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Original Vampire
Species Information
Status	3 Originals remain
Related species	Human (originally) Witch (Esther) Hybrid (Niklaus)
Season(s)	2, 3, 4

Original Vampire is a term used to describe a progenitor in a vampire bloodline. The term was initially introduced when Rose revealed to Elena, Stefan and Damon their existence, and primarily refers to the Mikaelson Family, but has since expanded after Esther used a spell to turn Alaric into a vampire and Elena referred to him as an "Original". A number of characteristics differentiate an Original from the vampire bloodlines that they beget, but the fundamental difference is that Originals become vampires through a spell, not by ingesting the blood of another immortal.

The vampires that have been called Original are Mikael, Elijah, Finn, Niklaus, Kol, Rebekah and Alaric. There is still enough mystery surrounding the very first immortal Silas that he cannot be confirmed to be a vampire as such, let alone an Original one, but it remains a possibility until more is learned about the specifics of how he became immortal.

History of the Term

The term was first announced when Rose revealed the existence of a very 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 Elena about him after she removed the white oak ash dagger from his heart. He eventually revealed that he and Klaus are brothers, and referred to his family as "the Original family", explaining that it is from them that all vampires were created.

The rest of the Mikaelson family are introduced throughout the third season: Rebekah through flashbacks to the 1920s 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 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.

Known Originals

The Original Family

Main article: Mikaelson Family

• 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.

• 

  Elijah Mikaelson is the 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 released later 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 dead, they both mourned him, and to this day Elijah holds family above all else.

• Finn Mikaelson is the second 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.

• 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 doppelgänger Elena 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.

• 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.

Other Originals

• 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 with the sole purpose of hunting and killing her remaining children, thus ridding the world of vampires. She wanted him to be stronger and faster than the other Originals, so she made him invulnerable to the white oak stake. 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 was 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.

• Silas is a 2,000-year-old immortal being who has not yet been confirmed as a vampire, let alone an Original one. He shares many characteristics with the known Originals: he became immortal through a dark spell cast by a witch, apparently drinks blood for sustenance, and possesses a much-feared invulnerability. However, although the available information points to his being a vampire, very few details are known about his transformation and the true extent of his capabilities.

Powers, Abilities and Weakness

Power and Abilities

• Super Strength - Original vampires are much stronger than other vampires, werewolves, non-original hybrids and humans. They are able to decapitate other species with a single chop and shatter windows and doors with small objects. They grew stronger with time.

• Super Speed - Original vampires are much faster than other vampires, werewolves, non-original hybrids and humans. They are able to stop other supernatural species in their tracks and run miles in mere minutes. They grow faster with time.
• Super Senses - Original vampires have extremely keen senses of hearing, sight and smell that far exceed those of humans, regular vampires, werewolves and non-original hybrids. Their senses improve with time.
• Super Agility - Original vampires possess superhuman agility, flexibility, and dexterity. They can move, jump, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion. These abilities improve with time
• Super Healing - The injuries of Original vampires heal faster than those of other 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.

• Super Durability - Original vampires can take far more trauma than other vampires, werewolves, hybrids and humans can without much discomfort or injury. No Original has ever been dismembered throughout the series, implying that their durability may be close to invincibility. Wood seems to be ineffective at weakening them.
• Mind Compulsion - Original vampires can compel the minds of humans, vampires, and non-original hybrids. They cannot however compel any non human or non vampire.
• Immortality - Originals do not physically age. They're immune to all forms of illnesses, toxins or poisons. They don't need to eat, drink, or breath. They have eternal youthful beauty with perfect features, flawless smooth skin. They also posses an almost eidetic memory, and cunning intelligence.
• 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 distortion of reality and trapped in the dreams.
• Emotional Control - Vampires have a limited degree of control over their own emotions, allowing them to switch off their humanity to make killing easier.

Abilities Unique to Klaus (Hybrid)

• Shapeshifting - Klaus can transform into a wolf.
• Transformation Control - He doesn't have to turn during the full moon and can turn at will.
• Day Walking  - As a hybrid, Klaus cannot be harmed by the sun and does not require a daylight ring.
• Werewolf Bite Blood Cure - Klaus' blood is the only cure for a werewolf or hybrid bite.
• Werewolf Bite - His bite will temporarily weaken an Original and kill a normal vampire.

Weaknesses

• White Oak Stake - Is the only physical weapon that can permanently kill an Original, It comes from an ancient white oak tree that existed during the time of the genesis of The Originals and which 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 of which was used to build the Wickery Bridge.
• Magic/Esther - It is said a witch with enough power can kill a being as powerful as an original but its never been proven. Esther also had some way of reversing the originals into humans but the spell was incomplete before it could be finished. Originals can also be harmed by other magic spells.

• White Oak Ash Dagger - An enchanted silver dagger dipped in the ash of the white oak tree will kill an original but only as long as the dagger remains in their heart. They will however also kill any vampire that wields them. Klaus is uneffected by this due to his werewolf heritage.
• Stakes - A wooden stake through the heart will incapacitate an original for a short period of time.
• Sunlight - Sunlight will burn an original but cannot kill them. All members of the original family possess lapis lazuli rings to combat this. Klaus is not effected by this as he is a hybrid.
• Werewolf Bite - Where a werewolf bite can't kill Originals, it weakens them and gives them the same sort of effect as it would an ordinary vampire, causing hallucinations. However, the effect only lasts for a few hours. This will not affect Klaus as he is a hybrid.

• Vervain - Vervain prevents compulsion by originals and burns them on touch. Originals will heal very quickly from vervain wounds however.
• Wolfsbane (Klaus only) - It will burn him on contact but he will heal quickly afterwards.
• Uninvited Invitation - In order to enter any house owned by humans, they need to be invited by a person that officially lives there or the person of entitlement. Once invited the vampire cannot be uninvited. If a vampire lives in a house, other vampires can enter freely and if a vampire is in the house without being invited in it will become disoriented and will begin to suffocate.

• Desiccation - Being completely drained of blood or the heart stopping will cause an original vampire to desiccate like any other vampire, lose most of it's strength and any ability to move. This process can be replicated artificially by stopping a human's heart, a witch is capable of stopping the Original's heart if a physical connection to the vampires heart is made and the users have ingested a witch's blood. It's unknown if an original would desiccate if their heart was torn out.
• Silas - Kol mentions that if Silas is freed, he will kill them.
• The Cure - If an original took the cure than they would turn human and lose their immortality. Klaus being a hybrid would become a werewolf again.
• Hunter's Curse - If an Original kills a member of The Brotherhood of the Five they will be tormented for decades until they kill themselves, or until it where's off, according to Klaus it lasted for 52 years, 4 months, and 9 days for him.

Appearances

Trivia

• Season 3's slogan was "Year of the Originals".
• Alaric is an Original vampire through species, 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.
• Elijah was the first Original to appear in the series.
• Rebekah is the only female Original and the youngest of the Original family.
• Kol was the youngest male of the Original family.
• Alaric was both the youngest Original and youngest male Original vampire, as well as the shortest-lived Original.
• Klaus is the most powerful Original because he is a hybrid.
• The Original family were Vikings as humans.
• In the novels, the Originals 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.
• Mikael, Finn and Kol are the only 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 then Finn were killed, Elijah became the oldest living Original.
• 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.
• As of A View To A Kill, there are only three Originals left.
• The Originals are the origin of vampirism, however they are not the first vampires to exist.
• The Originals appear in 13 episodes in Season Two, 21 episodes in Season Three and 18 episodes in Season Four so far.
• Finn was the first original to be killed by a human, Matt.
• A spin-off series called The Originals is in the works, and has been picked up by the CW for a full season run.
  • Episode 4x20 will served as a backdoor pilot.
  • It will focus on the Original family.
• Only the bloodlines of Niklaus, Finn, and Kol are known to exist.
• Klaus and Alaric are the only Originals that can't be killed by a dagger.
• Mikael and Finn are the only Originals not daggered by Klaus.
• Kol was the first Original to be killed by a member of the Five (Jeremy).
• Alaric is the only Original that can't be killed with the White Oak Stake. It is possible that because the white oak tree is not his weakness, the daggers would not be able to neutralize him either, making him and Klaus the only Originals who cannot be neutralized by the daggers.
• Klaus is the first and only Original and Undead Being to father a child.

See also