Eric Northman

Eric Northman first appears in Dead Until Dark when Bill takes Sookie to Eric's vampire tourist bar, Fangtasia, in Shreveport. He is described as "radiant; blond and blue-eyed, tall [about six foot five] and broad-shouldered." Pam also describes him as being "intelligent, ambitious, and very entertaining." Eric also seems to be able to 'glamour' people, but it doesn't seem to work on Sookie, can fly, and remove memories. Eric has not revealed his precise age (Sookie is unsure if he even knows it at all), but he is described as "very old" and is a former Viking. In Dead and Gone Eric does reveal to Sookie a small portion of what his human life was like - a Viking, reaching manhood at age 12 and married to his brother's widow Aude at age 16; his sire was Roman legionary Appius Livius Ocella (or Godric in True Blood).

Bill Compton also describes Eric as a "rogue, and the older he gets the more willful he gets." He can be incredibly outrageous at times (as evidenced by his costume and demeanor at the party in Living Dead in Dallas) and enjoys shocking those around him, particularly Sookie. Eric is very shrewd and not entirely 'mainstream' when it comes to furthering his agenda - particularly if that agenda includes the exploitation of humans. He is very wealthy (he drives a red corvette) and possesses an incredibly dominating presence; But for all his domineering attitude, Eric is still courteous to those his considers friends or equals.

Eric is the Sheriff of Area 5, a vampire division of Louisiana, under the Queen, Sophie-Anne Leclerq. Sheriffs are responsible for controlling their Areas and the vampires within. Visiting vampires must present themselves to the Sheriff or King/Queen of the Area in order to pass in or around the Area. Failing to present oneself is a breach of Vampire etiquette and considered a serious offense. With the exception of the Queen (and later King), Eric is the most powerful, wealthiest vampire in Louisiana. Area 5 encompasses the entirety of northern Louisiana and Eric's financial investments (most notably Fangtasia) rake in significant profits for the state. It is his money-making and survivalist strategies that save not only his life, but the lives of his followers when the Nevada vampires stage a coup and take over the state of Louisiana.

With the takeover of Louisiana by the Nevada vampires in From Dead to Worse, Eric is the only Louisiana authority allowed to remain in power, mostly for his own personal skills and attributes, and also for the money-making skills of some of the vampires of the Area that swear allegiance to Eric. Sookie's telepathic abilities and her blood-bond to Eric may also have had something to do with Eric's survival of the Nevada coup as her abilities became public vampire knowledge when she saved many lives during the bombing at the vampire summit in Rhodes.

Family

Pam - Eric's childe; helps out in his economic ventures from time to time (i.e. Fangtasia)

At least 1 Un-named Childe - All Together Dead pg. 88

Appius Livius Ocella - Vampire Maker, Roman legionary

Alexei Romanov - sired by Ocella, Eric's vampire "brother"

Aude - human/wife from Eric's human life as a Viking; deceased in childbirth

Six children - sired during his marriage to Aude; only two survived past infancy

Older brother - from Eric's human life; deceased before Eric was 16

His Relationship with Sookie Stackhouse

Upon first meeting Sookie in Dead Until Dark, Eric is immediately intrigued with her and asks Bill if she could be 'borrowed.' Eric is also the first vampire whose thoughts Sookie is able to read, even if just for a moment. Soon after their second meeting at Fangtasia, Bill tells Sookie that Eric lusts after her. Eric indeed lusts after Sookie, but is also concerned for her safety and well-being as evidenced by his actions in Living Dead in Dallas and certainly more-so by the beginning of Club Dead. In Dead to the World, Eric loses his memory as a result of a witch's curse; Sookie finds him and shelters him as the other vampires attempt to figure out a way to counter the curse and deal with the witches who placed it. Eric sleeps with Sookie and even proposes his equivalent of marriage; but when he regains his memories, Eric claims to not remember anything while under the witch's curse. Things cool significantly between Sookie and Eric immediately after Dead to the World while Eric struggles to resolve his feelings towards Sookie - and he does not like having feelings of any kind. Their relationship begins heating up again with Definitely Dead and All Together Dead to the point that Pam visits Sookie pointing out that Eric and Sookie's "game" is not good for the vampires and needs to be resolved relatively soon. Eric does eventually remember the events of Dead to the World. Later, in Dead and Gone, Eric tricks Sookie into presenting him a ceremonial knife in the presence of Victor Madden; this is the vampire equivalent of a marriage and prevents Victor from taking Sookie away to Nevada. Though upset by Eric's "high-handed" ways, Sookie realizes that he is only looking out for her well-being. In Dead in the Family, Sookie finally admits out loud to others that she loves Eric.

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