Twilight: All 8 Vampire Covens Explained (& How They’re Different)

Although the Cullen family are 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 progressed, more vampires were introduced, especially as more and more learned about Edward Cullen’s relationship with a mortal and them having no plans to turn her into a vampire, which represented 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 attended 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 big 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 traveled using 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 consisted 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. Laurent, who was introduced in Twilight as part of the coven of James and Victoria, joined the coven and began a brief romance with Irina, but he was killed by the Uley pack of werewolves, and Irina was later killed by the Volturi after she mistook Renesmee for an immortal child.

Egyptian Coven

The Egyptian Coven is one of the oldest groups in the Twilight universe, and it consists of Amun, Kebi, Benjamin, and Tia, and just like the Volturi, they drink human blood. They have managed to live somewhat normal lives in Egypt for centuries, with Amun keeping Benjamin’s talents a secret from the Volturi as he feared they would try to take him away. Amun even suspected at times that the Cullens were trying to steal Benjamin and Tia, but he still agreed to serve as witnesses for them when the Volturi were going after Renesmee.

Amazon Coven

As the name suggests, the Amazon Coven resides in the rain forests of South America and consists of Zafrina, Kachiri, and Senna, all of them natives of the Pantanal wetlands. Even though they live in an area with little human population, the Amazon Coven members feed on human blood, and they never interact with humans unless they’re hunting. In fact, they don’t associate with humans nor make an effort to behave in a human way, which is why the Volturi had never heard of them

Irish Coven

The Irish Coven is formed by Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie, and though they feed on human blood, they are civilized, as opposed to other violent covens. Maggie’s power is sensing lies when she hears one, which is why Siobhan and Liam trust her judgment even though they are the leaders of the group.

Mexican Coven

The Mexican Coven was founded by Maria, who used it to raise an army of newborn vampires with the purpose of winning back the land that she lost. They drink human blood, which makes them even more chaotic, and it’s the coven that turned Jasper into a vampire. After Jasper left, Maria continued creating newborns to protect her territory and killing them after their first year.

Romanian Coven

The Romanian Coven is one of the oldest groups and the one that ruled before the Volturi’s rise. By the time of the events of Breaking Dawn, the coven consisted only of Vladimir and Stefan and spent years seeking revenge against the Volturi. After the death of most of the clan, Stefan and Vladimir refused to create more vampires and decided to disappear until the Volturi weakened or another power presented itself. They joined the Cullens and the rest in Breaking Dawn as they heard rumors of a fight against the Volturi, and while they were disappointed that there was no such fight, they were pleased to see them run away.

Disbanded Covens

Of course, not all covens have survived through the years for many reasons – either being killed by other vampires, mostly the Volturi, or their members parting ways. Within the timeline of the Twilight series, the disbanded covens are those of James and the Seattle newborn army. James’ coven was introduced in Twilight and was a group of three (James, Victoria, and Laurent) who wandered the northern United States looking for food, as they fed on human blood. The coven was over after James’ death, with Laurent later killed by the Uley pack and Victoria by the Cullens. The Seattle newborn army was created by Victoria but controlled by Riley Biers, with the purpose of getting rid of the Cullens and the Uley pack to get to Bella and kill her, in retaliation for James’ murder. Most of the coven was destroyed by the Cullens, the pack, and the Volturi, and its survivors went on to become nomads.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3267 Articles Published)

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

See also  Seth Rogen Without A Beard Looks Way Different In Pam & Tommy Set Photos

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

More From Adrienne Tyler