Bennett Family

“	Our family fled Salem in 1692 and relocated here. Our ancestors lived in secrecy for over a hundred years. It's important that we still do.	”
	— Sheila Bennett on the family history

The Bennett Family (Latin: Benedictus, meaning "blessed" or "one who is blessed") is a matriarchal bloodline of powerful witches on The Vampire Diaries series. The family was originally settled in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. However, after the witch trials began, the family relocated in Mystic Falls in 1692. They have lived in the town and maintained their secrecy of their magical talents for over one hundred years. The Bennett family is known to be dominated by women and there are no known male members of the Bennett family, aside from those who married into it. The Bennett family has been linked to both the Salvatore Family and the Petrova Family since 1st Century B.C., and Qetsiyah is known to be the oldest known ancestor of the Bennett family. The Bennett family is also descended from a Traveler bloodline, as Qetsiyah was known for being the most powerful and gifted member of the Traveler community during her time. Qetsiyah is also arguably the most powerful witch of all time.

As of the sixth season, Bonnie Bennett, Abby Bennett, and Lucy Bennett are the last living members of the Bennett family.

History

Family Members

Qetsiyah: Qetsiyah (Ancient Greek: Kετσιυαη, Hebrew: קעצייאַה; Qʻẕyyʼah), known as Tessa during the modern day, was born February 28, some time between 5th century BC and 1st century BC (assumed to be 1st century BC) in Ancient Greece. She is the oldest known ancestor of the Bennett bloodline and was an extremely powerful witch. She created the first spell of immortality, the cure for immortality, and the supernatural purgatory known as the Other Side. Over 2,000 years ago in Ancient Greece, Qetsiyah fell deeply in love with a young, gifted, powerful witch named Silas (who is the oldest ancestor of the Salvatore family and progenitor of the Salvatore line of doppelgängers). Qetsiyah and Silas belonged to a group of very gifted people called the Travelers. Qetsiyah eventually became engaged to be married to Silas. Silas confessed a desire to be immortal to her and insisted that he wanted to spend eternity with her, so out of love with him, she created the first spell of immortality. However, Silas' intention was not to spend an eternity with Qestiyah, but to spend forever with his true love, Amara (who was Qetsiyah's handmaiden and the oldest known ancestor of the Petrova family). Qetsiyah had created the spell for immortality in the form of an elixir for Silas and herself to consume on their wedding night. However, as Qetsiyah was waiting at the altar for him to arrive for their wedding, everything around her, including the plants and floral decorations, began to wither and die, making it glaringly obvious that Silas had stolen the elixir for himself. Feeling betrayed, Qetsiyah tracked Silas down, where she discovered that he and Amara had consumed the immortality elixir for themselves to ensure they would be together forever. Overwhelmed by rage and jealous of their happiness, Qetsiyah created a single cure for immortality. Qetsiyah confronted Amara, desiccated her, entombed her, and covered hers and Silas' hide-out with blood to make it appear as though Qetsiyah had murdered her. When Silas confronted Qetsiyah about what she had done, she led him to believe that she had created a second cure to reverse Amara's immortality in order to kill her, and that the blood and human heart Qetsiyah had strewn about their hide-out acted as confirmation for her story. Silas threatened to kill Qetsiyah for murdering his beloved, but she gave him one chance to take the cure and live a human lifetime with her instead. When he refused, she neutralized him, desiccating him like she did to Amara and entombing him on an island off of Nova Scotia with the cure so he would have two options: he could take the cure, die a mortal death, and eventually be trapped on the Other Side with Qetsiyah for eternity, or he could starve and petrify in the tomb for eternity. To spite Qetsiyah, Silas chose to starve and desiccate for eternity, and laid buried for over 2,000+ years in his tomb. After desiccating Amara, Qetsiyah used her as a physical anchor for the creation of the Other Side spell, as she needed an anchor which would be both eternal and indestructible, provided by her immortal status. Many centuries passed and Silas still refused to take the cure so he could die and cross over to the Other Side where Qetsiyah was waiting for him. While one of her descendants tried to finally kill Silas by creating an order of hunters to force-feed him the cure and slay him, they still ultimately were unsuccessful for many more centuries to come. In 2011, Qetsiyah took advantage of her descendant Bonnie bringing down the veil to the Other Side and brought herself back to life so she could finally finish her mission to punish Silas for his crimes against her by killing him and finally ensuring that Silas and Amara would be separated for eternity. She finally achieved her wish some months later when Amara killed herself and crossed over to the human afterlife just before Stefan killed Silas and sent him to the Other Side. Content with having fulfilled her revenge against her ex-lover, Qetsiyah killed herself so she could begin her eternity with Silas and end the centuries of star-crossed love between Silas and Amara's doppelgängers. However, her victory was only temporary, as the modern-day Travelers cast a spell that destroyed the Other Side, resulting in Silas being sucked into oblivion and leaving the fate of her spirit (and many of the other ghosts on the Other Side) unknown.
Qetsiyah's Child or Children (possibly): It's assumed that in order for the Bennett bloodline to have continued, Qetsiyah either must have had a child or children before she was killed by the Travelers, or she had a sibling or siblings who would've continued the Bennett bloodline.

Qetsiyah's Unnamed Sibling(s) (possibly): It is a possibility that in order for the Bennett bloodline to have continued, Qetsiyah could have had a sibling(s) that had children if she did not have children of her own. Considering that Qetsiyah was killed at a young age by the Travelers, it is possible that either Qetsiyah had nieces or nephews or she had children of her own to continue the bloodline.
Ayana: Ayana was an ancestor of the Bennett bloodline who lived during the late 10th and early 11th century in the Middle Ages. She was a close friend of the Original witch, Esther Mikaelson and acted as a healer for the people in her village in what became modern-day Mystic Falls. She is a descendant of Qetsiyah.
Ayana's Child or Children (assumed): In order for the Bennett bloodline to continue, it can be assumed that Ayana had children of her own.
The Witch of The Five: The Witch of The Five (her name is unknown) was a descendant or distant relative of Qetsiyah and the creator of The Brotherhood of the Five. Qetsiyah had called upon her as her descendant to create a group of supernaturally-enhanced vampire hunters who would be tasked with the mission of finding, curing, and killing Silas in his tomb on the island. The Five were also tasked with killing regular vampires while they attempted to locate Silas.
Emily Bennett: Emily was a fourth-great grandmother of Bonnie through Sheila Bennett, who lived up until the time of the American Civil War. She was the personal handmaiden of Katherine Pierce, as well as a powerful witch. She made the daylight rings that protect Stefan and Damon Salvatore from dying in sunlight. It's also assumed that Emily created the daylight necklaces, rings and bracelets that Katherine and her vampire cohorts wore in the mid 1860s as well. Emily and Damon made a deal in 1864 in which Damon would protect Emily's descendants and, in exchange, Emily would use her grimoire to protect Katherine by entombing her with the twenty-six other vampires who were trapped and left to burn in the tomb under Fell's Church. Emily later was burned at the stake by the Founding Families after Katherine exposed her to the Founder's Council just before the vampire round-up. Emily is a very distant descendant of Qetsiyah.
Emily Bennett's Unnamed Brother: Emily is said to have a brother. She mentioned him to Stefan Salvatore in a flashback after Stefan and his brother Damon had awoken in transition, and said that he had helped her bring the Salvatore brothers' dead bodies to the quarry to rest there until they reawakened as soon-to-be vampires. Not much is known about his character or background. It could be assumed that he was also a witch like his sister. He is a distant descendant of Qetsiyah.
Emily Bennett's Unnamed Children: It has been said on the show that Emily had children of her own and that Damon had protected them over the decades in exchange for Emily protecting Katherine and the tomb vampires. It could be assumed that they are all witches. They are all descendants of Qetsiyah.
Ernestine Bennett: Ernestine is an ancestor of the Bennett family and of Bonnie Bennett. Nothing is known about her character or background. It is assumed that she was a witch. She is a distant descendant of Qetsiyah.
Amelia Bennett: Amelia is Sheila Bennett's mother. She is the maternal grandmother of Abby Bennett and the great grandmother of Bonnie Bennett. She also has another unnamed son or daughter. She had an affair with Stefan when Sheila was a young woman. It is assumed that she was a witch. She is a descendant of Qetsiyah.
Sheila Bennett: Sheila is the daughter of Amelia Bennett, the maternal grandmother of Bonnie Bennett, the mother of Abby Bennett, and a distant descendant of Qetsiyah. Sheila turned out to be a descendant of a long line of women suspected of being powerful witches, and she taught Occult Studies at Whitmore College. In the episode Fool Me Once, she and Bonnie performed a spell to open the door to the vampire tomb, although unbeknownst to Bonnie, the spell didn't unseal the tomb as she thought. Upon learning of what Sheila had done, Bonnie convinced her to help her open it to get Stefan and Damon out, and the amount of magic required to perform the spell weakened Sheila so severely that she ultimately died in her bed that night.
Sheila's Unnamed Sibling: He or she is the sibling of Sheila and the maternal grand-aunt/uncle of Bonnie. It is assumed that he/she is a witch like Sheila. Nothing is known of his/her character, history or background. He/she is a distant descendant of Qetsiyah.
Sheila's Unnamed Husband: He is/was Sheila's husband, the father of Abby Bennett and the maternal grandfather of Bonnie. Nothing is known about his history, character or background. It could be assumed that he was a human. He is a relative of the Bennett family.
Marie Bennett: Marie is presumably a witch and an ancient descendant of Qetsiyah. Nothing is known about her character or her background. Her tombstone was seen in the Bennett graveyard in Home.
Pauline Bennett: Pauline is presumably a witch and a descendant, or, at least, a distant relative of Emily Bennett. She was the niece of Sheila Bennett, cousin of Abby Bennett, aunt of Bonnie Bennett, first cousin twice removed of Joanna Bennett, and first-cousin three times removed of Lucy Bennett. She is also a distant descendant of Qetsiyah.
Joanna Bennett: Joanna is Lucy's mother and first cousin twice removed of Pauline. She is a distant descendant of Qetsiyah.
Abby Bennett Wilson: Abby is the daughter of Sheila Bennett and the mother of Bonnie Bennett. She was born August 16, 1972. She was married to Rudy Hopkins, Bonnie's father, who took over as Mayor of Mystic Falls in early 2011. She also has an adoptive son, Jamie Wilson, who was the step-son of a man she dated for some time after moving to North Carolina. She is a very beautiful woman, but also a troubled one. Her reasons for abandoning Bonnie were because of her then best friend Miranda Gilbert, Elena's adoptive mother. When Elena was a child, Mikael, the father and the patriarch of the Original family known as the vampire who hunts vampires, came to Mystic Falls in search of the doppelgänger (Elena), as he knew his step-son Klaus would come after her to use her to break his curse if he ever learned of her existence. Abby lured Mikael to Pickett Mausoleum in North Carolina and cast a powerful desiccation spell on him that nearly killed her. In the third season, Abby was turned into a vampire by Damon and, as a result, lost her powers and abilities as a witch. She is a very distant descendant of Qetsiyah.
Lucy Bennett: Lucy is Bonnie Bennett's distant maternal cousin, and is also a witch. She is the daughter of Joanna Bennett, and therefore is related to Sheila Bennett. She helped Katherine Pierce as a friend to get the moonstone in the episode Masquerade because she owed her a favor for previously saving her life. However, when Lucy learned that Katherine had purposely hid the fact that a fellow Bennett witch (Bonnie) was involved, she ended up switching sides by removing the linking spell that connected Katherine to Elena and hexing the moonstone so that it would incapacitate Katherine when she touched it. Not wanting to get sucked into more vampire drama, she left Mystic Falls, but promised Bonnie she would be back. She is still alive as of Season Six, as she provided a vial of blood to help rescue Bonnie from the 1994 Prison World. She is a very distant descendant or distant relative of Qetsiyah.
Bonnie Bennett: Bonnie was born February 5, 1992 in Mystic Falls, Virginia. She is the youngest and last known member of the Bennett family. She is the daughter of Rudy Hopkins and Abby Bennett, the maternal granddaughter of Sheila Bennett, and a very distant descendant of Qetsiyah. Bonnie is a very powerful witch. She is best friends with Elena Gilbert and Caroline Forbes and is the main love interest of Jeremy Gilbert. In regards to her personality, she is moral, opinionated, spirited, feisty, determined, defends her opinion fiercely and is unable to keep quiet about what she thinks is right. She is also extremely compassionate, kind, empathetic, caring, friendly, and protective, especially of those she loves. Bonnie is also known to be a martyr; extremely self sacrificing and selfless and she is always willing to put the needs of her family, friends and loved ones before herself. She will always go out of her way to protect the people she loves and help others in need without asking for anything in return. Bonnie is also shown to be a romantic, someone who finds comfort in love and romance, although at first, she is more focused on her identity as a witch and protecting her friends. Because of Bonnie's opinions about vampires and their way of living (due to the fact that vampires have to feed on humans and human blood for survival, thus increasing their chances of harming innocent people), this often makes her look like a prejudiced and judgmental person from time to time. However, Bonnie eventually comes to accept vampires and vampirism and even helps them and befriends them (as both her best friends Elena and Caroline are vampires), despite the fact that vampires and witches are known to be natural enemies. She once had the power of a hundred dead witches whom she asked for in order to defeat Klaus, but the privilege of drawing on this power was eventually taken from her when she brought Jeremy back to life and, in doing so, upset the balance of Nature. She is Emily Bennett's descendant, but does not seem to be on good terms with the dead witch spirits, as she failed to heed their warning regarding abusing their power. She temporarily lost her magical powers after she died and was returned to the living world as the Anchor to the Other Side, but has since regained her powers while living in the 1994 Prison World. As of mid-2013, Bonnie has returned to the living world and has settled back into her life in Mystic Falls. In I'll Wed You In The Golden Summertime, the Siphoner/vampire hybrid Malachai Parker cast a spell on Bonnie and Elena that linked them together and caused Elena's body to be put into a coma/suspended animation. As a result, Elena will be asleep in the exact state in which she was spelled for the rest of Bonnie's life, as only Bonnie's death can awaken her from the magically-induced coma.

Relatives

Rudy Hopkins: Rudy was initially presumed to be Sheila's son since Bonnie and Sheila share the same last name, but this was proven untrue when it was shown that Sheila was actually Bonnie's maternal grandmother, not paternal. He is the ex-husband of Abby Bennett. He is human, but has knowledge of witches and magic from being married to a witch. He is a Board Member of Whitmore College and was also the mayor of Mystic Falls until his death in at the end of the summer in 2011. He was killed by Silas in I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Family Tree

File:QetsiyahTessaS5.jpg

Qetsiyah †

File:AyannaES.jpg

Ayana †

The Witch of The Five †

Emily Bennett †

Emily's Brother †

Ernestine Bennett †

Amelia Bennett †

Emily's Children †

File:SheliaMain.png

Sheila Bennett †

Sheila's Sibling

File:B2~2.jpg

Abby Bennett Wilson

Rudy Hopkins †

Pauline

Joanna

Bonnie Bennett

File:Lucy-Bennett.jpg

Lucy

Name

Bennett is an English and Irish language surname related to the medieval given name Benedict, both ultimately from Latin Benedictus "blessed." Bennett is the English spelling of the Anglo-Norman name Ben[n]et (Modern French first name Benoît, surname Bénet).
The meaning of the name is "blessed" or "one who is blessed."
Other spellings of the name Bennett include Benet, Benett, Bennet, Benoit, Bennito, Bennt, Bent, Bendick, Bendict, Benedetto, Benedick, Benedicto, Benedictos, Benedictus, Benedikt, Benedikte, Bengt, Benicio, Benito, Bennedict, Bennedikt, Bendek, Bendyk, Benes, Benneit.

Trivia

The Bennett family was inspired from the McCullough family in the novels, except the McCullough family is of Scottish and Gaelic descent while the Bennett family is descended from Mediterranean blood (Qetsiyah) and eventually becomes a family of African-American heritage.
In the novels, the McCullough family are descended from Celtic Druids while the Bennett family are descended from Travelers and Salem witches.
Qetsiyah is the oldest known member and ancestor of the Bennett family bloodline, being born some time in the second or first century BC. She is also known to be possibly the most powerful witch of all time (along with Silas).
Bonnie says her father's side of the family is boring, though she might just be referring to them as such in comparison with her magical maternal side of the family.
Only a Bennett witch could open the coffin which held Esther, the Original witch, due to the coffin being spelled shut by Esther's best friend and mentor Ayana, a member of the Bennett family.
The Bennett family are mostly female, and no male members are shown (not including Rudy, who is only part of the Bennett family by his marriage to Abby Bennett Wilson).
- It is mentioned that Emily has a brother, therefore, he is the only known male member of the Bennett family. It could be assumed that he is also a witch.
- It's also strongly possible that there are other male members of the Bennett family, and they are just unknown at this time.
Three members of the Bennett family had some type of involvement with the creation of the immortals.
- Qetsiyah helped Silas become the first immortal, and Ayana, being Esther's friend and mentor, witnessed Esther create the Original vampires using a modified version of the immortality spell. After the recently-resurrected Esther turned Alaric Saltzman into an Enhanced Original vampire, she used dream-walking to manipulate Bonnie into feeding him her blood to complete his transition.
- Only a witch from Qetsiyah's bloodline or family could have freed Silas from his tomb, which was why Atticus Shane, who was being manipulated by Silas, sought Bonnie out to teach her Expression for the express purpose of releasing him.
With Bonnie 's untimely death, there is a wide possibility that the direct Bennett bloodline descended from Qetsiyah is now finished after over 2,000 years, due to having no direct members to continue the bloodline.
- However, thanks to Sheila sending Bonnie and Damon to the 1994 Prison World, where they found the necessary tools to escape back into the living world, Bonnie is once again alive and able to continue the Bennett bloodline. Additionally, it was revealed in the Season Six episode I Alone that Lucy Bennett is still alive as well, as she donated her blood to help Damon and Elena in their attempt to release Bonnie from the prison world.
The Bennett family has produced several of history's most powerful witches.
Many witches bind their spells to Bennett artifacts, such as the Ascendant, which was activated using Bennett blood after Sheila helped the Gemini Coven with the spell that trapped Malachai Parker in the Prison Dimension in 1994.
Binding rituals to their bloodline seems to be something of a signature of the Bennett family. Only a Bennett could free Silas, only a Bennett could release Esther, only a Bennett could open the tomb, and only Bennett blood could activate the Ascendant.

Bennett Family

Contents

History

Family Members

Relatives

Family Tree

Name

Trivia

Gallery

See also

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