Talamasca Caste
Encyclopedia
The Talamasca Caste is a fictional secret society described in the works of Anne Rice
.
set up to watch over and keep track of the paranormal, in particular, witches, spirit
s, werewolves
and vampire
s. Rice describes them as "psychic detective
s".
Some information of the origins of the Talamasca is mentioned by David Talbot in the book "Merrick" where its written : "A humming sound distracted me somewhat, because I was afraid that it came from bees. I have a very great fear of bees, and like many members of the Talamasca, I fear some secret regarding bees which has to do with our origins, but there is not room enough to explain here."
This can earlier be connected to the being that Pandora meets in the book "Pandora", where in the ending Pandora meets a being described to have come to exist in the following way :
"Thus force rose out of the very bees themselves, out of their intricate knowledge and their countless sublime patterns, as though they had somehow accidentally evolved it, or empowered it with consciousness through the means of their endless creativity, meticoulousness and endurance"
This force is then transferred to a scarecrow. Pandora speaks some about the century that this happened as follows:
"Once in the sixth Century - that is, five hundred years after the birth of Christ and three hundred years since I had left Marius"
Through this we can make out that this being came to life 500 years after Christ's birth; thereby, the Talamascan was created sometime after this.
This can not be confirmed of course until Anne Rice decides to write a book solely about the Talamasca which she has stated on her Facebook page that she has tried to write before but has never been able to make it happen.
The word Talamasca comes from Latin
meaning "animal mask". It was also an old term to describe a witch or a shaman.
The Talamasca's motto is "We watch. And we are always there. "(Queen of the Damned, Witching Hour, and The Vampire
Companion)
The Talamasca itself was described in Rice
's novels as having "motherhouses" or bases in London
, Amsterdam
, Rome
and other various parts of the world. The organization is said to have existed since the 1st Century (Rice states in 'The Witching Hour' that it was formally formed in the 11th Century, but existed before that).
The organization itself was described as having many influences in the suppression of paranormal information, namely the existence of vampire
s as is the case with Lestat
, hoarding most of his diaries and other expository items that may have revealed the existence and nature of vampires in its vaults below the main motherhouse in London, England. Beneath the building are a number of museums in which the Talamasca house a substantial collection of artifacts, all connected with the supernatural in some way. Vaults accessible only by the eldest members of the order house paraphernalia connected with vampires. The Talamasca also housed several paintings of Marius
's "The Temptation of Amadeo", and other artifacts from vampire
s such as Pandora
, Armand, Louis
, the infamous Lestat de Lioncourt
, and Claudia
.
The organization is also responsible for the suppression and cover-up regarding the Mayfair family's fiasco concerning the Taltos birth anomaly. It may also have been responsible for covering the burning of the "Theater of the Vampires
".
Many vampiric characters from Rice
's novels once belonged to the Talamasca before accepting the "dark gift". Jesse
, David and Merrick
, are the most popular of Rice's ex-Talamasca characters.
The Talamasca Order also appear in Anne Rice's The Lives of the Mayfair Witches, the Mayfair Witches
trilogy.
The Talamasca has become the focus of several website
s and role-playing game
s, as have many of Rice
's characters.
A similar secret society appears in the Highlander: The Series
and Buffy the Vampire Slayer - the Watchers' Council or Watchers - an ancient organization based in Great Britain
and with much the same principles: to track and observe immortals.
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
.
Background
The Talamasca Caste (or Order of the Talamasca or simply Talamasca) is described as a secret societySecret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
set up to watch over and keep track of the paranormal, in particular, witches, spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
s, werewolves
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
and vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s. Rice describes them as "psychic detective
Psychic detective
A psychic detective is defined as a person who investigates crimes by using their claimed paranormal psychic abilities. A number of people claim they have psychic abilities that have allowed them to assist police in solving kidnapping and murder cases, or locating a corpse...
s".
Some information of the origins of the Talamasca is mentioned by David Talbot in the book "Merrick" where its written : "A humming sound distracted me somewhat, because I was afraid that it came from bees. I have a very great fear of bees, and like many members of the Talamasca, I fear some secret regarding bees which has to do with our origins, but there is not room enough to explain here."
This can earlier be connected to the being that Pandora meets in the book "Pandora", where in the ending Pandora meets a being described to have come to exist in the following way :
"Thus force rose out of the very bees themselves, out of their intricate knowledge and their countless sublime patterns, as though they had somehow accidentally evolved it, or empowered it with consciousness through the means of their endless creativity, meticoulousness and endurance"
This force is then transferred to a scarecrow. Pandora speaks some about the century that this happened as follows:
"Once in the sixth Century - that is, five hundred years after the birth of Christ and three hundred years since I had left Marius"
Through this we can make out that this being came to life 500 years after Christ's birth; thereby, the Talamascan was created sometime after this.
This can not be confirmed of course until Anne Rice decides to write a book solely about the Talamasca which she has stated on her Facebook page that she has tried to write before but has never been able to make it happen.
The word Talamasca comes from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
meaning "animal mask". It was also an old term to describe a witch or a shaman.
The Talamasca's motto is "We watch. And we are always there. "(Queen of the Damned, Witching Hour, and The Vampire
Companion)
The Talamasca itself was described in Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
's novels as having "motherhouses" or bases in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and other various parts of the world. The organization is said to have existed since the 1st Century (Rice states in 'The Witching Hour' that it was formally formed in the 11th Century, but existed before that).
The organization itself was described as having many influences in the suppression of paranormal information, namely the existence of vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s as is the case with Lestat
Lestat de Lioncourt
Lestat de Lioncourt is a fictional character appearing in several novels by Anne Rice, including The Vampire Lestat. He is a vampire and the main character in the majority of The Vampire Chronicles, narrated in first person.-Publication history:...
, hoarding most of his diaries and other expository items that may have revealed the existence and nature of vampires in its vaults below the main motherhouse in London, England. Beneath the building are a number of museums in which the Talamasca house a substantial collection of artifacts, all connected with the supernatural in some way. Vaults accessible only by the eldest members of the order house paraphernalia connected with vampires. The Talamasca also housed several paintings of Marius
Marius de Romanus
Marius de Romanus is a fictional character in The Vampire Chronicles novels written by Anne Rice. He is the primary character in the novel Blood and Gold.- Fictional biography :...
's "The Temptation of Amadeo", and other artifacts from vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s such as Pandora
Pandora (novel)
Pandora is a novel and a vampire in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Her story is told in the book Pandora, one of two novels in the New Tales of the Vampires series.-Plot summary:...
, Armand, Louis
Louis de Pointe du Lac
Louis de Pointe du Lac is a fictional character in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series. He began his life as a mortal man, and later became a vampire. He is the protagonist and antihero of Interview with the Vampire, the first book of The Vampire Chronicles...
, the infamous Lestat de Lioncourt
Lestat de Lioncourt
Lestat de Lioncourt is a fictional character appearing in several novels by Anne Rice, including The Vampire Lestat. He is a vampire and the main character in the majority of The Vampire Chronicles, narrated in first person.-Publication history:...
, and Claudia
Claudia (The Vampire Chronicles)
Claudia is a fictional character in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series. She is one of the main characters in Interview with the Vampire, the first novel in the series...
.
The organization is also responsible for the suppression and cover-up regarding the Mayfair family's fiasco concerning the Taltos birth anomaly. It may also have been responsible for covering the burning of the "Theater of the Vampires
Théâtre des Vampires
Théâtre des Vampires is the home of a Parisian vampire coven from the earlier books in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, specifically Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat.-Interview with the Vampire:...
".
Many vampiric characters from Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
's novels once belonged to the Talamasca before accepting the "dark gift". Jesse
Jessica Miriam Reeves
Jessica "Jesse" Miriam Reeves is a fictional character in the Vampire Chronicles universe created by Anne Rice.-Character Background and Biography:Jesse is a descendant of Maharet, and a member of the Great Family...
, David and Merrick
Merrick (novel)
Merrick is the seventh book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series. This book brings together Rice's vampires and the Mayfair Witches.-Plot summary:...
, are the most popular of Rice's ex-Talamasca characters.
The Talamasca Order also appear in Anne Rice's The Lives of the Mayfair Witches, the Mayfair Witches
The Mayfair Witches
The Lives of the Mayfair Witches is a series of novels written by the horror author Anne Rice. They feature the Mayfairs, a New Orleans family of witches and their connection to a spirit named Lasher, spanning several generations...
trilogy.
The Talamasca has become the focus of several website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
s and role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s, as have many of Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
's characters.
A similar secret society appears in the Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...
and Buffy the Vampire Slayer - the Watchers' Council or Watchers - an ancient organization based in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and with much the same principles: to track and observe immortals.