| “ | A White Oak Tree, 300 years after we fled back to the Old World. There must have been a sapling, a new tree to replace the old. That tree could kill us. It's not over Nik. | ” |
The White Oak Stake is a very powerful object and the only weapon on Earth with the capability to permanently kill an Original, other than possibly a witch powerful enough to channel an extreme amount of power through magic, though it was never proven. It comes from an ancient White Oak Tree during the time of the genesis of the vampire race. What happens to vampires when struck with normal pieces of wood is what white oak stakes do to originals. It severely weakens them if they are stabbed with it, for example, Damon stabbed Klaus with the stake and was able to overpower him and pull the stake out of Klaus' grip. If it is driven through the heart of an Original Vampire, the stake as well as the original would burst into violent flames and all that will be left are either ashes or charred remains of their body. However, if the flames were to be expunged before they could consume the body of the Original, then the Original in question can be spared if the spirit is returned.
History
The ancient White Oak Tree being burned by the Originals
Because the wood of the White Oak Tree was extremely harmful to the Originals, they burnt the tree. Before they did so, however, Mikael carved a stake out of this wood so that he could someday kill a member or members of his family, but decided to kill Klaus with it. He had hidden it, to avoid being staked himself. He then showed it to Damon. Mikael carved it with the intention that if it would be needed in the future for some reason, he would have it. After his wife's death, his intent changed to use it, and kill Klaus.
Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series
Season Three
In Homecoming, Mikael told Damon of a weapon that can kill Klaus and showed him the White Oak Stake. Mikael passed the weapon onto Damon, as he wasn't invited in the Lockwood Mansion. Damon attempted killing Klaus while Mikael distracted him. However, due to Stefan's intervention, Klaus used the weapon on Mikael. The stake burnt down along with Mikael.
All hope was lost as they though that there was no way to kill Klaus, but in Break On Through, Damon found out through Sage and Rebekah that a sapling of the original White Oak Tree was planted back in the same place and was cut down and used to make the Wickery Bridge. Rebekah burnt down the wood with Sage - Sage didn't want Finn to die as she learnt all the originals would die if one of them were to die. It turned out that some of the wood from the bridge was also made into a Wickery Bridge sign; Damon told Stefan that they have weapons that can be used to kill Klaus.
White Oak Stake
In The Murder of One, Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Elena, and Matt all took wooden stakes carved by Alaric, Stefan and Damon, and tried to use them to kill Klaus. Klaus eventually got almost all of them, save for three, and burnt them. Stefan tried to use one, but fails. Klaus then burns the other. The final stake was then hidden by Alaric.
Carving Of White Oak Stake into weapon
In Heart of Darkness, the stake's location was only known to Alaric's dark side, which frustrated the Salvatores and the Originals. It was only under a death-thread that, Alaric, taken over by his darker persona, gave the stake to Esther.
Alaric with the white oak stake
In Do Not Go Gentle, Esther magically bonded the Gilbert Ring with the last white oak stake, to make it the ultimate weapon. The stake won't burn when it kills an Original. She wanted Alaric to use it to kill the rest of her children and wipe all vampires off of the face of the planet. She turned Alaric into a new enhanced original vampire but before he completed the transition, he impaled Esther with it when she tried to kill Jeremy and Matt, killing the witch. Once he completed the transition to a vampire, he was fully taken over by his dark-side. He held the white oak stake and began his crusade against vampires.
In Before Sunset, Alaric attacked Rebekah at the high school where with the combined efforts of her and Caroline they succeeded in stabbing Alaric with the stake but unlike the Originals, Alaric didn't share their weakness and survived the stabbing. He used the stake when he was attacked by Klaus and nearly killed him with it before Elena interfered.
In The Departed, Alaric showed the stake to Jeremy, trying to convince him that he could use the stake to kill the Originals and cause the extinction of vampires. When plotting against Alaric, Elijah said that the stake is a real threat and that if Alaric could be disarmed, they stand a chance against him. Alaric used the stake when he was hunting down Klaus' desiccated body and stabbed him, setting him ablaze and seemingly killing him. Alaric closed the coffin before the fire fully destroyed Klaus, unknowingly putting the fire out. Alaric wielded the weapon in his fight with Damon before his death, giving Damon possession of the stake once Alaric was gone.
Season Four
In Growing Pains, Damon tried to kill Rebekah with the white oak stake because she killed Elena. However Rebekah easily overpowers Damon, but gets shot by the council. Damon then fled with the stake.
In The Rager, Elena attempted to use the white oak stake on Rebekah but was convinced not to by Stefan, knowing that the stake would kill countless vampires along with Rebekah.
Kol takes the white oak stake
In After School Special, Caroline carried the stake while looking for Rebekah after she had been undaggered by April. However, Rebekah disarmed Caroline and took the stake for herself, taking Stefan and Elena hostage as well. However, shortly after, Kol stealthily took the stake from Rebekah, showing her that her defenses were down and she was not ready for the threat the possibly immortal witch, Silas, would pose. He then left with the stake in his grasp.
Kol threatens Rebekah with the stake
In Catch Me If You Can, during an argument where Rebekah drew one of the white oak ash daggers on Kol, he countered by pulling out the white oak stake and threatened to kill her if she got in his way of stopping Silas. Klaus interfered in the spat and Kol fled with the stake.
Elena gives the stake to Rebekah
In A View To A Kill, Kol still had possession of the white oak stake, keeping it close in a pocket on the inside of his jacket. He tried to cut off Jeremy's arms and kill Elena, but during the fight Kol was taken by surprise and Elena managed to grab the stake from his jacket. She tossed it to Jeremy who then stabbed Kol, setting him ablaze, and killing the original. Jeremy then took the stake from Kol's charred body and took ownership of the indestructible weapon.
In Into the Wild, Elena tries to kill Rebekah with the white oak stake before Rebekah pushes her back. Later, Elena gives it back to Rebekah as a peace offering.
In Because the Night, Silas reveals to Klaus that he has the stake, having gleaned its location from Rebekah's mind. After Klaus refuses Silas' attempt at a deal, Silas jabs it into Klaus' back, though not his heart, and breaks off the tip, leaving Klaus screaming in agony.
In American Gothic, Klaus deduces that Silas never broke off the tip of the stake in him, but that Silas made Klaus think he did through an illusion. He never had the stake.
In Pictures of You Rebekah gave the stake to Elijah, who gave it to Klaus.
Throughout The Originals Series
Season One
In Le Grand Guignol, Klaus revealed that he had been keeping the stake inside of a statue inside of the compound, retrieving it so he could kill Rebekah after he had found out about her betrayal in the early 20th century. He wielded it as he tracked her down to the cemetery.
In Farewell to Storyville, Klaus attempted to use it on Rebekah but was repeatedly halted by Elijah who wielded Papa Tunde's blade, a weapon not fatal but very painful for an Original. During the skirmish, Elijah managed to retrieve the white oak stake from Klaus temporarily, having both of the weapons for himself. However, the feud ended when Klaus let Rebekah live.
In From a Cradle to a Grave, Mikael was resurrected and retrieved the white oak stake, ready to use it on Klaus. Before he got a chance to use it, however, he was stopped by Davina due to her magic tether she had put on him.
Season Two
In Alive & Kicking, Mikael still had possession of the stake and when he was summoned by Davina to defend her from werewolves, he kept the stake tucked in his pants as he slaughtered them. When confronted by his son, Elijah, he drew the stake and attacked him, managing to pierce him with the tip of it before being forced to leave by Davina.
In Live and Let Die, Mikael and Davina hid in her family's cabin from Klaus, who now knew of Mikael's resurrection. Kol, whose spirit and been brought back from The Other Side and put into the body of a witch by his mother, had been sent to find the stake. Wooing Davina with his new persona, Kol managed to get into the cabin and found the stake in one of the drawers but before he could take it, he was confronted by Mikael, who did not recognize his own son. When Klaus arrived, Kol used magic to let Mikael off the leash Davina had put him on. Mikael attacked Klaus with the stake in a vicious attempt to finally kill him and nearly managed to do so before being stabbed with Papa Tunde's blade. Klaus took possession of the stake from his incapacitated father.
In Red Door, shortly after defeating Mikael, Klaus turned over the stake to Cami to ensure that he'd not kill Mikael permanently with it. However, Mikael had recovered from the fight and abducted Cami, taking possession of the stake again. Klaus tracked him down and fought him but Mikael managed to stab him with the stake. It neutralized Klaus as a normal stake would but didn't set him fatally ablaze like it was supposed to. Davina and Kol were magically blocking the stake's power so it wouldn't kill Klaus. Mikael found them and interrupted their spell, hoping that it would make the stake work again. Cami, though, had already removed the stake from Klaus's body, saving him. In the confusion, Davina managed to steal the stake for herself.
In Chasing the Devil's Tail, Esther again ordered Kol to get her that stake as soon as possible. As he grew closer to Davina, he eyed the stake, contemplating taking it from her. However, he was abducted by Marcel who also took the stake, giving it back to Klaus.
In The Map of Moments, Kol requested that Klaus loan him the stake so he could earn Esther's trust. Klaus did so on the promise that Kol would return it. Kol gave it to Esther who then planned on using it on Rebekah's body once she transferred her spirit to Cami's body, thereby killing her whole bloodline. However, it was an elaborate trick and when it was through, Kol returned the stake to Klaus as promised.
Victims
Mikael
Mikael burning
Mikael was staked by Niklaus, with the help of Stefan. The stake was used on Mikael instead of the intended target, Klaus. The stake burnt up along with Mikael's body. (Episode: Homecoming)
- There have not been any mention of vampires turned by and descended from Mikael.
- It is possible he never turned anyone; despite the fact that it was Mikael's idea to turn himself and his family into vampires, he seemed to regret being a vampire, and his self-loathing grew over time. It is assumed that this hatred of being a vampire and feeding on the innocent caused him to decide to be a vampire hunter, as well as caused him to change his diet to vampire blood instead of human or animal blood.
Finn
Finn was staked by Matt with the help of both Stefan and Elena. Initially, Stefan tricked Sage into thinking he wanted to kill Finn, but Elena and Matt appeared, who manage to distract and destroy Finn. Finn died on the steps outside the Grill, engulfed by the flames while Sage
watched
Finn burning
- Every vampire turned by Finn Mikaelson's bloodline died shortly after Finn
- The only known vampires who died with Finn are Sage and Troy. There has been suggested that more Vampires would have died, following the 'sire' trail, but with Finn (unlike the other 4 Mikaelson siblings) he rarely wished to turn people into Vampires as he hated his existence as one. He tells Sage that turning her was putting his passion over his morals and principles, which says it all. Also, though he was alive for close to 1000 years, for 900 years Klaus had stored him in a box with a dagger in his chest, so he did not get much chance to spread his sire line. However, it is also possible that more vampires from his bloodline was spawned through Sage.
Kol
Kol was stabbed by Jeremy Gilbert with help from Elena. Elena wanted Jeremy to kill Kol, so that he and his bloodline of vampires would die, which would not only complete Jeremy's Hunter's Mark, but it would also break Kol's compulsion over Damon to kill Jeremy. After a chase in their house, during which Kol attempted to
Kol burning
chop off Jeremy's arms to keep them from not only finding the cure but to protect himself from the Hunter's Curse, Elena subdued Kol with water from the faucet that had been laced with vervain, and managed to steal the white oak stake from his jacket allowing Jeremy to stake him. Kol burst into flames as his brother Klaus watched helplessly from the door. (Episode: A View To A Kill)
- All vampires from Kol's bloodline eventually died out due to Kol's death which allowed Jeremy's hunter's mark to complete a short while after he killed Kol. It is unknown how many vampires died, but from stories told about Kol, it is believed that he turned hundreds of vampires in the 1,000 years he had been a vampire.
Niklaus Mikaelson
Alaric used the indestructible White Oak Stake on Klaus' desiccated body (Episode:The Departed). Alaric shut the coffin which extinguished the flames before the body burnt to ashes. As his spirit was not in his body, and the body was repairable, Bonnie placed Klaus back in his body and after some blood recovered as if nothing happened. Silas stole the last remaining white oak
Klaus burning
stake from Rebekah, and jabbed the tip of the stake into Klaus' back to refrain from killing him, Silas told him that he didn't want to kill him yet, as he wants Klaus to get him the cure. He made Klaus think that he broke the end of the stake off, leaving just the tip embedded in the back of his ribcage. Klaus later discovered that that the tip was not in his back and that Silas had just used illusions to make him believe that. (Episode: Because the Night)
Owners in chronological order
- Mikael - Saved the last White Oak Stake from the original White Oak Tree. It remained in his possession for over 1,000 years until, it was used to kill him in Homecoming.
- Stefan and Damon - Carved 12 white oak stakes from the lumber of the second White Oak Tree in The Murder of One. They were distributed among the Mystic Falls gang.
- Matt Donovan - Used one of the stakes to kill Finn during the events of The Murder of One.
- Alaric Saltzman - Kept the last remaining White Oak Stake after Klaus and Rebekah burned the other 10. It was made indestructible by Esther and remained in his possession until his death in The Departed.
- Damon Salvatore - Took the indestructible stake from Alaric after his death. It remained in his possession until After School Special when it was taken by Stefan and Caroline and then stolen by Rebekah.
- Elena Gilbert - Was temporarily loaned the indestructible stake by Damon in The Rager, but decided not to use it. She later returned it to Stefan and Damon.
- Caroline Forbes - Was temporarily loaned the indestructible stake by Stefan, but was stolen from her by Rebekah in After School Special.
- Rebekah Mikaelson - Stole the indestructible stake from Caroline in After School Special. It remained in her possession until the end of After School Special when it was taken by her brother Kol.
- Kol Mikaelson - Took the stake from Rebekah in After School Special, it remained in his possession until Elena took it away from him and Jeremy used it kill him in A View To A Kill.
- Jeremy and Elena Gilbert - After killing Kol with it, they took possession of the stake.
- Elena Gilbert - She had the stake for most parts of Into the Wild. She gave it to Rebekah as a peace offering.
- Rebekah Mikaelson - Rebekah acquired the stake. Silas fooled Klaus into thinking that he has the stake, but it was in Rebekah's possession.
- Elijah Mikaelson - Rebekah gave the stake to Elijah because if she ever becomes human, she won't need it.
- Niklaus Mikaelson - Elijah gave the stake to Klaus so Klaus would feel safe from Silas.
- Elijah Mikaelson - Elijah took the stake from Klaus in a struggle, when he wanted to use it on Rebekah. He threw it away when refused to kill Klaus.
- Rebekah Mikaelson - Rebekah found the stake after Elijah threw it away.
- Niklaus Mikaelson - Klaus took the stake from Rebekah and stabbed her with it, but didn't kill her.
- Mikael/Davina - After being brought back to life Mikael found the stake and planned to use it on Klaus. It is currently in his possession, and as he is currently trapped by Davina, she extends some kind of ownership over it as well, intending for Mikael to use it against Klaus when she sets him free.
- Niklaus Mikaelson- after stabbing Mikael with Papa Tunde's Blade, Klaus took the stake back into his possession.
- Mikael- after removing Papa Tunde's blade, Mikael took off with both the stake and Cammile. Later able to subdue Klaus with the disempowered stake.
- Davina Claire- after Camille removed the stake from Klaus' chest, Davina took possession of the stake.
- Niklaus Mikaelson - Marcel stole the stake from Davina in Chasing the Devil's Tail and returned the stake to Klaus.
- Esther Mikaelson - Kol took the stake to Esther after it being lent to him by Klaus for the purpose of tricking Esther into trying to jump Rebekah into Camille with the promise that he would return the stake to Klaus afterwards.
- Niklaus Mikaelson - After Esther's ritual failed, Kol returned the stake to Klaus as promised.
Known stakes
- Original stake aka Mikael's stake: Mikael made this stake before burning the white oak tree, presumably to keep the other Originals in line should the Immortality Spell leave beyond Mikael's control. He had it for at least a 1000 years, and even carved intricate designs around it, unaware that the Stake could only kill one Original before burning off into oblivion. When he teamed up with the Salvatores, he gave the stake to Damon so that he could use it on Klaus. Damon was close to killing Klaus but Stefan saved Klaus and Klaus used the stake on Mikael. It killed him and was destroyed when it burned in Mikael's body. The hilt of Mikael's stake was carved into the same shape as the White Oak Ash Daggers.
- Twelve stakes: These were made by Stefan, Damon and Alaric by using the old Wickery bridge sign, which was made of the white oak tree sapling.
- One was used to kill Finn.
- Stefan found out that Klaus didn't die as all originals were unlinked. When he realized that killing an original causes all vampires in the bloodline to die he gave Klaus eight of the stakes so he would free Damon.
- Klaus compelled Damon to tell him how many of the stakes existed; he replied "11". Stefan gave Klaus one stake he had. Later he gave him the last stake in his possession. Klaus most probably destroyed them.
- The Indestructible stake: It was one of the 12 stakes made from the white oak sign. Alaric's alter ego took the stake and hid it in the cave. Esther later made the stake indestructible using Alaric's ring. It is currently the last remaining White Oak Stake. Jeremy Gilbert used the stake when he killed Kol Mikaelson. The stake was used by Mikael successfully to kill Klaus but the was stake was depowered before it could be fatal to his step-son.
Trivia
- Mikael was the first person to be seen holding a White Oak Stake.
- Mikael was the first Original to be killed in the series.
- When the stake is used to kill an Original, it ignites, destroying both the vampire and the stake. This necessitated that Esther magically make the last stake indestructible so that Alaric Saltzman could use it on all of the remaining originals, instead of just one.
- It has not been established why the Originals burn with the white oak stake. However, it is likely because the white oak tree was burnt by the originals and they suffer from the same fate when impaled with one.
- Another possible explanation is that since they were made by magic and not vampire blood, the spell keeping them alive is destroyed which is extrapolated in a fire - when they die all vampires in their bloodline die, but killing a normal vampire doesn't kill all his vampire descendants.
- In Mikael and Kol's cases, having possession of a white oak stake is what lead to their demises.
- Damon Salvatore is the only person who attempted to use the White Oak Stake and failed, a few times in fact as he tried to kill Rebekah too.
- Kol was the only Original to die from the fire. Mikael and Finn both died before the fire burned their bodies.
- Only one stake remains, the one made indestructible by Esther. It is currently in the possession of Mikael and Davina.
- Each Originals death has not been identical. They die differently from the other. Similar to the Lost Boys movie where a vampire dies differently from the others.
- As the stake was forged using dark magic, a witch powerful enough can disempower the stake for a limited time.
- Davina and Kol are the only ones known to ever disempower the stake. Davina planned to destroy the stake, Kol however, explained that the stake was to powerful to destroy.
- As the stake is extremely powerful, it took both Davina and Kol to disempower it and even then it was only briefly.
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