Kindred
The kindred come from what the humans call the “liminal” or “matrix,” and are those who are of the tree with the vampyre. This would include the werewolves, the mer/meren, fey/elven, witches, dragons, etc. When referring to the vampyre, I am generally also including the kindred, yet I fully acknowledge and respect them as distinct beings with their own laws, ways, customs and cultures separate from the vampyre. And in using the term “kind”/”kinds,” I am specifically referring to those of the tree. Please note these are blood-born and not human-hybrids. One of the most sensitive elements of this conversation is in dealing with humans who identify as a member of the tree.
One often must know the etymology of a word to understand context. And these are not topics meant for humans so terms are also often masked. An easy example is to look at the syllables in kindred-kind/red. Mirrored order would be “red kind.” In turn, this could be read to mean vampyric.
The word “liminal” is ultimately rooted in the Latin word “limn” for “shine” or “illumination.” The word “matrix” is Latin for “womb” and comes from the word “matris,” meaning “mother.” We are of our mothers and are known as the Matri.
We are a matrilineal society, meaning our bloodlines are carried through the female. This is parallel to many ancient human societies and why inter-marriage and breeding within the kindred was so rare. (Note: I purposely used “breeding” as the act of producing offspring. Serial monogamy is more common among humans than the kindred. A mate is the partner with whom you are in a deep, committed and permanent relationship with. You may have sexual intercourse, but do not necessarily have to produce offspring.) While not matriarchal, ours is a society and culture that respects and values the female and the role of mate and mother.
Humans, on the other hand, are known as the Patri and are of the pattern. They are told this in the Bible–that God made them after his own image. With regards to vampyre families and human intermarriage, the progenitor of the line is the pattern. Thus, we can see which line the human came from in their faces. Only humans look alike–they follow a pattern. In Middle English, this comes from the word “patron,” or one who serves as a model or one intended for imitation. This originates from the Latin word, “patronous,” which means “defender, advocate or model.” While it can mean guardian, in this case one should think of the pattern as though creating a clone army. In the beginning, due to Eve’s treachery against Lilith, the children of Adam and Eve were punished by having to be the protectors and defenders of our kind(s) in every manner–physically, financially, etc. Naturally this did not go over well with Adam or Eve and they started what was essentially a smear campaign and war against the Children of Lilith. Why the Children of Lilith? Because we are matrilineal and of the light. We are of the morningstar. Why does that matter? Well, remember what original sin is–jealousy. The Children of Eve are jealous of the “shine” or “light” carried by the Children of Lilith. Of course that word, “patronous,” has its root in yet another word, “patr.” This, in turn, means “father.” One can see, from the etymology of the words, that the human world and ours is very different.
For those in the vampire lifestyle community, haven’t you ever wondered why one who is turned by a vampyre and placed under their ward is known as a “childe?” It is because the vampyre is accepting that former Child of Eve as having transformed into a Child of Lilith. If only it were that easy. Unfortunately, the Children of Eve retain their original sin even after transformation. There is no way to escape the human condition–that is a curse and punishment from God. However, it is important to note that vampyre use the word “childre” in place of “childe.” For us, “child” is used to describe human children and is used as a pejorative among our kinds. Our offspring are known as our young.
Doesn’t this mean that the mother and father should combine to make a family? No. It is illustration of a complex word etymology of parallel, but separate, cosmology.
Remember, we are NOT HUMAN. We are preternatural/supernatural beings. We are the Children of Lilith.
And, while all kindred are obviously quite special, there are those of royal and/or sacred blood among them. As an ancient being, depending on the type of bloodline, one can inherit a legacy that includes not only additional abilities but also certain lineage, status/titles and responsibilities that are considered by humans to be mythical or purely fictional. These traits are typically experienced by the chosen natural-born of their kind and not those who are “turned” or hybrid-human.