Vampyre Bytes Series: Vampire Broods of Anne Rice

There are a few vampire personalities that do not belong specifically to a particular "brood." These vampires have usually been created by a secondary vampire not in a position of great note within one of the other Broods. This isn't to say that a persona not listed in a "Brood" is not a significant character in Anne Rice's novels...just that the character is of an uncertain lineage not inherently within a main Brood.

In Akasha's Brood are Akasha, herself - and then Enkil, Khayman, Mekare, Maharet, and Jesse.

Akasha is created in a special way and thus begins the vampire lineage. She makes Enkil a vampire and from there, all the other vampires are possible.

Akasha and Enkil are known as, "Those Who Must Be Kept" by all the vampires who followed them in time.

Akasha was "made" in 1140 B.C. In her mortal life, Akasha lived in the city of Uruk in the Tigris and Uphrates Valley. She became the bride of Enkil in the region of Kemet. In becoming his bride, she also became Queen over this region. Enkil and Akasha, as King and Queen of the region of Kemet (the region later called "Egypt") were responsible for bringing new ideas and customs into the region. One of the rules this King and Queen enforced was a change in the customs about eating flesh. According to the new customs, the eating of the flesh of one's deceased parents was banned forevermore...

Akasha became a vampire when her flesh was pierced and an evil spirit, Amel, entered her body and fused with her flesh. In turn, Akasha turned Enkil into a vampire. She drew out almost all of Enkil's blood, then allowed him to drink of nearly all her blood.

Khayman, already a head steward in Akasha's household was quickly turned into a vampire by Akasha and Enkil, as well. In turn, he made others into vampires. Of these others, the notable and important figures in the First Brood are twin sisters Maharet and Mekare. The twins appear in the Queen and King's life just prior to Akasha becoming a vampire.

Here's how Maharet and Mekare fit into Akasha's history:

Akasha (prior to becoming a vampire) sent a request for these twins to visit the royal house when they were 16 years old. These twins were witches and refused the Queen's invitation, somehow aware that something ominous was at hand and that something dangerous and chilling lay within the request.

Not one to be refused a request, Akasha continued to covet these twins - green-eyed and red-haired - who looked different than anyone else in the region and who held great supernatural powers. Akasha sent a renewed request that was much more symbolic and "convincing," overall.

On the day when the twins were attending the funeral of their dear mother, and were performing sacred funeral rites, Akasha sent her second request. It was in the form of overwhelming violence...Akasha had her soldiers slaughter the entire village Maharet and Mekare called "home," and had the soldiers forcibly retrieve the twins and bring them to her in Kemet.

The people of Kemet were awestruck as well as fearful of the twins. The Queen's people had never seen red hair before. According to customs in Kemet, twins were taboo.

Queen Akasha set up an interview of sorts with the twins in order to learn more about the spirits and gods they understood and when Maharet and Mekare gave answers the Queen didn't like (they were, after all, from a different land with different customs), and which were outside of Kemet customs and beliefs, Akasha had them thrown in jail, labeled as blasphemers. The Queen left them in jail overnight and put the same questions to them, once again, the next morning.

Mekare was more prepared for this second round of questions than she was the day before. She called on the evil spirit, Amel - against her sister's wishes...Amel was called in to enhance Mekare's powers and give the Queen a show of Mekare's powers. This frightened both the King and the Queen and, consequently - angered Queen Akasha - so she had both sisters locked up again for three days and nights to await a new punishment.

The punishment ended up being the acts of rape on Maharet and Mekare by the King's steward, Khayman. This violence and humiliation was done before the entire court. Khayman was very much against the task but fearfully followed his sovereign's orders.

The twins were permitted to return to their village afterward. Maharet bore a child (Miriam) once back in her homeland - a result of the rape. The twins managed to settle back into reasonable living for about a year - until Khayman and an army of Kemet soldiers once again returned to the village.

While Maharet and Mekare were back in their homeland, the evil spirit entered Queen Akasha and made her a different sort of "being" - as mentioned at the beginning of the text here. The Queen became aware of her bloodthirst and sought out the witch twins, hoping they might provide some answers about the change that had occurred and in what manner to deal with her thirst for blood.

Once Maharet and Mekare arrived back in Kemet, they were questioned and, providing unsatisfactory answers, were (no surprise here, right?) promptly tossed in jail overnight with the Queen intending to execute them the next evening.

The responses Queen Akasha did not like are important pieces of information here. Maharet gave an information filled reply to Queen Akasha. Maharet said that the evil spirit sharing the Queen's body was too powerful for her human body to house but if she would dilute this contrary spirit (by making more vampires) among many bodies, the bloodlust could reach a tolerable level.

Regardless, the Queen locked Maharet and Mekare up once more, intending that they be put to death on the next evening. The King ordered that damage be done to the twins and while they awaited death, Maharet's eyes and Mekare's tongue were cut out. Three hours before dawn, Khayman came to the twins in a severe state. The King and Queen had turned on him and made him into the kind of beings they'd already become and Khayman was in despair over this. He made Mekare into a blood drinker who, in turn, made her sister into one of the same. The three now fled the prison, falling upon others as they went, changing others from human to blood drinkers, in the hopes they would create a small army with which to fight against the evil King and Queen. Part of their intent was to make sure they never became as evil and bloodthirsty as Enkil and Akasha.

The vampires of this era and from these personas and sources have become known as the "First Brood."

Jesse is a First Brood descendant through family ties with the Twins. Jesse is very far apart from Akasha, Enkil, Khayman, Maharet (and Miriam) and Mekare in time - but very close, according to bloodlines. The bloodline Jesse comes from is originally from Maharet's mortal daughter, Miriam, so Jesse is descended from blood that is vampire curse free...Miriam was born before her mother was turned into a vampire being.

Jesse lives in the most modern era and has special abilities but the Twins deliberately try to ensure that Jesse is never turned to a blood drinker so that Jesse can remain a mortal descendant. Jesse does, however, end up experiencing a birth as a vampire - through a near-fatal attack by a "Child of Darkness" at Lestat's concert.

This Brood includes: God of the Grove, Marius, Mael, Armand, Daniel and Pandora.

The God of the Grove used to have very dedicated followers. This was in a very long ago, ancient time, of course, and little of The God of the Grove's origins have been preserved. More is known about The God of the Grove's followers and their actions, however it is said that God of the Grove's existence goes back at least as far as the time of Akasha and Enkil. It is believed that his weakened state was caused by being damaged, along with "Those Who Must Be Kept," when Akasha and Enkil were harmed by their keeper - through exposure to sunlight in very ancient days.

The followers of the God of the Grove imprisoned their god. They trapped him in the hollow of a tree, yet did not abandon him. Followers would still hold ceremonies honouring their god and to nourish their god, for the ceremonies commonly involved human sacrifices.

It was obvious that, for these followers, their god had weakened - otherwise they'd never have acted to imprison him...After a time, after many human sacrifices, the followers realized their god was continuing to weaken so, by election, they choose a new representative of their "faith."

A stranger, one who was traveling through their land, was choosen by the followers of the God of the Grove, and he was brought before the imprisoned, weakening god in order for the stranger's transformation to begin...this stranger was Marius.

The followers engaged Marius into a ceremony with the God of the Grove and initiated Marius' transformation. Once the transformation to vampire state was apparent, the followers no longer had use for the weakened, imprisoned God of the Grove, so they destroyed him - but not before he was able to give Marius a definite warning...and urge that Marius must escape these followers...

LIttle exists in the way of information concerning God of the Grove, and most who are interested in this entity are seeking information on Marius and the Marius Brood...

Marius acted appropriately upon God of the Grove's warning, however Marius then became the keeper of "Those Who Are Kept."

Others in the Marius Brood: Mael, Armand, Daniel and Pandora

Magnus, Lestat, Gabrielle, Louis, Nicki, Claudia, Madeline, and David Talbot. 

Santino, Baby Jenka, Azim.