Khayman
Encyclopedia
Khayman is a fictional character in The Vampire Chronicles
universe created by Anne Rice
. One of the oldest vampires at nearly six thousand years old, he appears in very few of the books in the series, but is nevertheless considered a powerful force among their number. After the events in Queen of the Damned, he remains the oldest and most powerful vampire alive.
, Khayman was the chief steward in the palace of King Enkil and Queen Akasha of Kemet (now Egypt) circa 5000 BCE. Of Egyptian descent. He was tall and strong as a mortal, with very tan skin, dark eyes, and black hair (after being transformed into a vampire, his skin whitened and smoothed considerably).
As head steward to the King and Queen, Khayman was forced to rape
the twin witches Maharet and Mekare
after the witches incurred Akasha's wrath. Gentle and kind by nature, Khayman was horrified to do so, but was unable to refuse the Queen's demand. From his rape he unintentionally fathered a child with Maharet, named Miriam, who began the bloodline of Maharet's "Great Family" that would later spread to every nation on earth.
When Akasha and Enkil become vampires, they made Khayman bring Maharet and Mekare back into Egypt to find out how their insatiable bloodlust can be mitigated. Maharet replies that the evil spirit now inhabiting the Queen is too large to be contained in her human body; only when more vampires are made (and the spirit thus diluted more and more) will the bloodlust become tolerable. Akasha then betrays Khayman's loyalty and forcibly turns him into a vampire against his will, to verify the witches' claims.
Khayman survives into the twentieth century, ultimately forgetting his own origins during his wanderings.
When Akasha is awakened from her trance in the 1980s, she rises and drains Enkil completely of his blood, as he has reached a point of lassitude from which he will never reawaken, and begins tracking down and killing her vampire progeny worldwide. Khayman encounters her by chance in Athens, Greece and, in that instant, he suddenly remembers how he became a vampire and what crimes he had perpetrated in Akasha's name. Discovering that he is immune to her attacks, Khayman follows her to San Francisco to attend Lestat de Lioncourt
's rock concert.
Since Khayman has been studied by the Talamasca
under the name 'Benjamin the Devil,' he recognizes David Talbot and Aaron Lightner at Lestat's concert. He tells them who he is and warns them to leave because of the mounting danger for them there.
He sees the vampires Mael
and Armand (the latter to whom he is strongly attracted, although Armand offers no friendly gestures in return). Khayman advises Mael to shield his thoughts from Akasha, since Akasha can find and kill her vampire progeny through mind-reading.
While Akasha slaughters most of her vampire children worldwide, Khayman accompanies Louis
and Gabrielle to Maharet's house in Sonoma as one of the 13 surviving vampires who plan to stand against Akasha in The Queen of the Damned
. Here he indicates several times that he believes in Mekare's prophecy of Akasha's doom, and awaits Mekare's coming as he conspires against his former queen.
After Akasha is finally destroyed, Khayman becomes the oldest vampire in existence. He is briefly mentioned at the end of Blood Canticle
, when he takes away the fledgling vampires Quinn Blackwood and Mona Mayfair to Maharet and Mekare's sanctuary.
Another interesting vampiric gift of Khayman is the astute understanding of mechanisms at a mere glance. In The Queen of the Damned
, it is stated in his point of view that he understood everything in a machine he sees operating, even down to the level of quantum physics. With this gift, he is aware that the vampiric blood inside him works to change the human tissue in a vampire into something else, and that his body is now entirely made of that something else.
Khayman is generally gentle, optimistic, and friendly, inviting mortals to his rooms and entertaining them with poetry, music and conversation, although he sometimes appears somewhat lonely or even shy. Although powerful, he dislikes wanton brutality. He lives by various guises in many different places, and when he stops having fun or feels pain, he fades out and forgets who he has been. Attempts to think back to his origins are painful, and so he avoids doing so, eventually forgetting entirely.
, Khayman is portrayed by Bruce Spence
.
The Vampire Chronicles
The Vampire Chronicles is a series of novels by Anne Rice that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman turned into a vampire in the 18th century....
universe created by Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
. One of the oldest vampires at nearly six thousand years old, he appears in very few of the books in the series, but is nevertheless considered a powerful force among their number. After the events in Queen of the Damned, he remains the oldest and most powerful vampire alive.
As a human
As related during the history of the vampires related in the book The Queen of the DamnedThe Queen of the Damned
The Queen of the Damned is the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series. It follows Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat...
, Khayman was the chief steward in the palace of King Enkil and Queen Akasha of Kemet (now Egypt) circa 5000 BCE. Of Egyptian descent. He was tall and strong as a mortal, with very tan skin, dark eyes, and black hair (after being transformed into a vampire, his skin whitened and smoothed considerably).
As head steward to the King and Queen, Khayman was forced to rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
the twin witches Maharet and Mekare
Maharet and Mekare
Maharet and Mekare are two characters from Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles.- Story as told in The Queen of the Damned :Maharet and Mekare were twin sisters and powerful witches living in a beautiful valley not far from Egypt six thousand years ago. They had curly red hair and green eyes. They...
after the witches incurred Akasha's wrath. Gentle and kind by nature, Khayman was horrified to do so, but was unable to refuse the Queen's demand. From his rape he unintentionally fathered a child with Maharet, named Miriam, who began the bloodline of Maharet's "Great Family" that would later spread to every nation on earth.
When Akasha and Enkil become vampires, they made Khayman bring Maharet and Mekare back into Egypt to find out how their insatiable bloodlust can be mitigated. Maharet replies that the evil spirit now inhabiting the Queen is too large to be contained in her human body; only when more vampires are made (and the spirit thus diluted more and more) will the bloodlust become tolerable. Akasha then betrays Khayman's loyalty and forcibly turns him into a vampire against his will, to verify the witches' claims.
As a vampire
Angry at his fate, Khayman secretly makes the twin witches into vampires as well, in hope of them one day rising up against Akasha and defeating her. After the twins became vampires, Khayman also makes other vampires to fight against Akasha and Enkil (who now present themselves as the gods Isis and Osiris). His "treason" results in a great increase and multiplication of the vampire population, who created the vampire wars that he dreamed of. Eventually Akasha and Enkil would remain in a trancelike state for almost 4000 years.Khayman survives into the twentieth century, ultimately forgetting his own origins during his wanderings.
When Akasha is awakened from her trance in the 1980s, she rises and drains Enkil completely of his blood, as he has reached a point of lassitude from which he will never reawaken, and begins tracking down and killing her vampire progeny worldwide. Khayman encounters her by chance in Athens, Greece and, in that instant, he suddenly remembers how he became a vampire and what crimes he had perpetrated in Akasha's name. Discovering that he is immune to her attacks, Khayman follows her to San Francisco to attend Lestat de Lioncourt
Lestat de Lioncourt
Lestat de Lioncourt is a fictional character appearing in several novels by Anne Rice, including The Vampire Lestat. He is a vampire and the main character in the majority of The Vampire Chronicles, narrated in first person.-Publication history:...
's rock concert.
Since Khayman has been studied by the Talamasca
Talamasca Caste
The Talamasca Caste is a fictional secret society described in the works of Anne Rice.- Background :The Talamasca Caste is described as a secret society set up to watch over and keep track of the paranormal, in particular, witches, spirits, werewolves and vampires...
under the name 'Benjamin the Devil,' he recognizes David Talbot and Aaron Lightner at Lestat's concert. He tells them who he is and warns them to leave because of the mounting danger for them there.
He sees the vampires Mael
Mael
* Mael is a celtic name* Mael is a character from The Vampire Chronicles.* Mael is the second name of two brothers who are the leading members of Sparks, Ron and Russell.* Mael is a sea god in Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen....
and Armand (the latter to whom he is strongly attracted, although Armand offers no friendly gestures in return). Khayman advises Mael to shield his thoughts from Akasha, since Akasha can find and kill her vampire progeny through mind-reading.
While Akasha slaughters most of her vampire children worldwide, Khayman accompanies Louis
Louis de Pointe du Lac
Louis de Pointe du Lac is a fictional character in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series. He began his life as a mortal man, and later became a vampire. He is the protagonist and antihero of Interview with the Vampire, the first book of The Vampire Chronicles...
and Gabrielle to Maharet's house in Sonoma as one of the 13 surviving vampires who plan to stand against Akasha in The Queen of the Damned
The Queen of the Damned
The Queen of the Damned is the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series. It follows Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat...
. Here he indicates several times that he believes in Mekare's prophecy of Akasha's doom, and awaits Mekare's coming as he conspires against his former queen.
After Akasha is finally destroyed, Khayman becomes the oldest vampire in existence. He is briefly mentioned at the end of Blood Canticle
Blood Canticle
Blood Canticle is a novel by Anne Rice in which she combines the new characters from her novel Blackwood Farm with those from her previous novels in The Vampire Chronicles and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy....
, when he takes away the fledgling vampires Quinn Blackwood and Mona Mayfair to Maharet and Mekare's sanctuary.
Powers, Abilities And Personality
Khayman's flesh is hard, smooth and white as marble, and he is no longer vulnerable to the sun's destroying rays. He no longer experiences the blood thirst either, but enjoys the refreshment and clarity it provides. He now has the power to kill humans and animals through telekinesis, but will not take blood from any mortal who has made a friendly gesture toward him, preferring to take only anonymous victims. At 7000 years old, Khayman can also kill any vampires weaker than himself by telekinetically igniting their combustible blood.Another interesting vampiric gift of Khayman is the astute understanding of mechanisms at a mere glance. In The Queen of the Damned
The Queen of the Damned
The Queen of the Damned is the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series. It follows Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat...
, it is stated in his point of view that he understood everything in a machine he sees operating, even down to the level of quantum physics. With this gift, he is aware that the vampiric blood inside him works to change the human tissue in a vampire into something else, and that his body is now entirely made of that something else.
Khayman is generally gentle, optimistic, and friendly, inviting mortals to his rooms and entertaining them with poetry, music and conversation, although he sometimes appears somewhat lonely or even shy. Although powerful, he dislikes wanton brutality. He lives by various guises in many different places, and when he stops having fun or feels pain, he fades out and forgets who he has been. Attempts to think back to his origins are painful, and so he avoids doing so, eventually forgetting entirely.
Appearances in other media
In the 2002 film Queen of the DamnedQueen of the Damned (film)
Queen of the Damned is a 2002 film adaptation of the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, The Queen of the Damned, although the film contains many plot elements from the latter novel's predecessor, The Vampire Lestat. It stars Aaliyah as the vampire queen Akasha, and Stuart...
, Khayman is portrayed by Bruce Spence
Bruce Spence
Bruce Spence, born September 17, 1945 is an actor, having spent most of his career performing in Australia. Bruce attended Henderson High School in West Auckland....
.