Belmont Family Tree =================== The following is a reconstruction of the Belmont family tree, made as complete as possible, with some conjecture as to the number of generations contained in gaps in the storyline. Included are only Belmonts of the direct line of descent. For other heroes known or conjectured to be related to the Belmont line, see the end of the article. Sonia Belmont (b. c.1433) + ? (*) | Trevor Belmont (b. c.1450) + Sypha Belnades | Jacob Belmont(?) + ? | ? (**) | Christopher Belmont + ? | Soleiyu Belmont + ? | ? (**) | Simon Belmont + Linda Entwhistle(?) | ? | Juste Belmont + ? | ? (**) | Richter Belmont + Annette Renard | ? (***) | Julius Belmont Notes ----- * : Some conjecture that Trevor Belmont was conceived by Sonia as a result of her relationship with Alucard. This theory has little empirical support, however, since no source actually states this as a fact, and is generally disfavored as an explanation for the Belmonts' ancestry since the injection of vampiric blood into the bloodline would surely have bizarre and possibly dire consequences. There is enough time between Castlevania Legends (1450) and Castlevania III (1476) for Sonia to have met another lover. Clearly, however, Trevor was an illegitimate child, as he retains his mother's maiden name. ** : The number of intervening generations in these gaps is not certain, and could in some cases be plus or minus one or two with respect to the shown number of steps. An approximate feel is available, however, given the set dates of all the games. *** : This is the largest gap in the genealogy of the line of direct descent, as during this period the Vampire Killer was passed outside of this line on numerous occasions. See the section on other heroes below for more information. Other Heroes Possibly or Definitely of Belmont Blood ---------------------------------------------------- Morris Baldwin : Apparently a bit younger than Richter given his apparent age in Circle of the Moon, it is not stated by any official source that Morris is of Belmont blood. His lead role in vanquishing and sealing Dracula in 1820 and his ownership of the Vampire Killer whip, however, indicate that this must be the case. In my fan fiction "Crescent Moon Concerto," Morris Baldwin is made the cousin of Richter Belmont through one of Richter's aunts, and the whip is passed to Morris due to extended circumstances, whereby he receives the right to choose his own successor as well. Hugh Baldwin : Son of Morris Baldwin. Status as a Belmont depends upon that of his father. Nathan Graves : Son of the two Graves warriors who were presumably killed while aiding Morris in banishing Dracula in 1820; adopted and trained by Morris, then chosen as the successor to wield the Vampire Killer. His ability to use the holy weapon and to vanquish Dracula with it are surely evidence of blood relation to the Belmont line, although again there is no official source to provide this link. Other evidence in favor of this, however, includes the title of the song to which Nathan battles Dracula's final form, "Proof of Blood". In my fan fiction "Crescent Moon Concerto," Nathan's parents are given the names Julian and Rosalind Graves, and Julian is made another cousin of Richter Belmont and Morris Baldwin, thus of Belmont descent. Reinhardt Schneider : Explicitly mentioned as being of Belmont blood, though the path of his relationship is totally unknown. Given the dates involved, it is not possible or at least highly unlikely for Reinhardt to be a descendent of either Richter Belmont or Hugh Baldwin. Some alternate explanation for the continued passing of the whip outside of the main line of descent would be necessary to accomodate this character. Reinhardt's father was Michael Gelhardt Schneider. It is worthy to note that the original surname of these characters was Belmont, leading some to refer to them by the combined surname Schneider-Belmont. Quincy Morris : An American featured in Bram Stoker's Dracula and stated by Castlevania Bloodlines to be of Belmont descent, the means of connection again totally unknown. The connection between the last name of Morris and Morris Baldwin has been pointed out as interesting by many fans, and could be the result of some possible name corruption or intentional change during the emigration process. John Morris: Son of Quincy Morris, apparently by a late wife. Neither John nor the wife were mentioned in Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Quincy, who tries to court Lucy, is single. Though the Bloodlines backstory states that John witnessed his father's death at the hands of Dracula's gypsie servants, this is widely rejected as being impossible due to his age of two at that time. It is possible that John was left in England while his father traveled to Romania with Jonathan Harker and Abraham Van Helsing. It is clear that John remained in Europe afterward, where he met other Belmont descendents who revealed to him his bloodline and the curse of fate it carried, and they must have passed the Vampire Killer to him at that time. Characters Explicitly Not Belmonts ---------------------------------- Annette Renard : No source states any relationship for this character. She marries Richter Belmont after being rescued by him. Maria Renard : Sister of Annette. Her display of various magical powers, primarily familiar-oriented, are highly suspect however, and lead some fans to posit a possible Belnades connection for the Renard family. This is purely conjecture. Carrie Fernandez : Stated to be of the bloodline of Sypha, but not through the path of Belmont descent. It is clear that there must be other lines of descent which extend either from Sypha herself, possibly through a previous marriage, or from her direct ancestors. In the Japanese game, Carrie has the last name Belnades*. The fact of multiple lines of descent is necessary even in absence of Carrie, since the later character Yoko Belnades also retains her ancestral name despite her ancestor having married into the Belmont clan. In my fan fiction "Crescent Moon Concerto," Carrie's grandfather is named Tomas Fernandez, and is one of the warriors who aided Morris Baldwin in 1820 by deciphering the very same seal which Julius Belmont would later complete in the backstory to Aria of Sorrow. * See note at the end on the Belnades/Fernandez confusion issue. Eric Lecarde : There is strong circumstantial evidence suggesting this man may be a descendant of the union between Maria Renard and Alucard. First is the similarity of his surname (in Japanese, Lenard is Maria's original surname). Also, Eric possesses the mystic Alucard Spear, which is known to have a mysterious connection to Alucard himself (Alucard can even wield this weapon in the Saturn version of Symphony of the Night, further strengthening this point). Yoko Belnades : Another Belnades descendent, but obviously not through the Belmont line. It is extremely likely that her parent(s) aided Julius Belmont in the sealing of Castlevania during the 1999 total solar eclipse over Wallachia, and that they were key in orchestrating the alliance with the priest of the Hakuba Shrine, who was able to complete the sealing of Dracula into the eclipse. Yoko must have been born and raised in Japan, as she is a dear friend of the Hakubas and especially their daughter, Mina. Characters of Totally Unknown Status ------------------------------------ Maxim Kischine : No source states this character's relationship to any of the established bloodlines, although it is odd that someone not of close relation to the Belmonts would be intimately involved in their training processes and would have a strong interest in fighting Dracula. He is referred to only as a close friend of Juste. Soma Cruz : The connection of this individual to any of the bloodlines of the Castlevania mythos is completely unknown, but it has been stated by numerous sources that he is definitely not of Belmont blood. Due to his strong resemblance to Mathius Cronqvist and the fact that he is a reincarnation of Dracula, it is possible that he is of a long-lost Cronqvist or Tepes bloodline and thus follows his intimate involvement in their fate. * Note on the Belnades surname: In the original Japanese, the closest transliteration is said to be Velnandes. This name is directly intermediate between the extremes of Belnades and Fernandez. Thus, from a reconciliation point of view, it may be appropriate to simply view the Belnades and Fernandez surnames as one and the same, differing to us only due to mistranslations. I myself however take the more interesting view that the Belnades and Fernandez lines are two forks which split away from one another long ago when one half of the family journeyed south into Spain from their native homeland of France. Differences in pronunciation and the fact that spelling was non-standardized at that time could have easily led to just such a shift in the rendering of the family surname between these two sides of the clan. In my fanfic, Tomas Fernandez is well aware of his clan's connection both to the Belnades and the Belmonts, despite his genealogical distance, because the legends of the Belnades/Fernandez clan are well-kept along with those of the Belmonts.