Bennett Family

The Bennett Family (Latin: Benedictus; English: Benedict; translates as "blessed" or "one who is blessed") is one of the main families in The Vampire Diaries and a matriarchal bloodline of powerful witches. The family originated from Ancient Greece, then eventually settled in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. However, after the witch trials began, the family relocated in Mystic Falls, Virginia in 1692. They have lived in the town and maintained their secrecy of their magical talents for over one hundred years. The Bennett family is known to be dominated by women. The Bennett family has been linked to both the Salvatore and Petrova families since 1st Century B.C. The Bennett family is also descended from a Traveler bloodline, as Qetsiyah was known for being the most powerful and gifted member of the Traveler community. Abby, a vampire, and Bonnie Bennett are the last living members of the Bennett family.
==Family Members==
*Qetsiyah: Qetsiyah was born sometime during 1st century B.C.E. in Ancient Greece. She is the oldest known ancestor of the Bennett bloodline and was "one of the most powerful witches of all time".Because the NightThe Walking Dead Over 2,000 years ago, Qetsiyah fell deeply in love with a young, gifted, powerful witch named Silas. Qetsiyah and Silas belonged to a group of gifted people called the Travelers and were eventually to be wed. Silas confessed a desire to be immortal to her and insisted that he wanted to spend eternity with her. So out of her love for him, she created the first spell for immortality. However, Silas tricked her and gave the elixir to his true love, Amara. Betrayed, Qetsiyah tracked Silas down and devised her revenge; Qetsiyah created the cure for immortality, desiccated and entombed Amara, making her the Anchor to the Other Side and confronted Silas. After Silas refused her cure, she desiccated and entombed him on an island off of modern-day Nova Scotia with the cure, giving him two options. He could either take the cure and die a mortal death or he could starve and petrify in the tomb for eternity. Many centuries passed and Silas still refused to take the cure. In 2011, Qetsiyah took advantage of her descendant, Bonnie, bringing down the Veil to the Other Side and brought herself back to life so she could finally finish her mission to punish Silas for his crimes against her by killing him and finally ensuring that Silas and Amara would be separated for eternity. She finally achieved her wish some months later when Amara killed herself and crossed over to the human afterlife just before Stefan killed Silas and sent him to the Other Side. Content with having fulfilled her revenge against her ex-lover, trapping him on the Other Side, Qetsiyah killed herself. With her vengeance fulfilled, it is believed that she finally found peace.
*Qetsiyah's Child/ren: It's assumed that for the Bennett bloodline to have continued, Qetsiyah either must have had a child or children before she was killed by the Travelers.
*Ayana: Ayana was an ancestor of the Bennett bloodline who lived during the late 10th and early 11th century in the Middle Ages. She was a close friend and mentor of the Original witch, Esther Mikaelson. She acted as a healer for the people in her village in what became modern-day Mystic Falls. She is a descendant of Qetsiyah. 
*Ayana's Child or Children: For the Bennett bloodline to continue, it is assumed that Ayana had a child or children of her own.
*The Witch of The Five: The unnamed Bennett witch better known by her title, Witch of the Five, was a descendant of Qetsiyah that lived in the 11th to early 12th century. In 1110 A.D., she created the Brotherhood of the Five. Qetsiyah had called upon her as her descendant to create a group of supernaturally-enhanced hunters who would be tasked with the mission of finding, curing, and killing Silas in his tomb on the island. The Five were also tasked with killing regular vampires while they attempted to locate Silas. She died approximately 100 years after Ayana warned Esther about the consequences of her vampirism spell. In Into the Wild, Atticus Shane regales the story of Qetsiyah, Silas, and the hunters, stating that [Qetsiyah's] descendants created the hunters, implying that she had siblings or a family of her own. 
*Beatrice's Mother: Not much is known about Beatrice's mother other than she was the leader of the Bennett Coven in the mid to late 18th century. She along with the coven spelled the Maxwell Bell in an attempt to drive out the sirens. It remains to be seen if she perished along with the rest of the coven. She is a distant descendant of Qetsiyah.
*Beatrice Bennett: Beatrice was a powerful witch who lived during the late 18th to early 19th century and was a member of a coven of Bennett witches. She is a distant descendant of Qetsiyah. Given that she was alive during the late 18th century, she's either Emily's mother or grandmother, though this distinction remains to be seen.
*Emily Bennett: Emily was a fourth-great grandmother of Bonnie through Sheila Bennett, who lived up until the time of the American Civil War in the early 19th century. According to Sheila, she was "one of the most powerful witches"162 Candles of the Bennett family. Emily was also the personal handmaiden of Katherine Pierce, who once saved her life. She made the daylight rings that protected Stefan and Damon from dying in sunlight. After the Founder's Council rounded up the vampires in Mystic Falls in 1864, Damon came to her and made a deal with her. In exchange for saving Katherine, Emily made him promise that her lineage would survive. She knew that her time was short too, as Katherine had exposed her to the council, and she was rounded up and burned at the stake. Keeping his word, Damon saved her children and protected her lineage.
*Emily's Unnamed Brother: Emily mentions to Stefan that she had a brother in Blood Brothers. Emily states that he had helped her bring the Salvatore brothers' dead bodies to the quarry to rest there until they reawakened transition. Not else is known about him, though it can be assumed that he was also a witch like his sister. He is a distant descendant of Qetsiyah. 
*Emily's Unnamed Children: Emily had children of her own, though the number of or their names remain unknown. Damon had protected her children as well as their lineage over the decades in exchange for Emily protecting Katherine and the tomb vampires. It can be assumed that they were all witches and were descendants of Qetsiyah.
*Unnamed Bennett Witch: The unnamed Bennett witch was an ancient descendant of Qetsiyah and ancestor to Bonnie. Nothing is known about her or her background apart from that the Necromancer temporarily raised her from the dead to help him send the supernatural knife back to Malivore. He claimed that, in the cemetery in Mystic Falls, there are a lot of buried Bennett witches that excelled in the art of mystical transportation. Her power proved true, as she was able to effortlessly send the knife away, quickly and without incident. With her task complete, the Necromancer released her spirit.
*Marie Bennett: MarieHome was presumably a witch and a descendant of Qetsiyah. Nothing is known about her though her tombstone was seen in the Bennett graveyard in Home. It reads "In Memory of Marie Bennett. Beloved Mother and Daughter. April 15th, 1880 to ... 19th 1941". Given her date of birth, Marie could be one of Emily's child or grandchild, though this distinction remains to be seen.
*Rose Bennett: RosePictures of You was an ancestor of the Bennett family and of Bonnie Bennett. Nothing is known about her character or background. It is assumed that she was a witch. She is a distant descendant of Qetsiyah. It is unknown as to what point in time she belongs in the Bennett bloodline.
*Ernestine Bennett: Ernestine was an ancestor of the Bennett family. Nothing is known about her and it is assumed that she was a witch and a distant descendant of Qetsiyah. Her tombstone was seen in the Bennett graveyard in Home and it reads "Sacred. The Memory of Ernestine Bennett. Rest in Peace". It is unknown as to what point in time she belongs in the Bennett bloodline.
*Amelia Bennett: Amelia is Sheila's mother,Though non-canon, Amelia is revealed to be Sheila's mother in 1969. the maternal grandmother of Abby, and the great-grandmother of Bonnie. She also had two other children; one that give her a granddaughter named Pauline and another that would give her the great-great-great-granddaughter, named Lucy. Her tombstone was seen in the Bennett graveyard in Home and it reads "Amelia Bennett. She was well esteemed and loyal to all who knew her".
*Sheila Bennett: Sheila is the daughter of Amelia Bennett, the maternal grandmother of Bonnie Bennett, the mother of Abby Bennett, and a distant descendant of Qetsiyah. Sheila turned out to be a descendant of a long line of women suspected of being powerful witches, and she taught Occult Studies at Whitmore College. In Fool Me Once, she and Bonnie performed a spell to open the door to the vampire tomb, although unbeknownst to Bonnie, the spell didn't unseal the tomb as she thought. Upon learning of what Sheila had done, Bonnie convinced her to help her open it to get Stefan and Damon out, and the amount of magic required to perform the spell weakened Sheila so severely that she ultimately died in her bed that night. 
*Sheila's Unnamed Siblings: Sheila's siblings are the maternal great-aunt or uncle of Bonnie and it is assumed they are witches like Sheila and their mother. Nothing is known about them apart from the fact that they had at least one child each; Pauline, Sheila's niece, and Lucy's great-great-grandmother. They are a distant descendant of Qetsiyah.
*Pauline Bennett: Pauline is presumably a witch and the descendant of Emily Bennett. She was the daughter of one of Sheila's unnamed siblings and niece to Sheila, Abby's cousin, first cousin once removed from Bonnie, first cousin twice removed of Joanna, and first-cousin three times removed of Lucy. She is also a distant descendant of Qetsiyah.
*Joanna Bennett: Joanna is presumably a witch and is Lucy's mother. She's also the first cousin twice removed of Pauline and Sheila's great-great niece. She is a distant descendant of Qetsiyah. 
*Abby Bennett Wilson: Abby is the daughter of Sheila and the mother of Bonnie. She was born on August 16, 1972. She was married to Rudy Hopkins, Bonnie's father. She also has an adoptive son, named Jamie, who was the step-son of a man she dated for some time after moving to North Carolina. Her reasons for abandoning Bonnie were because of her then best friend Miranda Gilbert, Elena's adoptive mother. When Elena was a child, Mikael came to Mystic Falls in search of the doppelgänger as he knew his step-son Klaus was in search of her to break his curse if he ever learned of her existence. Abby lured Mikael to Pickett Mausoleum in North Carolina and cast a powerful desiccation spell on him that nearly killed her. In All My Children, Abby was turned into a vampire by Damon and, as a result, lost her connection to Nature and lost her magic as a witch. She is a very distant descendant of Qetsiyah.
*Abby or Rudy's Sibling: An unnamed aunt of Bonnie's that was involved in Sheila's funeral. Elena hopes that she wasn't driving Bonnie crazy in A Few Good Men.
*Lucy Bennett: Lucy is Bonnie's second cousin twice removed and is also a witch. Lucy explained in Masquerade that her mother was Joanna, first cousin twice removed of Pauline, niece of Sheila, making them family through Sheila's unnamed sibling. She helped Katherine Pierce as a friend to get the Moonstone in Masquerade because she owed her a favor for previously saving her life. However, when Lucy learned that Katherine had purposely hidden the fact that a fellow Bennett witch, e.g. Bonnie, was involved, she ended up switching sides by removing the linking spell that connected Katherine to Elena and hexing the moonstone so that it would incapacitate Katherine when she touched it. Not wanting to get sucked into more vampire drama, she left Mystic Falls but promised Bonnie she would be back. In I Alone, she provided a vial of her blood to help rescue Bonnie from the 1994 Prison World. As of One Way or Another, it was assumed that she was in hiding from the Armory, though Alexandria St. John revealed that her sister Virginia killed her. In I Was Feeling Epic, returned from peace along with other deceased Bennett witches and aided Bonnie in saving Mystic Falls. She is a very distant descendant Qetsiyah.
*Bonnie Bennett: Bonnie was born on February 5, 1993 in Mystic Falls, Virginia. She is the youngest and last known member of the Bennett family. She is the only daughter of Rudy Hopkins and Abby Bennett, the maternal granddaughter of Sheila Bennett, and a very distant descendant of Qetsiyah. Bonnie is a very powerful witch. She is best friends with Elena Gilbert and Caroline Forbes and is the main love interest of Jeremy Gilbert. In regards to her personality, she is moral, opinionated, spirited, feisty, determined, defends her opinion fiercely, and is unable to keep quiet about what she thinks is right. She is also extremely compassionate, kind, empathetic, caring, friendly, and protective, especially of those she loves. Bonnie is also known to be a martyr; extremely self-sacrificing and selfless and she is always willing to put the needs of her family, friends, and loved ones before herself. She once had the power of a hundred dead witches whom she asked for help to defeat Klaus, but the privilege of drawing on this power was eventually taken from her when she begged for Emily to bring Jeremy back to life and, in doing so, upset the balance of Nature. They eventually came to see this as Bonnie abusing their power and denied access to their power. She temporarily lost her magical powers after she died and was returned to the living world as the Anchor to the Other Side. Despite this, she regained her powers while living in the 1994 Prison World. Mid-2013, Bonnie returned to the living world and has settled back into her life in Mystic Falls. In I'll Wed You in the Golden Summertime, the witch-vampire hybrid, Malachai Parker cast a spell on Bonnie and Elena that linked them together and caused Elena's body to be put into a coma/suspended animation. As a result, Elena was doomed to have slept in that exact state of life for the rest of Bonnie's life, as, seemingly, only Bonnie's death would have awakened her from the magically-induced coma. However, in I Was Feeling Epic, Bonnie, having finally mastered her witch abilities,Stelena Almost Had A Happy Ending On 'The Vampire Diaries,' Says Co-Creator Kevin Williamson was able to undo Kai's curse waking Elena from her magical slumber without killing either one of them. With Mystic Falls and Elena saved, Bonnie set off to travel to Africa and various other places to see the world, to live and enjoy her life to the fullest.
Qetsiyah-S5.png|Qetsiyah|link=Qetsiyah
Ayana-S8.jpg|Ayana|link=Ayana
Witch of the Five-S8.jpg|The Witch of The Five|link=The Witch of The Five
Beatrice-S8.jpg|Beatrice Bennett|link=Beatrice Bennett
Emily_Bennet.jpg|Emily Bennett|link=Emily Bennett
LGC107-Bennett Witch.png|Unnamed Bennett
Grams-S8.jpg|Sheila Bennett|link=Sheila Bennett
Abby-S8.png|Abby Bennett Wilson|link=Abby Bennett Wilson
Lucy-S8.jpg|Lucy Bennett|link=Lucy Bennett
Bonnie-S8.jpg|Bonnie Bennett|link=Bonnie Bennett
==Relatives==
*Rudy Hopkins: Rudy was the ex-husband of Abby Bennett. He is human, but knows about witches and magic from being married to Abby. He is a Board Member of Whitmore College and was also the mayor of Mystic Falls until his death at the end of the summer in 2011. He was killed by Silas in I Know What You Did Last Summer.
*Jamie: Jamie is the adoptive son of Abby Bennett after she moved to North Carolina. Though Abby's relationship with Jamie's father ended, Abby continued to raise Jamie as if he was her son. There assumes to be some legal responsibility or perhaps adoption since Abby put him through school. After Abby transitioned into a vampire, he was initially scared of her but eventually came around after Caroline lectured him; seeing that Abby was there for him with a deadbeat dad, it was now his turn to be there for Abby. It's unknown if Abby and Jamie ever reconciled.
==Family Tree==
:Note: Dashed lines indicate a span of unknown time between generations of family members. Free floating members of the family have yet to be identified as to how they are connected within the family tree, but they have been confirmed to be from the Bennett family.
==Name==
*Bennett is an English and Irish language surname related to the medieval given name Benedict, both ultimately from the Latin word Benedictu, which means "blessed" or "one who is blessed." . Bennett is the English spelling of the Anglo-Norman name Ben[n]et (Modern French first name Benoît, surname Bénet).https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennett_(name)
==Trivia==
*The Bennett family was inspired by the McCullough family in the novels, except the McCullough family is of Scottish and Celtic/Gaelic descent while the Bennett family is descended from the Mediterranean or Middle Eastern origin (Qetsiyah) and eventually becomes a family of African-American heritage.
*Bonnie says her paternal side of the family (the Hopkins) are boring, though she might just be referring to them as such in comparison with her magical maternal side (the Bennetts) of the family.
*The Bennett family has very few male members. Emily had a brother and the only known male member of the Bennett family.
**According to Melinda Hsu Taylor in the non-canon, unofficial companion guide Love You to Death: Season Five, Qetsiyah also had a brother, as well as "that there was a whole family unit", in the writer's draft of Original Sin. Unfortunately, the scene was cut as it was longer than what they were able to shoot in their schedule. Additionally, in the draft, it was written that her brother had freaked out on her after what she'd done and killed her over Silas' headstone, which is where she'd been mourning, and that's how her blood got into his headstone.https://postimg.cc/gallery/1xjt2vedk/
*Sheila, Beatrice, Lucy, Ayana, and the Witch of the Five, along with a dozen or so other Bennett witches, had found peace and returned from peace, briefly, to aid Bonnie as Spirits in her time of greatest need: to save Mystic Falls from Hellfire.
**Emily Bennett, though not shown, was confirmed to have found peace.Emily's Absence Explained Julie intended for her to appear with the other Bennett witches, confirming that, after the collapse of the Other Side, she found peace.
==Gallery==
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==References==
==See also==
Category:Families
Category:Main Family
Category:Bennett Family