Eleazar

"You have a very powerful gift."

- Eleazar

Eleazar (pronounced El-ey-ah-sar) is a member of the Denali Coven. He was originally a guard of the Volturi until he and Carmen joined the Denali Coven many years after it was established. Eleazar is a "vegetarian", although he wasn't always one. Edward said that if they had never found the Denali Coven, both Carmen and Eleazar would have found another compassionate way to live, one way or the other.

Early life
"Eleazar knows everything when it comes to the Volturi... He used to be one of them."

- Edward, on Eleazar.

Eleazar was originally from Spain, and as such is fluent in Spanish. He was born sometime during the 1700s, but the exact date and year of his birth is unknown. The identity of his creator and the date he was changed is also unknown.

Eleazar was given a place within the Volturi guard. His job was to detect if any threatening coven had any members extra gifts and then pass the knowledge on to Aro. He would also be sent around the world to look for any human or vampire with special gifts to add to the coven. A gentle person by nature, he wasn't entirely happy with their methods, but he felt he was serving the greater good by working with those who would uphold the law. Eleazar met Carmen sometime later and instantly became her mate. Because Carmen had no interest in joining the Volturi, and was troubled by the violence of Eleazar's everyday life, Eleazar asked Aro's permission to leave. Aro didn't like the idea but since he saw no necessity in keeping his gift then, he gave his blessing.

Eleazar and Carmen traveled for a while, looking for a more compassionate lifestyle. They stumbled across the Denali Coven, and were awed by their 'vegetarianism'. Tanya asked for Eleazar and Carmen to try out the lifestyle, and after they did for quite awhile they joined the Denali Coven permanently.

Eclipse
When the Cullens call upon the Denali Coven to aid in their fight against a newborn army plaguing Seattle, the Denalis refuse at Irina's insistence, motivated by a grudge against the shape-shifters for killing Laurent, her mate, much to the regret of the remainder of the coven. The Cullens have felt that Eleazar and Kate in particular, would have been useful in the coming battle.

Breaking Dawn
Like the rest of his coven, Eleazar comes to Forks to attend Bella and Edward's wedding and make peace with the "werewolves".

Four months later, they are asked to come to Forks to help the Cullen family by witnessing for them against the Volturi after Irina falsely accuses them of creating an immortal child. Eleazar is the one who explains to Bella the nature of her gift, which he calls a "mental shield". He also explains how it is able to protect her from the Volturi's abilities, and that she may be able to expand it to protect others as well. Kate and Zafrina help her to master this ability, while Eleazar assists in teaching Bella how to fight. This information from Eleazar proves vital in the confrontation with the Volturi.

He is instrumental in helping the Cullens by giving valuable information about the Volturi and teaching Bella how to fight, although at first he almost refused because he thought Renesmee Cullen was an immortal child. He is eventually persuaded after his mate, Carmen, takes a liking to Renesmee and convinces him that she is no immortal child. After the confrontation with the Volturi ends, he returns to Denali with the rest of his coven, along with a new coven member, Garrett.

Physical appearance
Eleazar is described as being 5'11" tall (though he is taller in the films), with dark brown hair up to his collar. He has the same golden eyes of all "vegetarian" vampires that were once burgundy before he and Carmen met the Denali sisters. Eleazar's pale skin has a light olive cast, most likely due to his Spanish heritage.

He is described as a "man" in the books, so it is assumed that he was changed at an age older than 20 years old. In the Breaking Dawn films, he speaks with a very slight Spanish accent and has short, black hair.

Personality
"Eleazar is a very gentle person. He wasn't entirely happy with the Volturi, but he respected the law and its need to be upheld."

- Edward on Eleazar's gentle personality

Eleazar has a strong belief that laws must be upheld for the balance and safety of the vampire world, which is part of the reason he joined the Volturi, though he wasn't completely happy with their lifestyle. He is described by Edward Cullen as a very gentle man with purely good intentions and a very compassionate vampire. He becomes distraught and disappointed when he figures out the Volturi's true face; their desire to control instead of maintaining order, the latter being what he had always believed they were doing.

He is also shown as extremely protective of the things that he cherishes, for example, when he shields Carmen from Renesmee after assuming that she was an immortal child.

Powers and abilities
In Breaking Dawn, Eleazar helps train Bella in combat skills to prepare her for the Volturi's arrival. Because he was once a Volturi guard, it can be assumed that his fighting skills are more proficient than those of the average vampire.

Ability identification
"He has an instinctive feel for the gifts of others - the extra abilities that some vampires have. He could give Aro a general idea of what any given vampire was capable of just by being in proximity with him or her."

- Edward, on Eleazar's gift.

Eleazar has the gift to identify the type and strength of other gifted vampires. Eleazar thinks that it is a "haphazard practice," as no two abilities work the exact same way. His ability to read powers is, like many other gifts, weaker on humans, and so is limited in that sense and requires full concentration for him to detect their potential gifts. Eleazar is the one who helped to discover Bella's own gift, which is a mental "shield," though his power is being repelled by it. However, his power seems to run on a different frequency as he can feel it being blocked by Bella's shield, rather than not feeling Bella's gift at all.

His ability is what earned him a place within the Volturi in the first place, as Aro found it useful for determining if his enemies were gifted and for finding vampires or humans throughout the world that might be special enough to be invited to the coven.

Relationships
Eleazar is the mate of Carmen and coven members with Tanya, Kate and Garrett, as well as the now deceased Irina and Laurent.

Carmen
"Show him, mi querida."

- Carmen to Renesmee, telling her to show Eleazar her history

Carmen is Eleazar's mate. They met when Eleazar was still working for the Volturi, and their bond was strong enough to resist Chelsea's hold on him when he later decided to leave the Volturi in order to lead a peaceful life with Carmen. They eventually relocated to Denali where they joined the Denali sisters and quickly became part of their family.

Eleazar is extremely protective of his mate, as shown when he protects Carmen from Renesmee after assuming that she is an immortal child. He also seems to have faith in Carmen's opinions and judgments; for example, when she convinces him to listen to Renesmee's story before judging her, he relents and believes her.

Tanya, Kate and Irina
"What did we miss, my friend? I want to know so that I can argue with these thoughts. You’ve never done anything worth castigating yourself this way."

- Tanya to Eleazar as he questions his former allegiance with the Volturi

Tanya, Kate and Irina are members of the Denali Coven, and Eleazar's adoptive sisters. Though Eleazar is very gentle and attractive, they merely see him as a friend or brother, unlike Tanya's affections with Edward.

When Eleazar blamed himself for having worked with the Volturi for the wrong reasons, Tanya tries to comfort him saying that his intentions are always the best and that he should not degrade himself.

Irina is destroyed when the Volturi punish her for a false report of Renesmee's origins.

Film portrayal
Eleazar is portrayed by Christian Camargo in Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and Part 2. His character was given the surname "Denali" in the films.

Appearances

 * Twilight (mentioned)
 * New Moon (mentioned)
 * Eclipse (mentioned)
 * Breaking Dawn
 * Breaking Dawn - Part 1
 * Breaking Dawn - Part 2