Eric Northman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Eric Northman | |
|---|---|
 Alexander Skarsgård starring as Eric Northman in True Blood |
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| First appearance | Novel Dead Until Dark Television "Escape from Dragon House" |
| Created by | Charlaine Harris |
| Portrayed by | Alexander Skarsgård |
| Information | |
| Species | Vampire |
| Age | 1,100 (novels). |
| Date of birth | 1046 (TV Series) |
| Occupation | Bar Owner, Sheriff of Area 5 |
| Family | Pam (vampire offspring) Sookie Stackhouse (wife/human) Aude (wife/human; deceased) Older brother (name unknown/human; deceased) |
Eric Northman is a fictional character in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a series of nine books written by New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. He is a vampire and is first introduced in the first novel, Dead Until Dark and appears in all subsequent novels. HBO's television series True Blood is based on this book series and the character of Eric Northman is portrayed somewhat differently. Characters of True Blood has detailed description of Eric's character from the TV show.
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[edit] Human life
Eric is portrayed in the books as being somewhat arrogant, but having a true joie de vivre.[1] Little is known about Eric; Harris has stated that he had children while human,[2] In the latest book, Dead and Gone Eric reveals details about his human life. He married at age sixteen to his brother's widow named Aude. The couple had six children, but only three were living at the time of his turning. Aude and their sixth child died of a fever (presumably puerperal fever) shortly after the birth. He was made by a Roman Vampire.
[edit] Physical description
In the first novel, Dead Until Dark, Sookie Stackhouse thinks he is a "hunk". Sookie describes him as “ handsome, in fact, radiant; blond and blue-eyed, tall and broad shouldered. He was wearing boots, jeans, and a vest. Period. Kind of like the guys on the cover of romance books.”[3] He’s approximately six-foot-five. When Sookie sees him naked for the first time in the fourth novel, Dead to the World, she thinks that “if there were an international butt competition, Eric would win, hands down – or cheeks up.”[4] Eric has used the name Lief, which leads to one theory that he was once Lief Erikson, the Viking who founded the Vinland colony in North America. This is disputable, however, as Eric clearly mentions having to participate in Viking raids[5] while Erikson was primarily an explorer and trader.
[edit] Work and position within the vampire hierarchy
In the book series, Eric is the most powerful vampire in Area Five, a territory that includes the small fictional town of Bon Temps in Northern Louisiana. Eric serves as Sheriff of that area and owns a vampire bar in Shreveport called Fangtasia that serves as his headquarters as well. He runs the bar with the help of his vampire offspring Pam and a few others. Eric takes his responsibilities and role within the vampire hierarchy very seriously. In the sixth novel, Definitely Dead, Eric mentions that he has paid a significant fine to the arbitrator for killing a former Fangtasia bartender, Long Shadow. This demonstrates that he did not hide his crime as killing another vampire is a "serious thing."[6]
When the state of Louisiana was in disarray after the results of Hurricane Katrina, and after the queen of Louisiana, Eric's hierarch, was crippled in an explosion and eventually killed by the vampires of Nevada under Felipe de Castro's order, Eric quickly pledges his allegiance to the new regime in order to protect those under him. He is, then, allowed to maintain control of his area and his followers, when the other sheriffs of Louisiana and a number of their minions were all killed. Under the new regime, Eric has spent a significant amount of time acclimatizing himself to his new overlords.
[edit] Relationship with Sookie Stackhouse
The author introduces Sookie to Eric in her first novel, Dead Until Dark. Eric then appears in all the subsequent novels and has either saved or attempted to save Sookie's life in every book. From the second book onward, Eric and Sookie share at least one intimate moment together. The second one there are several: when he asks her to suck out the bullet in his chest, and when Sookie invites him to an orgy they have to play the part; in the third, they almost have sex before being interrupted; the fourth, they experience a sexual relationship; the fifth, they kiss; the sixth, during battle Eric sneaks a kiss on Sookie after saving her; the seventh, they exchange blood and Eric kisses her; the eighth, they kiss again after Eric smells faerie blood all over Sookie; and in the ninth, they consumate their relationship after being wed by vampire laws and seem to be moving in the direction of an official relationship. In the later books, she has also saved his life several times. After appearing to develop an affection for Sookie in the third book in the series, Club Dead, Eric has a brief romance with her in Dead to the World, the fourth book, though, due to a curse, he lost his memories of that time until From Dead to Worse, the eighth book. In the eighth book, after sitting in Sookie's room, he reveals that he remembers the days he spent with her when the curse was put on him. He asks her to discuss it, and she refuses.
In the seventh book, All Together Dead, when Sookie is accosted into forming a blood bond with Andre, another powerful vampire, Eric steps in opportunistically as the lesser of two evils and bonds with her himself. A blood bond is formed when a human and vampire exchange blood within a short period of time and it allows both to feel what the other is feeling. In Dead and Gone, Eric sends Sookie a velvet parcel that he instructs her to give to him in front of King Felipe de Castro's representative, Victor Madden. Without looking inside the parcel first, Sookie presents Eric the bag which contains a ceremonial knife that is used in marriage ceremonies. The king's representative reveals that the act of giving and receiving the knife means that Eric and Sookie are pledged to one another. Eric claims that he deceived Sookie because the King of Nevada had the power and desire to take her away from her home. Because they are wed, Eric is the only vampire that can have access to Sookie on pain of final death.
[edit] Television portrayal
In True Blood, an HBO series based on the earliest books in the series, this character is played by Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård. Some details of the character are portrayed somewhat differently on True Blood than in the books. In the series, Eric is created by Godric, with whom he shares a deep bond of loyalty and devotion.
[edit] References
- ^ Harris, Charlaine. Dead to the World. ACE. p. 149. ISBN 978-0441012183.
- ^ http://charlaineharris.master.com/texis/master/search/showmsg.html?id=47c6d5b710
- ^ Dead Until Dark Charlaine Harris
- ^ Dead to the World (novel) Charlaine Harris
- ^ Dead and Gone (novel)
- ^ Definitely Dead, Harris, Charlaine
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