Jasper Hale

"He moved like a lightning strike - power and speed and death rolled into one."

Jasper Hale, born Jasper Whitlock in 1843, is a vampire who participated in the great vampire wars of the south (and is a survivor), but later became a member of the Olympic Coven. He is the husband of Alice Cullen and the adoptive son of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, as well as the adoptive brother of Rosalie Hale (in Forks, he and Rosalie pretend to be twins), Emmett and Edward Cullen. Jasper is the adoptive brother-in-law to Bella Cullen and the adoptive uncle of Renesmee Cullen.

After becoming a major in the Confederate Army, Jasper was beset upon by the vampire Maria, who proceeded to turn him. After the transformation, Jasper aided Maria in her creation of a newborn vampire army which successfully conquered the feeding grounds of Texas. However, Jasper became tired of this violent life and eventually became a nomad. Fortunately, he was eventually found by Alice, the love of his life and with her began a life with the peaceful coven of the Cullen family.

Early life
Jasper was a major in the Confederate Army in Texas until he was turned into a vampire one dark night by Maria and two others, who were later destroyed by Jasper and Maria when they became of no use and were planning to defeat them and take over. When he became a vampire, he gained the ability to feel and manipulate people's emotions.

Jasper commanded Maria's newborn army that participated in the Southern Vampire wars. While in the army, he befriended a newborn named Peter, who Maria decided to let live. When Peter ran off with Charlotte, a newborn that they were supposed to kill, Jasper let them go. After a few years living as nomads in the Northern U.S., Peter and Charlotte came back and told Jasper about the way vampires could coexist in the North, and left with them. A few years later he left their company. Later, he meets Alice in a diner in Philadelphia, and together, with the help of Alice's 'sight', they search for Carlisle and his family, she also tells him about the ability to survive off of animal instead of human blood. He didn't know such a thing could exist but he followed her.

When he became a member of the Cullen family and while attending high school, Jasper changed his surname of Whitlock to his adoptive sister Rosalie's surname of "Hale" and poses as her twin due to their physical similarities. Out of the whole coven, Jasper has the hardest time being around humans, due to his untrained upbringing as a young vampire in an army environment. He was not taught to control or how to regulate his blood lust. Edward Cullen states that all human blood is equally tempting to Jasper, unlike the rest of the family, who can notice the variations in blood scent in different humans. He is also the newest member of the Cullen family.



New Moon
In New Moon, the Cullens throw an 18th birthday party for Bella. While opening a gift, she cuts her finger and starts bleeding. Since Jasper is the newest vegetarian vampire in the family, he is overcome by his bloodlust and tries to attack Bella. Edward pushes him away and Bella is unbitten, though she sustains injuries when she is pushed by Edward. After Jasper nearly bites Bella, he and his family move away from forks, and return later in the story.

Physical description
Jasper is 6'3" and has golden honey blond hair. He is muscular but lean. Like the other Cullens, he has pale, marble-like skin and bruise-like purple shadows under his eyes, which appear gradually as his thirst increases. He has golden eyes, like all vegetarian vampires, which turn darker, eventually becoming black, as he grows thirstier. He has many crescent-shaped scars on his body, face, neck and jaw from the bites of vampires he fought on Maria's behalf. The white scars are invisible to humans unless contrasted by a strong light, but when viewed by a vampire they are said to be his most dominant feature, causing defensive reactions in vampires who don't know him. In Breaking Dawn Bella thinks the scars "screamed dangerous." She also asks herself, "How many vampires had tried to kill Jasper?", and answers, "The same number that had died in the attempt." In the movie, Jessica Stanley calls him "the blond one who looks like he's in pain."

Personality
Jasper could be mistaken for cold because of his highly militaristic mindset. This is displayed in Midnight Sun as he's the most resolved in killing Bella in order to protect his family's secrets and is even willing to fight Edward to get to her (who admits he would fight against Jasper to protect her). However, this is before he met her and he steps down immediately after Alice asks him not to. However, his relationship with Alice displays his warmer side. The fact that he suffered depression after his years in Maria's service suggests a strong sense of conscience and grief over his perceived wrong-doings. When he was human he was described as being extremely charismatic, and therefore very likable. He has also been shown to be a strong and forceful leader through his rapid ascent through the ranks of the Confederate Army. The fact that he is always a soothing presence shows that he wishes others to feel well and at ease, and will do his best to make that occur. Jasper is highly intuitive but also never takes advantage of his miraculous gift, showing that he is not malicious and chooses not to manipulate others. While the Cullens are gone in New Moon, Jasper studies philosophy at Cornell University. When the Cullens and Edward left, Jasper felt saddened when he read the emotions coming off Edward and how lonely and heartbroken he was without Bella. He voted yes for Bella to become a vampire. In the opening chapter of Midnight Sun, Jasper is shown as being deeply ashamed of his urge to drain the life from the humans around him. He also believed that a newborn vampire's instability is natural and unavoidable, and therefore had lower expectations for himself and his control. However, when Bella demonstrated very high levels of self-control as a newborn, Jasper's ideas were challenged and he was forced to review his theories and raise his self-expectations.

On a softer note, Jasper is unconditionally in love with Alice, and, despite her precognitive abilities, would do anything for her and to protect her. An example of this was when Jasper was trying to be 'everywhere at once' to protect Alice as they had their show down with the newborn vampires in Eclipse. Jasper also shows his love for Alice again in Midnight Sun ' s draft, saying that he would not allow Alice to be put to harm, no matter how slight the possibility is. Alice is very protective of Jasper, which is the original reason that everyone thinks Alice and Jasper leave in Breaking Dawn when Alice sees that the Volturi are coming.

Powers and abilities
Some vampires have extra abilities beyond normal which amplifies an ability they had as a human. Because he was charismatic as a human, Jasper can feel and change the emotions of others, though must be careful not to constantly manipulate those around him, so as not to create a false reality of others simply feeling what he wants them to feel. Like all other vampires he also has super strength and speed, granite hard skin, immortality, and a keen sense of smell and hearing. Jasper also becomes very connected to Bella in Breaking Dawn because of her constantly joyful mood as a vampire. In the Cullen family, Jasper is the best fighter, the second fastest (next to Edward), and the second strongest (next to Emmett). In Eclipse, during the training Jasper gives the Cullens and Quileutes, it is noted that Jasper was unable to beat Edward due to his ability to see what Jasper was about to do; neither was able to defeat the other (but without Edward's mind reading ability, Jasper would have defeated him). This was shown during their sparring, which only stopped when Carlisle told them to, suggesting that it could have continued indefinitely. As shown in Breaking Dawn, the Quileute wolf pack fear Jasper above all the other Cullens, and described him as "speed, death and power, all rolled into one."

Relationships
Jasper is thought, by Bella, to be on the fringe of his adoptive family. As Carlisle didn't change him he doesn't have the same connection with him as Esme, Edward, Emmett and Rosalie do. He has always thought of himself as the weakest link due to his old background and is comforted by Edward on this fact. He, Emmett and Edward enjoy play wrestling with each other, and hunting together on a regular basis, they would seem to be real brothers. His connection with Alice is quite remarkable, proven by the fact that meeting her has completely changed his way of life. His connection to the Cullen family as whole is very firm, but as he is quiet and very reserved, it can be mistaken that the connection is quite dull.

Alice Cullen
"Overprotective fool."

Jasper first met Alice after escaping the vampire wars he had been in. She was sitting on a stool in a diner in Philadelphia waiting for him, having used her ability to see into the future to see that they would meet there. Jasper, a little taken back by her knowing him, apologized sheepishly to her when she teased him about how long she had been waiting for him by "bowing his head like a good southern gentleman" and answering, "I'm sorry, ma'am." as Alice had said when Jasper was telling his story to Bella in Eclipse. Alice then, offered him her hand in a silent request to leave the diner and start a new life together. Jasper accepted (as quoted from Eclipse, "For the first time in almost a century...I felt hope"). They fell in love and eventually found the Cullen family together. Alice helps Jasper regulate his blood lust by looking into the future or calming him down. They have been a part of the Cullen family ever since.

It is stated throughout the Twilight series that Alice and Jasper have a special, somewhat private relationship. They were both never complete until they met each other, and they are the only members of the Cullen family who were not turned into vampires by either Carlisle or Edward. Their distinctly understanding love is what separates them from the other couples in their family. They aren't as flamboyant about their relationship as Rosalie and Emmett are. The two are very committed and protective of each other, and have been married legally once, while Rosalie and Emmett tend to do so often when they move to a new place. It is obvious that Jasper is in love with Alice and would do anything for her. He has quite a protective nature toward her, as Carlisle with Esme, Edward with Bella, and Emmett with Rosalie.

Maria
Jasper was found by Maria during the Southern vampire wars. At this point, he was a major in the Confederate Army, and Maria was looking for humans that she could turn to vampires to create a newborn army, using the idea given by Benito. After she turned Jasper, she found that he was extremely useful to her, because he was able to control the emotions of the vampires around him, and make them work together. With her and her sisters, Nettie and Lucy, she was able to take over many Mexican territories previously owned by other vampire clans. During there time together, Jasper and Maria became close and she rewarded him, particularly for helping her defeat her sisters when they rebelled. One night, Maria ordered him to get rid of the newborns that showed no potential. It made him sick to do this, and so later ran away with two other members of Maria's army, Peter and Charlotte. It is unknown what became of Maria, although Edward mentions in the Midnight Sun draft that Maria once sought them out when they were in Calgary, and Jasper politely told her to keep her distance in the future. Jasper also asks Peter and Charlotte to tell Maria that he wishes her well if they ever come across her again.

Etymology
Jasper is a variant of its original Persian "Kaspar". In accordance with the Bible, Casper is the name of one of the "Three Kings" who, by ways of divination through astrological mathematics, presented gifts to Christ on the night of his birth. Casper's gift was that of frankincense. The name Gaspar or Caspar, along with the names of the other two legendary magi, appeared for the first time in two medieval Latin texts and dates from the 9th century AD. The spell containing the name of "Jaspar" is a French/English transcription of the Latin word "Caspar". Its Biblical reference led to its adoption as an English name in the 17th Century.

Jasper is also the name of a precious and beautiful gem, which translates to "speckled or spotted stone", derived via the Greek iaspis (a feminine noun). On metaphysical standards, it has the ability to foster and nurture and its energy is used for grounding and protection, while Native American traditions use the stone for connecting with the spirit world and for protection during travel, believed to stabalize emotions, and 'ease emotional stresses', which fits in with Jasper's ability to manipulate emotions, in particular to calm and relax.

Film portrayal
American actor Jackson Rathbone played the role of Jasper Hale in the Twilight film.

Appearances

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