Original Vampire

The Original Vampires, or simply the Originals, are a group of extremely powerful vampires that are the first generation of vampires and progenitors of their respective bloodlines. They are the oldest, fastest, strongest, and most powerful vampires in the world. The term was initially introduced when Rose-Marie revealed their existence to Elena, Stefan and Damon, which primarily referred to the Mikaelson Family. The term's use, however, has expanded as the spell that created the Originals has been modified twice over and two additional types of "Original" vampires have been created; the Enhanced and Upgraded Original vampires.
A number of characteristics differentiate an Original from the vampire bloodline that they begat, but the fundamental difference is that Originals became vampires through a spell. Unlike non-Original vampires, Original vampires are indestructible and cannot be killed by anything on earth aside from the White Oak Stake, a large enough source of magic, the conditions suitable to reverse the original spell, or by the advanced venom of the Upgraded Original vampire. They also can only be temporarily neutralized by a White Oak Ash Dagger, one of the Cursed Stakes, or through various spells or rituals.
The creation of the Originals dates back to the turn of the 11th century, after Mikael — the patriarch of the Mikaelson Family — sought to transform his children into immortal beings superior to werewolves. Mikael wanted his children to become stronger, faster, more agile, and have fangs of their own. His motivation to undergo this transformation was a result of the death of his youngest son Henrik, who was killed by a member of their neighboring village's werewolf pack during a full moon. Ayana, Esther's mentor and best friend, refused to do the spell to create such beings and warned that doing so would unleash a plague upon the world. Ignoring Ayana's warnings, Mikael convinced his wife Esther to do the spell instead.
Category:Species