Ancestral Magic

Ancestral Magic is an extremely powerful form of witchcraft that draws on the power of consecrated witches and was commonly practiced among the witches of New Orleans. In many ways, it's similar to spirit magic; however, ancestral magic is limited to the area where the witch's ancestors were buried. Without access to the remains, or to the earth in which they're consecrated, witches who practice ancestral magic are left without such power and will have to seek other forms of magic. Therefore, many ancestral witches are committed to their families and their coven, and the bloodlines of the witch families in the community typically went back centuries.
In New Orleans, witches drew upon the the Ancestors, the totality of all witches who had been consecrated into New Orleans soil and remained attached to the land as spirits. Since the release of the Ancestors from the Ancestral Well, New Orleans witches can no longer practice ancestral magic.
==History==
Genevieve explained that the Ancestral Plane (the home of all Ancestors), was created to separate the dead witches of New Orleans from the Other Side; a world-wide spiritual purgatory created by an extremely powerful witch called Qetsiyah to trap all supernatural beings at death. This is most likely the origin of Ancestral Magic, and it appears to remain a traditional source of magic for the coven of witches who reside in New Orleans, though it can be assumed that Ancestral Magic is practiced elsewhere in the world. 
Ancestral Magic works by the magic of a living witch connecting with the magic of the witches' dead ancestors and allowing it to flow through them via the witches' natural connection to the earth. To keep their ancestral magic flowing, any coven who practices this form of magic must perform a ritual every three hundred years or so that is known as the Harvest.
During the Harvest ritual, four witches are sacrificed, and their deaths result in all of their magical energy being released back into the earth to appease their ancestors. In return, the ancestors resurrect the four sacrificed witches at the Reaping, through another ritual performed by an Elder of the coven.
The resurrection of the four sacrificed witches is the final step in strengthening the coven's connection to their ancestors' magic, giving all of the living witches in the community more power. Additionally, the four Harvest girls also become more powerful after they have been brought back to life as a reward for their sacrifice to their coven. If the Harvest ritual is not completed, the community will first receive a warning in the form of a series of natural disasters, each one more intense than the one preceding it: first earthquakes will shake the city, then incredibly strong windstorms, followed by torrential rain, and then finally, fire will begin to engulf the community. Afterward, the witches in the coven will slowly start to lose their magic until they "cease to be witches altogether" but in actuality cease to have access to Ancestral Magic.
In order to continue their tradition of Ancestral Magic, when a New Orleans witch dies, the coven must consecrate the body of their fellow witch by performing a ritual to ensure that the spirit of the deceased joins their ancestors and that their magic replenishes the earth, allowing the magic of that specific bloodline of witches to continue flowing. This process allows the living descendants/relatives to continue to draw on the deceased witch's magic, even after their death.
==Throughout The Originals Series==
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|-|Season One=
|-|Season Three=
In Give 'Em Hell Kid, Vincent sought to follow through on his ex-wife's plan of cutting off the Ancestors and their connection to the living. Vincent, with the help of Davina, used a magical object that would absorb all of the Ancestor's power. The plan succeeded and the Ancestors were cut off from the land of the living, cutting off witches' access to Ancestral Magic too.
|-|Season Four=
In High Water and a Devil's Daughter, with the rise of the Hollow, Elijah came up with a plan to keep the Hollow at bay, but in order to do this, the link to the Ancestors had to be reestablished using the Harvest Ritual. Vincent refused to do so, citing that most witches were not keen on sacrificing their daughters. Despite Vincent's claims, Elijah went behind his back to begin the ritual, choosing four young witches and killing them, forcing Vincent to complete it. When the Ancestors denied Vincent, he turned to Davina and she accepted the offerings and the four witches were resurrected. Elijah's plan worked and the link between the living and dead witches was reestablished again, thus, bringing back Ancestral Magic in New Orleans.
|-|Season Five=
In There in the Disappearing Light, Ancestral Magic is abolished from New Orleans after Vincent shows Ivy that their Ancestors exist in the Ancestral Well in horror, never knowing peace. He tells her that while they, the living descendants, draw power from them and grow stronger, the Ancestors languish as will each new spirit that's consecrated to the Well.
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==Spells and Rituals==
==Practitioners==
*The Ancestors † (Formerly)
*Jane-Anne Deveraux †
*Sophie Deveraux †
*Agnes †
*Sabine Laurent †
*Celeste Dubois †
*Davina Claire (Formerly)
*Katie †
*Monique Deveraux †
*Abigail †
*Cassie †
*Bastianna Natale †
*Esther Mikaelson † 
*Genevieve †
*Clara Summerlin †
*Papa Tunde †
*Kaleb Westphall †
*Vincent Griffith
*Finn Mikaelson † (Formerly)
*Kol Mikaelson (Formerly)
*Rebekah Mikaelson (Formerly) 
*Eva Sinclair †
*Josephine LaRue †
*Lenore † (Formerly)
*Ruben 
*Astrid Malchance †
*Mary-Alice Claire †
*Kara Nguyen †
*Van Nguyen †
*Freya Mikaelson (Temporarily)
*Maxine
*Adam Folsom
*Jessica
*Amy
*Ivy †
:Note: Ancestral witches of New Orleans no longer practice ancestral magic since they've released their ancestors to find peace.
==Trivia==
*Ancestral Magic is first mentioned by Sophie Deveraux.
*Davina was able to detect when witches use ancestral magic in the French Quarter, likely due to her possessing the full power of the Harvest before it was finally completed.
*As evidenced by the fates of both Sophie and Genevieve, practitioners of ancestral magic are completely subjected to the rule and wrath of their ancestors, despite the great power to which they have access. Disobedience, betrayal, or failure to comply with the Ancestors' orders usually results in the witch being injured or sentenced to death.
**Sophie was killed as the result of a decree from the Ancestors, due to her lack of faith in the Harvest ritual and Ancestral Magic in general, as well as her willingness to reject her witch heritage. The Ancestors condemned Sophie to death using her brainwashed niece, Monique, who cast a spell on her that caused her to bleed out on the street.
*It has been suggested by Sophie Deveraux that Ancestral witches can only practice magic within the boundaries of the city that their Ancestors are buried, but it has never been demonstrated in practice.
*In Dance Back from the Grave, Papa Tunde, during his relocation to New Orleans, stated that he practiced ancestral magic despite not being native to the territory, meaning ancestral magic is practiced outside of New Orleans. Furthermore, Marcel states to Rebekah that he made inquires, for "the most dangerous witch" while he was abroad, meaning that other places in the world practice such magics.
==Gallery==
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==References==
==See also==
Category:Witchcraft
Category:Witches
Category:Supernatural