The Southern Vampire Mysteries
Encyclopedia
The Southern Vampire Mysteries, also known as The Sookie Stackhouse Novels, is a series of books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris
that were first published in 2001 and now serve as the source material for the HBO television series True Blood
. The series has been retronymed the True Blood Series upon reprinting to capitalize on the television adaptation.
In The Southern Vampire Mysteries series, Harris develops a detailed mythology and alternate history that approaches supernatural beings as real; at the beginning of the series, vampires have only been public knowledge for a couple of years. Other supernatural beings, such as werewolves
, shapeshifters, etc., exist but do not go public until later in the series. Its history has otherwise unfolded so closely to that of the real world that the series contains occasional references to popular culture.
The series is narrated in first person perspective by Sookie Stackhouse
. She is a waitress and a telepath in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana
. The first book in the series, Dead Until Dark
, won the Anthony Award
for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001. The eleventh book, Dead Reckoning
, was released on May 3, 2011. Harris was originally contracted to write 10 books, but she revealed at Comic Con 2009 that she has signed a contract for three additional books.
.
Worldwide, reaction to the vampires' "Great Revelation" is mixed. The policy in Islamic countries is death and torture for vampires, while nations including Bosnia, Argentina
and most Africa
n nations refuse to acknowledge their existence. Some nations, such as France
, Italy
, and Germany
, acknowledge vampires, but do not torture them nor do they give them the rights of citizens. The United States
, United Kingdom
, Mexico
, Canada
, Japan
, Switzerland
, and the Scandinavia
n countries are more tolerant; however, even in the US they are not permitted certain rights like the right to marry.
Rather than acknowledging the legend that vampires are deceased human
s that have risen from the dead to prey on the living, the vampires insist they are simply the victims of a medical condition that makes them allergic to sunlight and affects their dietary needs.
Vampires are pale and cold, possess unfathomable strength as well as speed, and have keen senses of hearing, smell and vision. This makes it easy for them to protect themselves. They have the ability to remain completely still, expressionless and silent. Vampires can control the minds of humans (glamour, often seen as a form of hypnosis
), and a few can even fly; individuals may have other powers and abilities.
Vampires' fang
s come out when they are hungry, see blood, are sexually aroused, or when they need to fight. All vampires are compelled to obey their individual maker. Harris's vampires do not age. They can survive and recover from most forms of physical injury, but they will die if staked, exposed to sunlight, burnt by fire, completely drained of their blood (if not treated promptly), or decapitated. Silver is highly toxic to them. Unlike the vampire mythology of other universes, crucifix
es have no effect on vampires in Harris's universe, garlic
only produce allergic reactions on them, they can be photographed, and most (except the "very old ones") are able to enter places of worship or step on 'holy ground'. They cannot enter a home unless invited, and if an invitation is withdrawn, they are physically unable to remain on the premises.
The cult following of humans fascinated by vampires (see Fangbangers) includes volunteers willing to be bitten to provide fresh blood nourishment to vampires. If a vampire and a human share blood (each drinking from the other), it will form a blood bond, linking the pair's psyches. Vampire blood without exchange is sought after by humans as a drug that can enhance strength, heal wounds, and increase attractiveness, among other effects. Due to the shortage of willing vampire donors, human "drainers" attack vampires and drain their entire blood supply, either staking the vamps or leaving victims to die in the sun. The blood is then sold as a drug in vials on the underground market. It can be highly addictive, but may cause psychotic or murderous rampages by human users upon the first use, and it is highly unpredictable who will be affected in this manner. In "One Word Answer", a vampire's blood given to a dead body in combination with magic words raises the ghost of the former owner's body.
Though many vampires in this universe try to live among humans, they remain very secretive about their organization and government. The vampires divided the continental United States
into four divisions (clans), each represented by a symbol: the Whale, the Feather, the Thunder Bolt and the Eye. A division consists of multiple kingdom
s, each controlled by a single lead vampire known as the King or Queen. A kingdom is then divided into areas (formerly known as fiefdoms), each controlled by a sheriff
who owes allegiance to the monarch.
.
As Sam tells Sookie, shapeshifters can assume the form of any animal, but most often change to the same animal every time, usually a creature that they have a special affinity for and they call themselves by that animal, e.g., weredog or werebat.
Weres are only able to shift into one animal (Werewolves, werepanthers, weretigers, werelynxes, werebats). Within the two-natured community, the capitalized term "Were" is reserved only for those who can change into wolves. The Weres consider themselves superior to all others, but they all cooperate with each other. Most of the two-natured beings organize themselves into packs; each pack is led by a packmaster.
Although vampires announced their existence to the world, the two-natured beings maintained their secrecy to observe the vampires' results. In this series mythology, the shifters decide to publicize their existence in the ninth book, Dead and Gone
.
A vial of blood can cost from $200 to $400 depending on the age of the vampire and the preference of the seller. Some humans have not accepted vampires as creatures of God, and organizations such as the Fellowship of the Sun are against vampires and their existence.
Fairies are portrayed in the series as beautiful, with pointed ears and glossy, thin skin. Physically, fairies are super-humanly strong and durable. They are tough, ferocious, and incredibly long-lived, but not immortal. The Shreveport werewolf packmaster says, "They love to flirt with disaster, they love to role-play." In this universe, fairies are extremely attractive to humans as well as to vampires. Vampires have a hard time resisting fairies because of their smell and taste; fairy blood is intoxicating to vampires. A fairy, Claudine, is first introduced in Dead to the World
. Watching vampires react to her, Sookie thinks that “it was like watching cats that'd suddenly spotted something skittering along the baseboards.” This makes face to face interactions between them all but impossible. However some individuals, such as Sookie's great-grandfather Niall Brigant
, are able to "suppress their essence", effectively masking their scent and making such contact safer.
In the Southern Vampire Series, fairies can be killed with either lemons, limes or iron. When a fairy dies a corpse is not left, just a sparkling powder (or fairy dust); the body just fades away and the spirit of the fairy goes to the next oldest family member to tell them of their death. The fae call their afterlife "The Summerland
s".
Fairies are secretive about their own race, customs, interactions, and world. They normally inhabit the fae world, named Faery, but there are portals and doorways between it and the human world. Sookie's great-grandfather Niall is a fairy prince, and Claudine and Claude are Niall’s grandchildren. In later books, Claudine admits that she is Sookie's fairy godmother. She was assigned this role in an effort to move on to the next level, which is angelhood.
Sookie's great-grandfather is over a thousand years old and her half-human great-uncle is centuries old. Those who have fairy blood in them but are not full-blooded fairies are immune to the effects of iron, lemons and limes, while maintaining some of the attractive qualities of fairies. Niall states that Sookie and Jason have both inherited the beauty of the fairies but only certain creatures can tell they are part-fairy. As a genetic quirk (possibly due to fairy blood), Jason greatly resembles his great-uncle to the point where others are unable to differentiate between the two of them. Sookie appears to have inherited more magical fairy powers (such as immunity against mind spells from vampires and maenads), while Jason only has the power of being able to easily attract women and gay men. However, most assume this is mainly due to his physical appearance. It is also stated in one of the books, by Mr. Cataliades, that Sookie's telepathy is not a trait that she obtained from her fairy blood. In the short story Fairy Dust, it is expressed by Sookie that Fairies love attention and admiration, a fact she learned from Sam. In this story, it is also implied that Fairies have the ability to cast spells, as Claudine was muttering something under her breath to hypnotise or calm down the people she and her brother, Claude, were interrogating. Claudine also magically appeared to aid Sookie when she was in mortal danger on a number of occasions, however, she hinted that there were limits to how and when she could perform that trick. Sookie was not always aware of her fairy godmother's timely interventions.
It is also known that fairies can conjure objects, demonstrated by Claudine in Fairy Dust, when she summoned a contract, and in Dead to the World, when she changed her outfit magically. A fairy, Preston, also displayed the abilities to shapeshift and to glamor, although his glamor affects Sookie.
, a witch practices magic rituals, drawing from a power that most people never tap into possessing magical power that can be focused for many various effects through the use of rituals and spells. A Wicca
n, on the other hand, practices a pagan religion that follows the ways of the Mother. Practitioners can be both Wiccan and a witch, or more one or the other. Witches and Wiccans first appear in the fourth book, Dead to the World
. Sookie’s colleague and fellow barmaid at Merlotte’s, Holly, is a Wiccan practitioner, but not a witch. In later books, Sookie learns more about witchcraft and befriends Amelia Broadway, a true witch, in New Orleans.
is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Sookie is portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Anna Paquin
.
Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing mysteries for over twenty years. She was born and raised in the Mississippi River Delta area of the United States. She now lives in southern Arkansas with her husband and three children...
that were first published in 2001 and now serve as the source material for the HBO television series True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
. The series has been retronymed the True Blood Series upon reprinting to capitalize on the television adaptation.
In The Southern Vampire Mysteries series, Harris develops a detailed mythology and alternate history that approaches supernatural beings as real; at the beginning of the series, vampires have only been public knowledge for a couple of years. Other supernatural beings, such as 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...
, shapeshifters, etc., exist but do not go public until later in the series. Its history has otherwise unfolded so closely to that of the real world that the series contains occasional references to popular culture.
The series is narrated in first person perspective by Sookie Stackhouse
Sookie Stackhouse
Sookie Stackhouse is the fictional protagonist and narrating voice of Charlaine Harris' The Southern Vampire Mysteries and the television adaptation, HBO's True Blood.-Biography:...
. She is a waitress and a telepath in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The first book in the series, Dead Until Dark
Dead Until Dark
Dead Until Dark is the first book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels.-Setting:Dead Until Dark, like the rest of the series to which it belongs, is narrated by Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress from the small fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps, which is...
, won the Anthony Award
Anthony Award
The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher , one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America....
for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001. The eleventh book, Dead Reckoning
Dead Reckoning (novel)
Dead Reckoning is the eleventh book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released on May 3, 2011. It debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.-Plot:...
, was released on May 3, 2011. Harris was originally contracted to write 10 books, but she revealed at Comic Con 2009 that she has signed a contract for three additional books.
The Southern Vampire Mysteries (novels)
| # | Title | Author | Publisher | Release | Length | Hardcover |
|---|
The Southern Vampire Mysteries (short stories and novellas)
| # | Title | Author | Original Release | Location(s) |
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Chronological order of Sookie-related stories
- Dead Until DarkDead Until DarkDead Until Dark is the first book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels.-Setting:Dead Until Dark, like the rest of the series to which it belongs, is narrated by Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress from the small fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps, which is...
- Living Dead in DallasLiving Dead in DallasLiving Dead in Dallas is the second book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries. This second novel follows the adventures of telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse of Bon Temps, Louisiana, as she is employed by Dallas vampires to use her telepathy to help find their lost companion...
- Club DeadClub DeadClub Dead is the third book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released in 2003. In Club Dead, Sookie's boyfriend Bill disappears while working on a secret project, and Sookie heads out to Jackson, Mississippi in hopes of retrieving him alive...
- Dead to the WorldDead to the World (novel)Dead to the World is the fourth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released in 2004. In Dead to the World, Sookie aids vampires Eric and Pam in their struggle against a coven of witches seeking to take over control of their area, and takes care of Eric after the...
- “Fairy Dust”
- “Dracula Night”
- Dead as a DoornailDead as a DoornailDead as a Doornail is the fifth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries.-Summary:It's the first full moon since Jason was bitten by the werepanther Felton Norris . Calvin Norris comes to watch over him and help him, and Jason ends up loving turning into a half man/half...
- “One Word Answer”
- Definitely DeadDefinitely DeadDefinitely Dead is the sixth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries.-Plot summary:After surviving a Were attack while attending a play in Shreveport with her new boyfriend John Quinn, Sookie Stackhouse goes to New Orleans to sort out the affairs of her cousin Hadley, a...
- All Together DeadAll Together DeadAll Together Dead is the seventh book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries.-Plot summary:The summit, which has attracted undead power players from all over the central United States, is sure to be tense, due partly to the ramping up of protests by the conservative,...
- “Lucky”
- From Dead to WorseFrom Dead to WorseFrom Dead to Worse is the eighth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries.-Plot summary:After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the man-made horror of the explosion at the vampire Summit, Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, yearning for things to get back to...
- “Gift Wrap”
- Dead and GoneDead and Gone (novel)Dead and Gone is the ninth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries. This title was released on May 5, 2009.-Plot summary:In this novel, the weres and shifters make their presence known, following the example of the vampires...
- “Two BlondesTwo BlondesTwo Blondes is a short story from Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released on August 3, 2010. This short story is featured in -Plot summary :...
”
- “Two Blondes
- Dead in the FamilyDead in the FamilyDead in the Family is the tenth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries. It was released on May 4, 2010 and debuted at #1 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Seller List on May 11.- Plot summary :...
- “Small-Town Wedding”
- Dead ReckoningDead Reckoning (novel)Dead Reckoning is the eleventh book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released on May 3, 2011. It debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.-Plot:...
- “If I Had A Hammer”
- Deadlocked
Vampires
Two years prior to the first novel's time line (in 2002 according to Sookieverse timeline ), vampires around the world have revealed themselves, via television, to the world as actual, and not mythical, beings after the development of a synthetic blood product (the most popular marketed brand of which is called "TrueBlood") that provides adequate sustenance for vampires and therefore does not require them to feed on human bloodBlood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
.
Worldwide, reaction to the vampires' "Great Revelation" is mixed. The policy in Islamic countries is death and torture for vampires, while nations including Bosnia, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and most Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n nations refuse to acknowledge their existence. Some nations, such as France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, acknowledge vampires, but do not torture them nor do they give them the rights of citizens. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and the Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n countries are more tolerant; however, even in the US they are not permitted certain rights like the right to marry.
Rather than acknowledging the legend that vampires are deceased human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s that have risen from the dead to prey on the living, the vampires insist they are simply the victims of a medical condition that makes them allergic to sunlight and affects their dietary needs.
Vampires are pale and cold, possess unfathomable strength as well as speed, and have keen senses of hearing, smell and vision. This makes it easy for them to protect themselves. They have the ability to remain completely still, expressionless and silent. Vampires can control the minds of humans (glamour, often seen as a form of hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
), and a few can even fly; individuals may have other powers and abilities.
Vampires' fang
Fang
Fang is a mammal's canine tooth.Fang may also refer to:* A snake's poison-injecting tooth: see snake venom* Fang people, in Central Africa* Fang language, spoken by Fang people...
s come out when they are hungry, see blood, are sexually aroused, or when they need to fight. All vampires are compelled to obey their individual maker. Harris's vampires do not age. They can survive and recover from most forms of physical injury, but they will die if staked, exposed to sunlight, burnt by fire, completely drained of their blood (if not treated promptly), or decapitated. Silver is highly toxic to them. Unlike the vampire mythology of other universes, crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
es have no effect on vampires in Harris's universe, garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
only produce allergic reactions on them, they can be photographed, and most (except the "very old ones") are able to enter places of worship or step on 'holy ground'. They cannot enter a home unless invited, and if an invitation is withdrawn, they are physically unable to remain on the premises.
The cult following of humans fascinated by vampires (see Fangbangers) includes volunteers willing to be bitten to provide fresh blood nourishment to vampires. If a vampire and a human share blood (each drinking from the other), it will form a blood bond, linking the pair's psyches. Vampire blood without exchange is sought after by humans as a drug that can enhance strength, heal wounds, and increase attractiveness, among other effects. Due to the shortage of willing vampire donors, human "drainers" attack vampires and drain their entire blood supply, either staking the vamps or leaving victims to die in the sun. The blood is then sold as a drug in vials on the underground market. It can be highly addictive, but may cause psychotic or murderous rampages by human users upon the first use, and it is highly unpredictable who will be affected in this manner. In "One Word Answer", a vampire's blood given to a dead body in combination with magic words raises the ghost of the former owner's body.
Though many vampires in this universe try to live among humans, they remain very secretive about their organization and government. The vampires divided the continental United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
into four divisions (clans), each represented by a symbol: the Whale, the Feather, the Thunder Bolt and the Eye. A division consists of multiple kingdom
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
s, each controlled by a single lead vampire known as the King or Queen. A kingdom is then divided into areas (formerly known as fiefdoms), each controlled by a sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
who owes allegiance to the monarch.
Weres and shapeshifters
Weres and shapeshifters can assume either human or animal forms, and are collectively referred to as the "two-natured". A variety of different types of weres and shapeshifters exist in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, including werewolves, werepanthers, weretigers, werefoxes, etc. Being bitten by a were can also transform a person unwillingly at full moons into a man/beast form closer to that of classic legend but a person must be bitten several times to accumulate growth. Shapeshifting conditions manifest in pubertyPuberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
.
As Sam tells Sookie, shapeshifters can assume the form of any animal, but most often change to the same animal every time, usually a creature that they have a special affinity for and they call themselves by that animal, e.g., weredog or werebat.
Weres are only able to shift into one animal (Werewolves, werepanthers, weretigers, werelynxes, werebats). Within the two-natured community, the capitalized term "Were" is reserved only for those who can change into wolves. The Weres consider themselves superior to all others, but they all cooperate with each other. Most of the two-natured beings organize themselves into packs; each pack is led by a packmaster.
Although vampires announced their existence to the world, the two-natured beings maintained their secrecy to observe the vampires' results. In this series mythology, the shifters decide to publicize their existence in the ninth book, Dead and Gone
Dead and Gone (novel)
Dead and Gone is the ninth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries. This title was released on May 5, 2009.-Plot summary:In this novel, the weres and shifters make their presence known, following the example of the vampires...
.
Humans
In The Southern Vampire Mysteries, humans are portrayed to have different reactions to vampires. There are "Fangbangers," who are vampire groupies—those who enjoy having sex with vampires and being bitten, perhaps consume vampire blood, or just like the excitement of being around vampires. Furthermore, demand for vampire blood has been growing on the black market, as the blood is very powerful and addictive. "Drainers" are the humans who attack vampires in order to drain their blood, though it is a hazardous job. Drainers travel in teams, singling out vampires through a variety of methods and then carefully planning their ambush. They bind vampires with silver chains and drain the blood into vials. The strength of the blood depends on the age of the blood (the time since it has been removed from its owner), the age of the vampire from whom the blood has been removed, and the individual chemistry of the drug user. In this universe, the effects of vampire blood in humans are a feeling of power, increased strength, acute vision and hearing, increased sexual desire, and enhanced physical appearance. The results are notoriously unpredictable and vary per person, lasting from weeks to months. Some people go mad when the blood hits their systems (sometimes homicidal). Vampires hate drainers and the users of the drained blood.A vial of blood can cost from $200 to $400 depending on the age of the vampire and the preference of the seller. Some humans have not accepted vampires as creatures of God, and organizations such as the Fellowship of the Sun are against vampires and their existence.
Fairies
In the Southern Vampire Mysteries Universe, fairies "...are your basic supernatural being. From us come elves and brownies and angels and demons. Water sprites, green men, all the natural spirits... all some form of fairy." —ClaudineFairies are portrayed in the series as beautiful, with pointed ears and glossy, thin skin. Physically, fairies are super-humanly strong and durable. They are tough, ferocious, and incredibly long-lived, but not immortal. The Shreveport werewolf packmaster says, "They love to flirt with disaster, they love to role-play." In this universe, fairies are extremely attractive to humans as well as to vampires. Vampires have a hard time resisting fairies because of their smell and taste; fairy blood is intoxicating to vampires. A fairy, Claudine, is first introduced in Dead to the World
Dead to the World (novel)
Dead to the World is the fourth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released in 2004. In Dead to the World, Sookie aids vampires Eric and Pam in their struggle against a coven of witches seeking to take over control of their area, and takes care of Eric after the...
. Watching vampires react to her, Sookie thinks that “it was like watching cats that'd suddenly spotted something skittering along the baseboards.” This makes face to face interactions between them all but impossible. However some individuals, such as Sookie's great-grandfather Niall Brigant
Niall Brigant
Niall Brigant is a fairy, a fictional character from the The Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse Series by author Charlaine Harris. He first appears in From Dead to Worse. He is Sookie's and Jason's great-grandfather and Claude and Claudine's grandfather. He is tall and slim, extremely...
, are able to "suppress their essence", effectively masking their scent and making such contact safer.
In the Southern Vampire Series, fairies can be killed with either lemons, limes or iron. When a fairy dies a corpse is not left, just a sparkling powder (or fairy dust); the body just fades away and the spirit of the fairy goes to the next oldest family member to tell them of their death. The fae call their afterlife "The Summerland
The Summerland
The Summerland is the name given by Wiccans and other earth-based Neopagan religions and by Theosophists to their conceptualization of an afterlife.-General overview of Summerland in Neopaganism:...
s".
Fairies are secretive about their own race, customs, interactions, and world. They normally inhabit the fae world, named Faery, but there are portals and doorways between it and the human world. Sookie's great-grandfather Niall is a fairy prince, and Claudine and Claude are Niall’s grandchildren. In later books, Claudine admits that she is Sookie's fairy godmother. She was assigned this role in an effort to move on to the next level, which is angelhood.
Sookie's great-grandfather is over a thousand years old and her half-human great-uncle is centuries old. Those who have fairy blood in them but are not full-blooded fairies are immune to the effects of iron, lemons and limes, while maintaining some of the attractive qualities of fairies. Niall states that Sookie and Jason have both inherited the beauty of the fairies but only certain creatures can tell they are part-fairy. As a genetic quirk (possibly due to fairy blood), Jason greatly resembles his great-uncle to the point where others are unable to differentiate between the two of them. Sookie appears to have inherited more magical fairy powers (such as immunity against mind spells from vampires and maenads), while Jason only has the power of being able to easily attract women and gay men. However, most assume this is mainly due to his physical appearance. It is also stated in one of the books, by Mr. Cataliades, that Sookie's telepathy is not a trait that she obtained from her fairy blood. In the short story Fairy Dust, it is expressed by Sookie that Fairies love attention and admiration, a fact she learned from Sam. In this story, it is also implied that Fairies have the ability to cast spells, as Claudine was muttering something under her breath to hypnotise or calm down the people she and her brother, Claude, were interrogating. Claudine also magically appeared to aid Sookie when she was in mortal danger on a number of occasions, however, she hinted that there were limits to how and when she could perform that trick. Sookie was not always aware of her fairy godmother's timely interventions.
It is also known that fairies can conjure objects, demonstrated by Claudine in Fairy Dust, when she summoned a contract, and in Dead to the World, when she changed her outfit magically. A fairy, Preston, also displayed the abilities to shapeshift and to glamor, although his glamor affects Sookie.
Wiccans and witches
In the Southern Vampire Mysteries canonCanon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
, a witch practices magic rituals, drawing from a power that most people never tap into possessing magical power that can be focused for many various effects through the use of rituals and spells. A Wicca
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n, on the other hand, practices a pagan religion that follows the ways of the Mother. Practitioners can be both Wiccan and a witch, or more one or the other. Witches and Wiccans first appear in the fourth book, Dead to the World
Dead to the World (novel)
Dead to the World is the fourth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released in 2004. In Dead to the World, Sookie aids vampires Eric and Pam in their struggle against a coven of witches seeking to take over control of their area, and takes care of Eric after the...
. Sookie’s colleague and fellow barmaid at Merlotte’s, Holly, is a Wiccan practitioner, but not a witch. In later books, Sookie learns more about witchcraft and befriends Amelia Broadway, a true witch, in New Orleans.
Others
- Telepaths: Humans that can read minds of other humans and feel emotions of different creatures that are portrayed in their "brain signature". Vampires have a "hole" as their signature, where telepaths cannot read their mind. (However, very rarely Sookie picks up a few flashes of thought from vampires.) Were and shifter signatures portray emotions or colors. Demons' signatures are compared to a buzzing sound or like the "static in a radio station". Maenads' signatures are represented as an endless mystic chant. Fairies (and a few powerful witches) can block their minds from telepaths. Sookie refers to their mind as being "shielded". Telepaths are rare to come across in the supernatural community. It was revealed in Dead Reckoning, that Sookie's power of telepathy was actually granted to her family by the half demon Desmond Cataliades. He was great friends with her half fairy grandfather Fintan and so he became Fintan's descendants' sponsor and was required to give them a gift. He himself had the power of telepathy and thought it would be a great gift to Fintan's family as they would have an edge over their fellow humans for all of their lives, to know what other people are thinking and planning. Fintan and Adele drank his blood (although Adele was tricked into it as Desmond mixed it with her wine) and from then on their descendants would have the power of telepathy. However he revealed that only the descendants who like Sookie's grandmother Adele had the essential spark would inherit the telepathy. Sookie told him it wasn't much of a gift but he responded by telling her that if Niall had known that Breandan's henchmen were determined to kill him he could have squelched the rebellion before the war began. Also her father could have saved himself and her mother from drowning if he'd known a trap was set for him. Sookie tells him that those things didn't happen and Mr. Cataliades said that full blooded fairies aren't telepathic and though they can sometimes send messages, they can't hear an answer. He also told her that her Father (Corbett), Brother (Jason), Aunt (Linda), and cousin (Hadley) didn't have the essential spark. When asked what the essential spark was Desmond said it "isn't easy to pin down in terms of your DNA. It's an openness to the other world. Some humans literally can't believe there are creatures in another world besides ours, creatures who have feelings and rights and beliefs and deserve to live their own lives. Humans who are born with the essential spark are born to experience or perform something wonderful, something amazing." Although Adele had the essential spark Fintan did not want her to have the gift. When each Stackhouse child was born Mr. Cataliades came and inspected them to see if they had the gift. (Even though the gift had already been given so it wasn't necessary).
- Britlingens: Extremely powerful and skilled beings from another dimension that act as mercenaries, considered to rival vampires in strength. Summoning Britlingens requires an exorbitant amount of money but once summoned they are very difficult to kill.
- Maenads: Historically, a maenad is a female follower of the Greek god DionysusDionysusDionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
. In the series universe, a maenad's blood is corrosive to vampires. They also have their own sort of control on any creature through madness (only in the book) and demand tribute when wanted. They are divinely powerful, immortal and chaotic neutrals. When they rave they go on rampages and sometimes tear humans and animals to shreds. They can be cannibalistic at times. Maenads are considered rare "ancient creatures" of the supernatural community. - Fae Creatures: As noted above, the world of fairy in this universe includes "fairies, nymphs, water sprites, angels, elves, demons, pixies, goblins, and brownies", with fairies being the majority and base race.
- Demons: Beings that have very sharp teeth and are tricky to kill. They can manipulate fire (referred to in Dead and GoneDead and Gone (novel)Dead and Gone is the ninth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries. This title was released on May 5, 2009.-Plot summary:In this novel, the weres and shifters make their presence known, following the example of the vampires...
), they can run faster than any human or animal (referred to in Dead and GoneDead and Gone (novel)Dead and Gone is the ninth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries. This title was released on May 5, 2009.-Plot summary:In this novel, the weres and shifters make their presence known, following the example of the vampires...
), and can have a very powerful touch (referred to in Dead as a DoornailDead as a DoornailDead as a Doornail is the fifth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries.-Summary:It's the first full moon since Jason was bitten by the werepanther Felton Norris . Calvin Norris comes to watch over him and help him, and Jason ends up loving turning into a half man/half...
). When they die, the earth does not take the body in nor does it decompose, so it has to be burned (referred to in Dead as a DoornailDead as a DoornailDead as a Doornail is the fifth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries.-Summary:It's the first full moon since Jason was bitten by the werepanther Felton Norris . Calvin Norris comes to watch over him and help him, and Jason ends up loving turning into a half man/half...
). They also possess the power of telepathy (referred to in Dead ReckoningDead reckoningIn navigation, dead reckoning is the process of calculating one's current position by using a previously determined position, or fix, and advancing that position based upon known or estimated speeds over elapsed time, and course...
). - Elves: Very little is known about these creatures. It is expressed in the short story "Two BlondesTwo BlondesTwo Blondes is a short story from Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released on August 3, 2010. This short story is featured in -Plot summary :...
" that they have very sharp teeth and that their blood is poisonous to vampires. If elf blood is ingested, it will greatly weaken and disorient a vampire for a short period of time. In "Two Blondes", Sookie shoots Rudy, a half-elf, in the face and chest but he is not mortally wounded. This implies that they are very durable supernaturals and may potentially be more dangerous than others that have been previously introduced. - Goblins: Little yet strong creatures that have a burning touch to the skin (referred to in Club DeadClub DeadClub Dead is the third book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released in 2003. In Club Dead, Sookie's boyfriend Bill disappears while working on a secret project, and Sookie heads out to Jackson, Mississippi in hopes of retrieving him alive...
).
- Demons: Beings that have very sharp teeth and are tricky to kill. They can manipulate fire (referred to in Dead and Gone
Television adaptation
The HBO series True BloodTrue Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Sookie is portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin
Anna Helene Paquin is a Canadian-born New Zealand actress. Paquin's first critically successful film was The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 at the age of 11 – the second youngest winner in history...
.