Nandi LaMarche

**Nandi LaMarche** is a witch that lives in New Orleans and speaks with a slight Cajun accent. Damon meet her in her shop while looking for Nandi's mother Valerie LaMarche, who had performed a spell for Damon in the past. Nandi states that she sells herbs and homeopathic remedies, and performs what she calls 'witchy-woo-woo' for tourists, but she does not practice. However, that was a lie she told the Salvatore brothers to get them out of her store, as she was able to drop Damon to the floor with ease.

## Early History

Nandi lived with her mother in her mom's herb shop during World War II in New Orleans. The shop was located on Bourbon Street. She is seen doing her homework as a child while Damon Salvatore talks to her mom about a spell that can break a sire bond. After her mother passed away she inherited the shop, which she runs to the present day.

## Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series

### Season Four

In *We'll Always Have Bourbon Street*, she is visited in the herb shop by Damon and Stefan. They are looking for Valerie LaMarche (her mom) who knew a spell that could break the sire bond. Nandi lied and said that she was Valerie's granddaughter and that the spell must have been lost during hurricane Katrina. She is later revisited by Damon who reveals that he knows she is lying about being Valerie's granddaughter as he remembers seeing her as a child. Nandi attacks and subdues Damon using Pain Infliction, but then Stefan comes from behind and urgently pleads with her to stop hurting Damon and just help them. She reveals that the sire bond cannot be broken with magic. She also reveals that the twelve sacrifices that Valerie had Damon perform was a way to access dark magic called Expression. She tells them that the only way around the vampire sire bond is to set the sired vampire free by telling them to live their life without their Sire and to never think of them.

## Personality

Unlike her mother, Nandi seems to be a witch who follows the laws of the spirits. She clearly has a low opinion on dark magic let alone expression. She even decided to help Damon and Stefan and not kill the former despite the fact she has no reason to. She also showed courage by successfully taking on a vampire. As a young girl back in 1942, she seemed very smart and would study quite frequently. Nandi was very caring and loved her mother, Valerie. Her mother even named the store she owned after her. Nandi isn't as good at lying like her mother was. Nandi was humiliated by her mother's cruel actions and did her best to be the opposite of her.

## Physical Appearance

Nandi is an African-American woman in her 80s, but looks like she's in her 50s. She stood at 5'7, had a brown afro-like hairdo and dark, brown eyes.

## Powers and Abilities

Though she states she is a non-practicing witch, Nandi is proficient in either spells or magical potions to slow down the aging process, as she is in her 80's yet appears to be 50. She also has enough still to successfully stop a 150 year old vampire (Damon) with ease.

She is also very knowledgeable in Dark Magic and Expression, presumably from her mother's teachings and Grimoires, though she abides by the Spirits and Nature.

## Weaknesses

As a witch, Nandi possesses the typical weaknesses of a witch/human.

## Appearances

**Season Four**

* *We'll Always Have Bourbon Street*

## Name

* **Nandi** is of African Origin, and the meaning is: Mother of Chaka Zulu; also the name of a tribe. However, in Hinduism, Nandi is the sacred bull that Shiva rides, is another commonly recognizable symbol of Shiva worship.
* **LaMarche** originated in the region of Lorraine in France and is derived from the Old French word "marche", meaning "market". Presumably, someone who had to bear this surname would have lived or worked in such a place, which is ironic as Valerie worked in a herb shop on Bourbon Street.

## Trivia

* Nandi is the name of the white bull who is vehicle to the Hindu God Shiva. He is also the Gate Keeper for Shiva and Parvati. His statue is usually found outsite the temples dedicated to Shiva or Parvati, and a devout must first pay homage to Nandi before entering the main temple. There are also temples dedicated to Nandi himself.
* Adina Porter, who plays Nandi, also starred in another vampire-themed TV series called True Blood.
* Nandi is the second witch who is known to use herbs and magic to slow down her aging process. The first being Gloria.
* Nandi is the only minor witch, besides Lucy, to survive the end of the episode.
* Since witches were not allowed to use magic in the French Quarter by Marcel, it is unknown if she suffered any consequences after using magic on Damon. However it could have been before Davina was rescued from The Harvest seeing as it fits the TO/TVD timeline.