Renesmee Cullen

"You nicknamed my daughter after the Loch Ness Monster!?"

Renesmee Carlie Cullen (pronounced Ruh-NEZ-may) (born on September 10, 2006), conceived and carried by Bella Swan, is a half vampire/half human hybrid, and a member of the Olympic Coven. She is the imprintee of Jacob Black, and the daughter of Edward and Bella Cullen. Renesmee's paternal grandparents are Edward and Elizabeth Masen. She is the granddaughter of Charlie Swan and Renee Dwyer, as well as the adoptive granddaughter of Carlisle and Esme Cullen. She is also the niece of Jasper and Rosalie Hale and Alice and Emmett Cullen.

Renesmee is considered to be Edward and Bella's "miracle", because of what it took to keep her and her mother alive through the pregnancy. Renesmee also has the special power to show people what she is thinking by touching them.

In the beginning, Bella despises Jacob for giving her daughter the nickname "Nessie". After Jacob Black imprints on Renesmee, Irina, a vampire from the Denali Coven, sees Renesmee and believes she is an "immortal child", a human child who had been bitten by a vampire. She informs the Volturi, as immortal children are not permitted to live. Intent on killing Renesmee and all the Cullens, the Volturi travel to Forks. However, the Cullen family members gather witnesses from around the world to prove that Renesmee is not an immortal child. Alice brings another half-breed, Nahuel, who explains that half-breeds pose no danger to the vampires. Convinced that Renesmee is not a threat, the Volturi leave, and Renesmee and her family are left in peace.

Name origin
"Her name is Renesmee. Like Renée and Esme put together."

- Bella Cullen

"Jake says you call her Nessie? No we don't. We call her Renesmee."

Renesmee's name derives from an amalgamation of the names of Bella's mother, Renée, and her mother-in-law, Esme. Her middle name, Carlie, is a portmanteau of Bella's father-in-law, Carlisle, and Charlie, Bella's biological father. Her full name is Renesmee Carlie Cullen. Jacob Black gives her the nickname "Nessie" because he says her full name is a "mouthful," and due to the fact that he believes she is a monster for almost killing Bella. At first, Bella refuses to use this nickname because of the obvious allusion to the Loch-Ness Monster, but eventually warms to this name along with everyone else by the end of the story. This nickname, in addition to Jacob's imprinting upon Renesmee, made newborn Bella furious enough to attempt to attack Jacob, lunging for his throat. Luckily for Jacob, and to Renesmee's relief (as she later tells Bella), Seth Clearwater, Jacob's friend and right hand wolf, jumped in the way, breaking his shoulder and collar bone in the process (which Bella quickly apologizes for after calming down).

Bella's pregnancy
After Edward and Bella are married, they go on their honeymoon on an island the Cullen family owns off the coast Rio de Janeiro: Isle Esme, a gift to Esme from Carlisle. Once they are married, Edward can't deny Bella the human experience of sex anymore despite his fear of harming her, as they had a deal, and they engage in sex on several occasions. However, as the honeymoon progresses, Bella begins to experience mood swings, peculiar eating habits, terrible nightmares and severe morning sickness, which confuses her. After finding tampons in her bag, she realizes that her period is 5 days late, and notices a hard, growing, bump protruding from her hips. She realizes she is pregnant with Edward's child. Edward knows that there have been stories of women who died while giving birth to a vampire's baby. Therefore, he leaps into action, like always, only caring about the safety of Bella, and insists that she let Carlisle remove the abnormally rapid-growing fetus. However, Bella won't allow it. Enlisting Rosalie's help as a bodyguard, with Emmett and Esme, Bella refuses to have an abortion, determined to carry the child, trusting that Edward will save her by turning her into a vampire after she gives birth and that Carlisle will save the baby if something goes wrong. Carlisle is also unwilling to disagree with Esme. As the baby continues to grow at an alarmingly rapid rate, Bella's health deteriorates. She develops an unhealthy pallor; her stomach is bruised in multiple places from the baby's movement (as it has inherited a vampire's inhuman strength); her ribs and later her pelvis, are broken. Her body has been rejecting human food and it is only when Jacob Black bitterly thinks about the "creature" craving blood that Edward, with his ability to read thoughts, thinks of a solution. The Cullens allow Bella to sample some donated human blood from Carlisle's work at the hospital. To Bella's surprise, the blood smells and tastes appealing, and revives her, to an extent. Jacob however is not so thrilled. Besides the strength and appetite of the growing baby, evidence of its vampire heritage is apparent in the fact that the amniotic sac is hard and thick, resembling the skin of a vampire, making ultrasounds and amniocentesis impossible. Bella isn't the only suffering individual in this pregnancy; Edward is described by Jacob Black as a "burning man" being lifeless and self loathing, thinking of the child as a possible case of "Rosemary's Baby": a child born a demon, the spawn of the devil. Edward still is not completely convinced that he is not a monster and that he does have a soul.

As Bella's pregnancy nears its completion, Edward discovers he can hear the baby's thoughts; he quickly realizes that the baby loves Bella, can recognize the sounds of its parents' voices, and can even understand simple conversation. This new knowledge quickly wins over Edward's affection (Jacob Black states that Edward cannot hate anyone that loves Bella). After listening to the parents, the baby understands what hurts her mother and tries to avoid injuring her further. Bella is convinced that the baby is a boy and calls it "EJ" (which is short for "Edward Jacob"). However, she does admit that she may be wrong and the baby could turn out to be a girl. She decides that "Renesmee Carlie" would be what she would call her baby, should it be a girl (the former being an amalgamation of Renée and Esme, the grandmothers' names; the latter being a portmanteau of Charlie and Carlisle, the grandfathers' names). The pregnancy continues its rapid progression, and Bella goes into violent labor even sooner than anticipated when the placenta is unexpectedly detached. Carlisle and Esme, who originally planned to be there for delivery the next day, are out hunting, so Edward, Rosalie, Jacob, and Alice help to deliver the baby by C-section. Although Edward wants to wait for the morphine to spread and ease Bella's pain, Bella commands him to perform the C-section without delay, thrashing and screaming that "He can't breathe!". Rosalie starts the C-section but, due to the amount of blood involved, loses control, forcing Jacob and Alice to tackle and drag her from the room (though Rose retains enough control to not resist). Edward continues with the C-section in Rose's place, eventually using his teeth to bite through the hard amniotic sac. Bella is severely injured during the birth due to the baby's violent thrashing, breaking many ribs, losing a lot of blood, and eventually snapping her spine, which requires Jacob to provide CPR to keep her breathing. After removing the child, Edward hands the baby to Rosalie (who returned after she regained control over herself), who brings her to Bella. It is then revealed that, despite Bella's certainty that the child would be a boy, that it was a girl, Renesmee. As Bella holds her, Renesmee's vampire heritage become apparent when she bites Bella, showing her inherited sharp, albeit non-venomous, teeth and natural desire for humans. As Bella loses consciousness again due to her injuries, Edward injects his venom into her heart and bites her in several places, maximizing her odds of survival. After every bite, he runs his tongue over the wound and heals it, trapping the venom into her bloodstream and preserving her already low blood supply. Despite Jacob's CPR support and Edward's venom, Bella's heart stops beating. Believing Bella is beyond saving, Jacob follows Renesmee, intent on killing her in revenge. Still with Bella, Edward provides CPR himself which, combined with the venom, eventually results in Bella's heart recovering and her conversion into a vampire.

After birth
Jacob Black, previously determined to destroy the monster which he believed to have killed Bella, imprints on baby Renesmee as soon as he sees her. Renesmee becomes key to a truce between the werewolves and the vampires; other werewolves would not hurt her because of pack traditions, which prevent harm towards the object of a pack member's imprinting. Renesmee is very possessive of Jacob, thinking of him as her Jacob (Edward says this is because Jacob tastes better than anyone else). It is stated that she loves her parents at the same level as Jacob, even before officially meeting Bella and Edward, or even being born. Renesmee grows at an exceptional pace, mentally and physically, forming full sentences mere days after her birth. It is stated at the end of the book that she will probably reach complete physical maturity around seven years after birth, physically appearing to be around sixteen to seventeen years old, at which point she will stop aging and live forever, the same as Nahuel, the human-vampire hybrid the Cullens met at the end of Breaking Dawn. It is also stated than when Christmas season starts, Nessie had many gifts in hand including an mp3 player from her father Edward, a locket from her mother Bella (inscribed with the words "plus que ma propre vie" which means More than my own life in French), and her handmade charm bracelet from her Jacob which is the Quileute equivalent of a promise ring. She learns faster than she grows and acquires the ability to speak rapidly, though she prefers to just show people what she wants.

The Volturi
While Bella, Jacob, and Renesmee are in the woods hunting together, they are spotted by Irina, a member of the Denali coven, who is mad at the Cullens for not avenging her mate's death. Irina saw Renesmee and took her as an immortal child, or in other words, a child that has been turned in to a vampire. Because of their inability to control themselves, "Immortal Children" are not allowed to exist, and Irina whose mother had been killed for making an immortal child tells the Volturi of her. Irina is not aware, however, that Renesmee is not an immortal child, she is half human, half vampire, growing and learning. The Volturi make the decision to come to Forks, and destroy the immortal child. Alice sees this in a vision and decides to see if she can find help by looking for something she can't "see". She tells the Cullens they need to prepare witnesses, and leaves a clue for Bella to figure out how to get Renesmee and Jacob aliases, and then flees with Jasper. She leaves clues to make it seem like there's no hope for at least Bella and Edward. When the Volturi show up, the Cullens have gathered witnesses from all over the world, who have seen what the child is. Though at first, the Volturi are ready to kill, they soon see through all the people willing to protect the child that she is special and should not be harmed. The deal to let her live is set when Alice shows up near the end of the trial with another matured half-vampire like Renesmee, one the Volturi have never known of. This boy, Nahuel, manages to tell the Volturi how he aged and matured, how old he is, and about his diet. They no longer see Renesmee to be a threat, and leave.

Future for Renesmee
Since Jacob imprinted on her in Breaking Dawn, he has acted as a brother to her. Since imprinting is how shape-shifters find their soul mates, in the future it is likely that Jacob's feelings will become romantic when Renesmee comes of age. When she stops maturing at the age of 7, she will look like a 17-year-old teenager, like Edward and Nahuel.

Stephenie Meyer has mentioned in an interview that if she were to write further books in the Cullen universe, she'd likely narrate from Renesmee's and Leah Clearwater's perspectives (source).

Physical appearance
Renesmee is depicted as being very beautiful, the most beautiful baby, Charlie has ever seen and described even more gorgeous than Rosalie. She is described as having the facial features of her father, Edward, (high cheekbones, straight nose and full lips) as well as his unusual bronze hair color. However, she inherited curly hair from her grandfather, Charlie Swan, portrayed as ringlets that fall past her waist. Her eyes are described as chocolate brown, just like her mother, Bella's, were while she was still human. She has pale skin, which has a blush to it because her heart pumps blood (though it beats faster than a normal human heart). Her skin is as tough as a vampire's, but her temperature seems to be unusually warm, only a few degrees below that of a werewolf. Unlike her family's skin, Renesmee's skin glows slightly in the sunshine like back-lit alabaster rather than sparkling like diamonds. Due to the massive amount of flowing blood in her veins and the high pumping of her heart she has red cheeks like petals, purple eyelids, and pink palms.

Diet
""Suuuure you're not thirsty, Nessie," Jacob answered a little sarcastically, but more indulgently than anything else. "You're just afraid I'll catch the biggest one again!""

- Jacob Black to Renesmee while hunting.

Renesmee can survive on either human food or blood. She doesn't like human food much and will rarely eat it. She doesn't mind drinking animal blood in order to conform to the Olympic Coven lifestyle and due to her love of humans. However, like most vampires, she prefers human blood and sees the donated blood that Bella drank while pregnant as an acceptable compromise. Due to the difficulties involved in acquiring enough donated blood to feed and in order to encourage Renesmee to drink animal blood, Jacob Black starts a friendly hunting competition between them for the biggest prey, which keeps Renesmee motivated. She loves to playfully bite Jacob, but since she is not venomous it doesn't hurt or kill him.

Traits of species
Renesmee, often called "Nessie" for short, is a vampire-human hybrid. Similarly to Alice's inability to see the future of werewolves, because she was never one herself, she cannot see Renesmee at all, something that annoys her as much as the fact she can't see the werewolves. She is immensely beautiful, and her body temperature is also slightly higher than a human. Renesmee is very much alive, with a rapidly beating heart and veins filled with her own blood. Just like a human, she cannot fully function without it. Unlike the rest of her vampire family, she is also able to sleep. However, she is also immortal. She will continue to grow until her full maturity at the age of about seven, at which point she will appear to be about seventeen (like her father Edward) and will cease to age (as shown by Nahuel in Breaking Dawn). Unlike Nahuel, she is not venomous, a possible trait of female hybrids or simply due to chance.

Her attractive traits and kind nature draw people (vampire or human) to her.

Powers and abilities
Being half-vampire, her teeth are very sharp and she displays the same super-human that vampires have. Her senses are just as keen as a vampires. Her hardened skin glows slightly rather than sparkles like diamonds in sunshine.

Tactile Telepathy & Anti-Shield
"It's an interesting twist. Like she's doing the exact opposite of what you can."

- Carlisle on Nessie's opposite gifts of her father

Nessie is also gifted with the opposite gifts of her parents. Instead of reading people's mind (Edward), she can place thoughts and images in their minds, simply by touching their faces; and instead of acting as a mental shield and blocking people out (Bella), Nessie can penetrate shields.

Family
Renesmee is the biological daughter of Bella Cullen (née Swan) and Edward Cullen, as well as biological granddaughter of Charlie Swan, Renée Dwyer, Edward Sr. and Elizabeth Masen and step-granddaughter of Phil Dwyer and great granddaughter of Marie Higgenbotham, and Geoffrey and Helen Swan. She is also the adoptive granddaughter of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, adoptive niece to Rosalie and Jasper Hale, and Alice and Emmett Cullen, as well as the imprintee of Jacob Black.

Bella Swan


"I love you too... more than my own life"

- Bella to Renesmee

Bella Cullen (née Swan) is Renesmee's mother. After Bella finds out that she is pregnant, she acquires a love for her daughter (though she thought it was a boy at first). Even when everyone tries to convince her to abort the baby, (except for Rosalie because she's always wanted a baby but never figured out a way to have one) she can't because she loves it. Once Edward discovers that he can hear the baby's thoughts and it can understand their voices, the child does everything it can to keep from hurting the mother it loves. After the conception, transformation and first hunt, Renesmee and Bella finally have a real meeting. Renesmee has an unbreakable close bond to Bella, and she even loved Bella from the womb, as discovered by Edward, in Bella's final days of pregnancy. Fearing that Alice foresaw the Cullens losing against the Volturi, Bella secretly prepares legal documents for Renesmee and Jacob so that they may escape. Convinced she and Edward would not survive the encounter, Bella also gives Renesmee a golden locket for Christmas as a memento with a photo of Bella, Edward, and Renesmee inside along with an engraved French inscription meaning "more than my own life".

After the confrontation with the Volturi was resolved peacefully, Renesmee continues to live with her parents in a small cottage not too far away from the Cullen house.

Edward Cullen


"She's like nothing else in the world."

- Edward to Bella about Renesmee

Edward Cullen is Renesmee's father. During their honeymoon, Edward and Bella unknowingly conceived Renesmee. When they realized this, Edward was far from happy. Fearing that he would lose Bella, Edward became desperate to be rid of the baby. At first, Edward asked Carlisle to remove the baby, so it wouldn't kill Bella first, but Bella refused to have an abortion under any circumstances. As Bella's pregnancy continued, an unborn Renesmee kept hurting her and Edward's hatred of his child continued. However, during the final days of the pregnancy, an unborn Renesmee developed to the point where she had a mind that her father could read.

Edward heard that Renesmee already loved her parents, understood that she was only accidentally hurting her mother, and was now trying not to hurt Bella anymore. After hearing all this, Edward's hatred vanished and was replaced with immense love for his daughter. When Bella went into labor, Edward was the one who delivered Renesmee, but it is known that they love each other very much. She has spent considerably more time with her father than her mother, as Bella had to recuperate from her vampire transformation. She says dozens of times that she loves her "momma and daddy" very much, even crying when she found out that Edward and Bella would have to leave her and shared a very close goodbye with Edward before facing the Volturi. Renesmee loves Edward and Edward loves Renesmee at same length as Edward loves Bella. Edward and Bella are incredibly closely bonded to their daughter.

Jacob Black


"She's more special than all of us put together."

- Jacob to Charlie about Renesmee

Jacob Black is a shape-shifter wolf who was originally in love with Renesmee's mother, Bella. After unsuccessfully trying to steal Bella from her vampire boyfriend Edward, Jacob fell into a state of depression caused by a broken heart. Soon after this, Bella became pregnant with her and Edward's baby. Jacob was repulsed because he saw the baby the same way he saw Edward: a monster. Jacob made his hatred for the baby clear on multiple occasions, including when he became angry at Bella for saying the baby reminded her of him. Bella nearly died giving birth to the baby, who she named Renesmee. During Bella's transformation into a vampire, Jacob believed that she had died, and went to kill Renesmee. When Jacob saw Renesmee for the first time, he imprinted on her. He then realized why he was so pulled toward Bella during her pregnancy, and why Bella was so pulled toward Jacob: because Renesmee was a significant (due to the similarities between her and her mother as a human) part of Bella.

Renesmee loves Jacob the same as she loves her parents, Edward and Bella. Renesmee also helped end the war between the Cullens and werewolves because of Jacob's imprinting on her. When she was imprinted on, she became untouchable to the other wolves because there is a law within the pack that if a wolf imprints, the person they imprinted upon was not to be harmed. Jacob is the one who nicknamed her "Nessie". As part of the imprint, he would do anything for her and visits her every single day. While Renesmee is a child, Jacob is near her to protect her, nurture her, and to be her friend. When her maturity completes, it is strongly implied that Jacob's feelings will become romantic in response to Renesmee's own maturing feelings.

Rosalie Hale


Rosalie Hale has always wanted to have children, but is unable to fulfill this desire as a vampire since her body can no longer undergo changes. When Bella became pregnant, she came to her aid. Rosalie took the baby downstairs for Edward to inject his venom into agonizing Bella. After Renesmee's birth, she took care of her while Bella was becoming a vampire. Rosalie is very protective over Renesmee. Even though Bella survives, Rosalie still treats Renesmee as her own child, and now accepts Bella as a sister because she knows that she was willing to give up her life for her baby, the same choice Rosalie would have made. Renesmee enjoys Rosalie combing her hair, which she admits during a silent conversation with Bella.

Carmen
Carmen becomes interested in Renesmee as soon as they meet. When Edward explains that she was half-human, Carmen is the only one to show any belief to the story at all. To show her the truth, Renesmee uses her power to show Carmen her story from birth to the moment they met and convinced her completely that her half-breed lineage was truth. After she was convinced by this fact, she helps convince her mate, Eleazar, to believe the truth along with Tanya and Kate. Carmen is so infatuated with Renesmee that she is willing to testify in the Cullens' favor to protect her.

Zafrina
"We shall be great friends, my Nessie."

- Zafrina promising Renesmee

Zafrina meets Renesmee when Alice sends her and her sister, Senna, to the Cullens in hopes to help them testify against the Volturi. To keep Renesmee entertained, Zafrina often shows her pretty pictures with her "gift", which is to project vivid illusions. Renesmee likes her entertainment so much that she becomes very attached to her, and vice versa.

By the end of Breaking Dawn, Zafrina makes Bella promise to bring Renesmee to South America sometime in the future, and promises Renesmee that they will be great friends.

Nahuel
One of the rare vampire hybrids in the world, Nahuel is 150 years old. When the Volturi came because of Renesmee, Alice found him and brought him back to present evidence that hybrids are not a threat. Prior to meeting the Cullens, Nahuel lived believing he was inherently evil because of killing his mother and thirsting for human blood. After seeing Renesmee's family, he realized what his parents could have been if they were loving like Bella and Edward. Because of this, he comes to understand that his existence isn't simply evil and starts to forgive himself.

By the end of the Breaking Dawn, Edward mentions that Jacob may have quite a competition when Nessie comes of age, indicating that Nahuel might come to them again in the future.

Appearances

 * Breaking Dawn (First appearance)