Bella Swan

"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

Isabella "Bella" Marie Cullen (née Swan) (born to Charlie Swan and Renée Dwyer on September 13, 1987) is a vampire and a member of the Olympic Coven. She is the wife of Edward Cullen and the mother of Renesmee Cullen. Bella is the daughter-in-law of Carlisle and Esme Cullen and the sister-in-law of Alice and Emmett Cullen as well as to Rosalie and Jasper Hale.

In 2006, after giving birth to Renesmee, Bella was transformed into a vampire by Edward to save her life. She then gained an innate ability to project a mental shield that could protect herself, and others, from certain powers possessed by other vampires.

Early life
Isabella Marie Swan was born on September 13, 1987 to Renee Swan (now Renée Dwyer) and Charlie Swan, a young couple living in the small town of Forks, Washington. Bella's parents divorced when Bella was six months old, and Renée took Bella with her when she moved to Phoenix, Arizona. 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 or 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 her lessons, and having (and killing) a few pet fish - three in a row. It is also known that she used to take ballet lessons in a studio near her house, and that she wasn't very good; she was always placed, to Bella's relief, in the back at recitals. The dance studio is the site of a future 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.

Twilight
At the start of the first book, Bella's mother has 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 be with him while he 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. 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 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 are 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, intimidating vampire.

As the story progresses, Bella finds out from a family friend, Jacob Black, that the Cullens are supposedly vampires. However, they are different from other vampires in that they are "vegetarians", meaning they choose not to drink the blood of humans, but instead live off of animal blood. Edward and Bella get to know each other better, it is hard for Edward to be near her, because he feels a particular draw to the scent of her blood. Although he does not drink human blood, Edward constantly lusts for it, and Bella's blood is especially tantalizing for him. He must constantly control his desire. He also finds that his mind reading capabilities do not work on her.

Despite 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 confronting him alone, 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 determination to become a vampire. The reasons behind his intentions are revealed in New Moon.

At 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.

New Moon
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, what she thought to be her Grandma Marie, for which she was partly named after, turned out to be her. 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 Cullen. Bella receives a paper cut while opening one of her gifts, drawing a single drop of blood and causing Edward's brother, Jasper Hale, 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 style of life, so he deceives Bella into thinking that he does not love her any longer and leaves Forks with his family.

Bella sinks into a deep depression for four months, until she is 'awoken' by Charlie Swan, her father. He threatens to send her back to live with her mother in Jacksonville, Florida 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 Black 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 a 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 of brothers in hunting down Victoria.

To 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, Italy 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 tells her that he loves her and had always loved her, and promises to never leave her again. When Edward once again refuses to transform Bella into a monster, she decides to let his family decide whether she should become a vampire and thus join their family. All except Edward and Rosalie vote affirmatively for her to be changed. 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 a vampire, they will have broken their treaty with the La Push werewolves, which would start a war with the Cullens.

Eclipse
Eclipse 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. Edward is trying to convince Bella to fill out more application forms for college, but Bella thinks that college is pointless since she will be turning into 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 a newborn vampire, unable to control its thirst. Later on that day in school, Bella witnesses Alice having a vision: Victoria is coming back to Forks to hunt Bella.

Ultimately, Edward must go hunting and leave Bella. For fear of Bella putting herself in danger, he bribes Alice with a yellow 911 Porsche Turbo to watch over Bella while he's gone and keep her away from Jacob. Bella is furious at Edward's presumption and manages to slip away to see Jacob. Upon returning to the Cullens' house, she encounters Edward. He is not upset that Bella ran away, and realizes that he has been overprotective. Bella thanks Edward, and he begins occasionally taking her to the La Push line for regular visits with Jacob. During one of the visits, Jacob admits that he is in love with Bella and forcefully kisses her. Bella is furious and punches him in the face, succeeding only in breaking her hand. Edward later threatens to break Jacob's jaw for Bella if he ever kisses her without her permission again.

Meanwhile, Bella still has her heart set on joining Edward and his family as a vampire. But, after consideration, she decides that there is one thing she would like to do while human: she wants to make love to Edward while she is still human. Edward immediately refuses this "demand", explaining that although he wants her as much as she wants him, he could easily kill her if he lost control. Bella insists that he would never allow himself to let that happen. Eventually, Edward agrees that they can "try", but she must marry him first. Bella reluctantly agrees, because of her parent's early divorce, and becomes Edward's fiancée.

Moments before Bella's graduation, she realizes that the army of newborn vampires are under the control of Victoria and therefore will be coming after herself. Having no other allies, the Cullens and the La Push pack of werewolves join forces to battle Victoria and her army. 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 tells him to kiss her so he will think she loves him back, but as she kisses him, she realizes that she loves Jacob as well. 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 Clearwater, another werewolf, arrives to assist them. Seth kills Riley, and Edward beheads Victoria seconds later. After a brief confrontation with several Volturi soldiers (who had been sent to clean up Victoria's army), she goes to visit Jacob, who was wounded in the battle. She tells him that, while she does feel for him, she loves Edward far more, and has chosen to marry him. Jacob reluctantly agrees to stop trying to come between Edward and her, and assures her he'll be there if she ever needs him. Bella then goes back to Edward, and they agree to tell Charlie about their engagement.

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 super-strength safety car, 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.

The wedding goes smoothly, but the reception has a slight disturbance when Jacob shows up and gets in an argument with Bella about her wanting to make love with Edward while she is still human (luckily, only the werewolves and Cullens hear the argument). Edward and Bella leave for their honeymoon to Isle Esme. After the wedding, Edward agrees to make love with Bella, but is horrified when he sees that he bruised Bella while doing so. He vows not to make love with her again until she has been turned, but Bella succeeds in getting him to do so. Bella notices that she is getting unusual illnesses and changes of appetite, but does not make anything of it. After, once more, making love she notices that she is pregnant.

Her baby develops at an extremely fast rate, and she becomes very sick. She can't keep food down, and is dying. Also, the baby inside of her is so strong it has been breaking her ribs by accident. Edward had asked Jacob to try to convince her to kill the baby that was killing her, but Bella couldn't, because she loved it. Edward then suggests for Bella to drink blood, and she becomes stronger. Soon after, Edward realizes that he can hear the baby's thoughts, 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.

Bella's hardened placenta detaches, and Edward, Rosalie, and Jacob are forced to perform an emergency birthing since Carlisle is hunting with Esme. Bella's body is nearly destroyed in the process - several ribs are broken, she loses vast amounts of blood, and her spinal cord is snapped. She names her child Renesmee, but then her heart stops beating. Edward 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 after she is born, but imprints on her instead. Jacob wanted to kill Renesmee becuase Renesmee almost killed Bella while she was inside Bella.

Bella wakes up two days later, now a vampire. She claims that she can notice how everything is different when she became a newborn. Her senses were improved by great lengths. She explains her new eyesight, laying her new eyes first on a light on the ceiling, claiming to see another, "eighth," color illuminating from it -- UV light. Shortly after her creation, Edward takes her out on her first hunt, where she proves to have incredible self control when she runs away from the scent of human blood (something newborns aren't supposed to be able to do). Bella later finds out Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, which makes her very angry, and she calms down quickly, but not before trying to kill Jacob. Later, Jacob, aware that the Cullens are planning to move, phases into his wolf form in front of Charlie (he thought Charlie was the reason they were leaving). Charlie was shocked to discover Bella knew about the mythical world for years, and tells her to tell him only what is absolutely necessary for him to know. This allows Bella to keep her father in her new life without putting him in danger. Bella adjusts to her new life extremely well, going as far as to think she was destined to be a vampire.

Later, Bella is 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 Coven and the entire guard is coming to destroy the Cullens, she flees with Jasper on a secret mission which she doesn't tell anyone about. The Cullens look for other vampires to be witnesses, including nomads and other covens, such as the Irish coven and Amazon coven. In the meantime, Kate, a member of Tanya's coven, tries to teach Bella to project her power, so she could protect others from the Volturi's powers. The Cullens and their allies manage to convince the Volturi that Renesmee really is growing (with the help of the werewolves, Alice's research, and Bella's gift), 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 just how much she really loves him. Edward, Bella, and Renesmee feel free to live their lives in peace forever.

Personality and traits
Bella is described as having a very pale complexion with long, straight, dark brown hair and wide chocolate brown eyes. She is also has full lips but her upper lip is fuller than the other, making them uneven. Beyond this information, a detailed description of Bella's appearance is never given in the series. Stephenie Meyer explains that this is because she wanted her readers to "step into Bella's shoes" more easily. However, she has provided a more detailed description of her own interpretation of Bella on her website: she has a heart-shaped face, a widow's peak, a thin nose, and a narrow jaw with a pointed chin and full lips. Her fingernails are stubby, as she has a nervous habit of biting them. She stands at 5'4" and weighs about 110 pounds. Bella also 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 shines like a vampire's skin when in the sunlight. After Bella is changed into a vampire by Edward Cullen, she becomes even more pale, blood red eyes, and her hair comes down to her waist, her hair becomes darker brown . She is also described to be extremely beautiful.

Bella is described as being exceptionally clumsy, dropping and tripping over everything in sight. 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. She hates dressing up, saying that makeup "is a pain" and that she feels uncomfortable in unpractical, elegant clothes. She doesn't like the fact about 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, but demonstrates good acting ability in "Twilight" when she makes her father believe that she has dumped Edward and is leaving Forks. Bella also becomes faint at the sight or smell of blood, as demonstrated in Twilight.

Bella has a dry sense of humor, and is understanding and caring. She puts Edward before herself, 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 she is, indeed, in love with him.

Bella, according to Edward on Midnight Sun, has no sense of fear when she finds out Edward is a vampire. Instead of running away, like she should have, she decides to ask lots of questions, actually curious about him. This makes Edward believe that it's not bad luck what follows her around, it's that she has no sense of self-preservation whatsoever (referring to her near death experiences during Twilight and the fact that she wants to be around vampires).

Powers and Abilities
After being turned into a vampire, Bella explains that she has a more clear view of the world. Also, like other vampires, she has superhuman senses, strength, speed, and granite-hard skin. She is also very self-controlled as a vampire, being able to run away from the smell of human blood on her first hunting trip. She also has a special gift, which is to shield her and those around her from other vampires' special talents that affect the mind (such as Edward, Jane, Alec, Zafrina and Aro). Bella appears to have a gift for being a vampire, even saying that she felt like she was born to be one. Ironically, Bella is very graceful — even for a vampire. In Breaking Dawn Bella uses her shielding power as a giant dome to protect her family and friends. Bella also learns that she can lower her shield and let vampires' mental powers work on her if she so chooses. In Breaking Dawn, Bella can detect minor changes in Renesmee's physical appearance, such as her hair growing a couple of millimeters.

Family
Bella is the wife of Edward Cullen, the mother of Renesmee Carlie Cullen, daughter-in-law of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, and sister-in-law to Emmett and Alice Cullen and Jasper and Rosalie Hale.

Bella is very close to her mother, though she sometimes feels like she is the mother and Renée is the child. Her mother has always put her relationships with men first, although has been very clear that she wants Bella to remain independent. Bella was born in Forks but raised in Phoenix with her mother, as Renée left Charlie soon after Bella was born.

Bella's relationship with her father is also very odd. After Renée took her away to Phoenix, the only time Bella would see Charlie was in the summer. Even at a young age it became clear Bella hated Forks, and when she visited Charlie would take her fishing, which Bella also hated. Bella moved to Forks to live with her father in Twilight to give her mother space with her new husband. She takes care of him by making his dinner every night. Her father is very protective and therefore very suspicious of Edward Cullen.

Edward Cullen
Bella's mate is Edward Cullen, a vampire who has renounced drinking the blood of humans. When they first realize their feelings for each other, Bella loves him unconditionally, believing Edward to be absolutely perfect, and does not consider herself worthy of his love. She often describes him as god-like in appearance, like the Greek god Adonis, and hopes that by becoming a vampire she will become beautiful and graceful like him and his family, the Cullens. Edward disapproves of this and always reassures her that she is more than worthy, and has his heart. Bella sometimes thinks of Edward as an angel.

Edward proposes to Bella in New Moon and she eventually accepts in Eclipse, looking down on the prospect of marriage but not entirely opposed to it. As part of a deal with Edward, she promises to marry him if he promises to make love with her and then change her into a vampire. She sees this as the only part of the marriage to look forward to.

In Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the series, Bella overcomes her fear of marriage and happily marries Edward, becoming Isabella Marie Cullen. During their honeymoon on a private island, Edward and Bella consummate their marriage and conceive a child - a vampire hybrid child. During the birth, complications occur and Edward, after delivering their baby via caesarian section, is forced to inject Bella with his venom, thereby changing her into a vampire, to save her life.

After Bella's transformation, she and Edward become equals and can experience a vastly easier life. They find it very hard to satisfy their sexual desire for each other. At series end, Bella and Edward live happily together, presumably forever, as husband and wife with their daughter, Renesmee.

Jacob Black
Jacob Black, a Quileute and the son of Charlie Swan's friend, Billy Black, also loves Bella and spends a lot of time with her during the period of Edward's absence. While Edward was away, Bella found that Jacob's presence soothed the "hole" in her chest that resulted from Edward leaving her. Being around Jacob brought a measure of happiness back to Bella's life, though he was unable to replace Edward. Bella felt that Jacob was a good friend, and that he was her own "personal little sun" which would beam happiness in every direction wherever he went. When Jacob underwent his transformation into a werewolf, it put a distance in their friendship.

In Eclipse, Jacob acts upon his romantic feelings for Bella, and tries to convince her to leave Edward for him. Jacob thinks that, since he is more human than Edward, he will be safer for Bella to have a relationship with. Edward sees this, but is still willing to fight for her. Jacob forcefully kisses Bella, resulting in her punching him, breaking her hand and almost ending their friendship. Sometime later, Jacob overhears that Bella and Edward are engaged and makes Bella kiss him, saying that if she doesn't he will get himself killed. She does so, and realizes that she is in love with Jacob. But Bella soon realizes that her love for Jacob is nothing compared to her love for Edward. She later tells Jacob that she has chosen Edward over him, breaking his heart.

A devastated Jacob remains at odds with Edward and Bella after this. Eventually, Jacob imprints on Edward and Bella's daughter. Bella was furious and, after hearing that he nicknamed her after the Loch Ness Monster, lost control of her anger and tried to kill Jacob. But she soon regained control of herself, and Bella, Edward and Jacob made peace. Jacob remains Bella's best friend.

Renesmee Cullen
Renesmee is Bella and Edward's biological daughter. After making love to Edward in Breaking Dawn, Bella conceives a child. The mothers of these particular kinds of children never survive. Knowing this, Edward tries to convince her to kill the child. But Bella will not do this, for she has acquired a love for this child. Edward's hatred towards the child ceases when he hears the child's thoughts to find that the child already loves Bella and him. Now with communication, the child tries harder not to hurt her mother. After a painful child birth and transformation Bella sees Renesmee for the second time (she saw her during conception). She then notices that Jacob has imprinted on her daughter and does not wish to share. Bella and Renesmee love each other instantly.

Mike Newton
Mike Newton is a generically popular boy at Bella's new high school who is instantly attracted to Bella. He is friendly and Bella thinks he possesses traits like a golden retriever: his happiness and loyalty in walking her to class and speaking with her every day. Mike frequently tries to ask Bella out, but she always declines. He becomes jealous when he realizes that Bella and Edward Cullen are dating.

In New Moon, after a movie date with Bella, Jacob and Mike, Mike has seemingly given up on Bella, and tells her that "girls are cruel". Mike develops a new romantic relationship with Jessica Stanley when he accepts that Edward is Bella's boyfriend. In "New Moon", Bella tries to rekindle their friendship after four months of "being a zombie" after the Cullens leave Forks. Mike becomes her friend again, although not with the same enthusiasm and also never forgets his fondness of Bella.

Mike apparently never got over his infatuation for Bella. At Edward and Bella's wedding reception, Edward commented that Mike was having improper thoughts about her again.

Tyler Crowley
After nearly killing Bella in a car accident, Tyler feels obligated to make things even. He unsuccessfully asks Bella out to the turnabout dance. After Bella declines, insisting that she must go to Seattle that day, he insists on taking her to prom. He tells the whole school and convinces most of the students that he is taking Bella to prom, much to her annoyance. He shows up at Bella's house on prom night, only to be told over the phone by Edward that she would be unavailable every night as far as anyone but himself was concerned.

Eric Yorkie
Eric, like Mike Newton, immediately took an interest in Bella when she arrived in Forks. Bella described him as being the "overly eager" chess club type, and he was one of the three boys (Mike, Tyler and himself) who asked Bella to the spring dance, though she declined all three. He develops a rivalry with Mike Newton, and later a dislike for Tyler as well. His friendship sways and mostly falls after Bella goes through a depression in the absence of Edward and the rest of the Cullen family.

Etymology
Bella is a short form of Isabella. Bella means "beautiful" and Isabella means "God is my Oath".

Behind the scenes
On November 16, 2007 it was announced that Kristen Stewart was to play the role of Bella in the Twilight film. Meyer stated that she was "very excited" to see Stewart play the part.

Appearances

 * Twilight (First appearance)
 * Twilight (film)
 * Midnight Sun
 * New Moon
 * Eclipse
 * Breaking Dawn