Carmilla characters

Appears from the start

A young Englishwoman raised in an isolated castle in Styria by her widowed father. Lonely and eager for companionship, she narrates from years later the disturbing events that began when an unexpected guest entered her secluded household.

Appears from the start

Laura's loving English father, a retired Austrian official who has settled with her in a remote Styrian castle. Rational and hospitable, he initially treats local fears as superstition and welcomes Carmilla when an accident leaves the young woman needing shelter.

First appears in chapter 2

A beautiful, languid young woman taken into Laura's home after a carriage accident. She is affectionate toward Laura and says they recognize each other from strange childhood dreams, but refuses to explain her family, her home, or even much of her past. Her intense attachment both attracts and unsettles Laura.

First appears in chapter 2

A commanding, richly dressed woman who presents herself as Carmilla's mother after her carriage overturns near the castle. Claiming urgent business and an inability to take her injured daughter along, she persuades Laura's father to host Carmilla and promises to return in three months.

First appears in chapter 2

Laura's warm, motherly governess and companion. She helps receive Carmilla into the household and shares the family's concern as unexplained illness spreads through the district.

First appears in chapter 2

Another of Laura's governesses, more given than Madame Perrodon to speculation about supernatural explanations. She is part of the small household that observes Carmilla's unusual habits and Laura's declining health.

First appears in chapter 9

A doctor summoned when Laura begins suffering nightmares, weakness, and small marks near her throat. After examining her and speaking privately with her father, he treats the symptoms as evidence of a serious and unusual danger rather than ordinary fever.

First appears in chapter 10

A retired soldier and old friend of Laura's father. He was expected to visit with his young ward, Bertha, until her sudden death forced him to cancel. When he finally arrives, he is grief-stricken and intent on confronting the cause of her decline.

First appears in chapter 11

General Spielsdorf's beloved young ward. During a masquerade she became close to a guest called Millarca, then fell into a wasting illness accompanied by terrifying dreams. Her fate provides the pattern that helps the adults understand Laura's danger.

First appears in chapter 14

A descendant of a family long associated with the ruined village of Karnstein and a student of its grim history. He preserves ancestral information that allows the searchers to locate a concealed tomb and identify what has been preying on Laura and other young women.