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Lamia Vampires are one of two branches of the vampire species in the Night World, the other being made vampires. Lamia are characterized by being born as vampires, their ability to age, consume food and be able to breed more lamia children.
In addition to possessing all other vampire characteristics, lamia will age like humans, but can choose to halt this process for a certain amount of time if they choose.
However, lamia who do so must exercise great care, as if they choose to resume aging, their body will quickly age the appropriate amount of years to their actual age, which, as stated by Kestrel Redfern, "if you've been alive for five or six hundred years can be quite interesting".
In the short story Jez and Morgead's Night Out, this pausing of age is stated to be a conscious process, a recycling of life energy, which continually revitalizes the body until the lamia vampire in question chooses to consciously undo it.
Lamia families often will name their children for items and creatures found in nature (flowers, animals, weather patterns, gemstones, etc.). However, tree names for a lamia vampire are held in high regard, even considered auspicious, despite wood being lethal to a vampire.
Despite their consumption of food, it is not necessary for either lamia or made vampires, as blood provides all nutrition. Breathing is also not necessary, though they can do so.
Characteristic of this type, lamia can produce children with one another, as well as with witches (also possibly with werewolves and shapeshifters, but this has never been shown). Normally, when having children with a witch, the offspring will not be hybrids, but will be either lamia or witch.
The only time a lamia will not produce offspring is with a made vampire, who are infertile, and with a human (the only exception being Jez Redfern, one of The Wild Powers.
Among the Nightworld, lamia utilize a black iris flower as their sigil.
Notable Lamia[]
- The Redfern family
- Fletcher Marsh (husband of Garnet Redfern)
- Hodge Burdock (husband of Opal Burdock)
- Jasper Rasmussen (father of James)
- James Rasmussen
- Morgead Blackthorn
- Raven Mandril
- Pierce Holt
- Valerian "Val" Stillman
- Phaedra Oryx (wife of Tormentil Redfern and mother of Delos).
Disputed Status[]
- Thistle Galena (stated in Huntress as being lamia, but stated to be a made vampire in Jez and Morgead's Night Out)
- Nissa Johnson (not known if she is lamia or a made vampire, although she is stated to be 17 years old)
Trivia[]
- The only lamia not named after any kind of natural object or animal are Fletcher Marsh, James Rasmussen, Pierce Holt, Hodge Burdock, Phaedra Oryx and Morgead Blackthorn (although Hodge and Morgead's surnames are the name of plants and plant parts, respectively, an Oryx is a kind of antelope, Holt is another name for a grove and Marsh is a type of land). The name Delos is slightly disputable, as although it is the name of a Greek island, the name doesn't occur in nature proper. Hunter is also somewhat disputable, although the name is a general term used to describe animals or plants that hunt others.
- Among the known lamia of the series, only three of them have tree names: Alder Redfern, and his two eldest children, Rowan and Ash.
- In Greek Mythology, Lamia was a beautiful queen of Libya. After Lamia had an affair with the god Zeus, his jealous wife Hera killed Lamia's children and turned the queen into a monster that fed on the blood of babies. This can be linked to the story of how Maya Dragonslayer became a vampire: Maya was once a witch but in her quest for immortality, she kidnapped her tribe's babies and drank their blood, becoming the first vampire as a result.
- In flower language, the plant usually associated with the lamia, the black iris, represents renewal, growth, and change. It is also the national flower of Jordan. Unlike some other Night World flower, the black iris is a plant found in nature, not manufactured, and can have true black petals.