BLOG NUMBER SIX

Archetypal Hero Traits

Dead in the Family - Sookie Stackhouse series
Charlaine Harris

Eric Northman is the shapeshifter. He changes character often. His personality changes as the story progresses, when we first are introduced to him in the first 2 books, he seems like a mean, grouchy, selfish vampire. Then a more smooth, and seductive, charming, selfish, vampire, in the first 4 books. But then later, when his memory is erased by a bunch of annoying witches, you see the real side of him. When Eric has nothing but his instincts and human feelings, ( centuries will make you feel less human), he is a sweet, scared and loving vampire. But eventually his memory returns (and he has a load of memories with Sookie, the heroine), he reverts to his old self. But his feelings begin going more human as the series go on, leading us to book 10.

In the thus far final book, Eric has a facade of his old self to all the other vampires, and most humans, but he is a sweet, loving, caring and all around great guy to his girlfriend (technically married to) Sookie. In the last book, he is devoted and loyal to her, and tries his hardest to save her, and protect her from the strange vampire politics in the world where everyone knows vampires exist and live off of bottle of synthetic blood.

(I no longer have a copy of this novel in my possession, so I can summarize a scene)

Eric came to visit Sookie. They were talking in her room when Eric's maker, and his maker's other vampire *son* appeared. (A maker is the older vampire that creates another vampire, and is kind of like their father/mother) Eric automatically tried to shield and protect Sookie from his creepy maker, and tried to keep her safe. If his maker had shown up one year before, Eric would have been more concerned for himself, and this shows how much he had grown. His maker had (he is now permanently deceased) the power to kill Eric in a milli-second, and Sookie being human, before she would even notice he moved. Eric went from the selfish, beautiful vampire, to the caring, selfless vampire, who would die for his love. -originally written by Charlaine Harris, Dead in the Family.