Elena Gilbert

Elena Gilbert (b. August 1974) was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert and the older sister of Margaret Gilbert. Since her parents death when she was fourteen, she was raised by her aunt Judith. Elena was supposed to have died in the car crash to become a Guardian but it failed.
In 1991, Elena sacrificed herself to defeat Katarina and with help from the spirits of Fell's Church sent Klaus to Judgement. The Celestial Court sent her back as a Guardian once Klaus was dealt with. Elena, Stefan and Damon worked together to defeat Shinichi, Misao, and Inari. A deal with the Celestial Court led to these supernatural events being effectively erased, aside from in the group's memories.
Elena had a romantic relationship Stefan Salvatore until he erased her memories of him, after the reset, and replaced himself with his brother Damon. She currently attends Dalcrest College.
== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
Elena was born in August 1974 as the oldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert. She was raised in the Gilbert house in Fell's Church, Virginia with her younger sister Margaret and her parents' until their deaths in 1988.Margaret had only been one at the time of the crash. (The Awakening - Chapter 4) Her aunt Judith and her aunt's fiancée Robert became her and little Margaret's legal guardians after the incident.
Elena, Bonnie, Meredith, and Caroline have been friends since kindergarten and would later talk about how they had planned their lives out since meeting there.The Return: Nightfall
In the fifth grade Elena and Caroline had tried to sneak cigarettes and nearly choked themselves.This is my same old bedroom, with the scorch mark on the floorboards where Caroline and I tried to sneak cigarettes in 5th grade and nearly choked ourselves. (The Awakening - Chapter 1)
== Physical Description ==
Elena was described as being average height, with pale blonde hair and eyes the color of lapis lazuli with gold flecks in them. Her skin was fair, alabaster in color with a rosy hue. She is slender but has curves with long legs.Matt & Elena: First Date
When she became a vampire her hair turned lighter.Her hair was true gold again, not the perilous white-gold it had become when Stefan had unintentionally turned her into a vampire. (The Return: Nightfall - Chapter 4)
== Personality and Traits ==
Elena is cool, confident, sociable, approachable and popular. She doesn't conform to what other people think she should be like.The Fury Elena is manipulative, being able to twist people to her bidding with ease, especially boys for her own amusement.Matt: You twist people around your little finger, and I don't think you even know you're doing it. (The Awakening - Chapter 6)Most boys, Elena reflected, were like puppies. Adorable in their place, but expendable. (The Awakening - Chapter 2) Her manipulative traits are a genetic trait of the Guardians.Ryannen: Our genes have honed us to be the best at managing powerful, irrational demons, who don't respond to traditional strength but require on-the-spot recalculation. (The Return: Midnight - Chapter 41) She is highly selfishMatt: You only want everybody and everything revolving around Elena Gilbert. You only want everything you don't have. (The Awakening - Chapter 6) and vain.In that instant, Elena was aware that she was beautiful. It wasn't just the dress, or the way her hair was done. She was beautiful in herself: slender, imperial, a thing made of silk and inner fire. (The Awakening -Chapter 6) Since meeting Stefan she wanted to become worthy of his love.I want-oh, this is going to sound completely stupid, but I want to be worthy of Stefan. (The Awakening - Chapter 10) After her first death Elena became a more selfless person, sacrificing herself not only for Stefan and Damon but to also protect Fell's Church from Katherine.The Fury Elena felt that Fell's Church was hers to protect.The Return: Nightfall
Elena is a very determined person and when she wants someone or something she will stop at nothing in order have it.Matt & Elena: First Date She is a planner, making sure to always have plans A, B, and C ready.Elena: Her brain, usually so full of schemes and calculations, was empty. (The Struggle - Chapter 14)The Return: NightfallThe Return: Shadow SoulsElena is a very stubborn person, the only person to rival her is Stefan. The Struggle
== Relationships ==
=== Family ===
=== Stefan Salvatore ===
Stefan Salvatore is Elena's soulmate and love interest of the series. The two have had a very complex, tumultuous and chaotic relationship throughout the course of the series. Most of this is due to the many and various personal issues in which both Stefan and Elena have faced in their lives and also, many outside obstacles that try to keep them from being together. Upon meeting, Elena (and Stefan) is magnetically, strongly and undeniably drawn to him and Elena falls in love with Stefan at first sight. At first, Stefan repeatedly avoids Elena because of her strong resemblance to his ex vampire-girlfriend Katherine, which brings up painful memories. Although Stefan repeatedly tries to avoid Elena at all costs and becomes very distant towards her. This deeply hurts Elena and makes her all and finds him on the roof with blood smeared on his lips after feeding on a bird. Frightened and shocked, she falls off the roof but Stefan catches her and she remains unharmed. Throughout the series, the two go through much chaos, pain and torture together, but their strong, powerful love for each other is what keeps them together.
=== Damon Salvatore ===
Elena and Damon first meet when he shows up at Elena's school gym. Elena almost succumbs to Damon's compulsion and nearly kisses Damon, but at the last minute pulls away and stays loyal to Stefan. However, the two have a deep connection and she finds herself drawn to Damon, possibly because he is dangerous and unpredictable. Damon desires Elena's heart more than anyone else's and he has made it his mission to make Elena his. Because of this, Damon has become obliged with winning over Elena from his little brother, Stefan. Damon wants Elena to join alongside him in the shadows as a vampire and be his Princess Of Darkness. In, "The Struggle," he explains to Elena that by the end of winter, she will have joined him and she will be his. Soon after Damon leaves, Elena feels snowflakes, as it is the beginning of winter. When Stefan is trapped in the Dark Dimension in "Dark Reunion," Elena gives to Damon the love she would to Stefan. He tries to kiss her but she resists. In the book "The Return Shadow Souls", Elena and Damon set off to find Stefan in the Dark Dimension, while sharing romantic moments together, and eventually kissing. Although, Elena has a strong connection with Damon, she will always love Stefan much more due to the Soulmate Principle shared between her and Stefan. 
=== Bonnie McCullough ===
Bonnie is a bubbly, charming, witty and kindhearted redhead who is a powerful psychic with supposed witch ancestry. Bonnie and Elena share a very close, deep and solid friendship. Bonnie is Elena's best friend and they have been best friends since the first grade. Elena's other very close friend is Meredith. Bonnie has helped Elena through a lot and she has been highly supportive of Elena throughout all of her issues, struggles and tragedies. Bonnie is the one Elena often turns to for emotional support and comfort. Aside from Damon being attracted to Elena, Damon also develops some feelings for Bonnie and he is protective of her. Damon thinks of Elena and Bonnie as "his girls", and though he cares deeply for Bonnie, he gives Elena more attention due to his strong attraction to her. Bonnie is a psychic, and has dreams of Elena in the other world at the beginning of the book, Dark Reunion, after Elena dies in The Fury. The two are extremely close, and are very best friends. Bonnie helps Elena find Stefan in "The Struggle," and they find him trapped in the bottom of a well, close to death. 
=== Meredith Sulez ===
Meredith and Elena are very close friends, as Elena is with Bonnie. Meredith is the other best friend of Elena. Meredith has been through everything with Elena. The two share a close friendship. Elena and Meredith have been through a lot ever since Stefan became Elena's boyfriend but eventually befriends and trusts Stefan. Meredith is wary of Damon at first but gains trust and he believes her to be a very skilled person. Meredith believes that Damon is taking advantage of Elena, emotionally, and warns both Elena and Bonnie that he's dangerous. 
=== Matt Honeycutt ===
She had been dating Matt before she had met Stefan and didn't want to hurt him as she decided to break up with him. He was hurt at breaking up with her, as she wanted to ask Stefan out instead. They did, however, remain a friendship despite the circumstances and he helped her with Stefan a few times. 
=== Caroline Forbes ===
She and Caroline were close friends when they were younger, but had drifted a bit when they became teenagers and competed with each other. Their relationship took a tumble when they both spotted the new boy, Stefan, arriving at the school, and the two competed to win him over. While Elena tried to bury their feud, Caroline didn't want to and remained cold towards her. 
== Etymology ==
* Elena is an Italian name meaning Shining light or bright one.
* Gilbert is Germanic in origin meaning bright pledge.
== Behind the scenes ==
In the television adaptation, Elena is a brunette and has brown eyes. Her parents died over the summer instead of years prior. She's not a Guardian as well. She has a younger teen brother/cousin named Jeremy instead of a sister.
==Appearances==
*Matt & Elena: First Date
*Matt & Elena: Tenth Date: On Wickery Pond
*The Awakening 
*After Hours 
*The Struggle
*The Fury
*Dark Reunion
*Blood Will Tell 
*The Return: Nightfall
*Elena's Christmas
*The Return: Shadow Souls
*The Return: Midnight
*Evensong: Paradise Lost
*Evensong: The War of Roses
==Notes and references==
Category:Gilbert family
Category:Females
Category:Humans
Category:1990s births
Category:Vampires
Category:Fell's Church residents
Category:Dalcrest College students
Category:Robert E. Lee High School students