Eric Northman  is Played by Alexander Skarsgård

Sheriff Eric Northman played by Alexander Skarsgård in the True Blood series is one of the sexy lead vampire characters.  Eric comes across as a barely civilized individual but a good businessman.  He runs Fangtasia with the able help of his vampire child Pam, played by Kristin Bauer van Straten.

In the first year of the True Blood series, Eric is portrayed as a threat to Sookie and to Vampire Bill.  He is cold, calculating, attracted to Sookie and would like to acquire her.  His primary interest in Sookie was in  using her telepathic abilities to his advantage.

Eric Northman’s Maker Meets the True Death

Later in the series Eric Northman shows tears of sorrow at his maker Godric’s death by meeting the sun.  That is the first faintly human reaction from Eric.  This all takes place after Sookie’s rescue from the Fellowship church.  This scenario is altogether different from the story line in the Sookie Stackhouse book series by Charlaine Harris.  In the book series Eric’s maker does not meet his end until much later and Eric is not particularly upset.  In my view the various writers in the TV series have tried to make Eric Northman a little more human and appealing.

He also displayed self sacrifice when he attempted to get rid of Russell Edgington by convincing him that they could walk in the sun by drinking Sookie’s blood.  Nothing like that happened in the book series.

In recent True Blood TV episodes Eric has lost his memory due to a witch’s curse.  He is just plain sweet and sweet on Sookie.   At his execution as a last request he tells the King of Louisiana, Vampire Bill that he hopes that he and Sookie will find each other again as Sookie still has feelings for him.       Vampire Bill relents and his life is spared.

Will Mr. Nice Guy, Eric Northman, Remember?

Now that Eric Northman is just a super nice guy, it won’t last.  I don’t have advanced knowledge of the next episode, but the writers telegraphed that Sookie’s relationship would be temporary when she got a reading from the witch, Marnie.  Her Gran’s spirit came through and warned her that it would not last and to run away from the witch.  In the Sookie Stackhouse book series by Charlaine Harris, Eric Northman recovers his memory after a few days and does not remember what happened in that interval with Sookie.  Then it was pretty much back to the same old Eric Northman.

Eric Northman and Pam are perhaps my favorite vampire characters.  The writers have captured the vampire’s general indifference to humans.  They have no regard whatsoever for human kind other than Sookie.   If they were human they would be labeled sociopaths.  In other words, their relationships with humans are only for their benefit and they are not concerned with what human feel or think.