Rebekah Mikaelson[edit]

Rebekah is the only daughter of the Original Family. She is currently the youngest member of the original
family since Henrik died over a thousand years ago. She is portrayed by Australian actress Claire Holt.
She and her living siblings, Elijah, Finn, Klaus and Kol were turned into vampires by their parents, Esther
and Mikael Mikaelson. Their father slipped human blood into their wine then stabbed them all. Then, their
mother who is an original witch, performed a spell using white oak ash for eternal life. When they woke,
their father forced them to drink human blood. The intention of turning them into vampires was so that
they could survive in their village and be stronger and faster and even more vigilant than the werewolves,
who killed their youngest son. However, the great hunger and lust for blood was a bad effect that their
parents didn't plan on. Vervain, a plant by the white oak tree burned as did sunlight which caused them to
be forced to wear daylight rings or necklaces. The only thing that can really kill an original is a white oak
stake, while a dagger dipped in white oak ash can kill them until the dagger is pulled out and they come
back.
Rebekah shares a deep bond with her brother Klaus, and was the only family member that remained loyal
to him throughout his vicious behaviour. Klaus thus kept her by his side, while he kept the rest of his
family daggered and stored away in boxes for hundreds of years.
She had a romantic interest in Stefan Salvatore during their encounters in the early 1920s.
[11]
During that
time period, Klaus and Rebekah are once again forced to go on the run after the arrival of their vengeful
father Mikael. Consequently, Rebekah professes an interest to stop running and desires to live a stable
life with Stefan by her side. Klaus subsequently forces her to choose between himself and Stefan. She
chooses the latter, leading Klaus to dagger her. He brings her back to life during the period in which the
show takes place, in order to obtain her necklace (which is originally Esther's). The same necklace is
gifted to Elena by Stefan during the series first season. Rebekah and Klaus thus head to Mystic Falls.
Rebekah develops a deep hatred and envy of Elena, and continually tries to hurt, kill, and emotionally
distress her, until her brother makes her stop. Later on, Rebekah tries to be Elena's friend and helps with
her and her friends' plan to kill Klaus once she found out he killed her mother but is betrayed once again
daggered by Elena, to simplify the Salvatores' plans of killing Klaus. In season three, Klaus makes Elena
reveal Rebekah's location, and takes her body with him. She is eventually un-daggered by Elijah.
During her time in Mystic Falls, Rebekah enrols at the local high school, much to the disgust of Elena and
her friends. There, she at first makes romantic advances towards Tyler Lockwood, Caroline Forbes'
boyfriend. She later develops a fondness for Matt Donovan, and invites him to her family's ball.
Rebekah is shown to be lonely and insecure, though she hides this by being cruel and violent. This is
demonstrated quite well through her sexual rendezvouses with Damon Salvatore, an enemy of her family,
and the subsequent torture she makes him endure upon being betrayed and used by him.
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Her mother Esther comes back and tells Rebekah and her siblings she wants them to unite and become
a family again. However, she really came to kill them all by linking them with a spell that would cause
each sibling to die only by killing one of them. Klaus forces Bonnie to undo the spell but Elena and the
Salvatores and others kill Finn, Rebekah's brother.
Rebekah's body is temporarily taken over by her witch mother, Esther, through a spell which Esther
performs. She invades Rebekah's body in order to be able to go unnoticed while scheming to kill all of her
Original children, (who are out for her blood, ever since they discovered that she tried to kill them by a
blood-linking spell at the family ball). Esther later leaves Rebekah's body and stakes her; however, Klaus
restores Rebekah to full vitality by removing the stake.
Rebekah supposedly leaves Mystic Falls in the season three episode "Before Sunset", in order to avoid
the vampiric version of Alaric Saltzman, who wants to kill her and all other vampires.
[9]
However, she then
returns to Mystic Falls after witnessing the supposed "death" of her brother. Grief-stricken, she decides to
kill Elena, therefore killing Alaric and taking away the last threat to her and her family therefore saving her
family. She causes both Elena and Matt Donovan to drive off of the Wickery Bridge and into the lake to
drown, and Elena dies, along with Alaric. However, Elena had vampire blood in her system, something
Rebekah was unaware of.
In season four, Rebekah is yet again daggered by Klaus, after he believes she will be an obstacle in
finding The Cure. However, she is then un-daggered by April Young, and sets upon finding it herself.
After developing a 'no strings attached' relationship with Stefan, she reveals she wants to be human,
feeling miserable as a vampire.
Henrik Mikaelson[edit]
Henrik was the child of Esther and Mikael. He was killed by werewolves a thousand years ago, before the
family had been turned into vampires.
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He is portrayed by Devon Allowitz in season three.
His death created a war between the werewolf clan and his own family, causing his mother to turn the
family into vampires, so they could defend themselves against thelycanthropic beasts.
Aaron Mikaelson[edit]
Aaron was the first born son of Esther and Mikael, and the oldest sibling. Aaron was killed in a plague that
struck their homeland. Aaron's death was the reason the Mikaelsons moved to the new world.
Mythology[edit]
Being the oldest and most powerful, Originals are stronger and faster than all normal vampires. Also,
werewolves prove little to no challenge for them, even in their wolf form (where they are at their
strongest). Originals have the power to "compel" or hypnotize ordinary vampires in addition to humans,
though they cannot compel each other.
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Nothing can kill an Original Vampire, except for a heart-aimed stake made only of the ancient White
Oak tree. If an Original is stabbed in that way, he or she will die and burn to ashes. Using a silver dagger
dipped in the ashes of the White Oak tree will cause the Original to be neutralized as long as the dagger
remains within them; however, that type of dagger would not work on Klaus due to his hybrid nature, and
only a pure White Oak stake could kill him. Other stakes temporarily disable Originals, but they
recuperate in moments. This was demonstrated when Elijah pulled out the wooden stake that Damon had
plunged into his chest when attempting to rescue Elena from Rose and Trevor.
[citation needed]

When an Original dies, all of the vampires from his or her blood line die as well.
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This is demonstrated
when Damon, Stefan, Elena and Matt kill Finn, resulting in the deaths of Sage and Troy, (Finn
had sired Sage and Sage had sired Troy, thus creating a blood line).
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Thus, if all Originals were to be
killed, the entire vampire species would be rendered extinct, since all the vampires in the world are
descended from the Originals.
However, it is necessary for the Original's spirit to cross the veil, in order for his or her bloodline to follow
suit. In the season three finale episode "The Departed", Klaus manages to switch bodies with Tyler
Lockwood before being staked and lives on; thus, even though his body supposedly burnt to ashes, none
of his bloodline is affected.
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