria's mate, James, in Twilight. Bella and Jacob reconcile, and she assists his werewolf pack in hunting down Victoria.
Added by TagAlongPamTo hear Edward's voice again, Bella attempts cliff-diving and nearly drowns. When Alice, who has the power to see the future, sees Bella jump, she believes Bella had committed suicide and subsequently returns to Forks. Edward, isolated from his family by his own volition, is told by Rosalie, his other adopted sister, that Bella is dead. Alice finds Bella and tells her that Edward is going to Volterra to ask the Volturi to kill him, because he believes Bella to be dead. Bella and Alice quickly pursue Edward to Italy, and stop him from being killed. Afterwards they are brought to speak with the Volturi, where they make a promise to change Bella into a vampire so that they can be let free.
Back in Forks, Edward explains why he had to leave and begs her forgiveness. He confesses his true feelings and promises to never leave her again. She forgives him, and they continue their relationship as if Edward never left. When Edward once again refuses to transform Bella into a vampire, she decides to let his family decide whether she should be changed and thus join their family. All except Edward and Rosalie vote affirmatively for her to be changed. Although initially outraged by his family's decision, Edward later agrees to change her himself if she agrees to marry him first. Later, Jacob meets with Edward and Bella to remind Edward and his family of the treaty made between the Cullens and the La Push werewolves, which states that no Cullen may bite a human. Bella is thus left in a difficult position: if she does not become a vampire, the Volturi will come to kill her. However, if the Cullens do make her into a vampire, they will have broken their treaty with the La Push werewolves, which would start a war with the Cullens. To make her father ground her, he turns in her motorcycle.[2]
EclipseEdit
- Main article: Eclipse
- "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire.
But if I had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to say it for destruction ice is also great and would suffice."
- ―Bella quoting "Fire and Ice" in Eclipse[src]
The story begins with Bella reading a letter from Jacob that says that they can't be friends anymore. She is upset about this, but her mood greatly improves when Edward comes to visit her. While she is still grounded by her father, Edward is allowed into the house until nine o'clock. He continuously tries to convince Bella to fill out more application forms for Dartmouth after getting accepted to the University of Alaska, but Bella thinks that college is pointless since she will become a vampire soon anyway. Edward then sees an article in the newspaper about a series of mysterious killings in Seattle and explains to Bella that these killings are most likely caused by a newborn; a recently turned vampire who is unable to control its thirst. Bella tries to make things right with Jacob, to which Edward strongly objects, stating that werewolves are unstable and that they could hurt her. Later on that day in school, Bella witnesses Alice having a vision: Victoria is coming back to Forks to hunt her. Edward denies what he saw and talks Bella into leaving town to visit her mom for the weekend, saying that it might be her last chance to see her before she graduates. When she returns, Jacob confronts Edward and Bella finds out that Victoria was back.
Added by Sharke7sosShe later finds out that the killings in Seattle is caused not just by newborns, but an entire army of them. Jasper presents his past and experience with newborns. They suspect that the army is directed toward them, but decide to play it by "ear".
Added by Chibi123ifyMoments before Bella's graduation, she realizes that the army of newborn vampires are under the control of Victoria and therefore will be coming after her. Having no other allies since the Denali coven refused to get involved in the fight, the Cullens and the La Push wolf pack join forces to battle Victoria and her army in order to protect Forks and Bella. Before the battle, Jacob overhears Bella and Edward discussing their engagement and becomes very upset. He tells Bella that he will go in battle with the intentions of dying because she won't love him back. Bella asks him to kiss her so he will think she loves him back, but as she kisses him, she realizes that she does love Jacob after all. She feels terrible after doing so, but Edward isn't angry. Despite realizing her feelings for Jacob, Bella knows that those feelings could never compare to the intense love she has for Edward.
Soon after this, Victoria and Riley, a newborn vampire, find their hiding spot. With Edward outnumbered, it at first looks like Victoria will be successful in killing Bella. But Seth, another shape-shifter, arrives to assist them. Seth kills Riley, and Edward beheads Victoria seconds later. After a brief confrontation with several Volturi soldiers, Bella goes to visit Jacob, who was wounded in the battle. She tells him that, while she does love him, she has chosen Edward. Jacob reluctantly agrees to stop trying to come between Edward and her, and assures her that he'll be there if she ever needs him. Later that night, Bella cries about having to reject Jacob, while Edward comforts her through the night. She vows that she'll never let Edward see her shed a tear for Jacob again. Bella and Edward then go to their meadow, and they agree to tell Charlie about their engagement.[3]
Breaking DawnEdit
- Main article: Breaking Dawn
In the first chapter of Breaking Dawn, it is revealed that Bella and Edward have told both of her parents about their engagement and both given their blessing, though Charlie is still slightly resistant to the thought of their marriage. Alice is busy making preparations for the wedding, which is only a few days away. Meanwhile, Edward has bought her a Mercedes Guardian (S600 Guard), which she sees as either a sign of compassion and caring or as over-protectiveness and worry about her safety. This car is for temporary use until she is changed into a vampire, when she will not need the protection, and then he will replace it with a red Ferrari. Meanwhile, Bella feels guilty about Jacob, believing that her rejection caused him to run away.
The wedding goes smoothly, and Bella meets the Denali Coven for the first time. Jacob arrives at the party despite her rejection of him, and Bella is so relieved that Jacob has decided to come after all. However he gets into an argument with Bella about her wanting to make love with Edward while she is still human (luckily, only the werewolves and the Cullens hear the argument).
Added by SpreadthetwiluvHer baby develops at an extremely fast rate, and she becomes very sick. She becomes unable to adjust food, and is dying slowly. Edward asks Jacob to try to convince her to kill the baby that was killing her, but Bella refuses, because she loves it. Through Jacob's joking, Edward then suggests for Bella to drink donated human blood, and she quickly becomes stronger, but it also makes the baby so strong that it breaks her ribs by accident. Soon after, Edward realizes that he can hear the baby's thoughts now that it has developed enough of its brain, and starts to love the baby when he hears that it "absolutely adores Bella." Jacob remarks that Edward could never hate anyone who loved Bella, which is why Edward did not hate him. Also, after going against Sam's orders to kill Bella and her baby, Jacob forms his own pack (with Leah and Seth Clearwater) to protect her and the Cullens.
After having a typical Bella moment, which includes dropping a cup full of blood, the hardened placenta detaches, and Edward, Rosalie, and Jacob are forced to perform an emergency surgery since Carlisle is hunting with Esme. Bella's body is nearly destroyed in the process - with several ribs broken, she loses vast amounts of blood, and her spinal cord is snapped. Seeing the baby is a girl, Bella decides to name the baby "Renesmee" right before her heart stops beating. Edward then injects her heart with some of his own venom and bites her body in several places, turning Bella into a vampire. Jacob goes to kill Renesmee since he believes she killed Bella while she was giving birth, but imprints on her instead.
Added by Cullen's are HOT!!!Months later, Bella is hunting with Jacob and Renesmee in the forest when a vampire, Irina, sees her daughter and mistakes her for an immortal child, a heinous crime of the vampire world. When Alice learns that the Volturi and their entire guard are coming to destroy the Cullens, she flees with Jasper on a secret mission and leaves clues for Bella to find Jason Jenks to forge passports and IDs for Renesmee and Jacob if they fail to stop the Volturi. The Cullens look for other vampires to be witnesses, including nomads and other covens, such as the Irish and the Amazon covens. In the meantime, Bella finds out that she possesses the power to shield herself from the mental abilities of vampires. Kate, a member of Denali Coven, tries to teach Bella to project her power, so she could protect others from the Volturi's powers. When the Volturi arrive at the end of December, the Cullens and their allies manage to convince them that Renesmee really is half-human, but Aro, dead-set on claiming the gifts of the Cullens and some of their friends, plots every possible justification to kill Renesmee. When Edward faces Aro alone, Bella's anger triggers her shield with absolute control, allowing her to shield everyone in her surrounding. Before the Volturi declare a war, Alice and Jasper arrive with vampires Kachiri and Huilen and half-vampire Nahuel, to prove that Renesmee's future is safe to the vampire world. The Volturi have no more plots to declare a war with the Cullens, and, with the help of the shape-shifters, Alice's research, and Bella's gift, retreat to Volterra, though Irina pays for her mistake with her life. After the confrontation Bella, Edward and Renesmee return to their cottage where Bella drops her shield and allows Edward to read her mind for the first time, showing him how much she really loves him. Edward, Bella, and Renesmee feel free to live their lives in peace forever.
Physical appearanceEdit
Added by PaigeandHenryAs for distinguishing features, Bella has a small crescent-shaped scar on her hand where she was bitten by James, a tracker vampire, in Twilight. The scar is described as being pale, always a few degrees colder than the rest of her body, and it shines like a vampire's skin when exposed to the sunlight. After Bella is changed into a vampire by Edward Cullen, she becomes extremely beautiful with even paler skin, blood-red eyes and straight waist-length hair.
PersonalityEdit
Added by Mary-Alice-Brandon-CullenBella is described as being exceptionally clumsy, dropping and tripping over everything in sight; however this changes once she is transformed into a vampire. Bella is described as reclusive, quiet, insecure but kind-hearted, compassionate and caring towards others. She is deeply in love with Edward Cullen. She also cares for the rest of the Cullen family, her father Charlie and mother Renée, and her friend Jacob Black. When it comes to fashion, Bella is somewhat of a tomboy. She hates dressing up, saying that makeup "is a pain" and that she feels uncomfortable in impractical, elegant clothes; however, Alice doesn't care what Bella thinks and continues to persuade her to dress up and look glamourous. She doesn't like spending money on luxurious items, stating in New Moon to Edward 'not to spend a dime on my birthday', and that fast cars are unnecessary, saying that Edward gave her himself and anything else he gives her would throw their relationship too off balance. She has a very private mind, which is thought to be why Edward is unable to hear her thoughts, and she is determined to become a vampire. She is also said to be a terrible liar with no acting skills. Ironically, she demonstrates good acting ability in Twilight when she makes her father believe that she has dumped Edward and is leaving Forks. Her favorite expression is "holy crow". She has a habit of biting her lip, which she shares with Kristen Stewart. Bella also faints at the sight or smell of blood, as demonstrated in Twilight. Bella is also shown in Breaking Dawn, to have a good mood climate, and can run away from the smell of human blood when she goes on her first hunting trip.
Bella has a sarcastic sense of humor, and is very understanding and caring. She's also been described as stubborn, and able to block painful thoughts and memories (hence her special vampire ability). She puts Edward before herself and everybody and everything else, but several 'selfish' tendencies emerge (as when Bella asked Edward to stay with her instead of fighting the vampires in Eclipse). Stephenie Meyer has stated that Bella's "tragic flaw" in Eclipse is her lack of self-knowledge. This is most obviously illustrated in her consistent denial of any romantic feelings for Jacob Black, despite the fact that she later realizes that she is, indeed, in love with him. Bella is also a very bad liar. According to Eclipse, Jacob and Edward saying that she's a terrible liar, are evidence to this. Besides, she also admits this throughout the whole saga.
Bella, according to Edward on Midnight Sun, has no sense of fear when she finds out Edward is a vampire. Instead of running away, as she should have, she decides to ask lots of questions with extreme curiosity. This makes Edward believe that it is not bad luck that follows her around, but that she has no sense of self-preservation.
Powers and abilitiesEdit
Added by Twilighter1997- "I realized now that I'd long ago given up any aspirations of shining at anything. I just did the best with what I had, never quite fitting into my world. So this was really different. I was amazing now - both to them and to myself. It was I had been born to be a vampire. The idea made me want to laugh, but it also made me want to sing. I had found my true place in the world, the place I fit, the place I shined."
- ―Bella on her new life[src]
After being turned into a vampire, Bella explains that she has a clearer view of the world, and was impressed with her new family and her husband Edward. As a newborn vampire, she demonstrates a very high level of self-control, being able to run away from the smell of human blood on her first hunting trip and later, restrain herself from attacking her father; this is unusual for newborn vampires, because they are new to their bodies and powers, thus usually have a hard time controlling their urges and desires. This led her to believe that her self-control was her gift while it was really her mental preparation and maturity that produced her control. Eleazar corrects her when he discovers her true gift. Bella appears to be talented at being a vampire, as she learns to control her new abilities and urges very quickly, even saying that she felt like she was born to be one, and is very graceful in her new state.
In Breaking Dawn, Bella can detect minor changes in Renesmee's physical appearance, such as her hair growing a couple of millimeters.
Mental ShieldEdit
- Main article: Shields
- "In truth, categorizing talents is a subjective, haphazard business; every talent is unique, never exactly the same thing twice. But you, Bella, are fairly easy to classify. Talents that are purely defensive, that protect some aspect of the bearer, are always called shields."
Bella's special gift is to shield her and those around her from other vampires' talents that affect the mind (such as Edward's and Aro's telepathy, Jane's illusionary pain, Alec's sensory paralysis, Eleazar's ability identification, Kate's electric shock, and Zafrina's illusion), which explains why most of their powers were useless against her when she was still human. This power comes from her subconscious desire to protect her mind, and as long as she holds on to that desire, it makes the shield more difficult to extract. In Breaking Dawn, Bella uses her shielding power as a giant dome to protect her family and friends when the Volturi attempt to make a move on them, when she was enraged by Edward facing danger alone and she is forced to stay behind (with an antagonistic smile emitted from Jane to push her anger further). As long as she is free of her desire to protect herself, she is able to shape her shield in any way she wants. When she shields others, her mind will form an extra shield to protect herself. Those she shields will also become a part of her, allowing her to feel them in her range without having to look. Bella can also remove her shield completely and let vampires' mental powers work on her if she so chooses, though it is more difficult than pushing it out.
Though her shield is powerful, it has great limitations: it has no effect against a physical attack, which makes it easy for an enemy to invade her intangible shield and use his power on those she protects. It also has no effect on Alice's power of premonition, Jasper's power to affect her mood, and Benjamin's power to control the elements. The only person who is truly immune to her shield is Renesmee, as she picked up her ability and twisted it to penetrating shields.
Aro, the leader of the Volturi who "collects" vampires with useful talents, was so intrigued that Bella could block out mental powers (even as a human) that he twice offered her a place among his guard. She refused both times. Because of her shield, Bella is considered one of the most powerful vampires alive.
RelationshipsEdit
FamilyEdit
- Main article: Relationships
Bella is the wife of Edward Cullen and the mother of Renesmee Cullen, as well as the daughter of Charlie Swan and Renée Dwyer and the stepdaughter of Phil Dwyer and the daughter-in-law of Edward and Elizabeth Masen. She is the adoptive daughter-in-law of Carlisle and Esme Cullen and the adoptive sister-in-law of Alice and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. She is also the granddaughter of Geoffrey and Helen Swan, as well as Marie Higgenbotham.
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