Magnus (The Vampire Chronicles)

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Magnus is the vampire who sires the vampire Lestat in Anne Rice's novel The Vampire Lestat, the second book in The Vampire Chronicles.

Magnus is characterized by black hair and eyes of the same colour. As a mortal, he was an alchemist. He was an old man when he trapped a vampire in chains and stole the Dark Gift/Blood for himself. That happened apparently in the course of the Middle Ages.

Over time, he was driven mad from his vampiric nature and immortality. He sought an heir to inherit the immense wealth that he had accumulated over the years before killing himself. Magnus searched for years for his heir. He had hundreds of decomposing bodies stored in a room of men that didn't quite strike his fancy. After choosing Lestat as his heir, Magnus leaped into a fire, leaving Lestat to stumble across this place by himself: Lestat was extremely distressed to see all the corpses had brilliant blond hair and startling blue eyes like his own.

During the novel, Magnus takes Lestat to his tower and makes him into a vampire, much against the latter's wishes. After the Making, he shows Lestat the fortune he is to inherit and where he can sleep during the coma-like daytime sleep common to all vampires. Without much further guidance, Magnus makes a huge bonfire and immolates himself in it, warning Lestat that if he does not spread the ashes, he will return and mutilate him as revenge.

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice
Interview with the Vampire | The Vampire Lestat | The Queen of the Damned | The Tale of the Body Thief | Memnoch the Devil The Vampire Armand | Merrick | Blood and Gold | Blackwood Farm | Blood Canticle
New Tales of the Vampires
Pandora | Vittorio the Vampire
Characters
Lestat | Gabrielle | Louis | Claudia | Armand | Magnus | Those Who Must Be Kept | Maharet and Mekare | Marius | Pandora Bianca | David | Jesse | Khayman | Daniel | Mael