This article is about The Originals from the shows. You may be looking for The Old Ones from the novels.
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It was euphoric. The feeling of power was indescribable, but the witch Ayana was right about the consequences. The Spirits turned on us and Nature fought back. For every strength there would be a weakness. The sun became our enemy, it kept us indoors for weeks. And though my mother found a solution, there were other problems. Neighbors who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out. The flowers at the base of the white oak burned and prevented compulsion. And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away...so we burned it to the ground. But the darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated - the hunger. Blood had made us reborn and it was blood that we craved above all else. We could not control it. And with that, the predatory species was born.
The Original Vampires, or simply The Originals for short, are a group of extremely powerful vampires that are known for being the first of their bloodlines and the first generation of vampires, making them the oldest vampires in the world. Their name is a term used to describe a progenitor in a vampire bloodline. The term was initially introduced when Rose revealed their existence to Elena, Stefan and Damon, and primarily refers to the Mikaelson Family, but has since expanded after Esther used the spell to turn Alaric into a vampire and Elena referred to him as an "Original", lacking another term to refer to the type of vampire Alaric became.
A number of characteristics differentiate an Original from the vampire bloodline that they beget, but the fundamental difference is that Originals became vampires through a spell, not by ingesting the blood of another immortal, and unlike normal vampires, the Originals are indestructible and cannot be killed by anything on earth aside from the White Oak Stake or temporarily neutralized by the White Oak Ash Dagger.
The vampires that have been called Originals are: Mikael, Finn, Elijah, Klaus, Kol, Rebekah and Alaric. The Originals have also been known as legends in the supernatural world, especially amongst witches and vampires.
The term was first announced when Rose revealed the existence of a few old, very powerful vampires while she held Elena hostage in order to deliver her to Elijah. Later, after Damon and Stefan had rescued Elena, she rejoined them and spoke with fear of the Original vampire known as Klaus. Reluctantly, she agreed to help Damon get in contact with people who might know how to find him, though they were largely unsuccessful in this endeavor.
The legend surrounding the Original vampire named Klaus remained pieced together by hearsay and shrouded in mystery until Elijah agreed to tell his story to Elena after she removed the White Oak Ash Dagger from his heart. He eventually revealed that he and Klaus are half-brothers, and referred to his family as "the Original family", explaining that it is from them that all vampires were created.
The Original Vampire brothers.
The rest of the Mikaelson family are introduced throughout the third season: Rebekah through flashbacks in the 1920's and in present day when Klaus undaggers her; Mikael and Esther as Rebekah recounts the vampire origin story to Elena; and Kol and Finn when Elijah undaggers them. It is as Rebekah is telling the story of how their family became vampires that she reveals that their mother, Esther, had performed the spell that made them immortal. She refers to her as the "Original witch".
This usage of the term "Original" makes it clear that it was initially only used as a self-referential way for the Original Vampire siblings to establish their status as a powerful, elite group - the foundation for all other vampires created from their blood. However, when Esther begins the process of turning Alaric into a vampire using magic, Elena uses the term "Original" to describe what Alaric will become should she succeed. Lacking another word to describe the head of a bloodline (or potential bloodline) of vampires, the term's use has extended to describe vampires created using the Immortality Spell.
Power and Abilities
As the first and oldest vampires in the world, the Original Vampire's powers and abilities are the most advanced and by far superior to any other species. Rebekah said herself that they were the strongest creatures in the world. It is unknown if the Original Vampires grow stronger with age like non-original Vampires. These are their standard powers and abilities as the first generation of vampires.
Elijah breaking a werewolf's neck with a single punch.
Super Strength - Original vampires are considerably much stronger than immortals, non-original vampires, werewolves, non-original hybrids, and humans. They are able to decapitate other species with a single chop of their bare hands, shatter windows and doors with small objects, and single-handedly tear out the hearts of younger vampires and other creatures with little to no effort. Their strength has been used to break necks and spines, and break and move heavy objects. Their impact can send anyone flying. Their strength is also enough to rival that of their own kind. While Original Vampires are more powerful than werewolves in either form, transformed werewolves still rival enough of their strength to take down an Original Vampire in small groups as it was shown that four of them were capable of overwhelming Rebekah (although she managed to kill half of them), while two took down Elijah (these wolves were channeling the power of their werewolf forms through enchanted kyanite stones, and Elijah was taken by surprise and passed out from their venom). It is unknown if they grow stronger with age like non-Original Vampires.
Super Speed - Original vampires are much faster than immortals, non-original vampires, werewolves, non-original hybrids, and humans. They are able to stop other supernatural species in their tracks, run miles in mere minutes and can easily catch up to any species of creature, supernatural or not. Their reflexes are similarly heightened. It is unknown if they grow faster with time.
Super Senses - Original vampires have extremely keen senses of hearing, sight and smell that far exceed those of humans, non-original vampires, werewolves and non-original hybrids.
Super Agility - Original vampires possess more superhuman agility, flexibility and dexterity than non-original vampires, non-original hybrids, werewolves, and humans. They can move quickly, jump very high, climb and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion.
Healing Factor - The injuries of Original vampires heal faster than those of non-original vampires, werewolves, non-original hybrids and humans. Original vampires also seem to heal much more quickly when exposed to vervain or wood. They can heal/recover/regenerate from any and all injuries in a matter of seconds. Even a werewolf bite is no threat to them, it is only painful to them, as they are not wholly immune to the bite, but it wears off. Unlike non-original vampires, ingestion of vervain-laced liquid would not weaken them. If they are stabbed with Papa Tunde's blade and its removed, the healing process becomes much slower. Human blood has also known to make the healing process faster.
Super Durability - Original vampires can take far more trauma than other non-original vampires, werewolves, non-original hybrids and humans can, without much discomfort or injury. No Original vampire has ever been dismembered throughout the series, implying that their durability may be close to invincibility. Wood seems to be ineffective at weakening them. Ordinary bullets, knives and blunt objects can hurt an original vampire as seen with Finn, Kol and Klaus.
Enhanced Emotions - Original Vampires experience emotions more powerfully than humans. Emotions like love, joy, and happiness are intensified for vampires allowing them to live life more intensely. This ability allows the original vampires to feel emotions at their peak regardless of their age. They have been shown experiencing emotions as powerfully today as they did 1,000 years ago.
Emotional Control - Original vampires have a limited degree of control over their own emotions. It has been stated that Emotional Control fades over time. It is unknown if the Original vampires still possess the ability to "switch off" their emotions completely.
Dream Manipulation - Original vampires can control dreams and subconscious. The vampires can produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares or lucid dreaming. Other effects of this ability is the ability to distort perceptions of reality and being able to trap someone in their dreams.
Rebekah compels Elena.
Mind Compulsion - Original vampires can control and influence the thoughts, emotions, behavior, actions and memories of humans, non-original vampires and non-original hybrids. They cannot however compel witches, immortals or werewolves.
Fangs - Like all vampires, Original vampires can extend a pair fangs from there canine teeth which they use to feed. Their fangs will occasionally come out and extend when they feed, are aroused by the scent of blood, or feeling intensely threatened or angered.
Sire Bond - Although rare among them, Sire Bonds can be formed when a human is turned with the blood of the vampire whom they had strong human feelings for.
Immortality - As the oldest vampires in the world, Original vampires are nigh immortal. They do not physically age and are immune to all illnesses, toxins, poisons and diseases. Being pierced through the heart with the White Oak Stake is the only way to permanently kill them.
Telepathy - An advanced form of mind control that allows vampires to mentally communicate over a vast distance. Damon and Elijah have been shown to mentally communicate with others from a distance sending distress calls and mental images. Klaus and Elijah has also been shown sharing his memories with others. This is known as tactile telepathy.
Illusions - As seen with Lexi, vampires have the power to trick the minds of others into seeing/feeling things.
Shapeshifting - Klaus can transform into a werewolf at will.
Transformation Control - Klaus can control his werewolf transformations to partially or fully become a werewolf. He does not need to transform under a full moon and can transform at any time he wants. Elijah informs Klaus that when he transformed he remained a werewolf for 2 days, even when the sun was up. As a hybrid Klaus can transform partially displaying his werewolf eyes, teeth and claws. In werewolf form Klaus has more control over his actions than normal werewolves.
Lycanthrope Enhancement - Klaus can use his werewolf traits to further enhance his "Original" vampiric powers and abilities becoming stronger, faster and more powerful than the other original vampires. Due to his werewolf heritage, Klaus's strength and speed are at their peak during a full moon/werewolf form.
It is unknown if a non-original Hybrid is naturally stronger than a non-original vampire without this power.
Klaus in the sun.
Day Walking - As a hybrid, Klaus cannot be harmed by the sun and does not require a daylight ring.
Werewolf Bite - His venom will temporarily weaken an Original vampire and kill a non-original vampire. As the Original Hybrid, Klaus' venom take effect quicker than a normal werewolf venom and a non-original hybrid venom.
Procreation - Klaus has the ability to procreate like a werewolf.
Immunity to Silver - While hybrids can be hurt by silver physically, they appear to immediately heal from the wounds caused by it. Magic bonded to silver cannot affect hybrids due to their werewolf heritage.
Blood Lust Control - Unlike most vampires, Elijah has complete control of his blood lust, which he perfected over the years of being a vampire to the point that his vampire veins have not been shown often since he was introduced, even when he requested to speak to Davina despite being neutralized for three months and having his skin color become very darkened from lack of blood; as a result, he was able to talk to her without craving her blood.
Tactile Telepathy - Elijah was able to share his memories with Hayley through touch, it is unknown if all original vampires possess this ability.
Alaric
Alaric
Main article: Enhanced Original
White Oak Stake Invulnerability - Alaric is invulnerable to the White Oak Stake. As a weakness Esther linked his life to the life of Elena.
Partial immune to Werewolf Bite - Although Mikael was bitten many times by werewolves, he could overcame his pain and hallucinations. Even having werewolf's venom in blood, he defeated Klaus (Original Hybrid) in a duel.
Partial immune to Papa Tunde's Blade - When Klaus used Papa Tunde's Blade against Mikael, he was neutralized only for minutes. Mikael removed blade from his chest alone what neither of Originals couldn't do.
Weaknesses
Finn dies staked with a White Oak Stake.
White Oak Stake - Is the only weapon on earth that can permanently kill an Original vampire, It comes from an ancient White Oak Tree that existed during the time of the genesis of The Original Vampires and was used as the source of their immortality. It was at first thought that the stake used to kill Mikael was the last White Oak wood that existed, but it was soon discovered by Rebekah and Klaus that there was a sapling of the original tree to replace the old; the wood which was used to build the Wickery Bridge. Julie plec later confirms this is the only thing in existence that can kill an original.
Rebekah after being daggered by Klaus.
White Oak Ash Dagger - An enchanted silver dagger dipped in the ash of the tree will kill an Original vampire, but only as long as the dagger remains in their heart. They will however also kill any non-original vampire that wields them. Klaus however cannot be daggered due to his werewolf heritage.
Stakes - A wooden stake through the heart will neutralize an Original vampire and the Original vampire will appear as if they were dead, but will revive within a few hours. Klaus cannot be neutralized by wooden stakes, due to being a hybrid.
Sunlight - Sunlight will burn an Original vampire, but cannot kill them. All members of the Original Family possess lapis lazuli rings to combat this. Klaus is not affected by sunlight due to being a hybrid.
Elijah burned by vervain.
Vervain - Vervain prevents Original vampires from compelling anyone on it and burns them on touch. Original vampires will heal very quickly from vervain wounds however.
Invitation - In order to enter any house owned by humans, they need to be invited in by a person that officially lives there or the person of entitlement. Once invited, the original vampire cannot be uninvited. If an original vampire lives in a house, other vampires can enter freely and if an original vampire is in the house without being invited in, it will become disoriented and will begin to suffocate.
Magic - It is said that a witch with enough power can kill/dangerously affect a being as powerful as an Original vampire. Its later revealed to have some sort of truth as both Bonnie and Davina while being empowered by extremely potent sources of magic(the violent deaths of 100 witches and the power of the Harvest) were able to cripple Klaus almost to the point of bringing him close to death, however Julie Plec reveals that the white oak stake is the only thing in existence that can kill an original so it seems that a powerful witch killing an original would have something to do with the white oak stake. Witches can also do spells that can seriously harm an original. Minor spells have little effect. An example of a spell that can be used is the spell with sage that can block a vampires hearing.
Klaus desiccated.
Desiccation - Being completely drained of blood or the heart stopping will cause an Original vampire to desiccate like any other vampire, losing most of it's strength and any ability to move. The desiccated Original will appear as a corpse and can only start functioning again once they feed on blood. This process can be replicated artificially by a witch casting a desiccation spell. It's unknown if an Original would desiccate if their heart was torn out; however, it seems that an Originals body is indestructible, therefore it is possible their hearts cannot be extracted.
Werewolf Bite - Where a werewolf bite can't kill Original vampires, it weakens them and gives them the same sort of effect as it would a non-original vampire, causing hallucinations. However, the effect only lasts for a few hours. This will not affect Klaus as he is a hybrid. Mikael overcame the pain of the venom and merely fought the pain rather than sit there and hallucinate.
Broken Neck - Breaking an Original vampire's neck will not kill them, but it will render them unconscious for several hours.
Papa Tunde's Blade - The blade of Tunde, that channeled the vampire sacrifices, is said to do worse things than death even to an Original vampire. It is later stabbed in Klaus giving him immense magical and physical pain. After being taken out of Klaus, Klaus used it on Elijah, who then took it out of Klaus and now Klaus has possession of it. Mikael was stabbed and seemingly overcame the pain by pulling it out.
The Devil's Star - The devil's star can cause a 1000 cuts onto another person's body.
Animal Blood - As revealed in season 1, animal blood weakens a vampire's strength.
Physical Trauma - Minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds and broken bones will cause an Original Vampire (even Klaus) pain and also slow them down. However, this is momentary as they will heal completely within seconds. It seems physical trauma can hurt them anywhere on the body (ex-eye gauging, drowning).
Unique to Klaus (Hybrid)
Wolfsbane - Although its only for a few seconds, Klaus can be harmed by wolfsbane because of his werewolf side.
Former Weaknesses
Gilbert Device - This high frequency pitch can be heard by vampires and hybrids.-This only works once and now that it was used - it no longer works.
The Cure - The cure will strip an Original vampire of their immortality, causing them to become human/witch or in Klaus' case a werewolf. Esther had a spell which would've cured them of their immortality - The cure no longer exists.
Moonlight Ring (Unique to Klaus) - Moonlight rings steal Klaus strength and cause him extreme pain. The 12 rings that effected him have been destroyed so he no longer feels pain on a full Moon.
Power Suppression Necklace (Unique to Klaus) - As seen in Every Mother's Son, Esther made a necklace to suppress Klaus' anger and powers as an untriggered wolf, rendering him weak, but in control of his emotions. It is unknown if these types of jewelry would work on a triggered werewolf or a hybrid. He no longer wears it, so it no longer effects him. Its also implied that it stopped working while it was on him after he became a vampire because he was able to kill Esther not knowing what the necklace could do to him at the time.
Davina's Bracelet (Unique to Mikael) - Mikael is under the control of this bracelet as of the present. He is unable to attack Davina and must obey her commands. The spell giving the bracelet its power has since been undone by Kol.
Hunter's Curse- If an Original vampire kills a member of The Brotherhood of the Five, they will be tormented by the hunter until they kill themselves or if the hunter is replaced. As revealed when Stefan and Alaric killed Vaughn, they didn't suffer the Hunters Curse.
Doppelganger Blood Magic - If a doppelgangers blood is used in the Magic Purification Spell, all vampires' abilities will be stripped from them little by little and then they will be brought back to the last stage of their human life: Death. They will then relive the way they died when they transitioned into vampirism. Kai absorbed the magic purification spell and its no longer there.
Mikael was a wealthy landowner in a village in Eastern Europe before he and his family moved to the New World. They made their new home in what would eventually become Mystic Falls, and found themselves neighbors with a pack of werewolves. After their youngest son was killed by a werewolf and his wife Esther turned their remaining children into vampires, Klaus revealed his true paternity when, after his first kill as a vampire, he triggered his werewolf gene; Mikael was not his biological father. Furious, Mikael hunted down and killed Klaus' father and his entire family, not realizing that he was igniting a war between the two species that persists to this day. After a lifetime of hunting Klaus, he was killed by Klaus with his own weapon. However, he is now revived by the powerful witch Davina Claire and is plotting his attack on Klaus.File:FinnMD.jpg
Finn.
Elijah.
Finn Mikaelson is the oldest sibling. He spent most of his immortal life daggered and is even more moral than Elijah, as well as self-loathing. Although he was willing to sacrifice himself and his siblings in order to rid the world of vampires, he showed a more relaxed side of himself while reconnecting with his lover, Sage. Before he had the chance to even consider the life he could now live, he was killed by Matt Donovan with a White Oak Stake. All of the vampires from his bloodline, including Sage, died within hours of his death. Thanks to his mother Esther, he is now possessing the body of Vincent along with his brother Kol who possesses Kaleb.
Elijah Mikaelson is the second oldest sibling. He is handsome and sophisticated, with a highly developed sense of morality. Although he loved his younger brother Niklaus, he became vengeful when Klaus hunted down and neutralized his family, and swore to take his revenge. It wasn't until Klaus revealed that their siblings were safe that Elijah began to reconsider, though a few days later Klaus betrayed him by neutralizing him with the White Oak Ash Dagger. He was later released by Damon Salvatore and, with Damon's help, revived his siblings from their daggered sleep and stood up to Klaus before threatening to leave him. Still, after he and Rebekah thought Klaus was dead, they both mourned him, and to this day Elijah holds family above all else.
Klaus.
Niklaus Mikaelson is a Hybrid and the third oldest sibling. He is violent and megalomaniacal, though he tempers his aggression with an appreciation for fine art and worldly pursuits. His legend precedes him throughout the supernatural world as the most feared vampire alive. Despite their tumultuous relationship, he remained closest to Elijah and Rebekah. His relationship with his brother Kol appeared much more strained, though manageable, but he saw fit to leave his brother Finn daggered in a box for 900 years. No matter how appallingly he treats his family, he still maintains that they are his to deal with, and anyone else who interferes would suffer the consequences. Once he broke the hybrid curse, his main objective was to create more hybrids, and thus he sought to keep the doppelgängerElena alive.
Kol Mikaelson is the fourth oldest sibling. Much more of a wildcard than Elijah or Finn, he shares Klaus' affinity for violence and seems to quite enjoy inflicting pain on others. Klaus daggered him in the early 20th century for unknown reasons, but Elijah revived him along with Finn and Rebekah. Not much is known about his long life; he is said to have made the Original family infamous early on, presumably through indiscriminate killing, and over the years he spent quite a lot of time in the company of witches, from whom he had learned about the legend of the immortal Silas. He was killed by Jeremy Gilbert and the death of his entire bloodline effectively completed the Hunter's Mark. He has now made his return as Kaleb, along with his mother Esther and brother Finn who possess Cassie and Vincent.
Rebekah Mikaelson is the youngest sibling in the Original family and the only daughter of Mikael and Esther. Although she often appears to enjoy the perks of being a vampire along with her brother Klaus, left on her own she reveals a more delicate, human sensitivity beneath her tough façade. Of all the Original siblings, she alone has demonstrated an active desire to become human again. Her relationship with Klaus is complicated: she loves him unconditionally, but they are both quick to anger and Rebekah is usually the one that ends up hurt, often getting daggered for her defiance. Klaus left her daggered for 90 years before reviving her in his quest to create hybrids, and she has since rekindled a relationship with Stefan Salvatore, whom she had fallen in love with in the 1920s.
Alaric Saltzman was an Original in the conceptual sense of the word, and was not related to the Mikaelson family. The witch Esther turned him into a vampire through a modified Immortality Spell with the sole purpose of hunting and killing her remaining children, thus ridding the world of vampires. She designed him to be immune to the White Oak Stake, making him invulnerable, thereby giving him an advantage over her children. However, not wanting to create another immortal being, she tied his life to that of Elena Gilbert, ensuring that Alaric would live only one lifetime, just long enough to kill Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah and Kol before Elena died a natural death. He is only a vampire for a few days before he died; Rebekah escaped him and killed Elena to end Alaric's life after he seemed to have killed Klaus. Later in Home, he was resurrected. It is unknown what weakness can lead to his death upon resurrection, as Elena is no longer human but a vampire. He was either linked to her vampire life, vulnerable to the White Oak Stake, or might be truly immortal. Alaric is not an Original Vampire anymore.
Alaric is an Original vampire through species, having the same powers but even less weaknesses, though he is not part of the Original family of vampires.
Julie Plec announced before Season 4 the possibility that other vampires could have lived before the Mikaelsons. This is later proven true in the form of the world's first immortals; Silas and Amara.
Elijah is the first Original vampire to appear in the series.
Rebekah is the only female Original vampire and the youngest of the Original family.
Alaric was both the youngest Original vampire and youngest male Original vampire, as well as the shortest-lived Original vampire
In an Interview with the Atlanta CW69, Julie Plec confirms that Alaric was "the most powerful villain in the show" In a another Interview with Entertainment Weekly, Julie Plec refers to Alaric as a "Super Original vampire". which means he is equal with Klaus as the most powerful Original. With his death at the end of season 3, Klaus became the single most powerful Original, however, with Alaric's resurrection in the season 5 finale, Alaric is once again equal with Klaus as the most powerful Original.
Klaus, alongside Alaric, is the most powerful Original because he is also a Hybrid.
In the novels, the Original vampires are called "The Old Ones".
The origin of The Old Ones is not fully described in the novels, however, L.J Smith once stated that The Old Ones were never human, and that they are older than the pyramids.
The Original's have been called "The Old Ones" twice; once by Hayley Marshall in The Rager upon meeting Klaus, and in The OriginalsDavina Claire refers to the Originals as Old Ones.
Mikael, Finn and Kol are the only Original vampires of the Original family to have been permanently killed.
Alaric was killed when Elena died as a human and is also considered permanently dead.
After Mikael and Finn was killed, Elijah became the oldest living Original vampire.
Klaus, Amy, Phillipe, Adrienne and James were five old vampires who were supposed to appear in the show, but they were removed and instead came the Original Family.
Officially Klaus was removed and Niklaus appears.
Officially Amy was removed and Esther appears.
Officially Phillipe was removed and Elijah appears.
Officially Adrienne was removed and Rebekah appears.
Officially James was removed and Finn appears.
When an Original vampire dies, all of the vampires created from his or her bloodline die along with them.
This was established in The Murder of One when Finn was killed. Within an hour of his death, a vampire that Finn had turned (Sage), and a vampire she had turned (Troy) died too.
The Original vampires are the origin of the type of vampirism that we see throughout the show, however they are not the first vampires to exist.
Finn was the first original vampire to be killed by a human, Matt.
A spin-off series called The Originals has been produced and is currently in its first season. The spin-off was picked up by the CW for a full season run.
Only the bloodlines of Niklaus, Finn, and Kol are known to exist.
The Original vampires cannot be killed by the silver daggers, only temporarily neutralized for as long as the dagger remains in the Original.
Although they hurt him when he is stabbed with them, Klaus is not effected by the dagger because of his werewolf side.
Mikael and Finn are the only Original vampires not daggered by Klaus.
Alaric is the only Original vampire that can't be killed with the White Oak Stake. It is possible that because the White Oak Tree is not his weakness, as his transformation did not draw upon the tree, the daggers would not be able to neutralize him either, making him and Klaus the only Original vampires who cannot be neutralized by the daggers.
Klaus is the first and only Original vampire and undead being to father a child.
Its revealed Mikales amplified human strength is why he is stronger than his children, even Klaus and Alaric.
As humans each Original was killed through being stabbed in the heart before they transitioned, including Alaric. This may be why as vampires they must be staked in the heart or daggered in the heart to kill them.
The Original Vampires can be considered the vampire equivalent of royalty, as they were the first vampires, the most dangerous, indestructible, and the most powerful. They demonstrate that the rules other vampires make for the vampire species does not apply to them and will do what they want. They demand respect and become violent and murderous if disrespected. In their minds, their rules are the true and absolute laws for vampires.
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