Supernatural Guide

**The Arcanum Creaturae** is an encyclopedia of supernatural creatures first introduced in Season 2. It was said to look like an old leather-bond book but in Gerard's case, it was on a USB flash drive and some time later, a hard copy was created. Hunters have used it to document all the monsters they've encountered over the years. The Bestiary is mainly written in Archaic Latin and is said to have over one thousand pages.

This is the crucial part, they'll have some kind of record or book. It'll have descriptions, histories, notations, of all the things they've discovered

# Herbs and Plants

## Letharia vulpina (plant)

Letharia vulpina, also known as "wolf lichen," is a type of lichen (which itself is a type of fungus) that grows in the bark of living and dead conifer trees throughout Europe, the Pacific Northwest, and the Rocky Mountain region.

In the Teen Wolf series, there is a very rare and powerful strain of letharia vulpina that was unique due to the fact that it was grown from the blood of a slain Nogitsune; specifically, it grew from where blood of a Kumicho who was possessed by an unknown Nogitsune had spilled onto a cement fountain in Ikeda's garden in Japan. Lichen itself has traditionally been used to poison canine species such as wolves, coyotes, and foxes, and the specific strain featured in the series has the ability to weaken and or suppress the powers of canine supernatural shapeshifters such as Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and Kitsune as well.

It is unknown how the plant would affect other shapeshifting species, such as Kanimas, Löwenmenschen, or Werejaguars; the Kanima is a reptilian species, while the Werejaguar is a feline species, and the Löwenmensch is a canine/feline hybrid, but all of the species have relationships with the most common shapeshifting species— the Werewolf. Additionally, in the real world, vulpinic acid, the yellow dye that poisons these animals, is toxic to all mammals, suggesting that, while it may be more effective on canines due to the name (vulpina is Latin for "fox," and it's known as wolf lichen), these other species could be weakened by it as well.

The plant was seen for the first and only time in the Season 3 episode of the same name, when it was harvested in Japan and weaponized by Alan Deaton as a way to temporarily suppress the control a powerful Void Kitsune known as the Nogitsune had over the body of Stiles Stilinski, who it was possessing. The lichen not only gave Stiles control over his body once again, but it also nullified all of its powers, including its ability to heal at an accelerated pace, causing him to develop a Lichtenberg figure on his back from being electrocuted by Kira Yukimura's foxfire in Galvanize. The effects of the poison lasted for two or three days, but the Nogitsune's recovery from the plant was accelerated by the fact that Stiles was given haloperidol, an anti-psychotic that caused him to fall asleep for several hours, making him more vulnerable to the Nogitsune's weakened influence and giving the Dark Kitsune the opportunity to regain control earlier than expected. ("Echo House")

## Mistletoe

**Mistletoe** is an herbal plant whose appearance varies based on the species; in North America, where the series takes place, the most common species of Mistletoe has a woody stem with pairs of broad smooth-edged leaves and white berries. Mistletoe is regarded as a semi-parasitic plant, as it attaches to and embeds itself within the branches of trees or shrubs so that it can use its host's structure to absorb water and nutrients from it. Regardless of the variety, Mistletoe is a plant that is poisonous to most lifeforms on Earth, which includes Humans, mundane canine animals (such as dogs, coyotes, and foxes), as well as supernatural canine shapeshifters such as Werewolves. It can even be used against Humans with supernatural powers such as Banshees and Druids to achieve certain effects.

### Norse Myth

According to Jennifer Blake, the reason why Druids use mistletoe was due to a Norse myth about the sacred plant. In this myth, the god of light and life, Baldr, the son of Odin, was so beloved by the other gods, including his own mother, Frigg, that Frigg took an oath from every living and non-living thing to never harm Baldr, such as fire, water, metal, stone, etc. At a gathering later on, they tested these oaths by hurling the aforementioned substances at Baldr, none of which did him any harm whatsoever.

However, the god of mischief, Loki, did not share the other gods' love for Baldr, and upon learning that Frigg had forgotten to ask mistletoe, which Jennifer described as a small, harmless, and overlooked plant, to swear not to harm Baldr. As a result, Loki was able to fashion a dart out of the plant's woody stem, which he then threw at Baldr, killing him. Frigg was so distraught by the loss of her beloved son that she vowed that mistletoe would never again be used as a weapon, and that she would plant a kiss on anyone who passed under it.

According to Jennifer, this is the reason why many cultures now hang mistletoe on their doorways during the winter holidays so that mistletoe would never be overlooked again. She then used this myth as a metaphor for how the Druid Emissaries were overlooked by the Alpha Pack, and that her use of mistletoe in her five-fold knot sacrifice ritual was to teach the Alphas to never overlook them again. ("The Overlooked")

## Wolfsbane

Wolfsbane, also known as aconite or monkshood, is an extremely toxic herb for Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and presumably Werejaguars. The effects of contact with wolfsbane can vary depending on the dosage, the species, and the method of ingestion. Most wolfsbane will kill a Werewolf if it reaches their heart, though it can be cleared by ingesting the ashes of the exact same strain that poisoned them, or by literally burning out a wound that has been made by a wolfsbane-laced weapon if the correct type of wolfsbane is unavailable. It was first introduced in Season 1 and played an important role in every season of the series. In the real world, when handled or consumed in large doses, wolfsbane can be very toxic to humans.

### Species

There have been multiple species of wolfsbane introduced in the series, some of which has a specific name (such as Aconit Napel Bleu Nordique which translates to Nordic Blue Monkshood, a favorite of the Argent Hunters) and some of which is identified solely by its color (for example, purple, blue, and yellow wolfsbane, as well as the modified black wolfsbane created by the Dread Doctors).

The blue and purple varieties of wolfsbane are most commonly seen within the show. Yellow wolfsbane, also known as Aconitum anthora is far less common, as it was described as being very rare and very expensive. The Dread Doctors were also shown to use a modified black liquid said to be wolfsbane which only weakens the werecreature for as long as they are given it intravenously, and then it wears off with no after-effects, essentially being used as a sedative.

### Effects and Examples of Use

So far, all species of wolfsbane introduced have worked as a poison in one way or another, though whether its effects were temporary or long-lasting depended on how it was administered and the specific type and dosage.

* The first instance of wolfsbane being seen in the series was the purple variety in plant form, which was used by Derek Hale to keep his sister Laura Hale's corpse in her full-wolf form rather than her human form in hopes that he would not be blamed for her murder. *("Second Chance at First Line")*
	+ Stiles Stilinski then stole one of the plants and put it in his backpack, which newly turned Werewolf Scott McCall was holding while riding in Stiles' Jeep. Even this indirect exposure to the plant for a sustained amount of time caused Scott to become flushed with sweat while having difficulty breathing, almost like he was having a panic attack.
* Derek Hale was shot in the forearm by Kate Argent using a rifle bullet that was full of Nordic Blue Monkshood, a rare type of blue wolfsbane. As a result, the wound would not heal as it normally would and eventually began to fester, becoming irritated and poisoning his blood to the point where it turned black. He also became weak, dizzy, and lightheaded, preventing him from feeling as though he could defend himself from attackers. As time went on, his symptoms only became worse, and he informed Stiles Stilinski that if the wolfsbane reached his heart, he would die, nearly forcing him to cut off his arm to prevent this from happening. Before he was able to cure himself, Derek vomited a large amount of black blood before passing out on the floor. He healed himself of this infection by taking the same wolfsbane and burning it to ash before packing the ash into his bullet wound, causing him a great deal of pain until his body healed itself. *("Magic Bullet")*
	+ Unbeknownst to either Derek or Jackson Whittemore, Derek exposed Jackson to the same wolfsbane when he accidentally clawed the back of the human's neck during a tense discussion at school, as Derek presumably had wolfsbane-laced blood on his fingers.
* Jackson Whittemore became very pale and sickly-looking throughout his time being poisoned by the aforementioned wolfsbane exposure, and experienced a number of hallucinations and weakness before he was treated for the infection. *("The Tell")*, *("Heart Monitor")*, *("Night School")*, *("Lunatic")*
* Jackson Whittemore, still suffering from wolfsbane poisoning due to being cut with Derek Hale's blue wolfsbane-coated claws, went to the doctor for treatment of his symptoms, where he hallucinated that Dr. Fenris (who had morphed into Derek Hale), was digging into the back of his neck and pulling out a large purple wolfsbane plant (despite originally being poisoned with the blue variety). *("Wolf's Bane")*
* Scott McCall was shot by Argent Hunters using weapons with an unknown form of wolfsbane during a standoff when Derek Hale was attempting to kill Jackson Whittemore. Alan Deaton rescued Scott and brought him back to the animal clinic, where he cured Scott of his infection by unknown means. *("Co-Captain")*
* An Argent Hunter disguised as a Sheriff's deputy sneaked into the Beacon County Sheriff's Station with a syringe full of liquid purple wolfsbane with the intention of injecting and killing the newly-bitten and turned Isaac Lahey (who was incorrectly accused of killing his father, Mr. Lahey) on Gerard Argent's orders during his first full moon as a Werewolf. Fortunately, Derek Hale and Stiles Stilinski arrived in time to stop the Hunter before he could kill Isaac and smashed the syringe full of wolfsbane so it couldn't be used. *("Shape Shifted")*
* When Lydia Martin is on a double date with Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall, and Allison Argent at the Beacon Hills Ice Rink, she hallucinates a purple wolfsbane plant growing out of the ice that leads her to where Peter Hale's body appears to be trapped under the ice's surface, causing her to scream in terror. *("Ice Pick")*
* Victoria Argent used a purple variety of wolfsbane in her attempt to kill Scott McCall by putting it in a vaporizer so that it would irritate his lungs and his death would be ruled as a severe asthma attack. Meanwhile, Derek Hale and Vernon Boyd were hit multiple times with wolfsbane bullets that prevented them from healing at their normally-rapid rate, leading Derek to instruct Boyd to take his car to the animal clinic for treatment. *("Raving")*
	+ Derek Hale managed to save Scott from dying and took him to the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic, where Alan Deaton once again treated their respective wolfsbane poisoning.
* Lydia Martin, while being manipulated by the spirit of Peter Hale, laced the alcohol punch at her birthday party with wolfsbane so that everyone first became intoxicated and then began hallucinating, preventing anyone from interfering with Peter's plan to resurrect himself using the Worm Moon and a blood sacrifice forcefully taken from Derek Hale, his closest remaining kin. She also used a powdered form of the purple wolfsbane to knock Derek out so that she could drag him to the Hale House ruins for the ritual, causing him to be sedated and confused. *("Party Guessed")*
* The Darach secretly put powdered purple wolfsbane in Bobby Finstock's whistle, which he blew numerous times on the bus ride to the cross-country team's out-of-town meet. As a result, the four Werewolves on the bus (Scott McCall, Isaac Lahey, Vernon Boyd, and Ethan Steiner) all began experiencing terrifying hallucinations that drove all but Isaac to attempt suicide. *("Frayed")*, *("Motel California")*
* In flashbacks to the early 2000s, Gerard Argent used an unknown type of wolfsbane to create a fog that would not only incapacitate the members of Deucalion's pack with whom he was meeting, but also his human Hunter accompanying him, as he planned to kill them all and make it look like the Werewolves ambushed them, claiming his own teammates deserved it for wanting to come to a truce with the wolves as well. Gerard gave himself some sort of antidote to prevent the fog from affecting him, and once everyone was incapacitated, he killed them all (with the exception of Deucalion) by bludgeoning them to death with a baseball bat embedded with Werewolf claws he had harvested over the years of hunting. *("Visionary")*
* Ethan and Aiden were shot with wolfsbane-filled bullets that were eventually revealed to be fired by the surprisingly-alive Kate Argent. This caused them to weaken and bleed black blood until Derek Hale burned the wolfsbane out of their wounds to heal them. *("Insatiable")*
* The Calavera Family used wolfsbane fog in their in-house nightclub and in their compound in order to identify and incapacitate any werecreatures who entered, using it to catch Scott McCall, Malia Tate, and Kira Yukimura (the latter of whom, as a Kitsune, was merely disoriented by the fog rather than truly being affected by it). This fog seemed to act only as a tranquilizer and left no after-effects in those exposed to it. *("The Dark Moon")*
	+ Additionally, Derek Hale was found wrapped up in purple wolfsbane plant vines to prevent him from being able to break out of the stone tomb in which he was hidden by Kate Argent, and may have been an ingredient in the ritual she used to regress his age back to his sixteen-year-old-self.
* Peter Hale was attacked by The Mute, who threw a wolfsbane-coated military-grade tomahawk at him that buried into his chest, while he was at Derek's loft. Though he wasn't poisoned long enough for the wolfsbane to give him many side effects, Derek was forced to use a blowtorch to burn the poison out due to the fact that he had no way of identifying what strain of wolfsbane it was. *("Muted")*
* The pair of assassins known as The Orphans, Garrett and Violet, used what they described as a rare and expensive variant of yellow wolfsbane to coat Garrett's forked blade, which he intended to take out Brett Talbot, a Beta from Satomi's Pack who was on the Deadpool for $1 million. However, though Garrett did nick Brett with the blade, he was not outright killed by it, as Violet intended to use him as bait in order to catch her true target, Scott McCall, a True Alpha who was the highest-valued person on the list at $25 million. The wolfsbane weakened him to the point where he could barely crawl away from his attackers, and he was brought to the animal clinic by Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski, and Peter Hale for treatment by Alan Deaton, which required cutting open Brett's chest and letting the yellow wolfsbane vapor escape from the wound. *("I.E.D.")*, *("Orphaned")*
* Garrett stabbed newly turned Beta Liam Dunbar in the chest with his forked blade, which was recoated in the rare and expensive yellow wolfsbane Violet purchased. He then threw Liam in a well in the Beacon Hills Preserve and used him to manipulate Liam's Alpha and friend Scott McCall into helping him by making him give up the Deadpool money he confiscated and assisting him in breaking Violet, who had been arrested for her attack on Scott, out of federal custody. Though both Garrett and Violet were killed by Kate Argent and her Berserkers before they could tell Scott where Liam was being held, Liam's roar allowed Scott to hear and locate him so that he, too, could be brought to Alan Deaton's clinic for the same treatment Brett received. Though Brett was weakened by the wolfsbane, Liam did not seem to experience this as strongly, as it only seemed to prevent his stab wound from healing properly and otherwise had little effect until he was rescued. *("Orphaned")*
* The majority of the members of Satomi's Pack were found dead in the Beacon Hills Preserve, where Derek Hale and Malia Tate assumed they had been killed with a strong strain of wolfsbane; however, it was soon learned that they actually had been killed by The Chemist's modified canine distemper virus, which caused many of the same symptoms as wolfsbane poisoning. *("Orphaned")*, *("Weaponized")*
* Purple wolfsbane plants were used by the Werejaguar Kate Argent as she performed the Berserker Creation Ritual on Scott McCall to turn him into a Berserker under her control. The plants were used to bind Scott and prevent him from using his superhuman strength to break out of his restraints. *("A Promise to the Dead")*
* Chris Argent used a yellow wolfsbane plant he stole from a greenhouse to create a bullet he intended to use on his sister Kate Argent, who had teamed up with Peter Hale in an attempt to kill Scott and steal his powers for Peter. He ultimately shot Kate in the chest with the bullet, but it was slow to affect her, allowing her to run off and treat herself of her poisoning before it could kill her. *("Monstrous")*, *("Smoke and Mirrors")*
	+ Some of the yellow wolfsbane was also used to sedate the incapacitated Peter Hale until they could get him to Eichen House's supernatural ward. This type of wolfsbane was spoken of like a tranquilizer or sedative rather than a poison, making it possible that this was not a lethal strain of yellow wolfsbane. The rest of the plant was then kept safe by Argent until months later.
* When Hayden Romero and Liam Dunbar were captured during a McCall Pack mission by the Dread Doctors, they brought the two back to their operating theater, where they immediately inserted a large IV drip of a special black wolfsbane solution that was presumably altered by the Doctors themselves in order to prevent him from fighting back. The wolfsbane only served to sedate him until Hayden was able to pull the IV out of his arm so they could try to break out. *("Ouroboros")*
* It was revealed during Theo Raeken's betrayal of Scott McCall that he had been secretly poisoning Scott for weeks by giving him inhalers full of wolfsbane vapor that were presumably created by the Dread Doctors. Use of this type of inhaler during a panic attack was enough to irritate Scott's lungs enough that he started having asthma attacks again, which hadn't happened since he was turned. The more Scott used his inhaler, the worse his lungs and breathing got, and it also began slowly weakening his other powers as well, making it easier for him to be fought by the feral Liam Dunbar, whom Theo manipulated into killing Scott and becoming an Alpha so he could turn his girlfriend Hayden Romero without Scott's permission. Theo's end goal was to kill Liam after he became an Alpha so that he would become an Alpha himself and presumably develop into a true Werewolf. Scott discovered this wolfsbane poisoning when he destroyed his inhaler in a fit of anger and saw a puff of purple smoke that indicated wolfsbane had been added to it. *("Required Reading")*, *("Strange Frequencies")*, *("Ouroboros")*, *("Lies of Omission")*, *("Status Asthmaticus")*
* Chris Argent reluctantly gave his father Gerard Argent the rest of his yellow wolfsbane stash, which Gerard ate in order to reverse the side effects of being bitten by an Alpha Werewolf while ingesting Mountain Ash, ultimately healing him and returning him to human state. *("Codominance")*
* Malia Tate allowed Theo Raeken to sedate her with the Dread Doctors' black wolfsbane in order to sedate her while he transported her to the operating theater, since she wasn't supposed to know where it was. *("The Sword and the Spirit")*
* The Chimera Pack, sans Theo Raeken, seemingly incapacitated Deucalion enough to bring him to the Dread Doctors Operating Theater and hook him up to an IV of the Dread Doctors' black wolfsbane infusion. He remained in this state for at least a week, only to reveal that he let them capture him and was able to escape the whole time. *("The Sword and the Spirit")*, *("Amplification")*, *("Lie Ability")*, *("The Beast of Beacon Hills")*
* In flashbacks to 1767, Marie-Jeanne Valet (with help from Henri Argent) mixed an unknown type of wolfsbane with Mountain Ash in the steel she was using to forge her pike and forged it with her own blood under the light of a Full Moon. She then used this pike to kill her her brother Sebastien Valet, who had been transformed into the Beast of Gevaudan and had killed hundreds of people over North America and France. *("Maid of Gévaudan")*
* Scott McCall used Marie-Jeanne's Pike, which was reforged into The Surgeon's sword-cane but still contained the wolfsbane and Mountain Ash essence within the metal, to kill the spirit of Sebastien Valet after he was exorcised from Mason Hewitt's body using Lydia Martin's Banshee voice. *("Apotheosis")*
* Tamora Monroe, a new Hunter in Beacon Hills, used powdered purple wolfsbane hidden in a lacrosse ball to poison Brett Talbot, who she identified as a Werewolf due to his enhanced agility and strength on the lacrosse field. *("Raw Talent")*
	+ Brett ultimately died after being hit by a car, as the wolfsbane prevented him from healing his wounds from the fight against Monroe. *("After Images")*
* In an attempt to impress his new leader, Tamora Monroe, Nolan Holloway tried to kill the young orphaned Werewolves Jiang and Tierney, who were locked up in a cell in Beacon County Sheriff's Station not only for murdering two members of Monroe's army but also to be protected from Monroe and the other Hunters, who desired to kill them in order to avenge their deceased comrades, with a vial full of liquid purple wolfsbane but Liam Dunbar managed to snatch the poison from Nolan's hand before he could throw it to the floor before dragging the teenage hunter to be arrested. *("Pressure Test")*
* A pair of British Hunters hired by Gerard Argent captured Jackson Whittemore, tranquilized him with purple wolfsbane, and then ambushed Ethan Steiner at their apartment, where he, too, was shot with a purple wolfsbane dart. Ethan smugly informed the Hunters that they should have used yellow wolfsbane on Jackson because as a Werewolf-Kanima hybrid, purple wolfsbane has no effect on him. This allowed Jackson to break free of his restraints and subdue the Hunters before presumably healing Ethan of his wolfsbane poisoning. *("Werewolves of London")*
* Liam Dunbar used powdered purple wolfsbane in an attempt to trigger Mrs. Finch to confirm whether or not she was a Werewolf, though her ability to control herself was so strong that she did not react, aside from a single sneeze due to the dust. *("Genotype")*
	+ Mrs. Finch then used the wolfsbane against Scott and Liam when she realized that they might try to kill the half of the Anuk-ite that had taken the form of her daughter, Quinn, which caused both of them to fall onto the floor in coughing fits for a few minutes.
* Chris Argent tracked Derek Hale down to North Carolina, where he was about to hide the rest of the remaining yellow wolfsbane solution in one of the Hale Vaults. However, before they could do so, they were ambushed by Kate Argent, who stole it on her father Gerard Argent's orders. *("Broken Glass")*
* Gerard Argent used the yellow wolfsbane stolen from Derek Hale to create two bullets, one of which he gave to Tamora Monroe to shoot Scott McCall (who was fortunately healed by Derek using fire), and the other which he kept to shoot his daughter Kate Argent, whom he hated for being a Werejaguar. It is unknown whether or not the wolfsbane ultimately killed her. *("The Wolves of War")*

### Cure

The most common treatment for curing wolfsbane poisoning is burning it out with fire as shown when the Ethan and Aiden were attacked by the resurrected Kate Argent; their blood turned black as it poured from their wounds, and Derek Hale was forced to burn it out with a torch to save them due to the fact that they had no idea what strain of wolfsbane it was and thus could not use the ash like Derek did when he was shot with the Nordic Blue Monkshood. However, this is not always the case such as for the yellow wolfsbane as Deaton had to slice Brett's chest open to cure him of the wolfsbane and, once cut open, yellow mist came flowing out his chest. Strangely enough, when Scott McCall was shot with a yellow wolfsbane bullet, Derek was able to cure him by burning out the wound, just as he did for the twins. These methods are usually only painful for a short time due to the Werewolf/Werecoyote/Werejaguar's accelerated healing ability.

# Objects

## Belasko's talons

Belasko's Talons are scientifically enhanced harpy eagle talons that were possess the ability to steal power from beings with supernatural powers. These talons were created by the Dread Doctors and given to the Werewolf-Garuda Chimera known as Belasko.

## Dread Doctors' green serum

The Dread Doctors' Green Serum is a green, watery fluid created by the Dread Doctors at some point in their lives to help extend their lifespans far past that of regular human beings. While it has been implied that the serum possessed supernatural qualities prior to 1943, it wasn't until the Dread Doctors were approached by Garrett Douglas, an Alpha Löwenmensch and a member of the Ahnenerbe division of the Nazi Party who had been badly injured by the whip of a Ghost Rider, in that year that they were able to enhance the serum using his accelerated healing factor. After the Dread Doctors subdued Douglas, they chained him up, put an oxygen mask on him, and put him in a tank of the green serum, where his blood and the Ghost Rider venom from his whip wound mixed with the serum and amplified its effects even more.

The Dread Doctors then began using regular injections of the serum to heal their injuries and illnesses while also extending their lifespans, as at least one of the Doctors, known as The Surgeon, was a man in his late 20s/early 30s in 1760 and survived to late 2012, making him over 250 years old; when The Geneticist injected The Surgeon's shriveled-up arm with the serum, it revitalized his tissues and returned his skin texture to a more healthy appearance, though it apparently cannot fully halt or reverse a person's aging. These injections seemed to be on a set schedule, as alarms would go off to remind them of when they were supposed to get their next dose. After the serum was injected into the veins in the forearm of the Dread Doctors, their blood vessels would briefly darken as the substance pumped through their bodies, similar in appearance to a Werewolf or Werecoyote when they are siphoning pain from others.

The most impressive aspect of this serum is the fact that it is able of resurrecting the dead. This was first revealed when Theo Raeken used a large syringe gun of the serum to resurrect four of the Chimeras who had been killed by the Dread Doctors due to the fact that they rejected their transformations; Tracy Stewart had been dead for several weeks, while Josh Diaz had been dead for nearly a week, Corey Bryant had been dead for a day, and Hayden Romero had been dead for several hours, demonstrating that the serum was exceptionally powerful. Not only did it return these four Chimeras to life, but it also allowed their bodies to finally accept their transformations, giving them full command over their powers and memories. However, these resurrections left all four with an inner darkness that, while manageable, still had an effect on their personalities; Hayden and Corey (and, to an extent, Josh) were able to retain their morality despite this darkness, but Tracy, who Deucalion described as being utterly powerless prior to her transformation and death, became cold and devoid of compassion following her resurrection, reveling in how powerful she was and using her powers to dominate others.

This serum also seemed to possess the ability to increase a supernatural creature's power if exposed to enough of it, as Garrett Douglas, who soaked in the serum mixed with his blood and Ghost Rider venom for seven decades, came out of the tank with the power of an Alpha, a Löwenmensch, and a Ghost Rider, a side effect that not even the Dread Doctors seem to have expected. This theory is further supported by the fact that the Dread Doctors hooked Mason Hewitt up to an epidural infusion of the serum in order to help complete his transformation into Sebastien Valet, The Beast of Gevaudan.

It is unknown if there is any more green serum left, as what was in Douglas' tank was spilled and absorbed into the floor of the laboratory shed in the Beacon Hills Preserve when he broke out of his tank in autumn of 2012.

## Shugendo Scroll

The Shugendō Scroll is a very small scroll from the Japanese Shugendō religion. It is unknown when exactly the scroll was created, but it was eventually sought out by a human man named Katashi, who became interested in the Kitsune species after a near-death experience in 1988 involving five Oni hunting a Void Kitsune who was possessing the Kumicho of the Yakuza family to which Katashi belonged. The scroll contained information regarding Kitsune, including instructions on how to exorcise a Void Kitsune from a human host without killing them.

After Katashi's death at the hands of the Nogitsune possessing Stiles Stilinski, the McCall Pack set their sights on finding the scroll in hopes of using it to save Stiles by expelling the Void Kitsune inside of him. Upon learning it was in Katashi's possessions, which were being taken by the Federal Bureau of Investigations as part of the investigation into his death, Scott McCall, Allison Argent, Lydia Martin, Kira Yukimura, and Ethan and Aiden Steiner made a plan to break into the armored van while it was headed to federal lock-up.

Unfortunately, their plan was thwarted by Katashi's bodyguard, Kincaid, a powerful Omega Werewolf who wanted the scroll for himself, as its $3 million price tag was more desirable than the briefcase with $100,000 in cash in it that was also in the armored van. Thanks in part to Ethan and Aiden's own power, the pack was able to incapacitate Kincaid enough to steal the scroll (which was hidden in Katashi's silver prosthetic finger) and the briefcase of cash.

The scroll was then taken to Alan Deaton, who then translated the scroll for Scott; it was then that they learned that the best way to exorcise a Nogitsune is to change the body of the host, a statement that Scott and Deaton interpreted as meaning that they needed to give Stiles the Bite and turn him into a Werewolf. ("Echo House")

## Talia's Claws

Talia's Claws are a set of werewolf claws that belonged to the former Alpha of the Hale Pack, Talia Hale. She was widely respected in the supernatural community for her ability to shift into a full wolf, and she acted as an adviser to other packs, such as those led by Deucalion, Kali, Ennis, and Satomi Ito.

However, Talia's reign ended abruptly near the end of 2004 or the beginning of 2005, when she, along with nearly a dozen of her family members, were killed in the Hale House Fire set by the Argent Hunter Kate Argent and numerous other co-conspirators. Afterward, the claws were among the only part of Talia's body that made it through the fire intact, and they were subsequently placed inside a cylindrical wooden box with the Hale family symbol, the triskelion, carved into the lid.

In More Bad Than Good, Derek and Peter Hale, who had been captured by the Calavera family of Hunters, was rescued by a mercenary named Braeden. However, when she insisted that they leave immediately, Derek refused to go until they recovered what they came for, which was Talia's claws. They eventually found the triskelion box locked in a trunk made of rowan wood and filled with Mountain Ash, making Braeden, as a human, the only one among them who could take back the box.

In Galvanize, Derek sewed Peter's left middle finger back onto his hand so that Peter could insert the claws into his own nail beds in order to perform the Alpha memory-manipulation ritual on Derek with them. Derek insisted that he needed to talk to Talia, and that as far as he could tell, this ritual was the only way, but Peter refused to do the ritual unless Derek gave him the claws afterward, an offer Derek ultimately accepted. When Peter inserted Talia's claws into Derek's neck, Derek was put into a kind of trance in his mind, causing him to imagine that he was alone in his loft and the Nemeton was in the middle of the room. Then, Talia, in full-wolf form, walked toward him and flashed her red Alpha eyes at him. Derek later revealed to Scott McCall that Talia had informed him that the Hale family not only lived in Beacon Hills, but protected it, which inspired Derek to join the McCall Pack and help Scott and the others protect the town as his family once did.

In Letharia Vulpina, Lydia Martin and Allison Argent went to Derek's loft to talk to Peter Hale in hopes that he would give Lydia assistance in controlling her Banshee powers. While Peter did agree to help her, he refused to do so without Lydia helping him determine what memories Talia stole from him prior to her death. Lydia held the claws in her hands and tried to get a premonition from them, but it wasn't until Allison and Peter's bickering caused her to angrily throw the claws at them that she was able to trigger a premonition. The combination of her throw and the power of her voice caused Talia's claws to embed themselves into the nearby wall, and the vibrations allowed Lydia to determine that the missing memory Peter had was of the fact that he was a father, though she wouldn't tell him anything else about it. When Allison and Lydia left, Lydia revealed that the claws had told her that Peter's daughter was Malia Tate, a werecoyote who had recently turned back to human after living as a true coyote in the Beacon Hills Preserve for eight years.

In De-Void, Derek, while under the influence of a Nogitsune fly that increased his anger and decreased his inhibitions, went to the Argent Apartment to confront Chris Argent. He showed Chris Talia's claws before blaming him for his mother's death. When Chris reminded him that it was Kate who killed them and that he had no part in it, Derek accused him of killing numerous others of their kind and threatened to kill Allison in front of him to get back at the Argent family for what he did to his own family.

## Triskelion Medallion

The Triskelion Medallion, often simply referred to as the Triskelion, is a bronze disc that looks like a large coin with the triple-spiraled triskelion, the symbol of the Hale Family and Hale Pack, stamped onto it. The medallion has belonged to the Hales for generations and has been used as a tool to help young or newly turned Werewolves to control their transformations with varying levels of success.

Talia Hale used the medallion to teach her eldest daughter, Laura, how to control her shifts, and attempted to do the same with her middle son, Derek, though it was unsuccessful in the latter case. To use the medallion, the young Beta was instructed to focus on the talisman in their hands and slowly say their mantra, "Alpha, Beta, Omega," imaging themselves becoming calmer and more in control with each repetition.

However, rumor had it that the medallion was actually a true supernatural talisman with the power to actively control a shapeshifter's transformations without any effort on the part of the user; as a result, the newly turned Werejaguar Kate Argent went through a lot of trouble in order to gain access to the Hale Vault and get the medallion, believing that it would help her control her transformations so that she could return to her Hunter family and go back to the way things used to be. Unfortunately for Kate, Peter Hale informed her that the medallion was simply that—a mundane object—and that, if she looked closely enough, she could see where Talia scraped off the "Made in China" stamp.

## Triskelion Urn

The Triskelion Urn is an urn carved from wood taken from the Nemeton before it was cut down. The urn has a Triskelion, the symbol of the Hale Family carved into the lid. As it is made with wood from the Nemeton, it is a powerful object that can be used to store other powerful objects.

The urn was initially created by Alan Deaton, a Druid and the Emissary to the Hale Pack, to protect Talia Hale's claws, the only part of the Evolved Alpha that remained after the Hale House Fire. At some point after this, the urn fell into the possession of the Calavera Family, who hid it in a box made of rowan wood and full of Mountain Ash so that no supernatural beings could take it back.

In the autumn of 2012, the urn was once again stolen back by Derek and Peter Hale after having been captured and tortured by Araya and Severo Calavera; a mercenary, Braeden, was hired to rescue Derek, and she was able to help the Hales steal the urn since, as a human, the Mountain Ash had no effect on her. The urn was later learned to have a secondary purpose, as there were five small slits cut into the bottom of the inside of the urn, allowing the claws to be stood upright so that another Werewolf could more easily insert Talia's claws into their nail beds and use them to perform the memory manipulation ritual. This ritual was later performed by Peter, who attached the claws to his nails and used them to pierce the back of Derek's neck, allowing him to communicate with Talia's spirit.

After Nogitsune broke out of its prison in the Nemeton and began wreaking havoc in Beacon Hills while possessing Stiles Stilinski, it was decided that, once the Nogitsune was defeated and returned to its fly form, the urn would be used to contain it to prevent it from returning to the world. It is unknown if the urn is being used to house both the Nogitsune fly and Talia's claws, or if the Hale Family found a new receptacle for Talia's claws. The urn was last seen in the possession of Chris Argent and Isaac Lahey before they left the Argent Apartment and headed to France. Whether Isaac is holding onto the urn, or Chris has kept it and/or hidden it elsewhere remains a mystery.

# Rituals

## Age Regression

Age Regression was a ritual that is performed to revert someone's mind and body to a certain point in time of their life. The only known case of this was when Werejaguar Kate Argent kidnapped Derek Hale and brought him to a temple and entombed him, when Derek was discovered he had been reverted to his teenage self. The exact mechanics of this ritual remain unknown.

## Berserker Creation Ritual

The Berserker Creation Ritual is a method of attaining the supernatural powers of Berserkers, specifically superhuman strength, speed, and durability, by tapping into the mystical forces contained in the pelts and bones of bears. However, performing this ritual will also cause the person in question to begin to channel the bear's ferocity, a process that will eventually burn away the person's humanity due to Berserkers not being tempered by the moon like other shapeshifters such as Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and Werejaguars. With the loss of their humanity, the newly turned Berserker will become mindlessly violent beings who lack the self-control of the other aforementioned creatures.

### Rituals

There appears to be at least two different versions of the ritual to turn people into Berserkers. The exact mechanics and methods involved in the two rituals remain unclear, but it is known that it involves tapping into the animal spirit within the pelts and bones of bears.

#### First Method

Well-known Hunter Chris Argent and his family were once called in to deal with a human teenager who had somehow turned himself into a Berserker after he and a group of his friends began experimenting with bear skins; because the teen's spirit had been dominated by the animal spirit in the bear pelts and bones, he had become a mindless killer who Chris was forced to kill, though it took every bit of ammunition Chris and his companions had.

#### Second Method

A second method of this ritual also exists, which comes as a form of Power Granting that only Werejaguars, a species which possesses a natural connection to Berserkers, seems to have. A Werejaguar with proper knowledge can force this transformation on both humans and Werewolves, without the need for the victim to tap in the animal spirit. This was demonstrated by Kate Argent when she purposely turned Scott McCall, a True Alpha Werewolf, into a Berserker against his will with the intention of tricking his pack into killing him. This ritual seems to require that the Werejaguar and the person they intend to turn into a Berserker be inside the obsidian room in La Iglesia, also known as the Temple of Tezcatlipoca. The target must then be strapped to an altar in this room (which may or may not involve using Wolfsbane if the victim is a Werewolf) and held down while the Werejaguar in question concentrates and places a Berserker skull over the face of the victim. Afterward, the newly turned Berserker will be completely in the Werejaguar's control.

## Nine Sacred Herbs

The **Nine Sacred Herbs** are a combination of nine herbs that, when mixed with honey as a binding agent, can act as an antidote to nine supernatural venoms. It was first introduced in the series by Chris Argent, who gave the list of ingredients to Melissa McCall when he was dying as a result of the toxin coating the Ghost Riders' whips *("Ghosted")*, which had gotten into the lashes they had whipped into his body during their last battle. *("Relics")*

One of the herbs mentioned by Argent was mugwort; the others were mentioned by Melissa to be somewhat easily found between "raiding the hospital pharmacy, the homeopath downtown, and the salad bar," though Argent and Melissa did not discuss what these other herbs were onscreen.

According to Argent, if the herbs are mixed incorrectly, they can cause the venom or toxin to become more potent, killing the infected individual. Argent only knew the list of herbs by their Celtic names, and, after reciting these herbs to her, he finally said "*Mel*... you have to add... you have to add...," causing her to have to figure out how to mix them herself, at great risk to Argent's life. Though she initially thought he was simply calling her by the nickname "Mel," she eventually reasoned that Argent was not a man with a tendency to use nicknames, which then led her to realize that he was trying to tell her she needed to bind the herbs with honey, the Celtic name of which is *mel*. Fortunately, with these revelations, she was able to make it correctly, and Argent made a complete recovery.

Melissa's concoction using the Nine Sacred Herbs was then used on two other occasions—to treat the full-body burns sustained by Peter Hale when he jumped on the back of a Ghost Rider's horse and rode through the rift between the "real world" and the Phantom Train Station *("Heartless")*, and to treat the wounds caused by the Ghost Riders' attempts to exploit his ability to traverse between the "real world" and the Phantom Train Station in order to try to merge the worlds so the Wild Hunt could move on from Beacon Hills. *("Riders on the Storm")*

After her son, Scott, graduated from high school, she made sure to keep a large supply of the Nine Sacred Herbs, and likely many more medicinal and mystical herbs and plants, in order to continue her work as a healer of those affected by supernatural injuries, alongside Alan Deaton. *("Said the Spider to the Fly")*

### Real-World Mythology

The "Nine Herbs" refers to an Old English charm recorded in the 900s in *Lacnunga*, an Anglo-Saxon medical compilation in the manuscript which has references to both the Christian faith and English/Germanic paganism and folklore (despite Chris Argent's understanding of the herbs having had Celtic roots). Interestingly enough, the poem mentions Woden, the Germanic god associated with the Wild Hunt, also known as Woden's Hunt, the group of phantom beings and Hellhounds whose presence on the show necessitated the Nine Sacred Herbs' usage in the series.

The poem is said to refer to at least nine plants, and there are a variety of translations for the names of them that have been proposed by scholars over the years. The most common ones include (with some having conflicting translations):

* *Mucgwyrt* - mugwort
* *Wegbrade* - plantain
* *Stune* - lamb's cress
* *Stiðe*- nettle
* *Attorlaðe* - cockspur grass or betony
* *Maegðe* - mayweed (a genus which includes German chamomile)
* *Wergulu* - crab-apple
* *Fille* - thyme or chervil
* *Finule* - fennel

While in the series, the Nine Sacred Herbs are supposed to be mixed with honey, in the real-life Nine Herbs Charm, the reader is instructed to grind the herbs to dust and mix them with old soap and apple residue. The charm is them meant to be sung three times over each of the herbs and the apple before they are prepared, into the mouth and both of the ears of the wounded, and over the wound itself prior to the application of the salve to the wound.

## Power Granting

Power Granting is the ability of a being with supernatural powers to endow those powers upon another. It is most frequently used by Alpha werewolves to turn humans into Beta Werewolves through a bite or an especially deep scratch, but this process can also turn humans into other creatures, such as Kanimas or Werejaguars, among others. This ability is also possessed by other supernatural creatures to bestow a variety of powers upon others through different means.

### Beings Who Possess Power Granting

#### Nogitsune

A Nogitsune has the ability to possess a host body, giving said host the ability to use their powers. However, since the Nogitsune spirit is nearly always dominating the spirit of the host (and since the Nogitsune's host often has no idea that they are possessed when they are in control of their own body), the host does not usually have the ability to actively use these powers on their own. There are exceptions to this rule, however; for example, the Kumicho of a branch of the Yakuza in Japan voluntarily allowed himself to be possessed by a Nogitsune in order to rise up the ranks of his family, suggesting that he may have made an agreement with the Nogitsune that allowed him some conscious use of its powers. On the other hand, Stiles Stilinski, the human host of the Nogitsune summoned by Noshiko Yukimura in 1943, was possessed without his consent or knowledge, and any use of the Nogitsune's powers that he had was under his possessor's orders. So far, a Nogitsune has only been able to possess and share powers with humans, though it has been implied that they can also possess fellow Kitsune when in a human form, since Noshiko summoned the Nogitsune with the intention of it possessing her and imbuing her with its power so she could heal and get revenge on those who covered up the riot at Camp Oak Creek.

#### Hellhound

A Hellhound possesses the ability to endow their human vessel with an immensely powerful set of supernatural abilities. The sole Hellhound that has appeared on the series, Cerberus, possessed the body of then-human Jordan Parrish, and used his body as a tool much like the Nogitsune did with Stiles Stilinski until Parrish and Cerberus made an agreement in order to defeat the Beast of Gevaudan. Afterward, their spirits merged, and Parrish was afforded full control over Cerberus' powers. However, even before they merged, Parrish had sporadic control over Cerberus' powers, as he accessed super strength in an emergency when he was trying to free Chris Argent from the large piece of rebar that was impaling Chris Argent, and his immunity to fire manifested when Deputy Haigh attempted to kill him to earn his Deadpool bounty by dousing him in gasoline and setting him on fire.

#### Werecoyote

It was implied by Corinne, Talia Hale, and Alan Deaton that sometimes, female Werecoyotes involuntarily grant a part of their power to their daughters upon childbirth in order to make the next generation even stronger. It is unclear what are the circumstances required for this involuntarily power transfer to occur. However, some Werecoyotes, such as Corinne, see this inheritance of power as "theft," and as a result, she and other Werecoyote mothers to which it occurred are able to steal this power back by killing their offspring on a full moon. Corinne attempted to do just that by killing her daughter, Malia Tate, a few days before the full moon, but Malia used Belasko's talons to steal Corinne's powers instead.

#### Werejaguar

Werejaguars possess a connection to Berserkers, with at least some of them, such as Kate Argent, possessing the ability to turn humans and supernatural creatures into Berserkers themselves. This grants the newly turned Berserker with enormously enhanced strength and durability, albeit at the cost of their humanity, free will, and true sentience. Thus far in the series, it has been revealed that humans and Werewolves can be turned into Berserkers through this process.

#### Werewolf

Alpha werewolves can grant the powers of lycanthropy by biting a human with their fangs, or, in rare cases, deeply scratching them with their claws. This process typically has only two results; either the human will be transformed into a supernatural shapeshifter, or they will die. Should the bitten or scratched person survive, they will gain all of the powers of a werewolf (or, in uncommon cases, the powers of another kind of shapeshifter, such as a Kanima in the case of Jackson Whittemore or a Werejaguar in the case of Kate Argent), and they will possess a supernatural connection to their Alpha that heightens both of their strength through the pack bond. The only known instance of a person surviving the bite and not being transformed into a shapeshifter is Lydia Martin, whose latent Banshee powers (including an immunity to supernatural phenomena) were activated as a result of the trauma from Peter Hale's attack instead of being turned.

### Unnatural Power Granting

Through artificial means, the Dread Doctors granted themselves incredible powers of electromagnetokinesis, allowing them to control electricity and magnetism, possess a highly extended lifespan (the eldest Dread Doctor, Marcel, lived for nearly 250 years), and manipulate the memories of others. They also used their scientific prowess to create a form of modified mercury solution that, when injected into a human with genetic chimerism, turned them into a pseudosupernatural creature known as the Chimera, a hybrid of two supernatural species who were not truly supernatural themselves. This granted the Chimeras a power set that included a combination of the powers of their parent species, such as Werewolves, Werecoyotes, Werejaguars, Wendigos, Kanimas, and Berserkers, among many others.

### Other

Sebastien Valet arguably became one of the most deadly and powerful werewolves in known history by drinking rain water from a wolf's paw print during his deployment to what is now Canada during the Seven Years' War, which granted him tremendous power that, even as an Omega, caused him to dwarf that of an Alpha in sheer might. Drinking rain water from a paw print is a lesser-known method for a human to turn into a Werewolf that is derived from myth and folklore.

Garrett Douglas was able to become more powerful from an unexpected side effect of a wound caused by a Ghost Rider's whip mixed with the tank's fluid which he was kept submerged in for 70 years.

## Resurrection

Resurrection is the power or ritual to bring back someone or something from the dead, typically the dead individual needs to be intact, but those who resurrect through unnatural means, doesn't require the body of the deceased, only a host for its spirit.

### Beings that can resurrect

#### Dread Doctors

The Dread Doctors managed to resurrect the Beast of Gevaudan through artificial means, which was a complete success, this makes it the second werewolf to be resurrected.

#### Werewolves

Werewolves are capable of resurrecting another werewolf so long as the body is mostly intact and there is a worm moon, an Alpha werewolf or perhaps the actual killer involved, and also moonlight shining directly on the corpse. Peter Hale was resurrected this way after his spirit or imprint, forced Lydia to perform the ritual. Both Scott and Jackson have been resurrected multiple times through other methods. In the case of Jackson, his Kanima healing, and then his Werewolf healing were the reasons for his resurrections. In the case of Scott, he was first killed and resurrected through the Surrogate Sacrifice Ritual, alongside Allison and Stiles, and in the second case he was resurrected by his mother performing CPR on him while the Supermoon was enhancing his healing to stronger levels.

#### Chimeras

Chimeras do not possess any known resurrection power but if their bodies are preserved after their death, they can be brought back to life by injecting them with the Dread Doctors' serum. The resurrection was initially believed to have had side effects, such as a "darkening" of their humanity, however both Corey and Hayden have shown to remain who they were, even Josh eventually became reluctant to follow Theo. Meaning there were initially on his side likely out of a sense of gratitude or indebted for being resurrected.

#### Humans

Humans do not possess any known resurrection power, but it is possible for them to be resurrected through the Surrogate Sacrifice Ritual. This is best shown by Stiles and Allison both being resurrected through the use of the ritual, alongside Scott when they were trying to discover the location of the Nemeton. However, this ritual is not without consequences, as the person resurrected will suffer from a darkness around their hearts for the rest of their lives, which can lead to symptoms such as nightmares, somnambulism, sleep paralysis, alexia, and hand tremors as was the case with Allison.

## Surrogate Sacrifices

In Lunar Ellipse, Scott, Stiles, and Allison do this to locate the Nemeton, which they need to find in order to save their parents before they become sacrifices to increase the Darach's power. In order to locate the Nemeton, the trio must die in ice cold water with Mistletoe and an object with personal meaning to their parents present in the water. After they locate the Nemeton, they must be brought back to life, and resurrected. That can be done by having the person who is to drown them in the water have some kind of emotional bond with them, and the emotional bond will allow them Theke to bring that person back to life.

### Effects

One of the effects include giving power back to the Nemeton, and when the power is given back to the Nemeton then supernatural creatures will be drawn to Beacon Hills. Whoever performs the ritual will have a permanent darkness around their heart. The last known effect is death. If something goes wrong while this ritual is performed then there is a chance that the user may die.

## Threefold Death

Jennifer Blake used this ritual on many Beacon Hills citizens. This ritual was performed by the Darach because each sacrifice added to her power. She was doing this to increase her power to fight Deucalion's alpha pack. The ritual is performed by killing an individual three ways; a blow to the head, cutting of the throat, and strangulation by a garrote.

The ritual was incomplete due to Jennifer Blake not being able to kill three guardians. By sacrificing warriors she gained enhanced strength, Healers for healing abilities so great she healed Deucalion's blindness, Philosophers for intelligence and strategy, and Virgins, supposedly to seduce people easily for her goals, as with Derek. The Guardians sacrifice was possibly for protection.

## Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt, also known as Woden's Hunt or the Wild Ride, is a term that is used in several different ways in the Teen Wolf series. The first is that the Wild Hunt refers to an immensely large group of supernatural creatures that includes Ghost Riders and Hellhounds, both of whom use their powers to ride the storm and collect souls by erasing people from reality for eternity. The second use of the term is to describe the dimension where the Hunt resides, which has also been referred to by non-members as the Phantom Train Station, or possibly another illusion-based realm where the people the Wild Hunt erases from reality will be transformed into more Ghost Riders and will ride the storm with them forever. The last use is that it describes the actual event of the group arriving to different towns and reaping the souls of its citizens, as was done in the cities of Canaan and, unsuccessfully, Beacon Hills.

The Wild Hunt as a group are so immensely powerful that it is said that they took the Anuk-ite into their captivity, as they are the only group strong enough to contain it and its power. The most recent event the Wild Hunt had was when they attempted to take all of the citizens of Beacon Hills, human and supernatural alike; during this time, Garrett Douglas, a Löwenmensch who had gained some Ghost Rider powers through being poisoned with their venom and eating a true Ghost Rider's pineal gland, began using his newly gained powers to try to take control of the Hunt to use it as his own personal army. Unfortunately for Garrett, the Hunt has no leader and cannot be controlled, and he was ultimately converted into a Ghost Rider and was forced to join their ranks. Meanwhile, the McCall Pack and their allies, desperate to get back their loved ones who had been taken, especially Stiles Stilinski, opened a rift to bring everyone back from the so-called Phantom Train Station, inadvertently releasing the Anuk-ite from their captivity along with the Beacon Hills citizens.

### Mythology

In the real world, the Wild Hunt is a myth in numerous European cultures which involves supernatural huntsmen; in some versions, they are undead warriors, while in others, they are fairies. The leader of the Wild Hunt is usually associated with the Germanic god Woden, the Saxon version of the Norse god Odin, the revered Allfather of Norse mythology and the god of battle, death, gallows, knowledge, poetry, royalty, runes, and sorcery. Other legendary figures associated with leading the Wild Hunt include Gwyn ap Nudd, a Welsh psychopomp and Biblical figures such as Cain or Gabriel. Many superstitions exist regarding the Wild Hunt, such as that they can steal people's spirits while they're sleeping and force them to join the Hunt, or that they are abducted and taken to the fairy realm or underworld. Some even believe that if the Wild Hunt was seen, it was an omen of a devastating event such as a plague or brutal war.

# Species

## Anuk-ite

The Anuk-ite is an ancient shapeshifter known among Druids as a creature of disharmony that can manipulate people into turning on each other. It does this by creating and amplifying a person's fear, as well as any associated emotions such as paranoia, panic, anger, even suicidal ideation. This causes people, even those who have never or desired to commit violent acts becoming hostile to the source of their fear. As a result, the Anuk-ite has no need to commit violence personally or require the physical powers that most other supernaturals possess; claws, fangs, etc. All the while, the Anuk-ite feeds on the fear of those affected by its powers, which makes it more powerful and dangerous.

Because it is known for causing disharmony and discord, the Anuk-ite is also known as "Double-Face" or "Two-Faces," with representations of the creature typically depicting half of its face as beautiful, and the other half as hideous. After the Anuk-ite's existence was first figured out by the McCall Pack and their allies, it was initially unclear whether this information meant that the Anuk-ite was two different people or if it was two different creatures who would ultimately be unstoppable once they merged. However, it was eventually revealed that the latter was true, as the Anuk-ite had taken over the identities of a human, Aaron, and a Werewolf, Quinn, believing that the supernatural half would prevent it from ever being imprisoned again.

### Release

The original form of the Anuk-ite that was imprisoned by the Wild Hunt remains unknown. However, upon its release, it transformed into a flood of spiders which chose its two victims, Aaron and Quinn, and began stealing its identity, leaving them nothing more than flayed corpses devoid of DNA. Though it began living on under their identities, gaining more and more strength by inducing fear in everyone around them, they were also capable of reanimating the corpses of their victims to create more discord and disharmony. Those affected by the Anuk-ite's powers began behaving in ways that they ordinarily wouldn't due to their increased fear, paranoia, violent impulses, and self-doubt.

Because of how powerful it is, the creature was eventually taken by the Ghost Riders of the Wild Hunt in an effort to contain it in the dimension colloquially known as the Phantom Train Station. According to a premonition experienced by the Banshee Lydia Martin, the creature was released when Scott McCall, Malia Tate, and herself opened a Rift to rescue Stiles Stilinski from the Hunt.

### History

Very little is known about the Anuk-ite, except for the fact that it is regarded as an ancient shapeshifter by supernatural scholars such as Alan Deaton. This could mean that it is one of the oldest supernatural creatures in existence. What is conclusively known about its history is that it became so powerful that there was no other choice but to seal it within the Wild Hunt, believed to be the only known location where such a powerful and dangerous shapeshifter could be safely contained.

The McCall Pack successfully saved Stiles Stilinski and the majority of the Beacon Hills community (both human and supernatural) from the Wild Hunt by defeating the Ghost Riders led by Garrett Douglas (a Ghost Rider empowered Löwenmensch). However, because the Wild Hunt's captives aren't meant to escape, the Anuk-ite was inadvertently released into the town of Beacon Hills, where the rift between the real world and what is known as the Phantom Train Station was created by Scott McCall, Malia Tate, and Lydia Martin.

Upon the Anuk-ite's release from its prison, it seemingly spent the first three months slowly inflicting its fear-inducing power on the town, feeding on all of the related emotions that came of it and eventually building up its strength. It started by causing fear and panic among a mundane wolf pack in the Beacon Hills Preserve and the population of rats that lived in the sewers. From there, the Anuk-ite took the form of hundreds of spiders, which it used to infect and eventually consume the bodies of two separate victims, one human and one Werewolf, Aaron and Quinn.

Stealing the DNA, traits, and identity of the two victims, each half of the Anuk-ite worked to find its pair, testing (and, in the process, killing) multiple people in the process until they finally merged. However, despite gaining the power to petrify a being into stone simply by making eye contact, the even-more-powerful Anuk-ite was ultimately defeated by Scott McCall (who temporarily blinded himself to rid himself of any fear of the creature) and Stiles Stilinski (who used Mountain Ash to turn the Anuk-ite's power against itself).

The Anuk-ite left a legacy of prejudice and fate behind it, even in death, as it was its fear-inducing power that caused Tamora Monroe and Gerard Argent to create a global army of Hunters to commit a mass genocide of supernatural creatures all over the world. Though the defeat of the Anuk-ite did cause many to lose their motivation to fight against the supernaturals, many more were devoted to the cause even before their pre-existing fears were amplified, causing the army to continue to be a threat years after the Anuk-ite was slayed.

### Powers

#### Pre-Merging

* **Pathokinesis**: The Anuk-ite possesses the power to manipulate the emotions of others, specifically fear and its related feelings such as anger, paranoia, etc.
	+ **Fear Inducement**: The Anuk-ite has the power to induce feelings of fear in living beings (humans, supernaturals, and even animals) as well as amplify fear that already exists in a person. It used this power to scare the human population of Beacon Hills into turning against the supernatural community and joining Tamora Monroe and Gerard Argent's Hunter army, who was dedicated to the eventual genocide of all supernatural creatures. This power went so far as to drive normally kind people to act violently, to the point of killing others and even committing suicide. The Anuk-ite could imbue locations with this power as well, causing anyone who comes near them to be crippled by intense fear.
	+ **Fear Empowerment**: The Anuk-ite was not only able to induce fear in others, but it was able to essentially feed on the resulting fear and negative emotions its power creates, making itself more powerful in the process. During its fight against True Alpha Werewolf Scott McCall, the Anuk-ite stated, "Your fear brings me freedom," implying that the creature was intent to generate enough fear that neither the Wild Hunt nor anyone else could ever imprison him.
* **Zoopathy**: The Anuk-ite possessed the power to control animals, specifically spiders, which it could thereby use for a number of effects, such as enhancement of its fear inducement power, allowing the Anuk-ite to cause more fear even remotely.
	+ **Identity Theft**: The Anuk-ite was able to use this power to consume the genetic material of its host, stealing their DNA and traits so that they can make themselves look like the victim in question. The creature used this aspect of its power on Aaron and Quinn, leaving only a flayed corpse behind that was devoid of any DNA or cellular structure.
	+ **Pairing Identification**: The half of the Anuk-ite who took on the appearance of Aaron used this aspect of zoopathy to test supernatural creatures in an effort to find its other half. When this power was used against Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and other shapeshifters, those being tested would develop reddened blood vessels all over their body from the spiders infecting them and consuming their eyes.
	+ **Reanimation**: The Anuk-ite is capable of using the spiders under its control to reanimate the flayed corpses of its victims, allowing them to terrorize the area without being physical present itself. This was shown during the attempted peace summit between Scott, Malia and Lydia and Gerard Argent and Tamora Monroe, where the reanimated corpse was present to cause the two sides to turn on each other until the Hellhound Jordan Parrish used his pyrokinetic powers to defeat it.
* **Self-Link**: The two halves of the Anuk-ite possess a type of sympathetic link that causes injuries sustained by one half to be inflicted on the other. This power was used by "Aaron" and "Quinn" to find each other and finally merge.

#### Post-Merging

* **Merging**: When the two sides of the Anuk-ite finally reunite, they are able to merge with one another and become more powerful. This was demonstrated when "Aaron" and "Quinn" began kissing each other, each infecting the other with the spiders under its control. The two then began a physical fight in which "Aaron," the human half, defeated "Quinn's" Werewolf half.
	+ **Shapeshifting**: Though the Anuk-ite is capable of a limited form of shapeshifting pre-merging (in terms of taking on the appearance of the victims consumed by its spiders), it is able to shapeshift further once it merged, taking on the appearance of a tall, thin man with no hair, sunken eyes (that can glow purple), and flayed skin.
* **Illusion Casting**: After merging, the Anuk-ite proved capable of implanting realistic illusions in the minds of its victims. It successfully tricked Peter Hale into thinking his daughter Malia Tate was in danger, as well as Jackson Whittemore and Ethan believing the other was in trouble. It almost convinced Derek Hale that his former girlfriend Jennifer Blake was alive and trying to get back to him, and it took on the form of the Nogitsune (both in its bandaged form and Void Stiles form) during its battle with Scott McCall.
	+ **Telepathy**: Given the nature of the illusions the Anuk-ite created, it is likely that this power has a basis in telepathy, allowing the ancient shapeshifter to look into the minds of its targets and replicate the memories they find most traumatizing.
* **Petrification**: After merging, the Anuk-ite is able to petrify anyone who makes eye contact with it into stone. This is fatal for humans, but supernatural creatures with Accelerated Healing powers will be in a state of limbo for some time before they finally die, giving them a chance to be saved by killing the Anuk-ite.

### Weaknesses

The main weakness displayed by the Anuk-ite is to Mountain Ash, a weapon commonly used against supernatural creatures. However, while a Werewolf or other shapeshifter would simply be trapped within or outside of a mountain ash barrier, the substance caused the Anuk-ite's powers to rebound off of the barrier and onto itself, causing its own body to be petrified into stone before disintegrating into a pile of ashes.

Since the Anuk-ite's talents lay in the mind, as evidenced by its power to manipulate emotions and create illusions, it lacks the physical strength of other shapeshifters. Even after merging, the Anuk-ite could not match the True Alpha Werewolf Scott McCall once the latter temporarily blinded himself to prevent the Anuk-ite's mental powers from affecting him. The two halves also share injuries, indicating that the creature is more vulnerable in its separated form.

## Banshee

Banshees are special human women who have the supernatural power to sense and predict when someone is about to die. As a result, they are considered harbingers of death and are often referred to as the "Wailing Women" due to the fact that they unconsciously scream to announce when someone has died, usually those killed by supernatural forces, though their scream can also be used for other purposes.

These women predict death through premonitions, which can be auditory, visual, or both, depending on the power level of the Banshee in question. When a Banshee has a premonition, the sounds and/or sights they perceive indicate various factors that will either lead to or directly cause the death of someone in their vicinity, which are usually people harmed by the supernatural or someone the Banshee knows.

However, these premonitions are not always literal and can require a certain amount of interpretation. Additionally, since the future is always in flux, a death that a Banshee has predicted may not come to pass if the events or cause of the death can be averted using the knowledge gained from the Banshee's premonition. This can be a very useful power for Banshees who are members of a pack, such as Lydia Martin, as it gives them a team of people to help them prevent the foretold deaths.

### Banshee Physiology

Banshees are human in appearance and physiology, and, unlike most supernatural creatures, they do not possess the power to shapeshift. They also do not have superhuman physical attributes such as super strength or accelerated healing, which gives them the same form of mortality as a regular human as well. Chris Argent has implied that this is because Banshees are not actually true supernatural creatures who are controlled by the moon or other mystical forces such as Werewolves and Hellhounds; instead, they are humans with *access* to the supernatural, allowing the aforementioned mystical forces to flow through them so the Banshee can utilize the power of this force and apply it in the form of a variety of powers.

This could be why each Banshee introduced in the series has not had exactly the same power set; while some powers (such as the ability to sense and experience premonitions of a person's death; clairaudience, the power to hear things beyond human perception; the ability to utilize a Banshee wail; and a connection to other harbingers of death) appear to be common among most or all Banshees, other powers (such as divination, true telepathy, supernatural intuition, psychokinesis, and astral premonitions) are unique to certain individuals, suggesting that each Banshee uses the supernatural forces flowing through her in different ways.

While Banshees have been said to have highly enhanced senses of hearing, this trait is not necessarily to the extent of the enhanced hearing of supernatural shapeshifters such as Werewolves or Werecoyotes, whose sense of hearing are tied to their physical enhancements and allows them to simply hear from farther distances and at lower volumes like their canine counterparts. Banshees, while seemingly possessing more sensitive senses of hearing than a normal human, do not have a shapeshifter's level of hearing; rather, they have the ability of clairaudience, with their ears seemingly tuned to supernatural frequencies, allowing their powers to convert those frequencies, otherwise on a level of the universe that no other creature can hear, into auditory premonitions to help them predict deaths.

Banshees are immune to most supernatural phenomena, possibly as a result of not being truly supernatural but still utilizing its forces. For example, Banshees can handle Mountain Ash like any other human, Druid, or Chimera, and it cannot be used to trap them or block them entry from an area as it would shapeshifters. Additionally, Banshees are immune to the Bite of an Alpha Werewolf and will not be transformed into a Werewolf if they are bitten, though they can have a negative reaction to the bite that is similar to a powerful allergic reaction caused by their body rejecting the mystical side effects; for example, Lydia experienced these side effects after she was bitten by Peter Hale, which required hospitalization for an entire weekend. Banshees will also not be paralyzed if they are exposed to the venom of a Kanima.

The Banshee trait is known to be inherited by the females of a bloodline; in the case of Lydia Martin, she is believed to have gained her Banshee nature from her paternal grandmother Lorraine Martin. It has been implied that their supernatural powers will be activated upon reaching adulthood in most Banshees, though extremely traumatic events can trigger these nascent abilities at an earlier age. For example, Lydia being viciously attacked by an Alpha Werewolf triggered her Banshee heritage and caused her to activate her powers at age sixteen, and Meredith Walker also seemed to have gained her powers while she was still in high school, suggesting that she, too, experienced a traumatic event that triggered her abilities earlier than normal, though this has yet to be explicitly confirmed.

### Powers

Banshees on the series have demonstrated a wide range of powers, which seems to suggest that, while some powers are common among Banshees, they still each use the supernatural energy that flows through them in different ways, causing them to have unique power sets. However, many of these powers can also be taught by one Banshee to another, suggesting that there is potential for a Banshee to have every known power with enough experience and training. The powers Banshees have demonstrated thus far in the series include the following:

* **Death Sense:** As harbingers of death, Banshees can sense when someone has died or is about to die. This is usually accompanied by a trance-like state that draws the Banshee to the location of someone who has recently died or who is near-death, though, with experience and training, the Banshee can learn to remain somewhat conscious during this event.
* **Clairaudience** The ears of a Banshee are naturally tuned to levels of the universe that only they can hear. This gives them an ability to discern details of a person's death (or impending death) through the sounds they can perceive which no one else can. These sounds can include voices (such as whispering or screaming), gunshots, electricity, buzzing, growling, fighting, etc.
	+ **Enhanced Hearing**: While Banshees do not have a sense of hearing that is as heightened as a Werewolf or other shapeshifter, which is said to be one hundred times more powerful than that of a human, Banshees do seem to possess hearing that is slightly more powerful than their human counterparts. The screams of other Banshees have been so loud as to cause ear bleeding among their own kind.
* **Premonitions**: Banshees possess the power to experience premonitions that allow them to sense a person's death, which usually allow them to discern how a person dies, where they die, and/or what will cause the death in the first place. This power is most often used as an extension of their power of clairaudience, as the supernatural phenomena that they can sense with their enhanced hearing can take the form of auditory premonitions of an impending death; for example, Lydia was able to foresee Scott McCall's impending death after she had an auditory premonition involving wolves growling and fighting each other and heard Scott telling Liam Dunbar that he couldn't let Liam kill him *("Status Asthmaticus")*; in another instance, she predicted the shoot-out at the McCall House after she heard gunshots, cracking glass, and shell casings hitting the floor over the course of a day. *("Triggers")* She has also received clues as to others who are in immediate danger that may or may not involve their death, such as when she heard crackling electricity all day before William Barrow captured Kira Yukimura and forced her to activate her Kitsune Foxfire/electrokinesis. *("Galvanize")* However, as a Banshee's powers grow, their premonitions evolve from being purely auditory to often being visual as well, making it easier for them to interpret what their premonition is trying to tell them. This power is possessed by Lydia Martin, Meredith Walker, Lorraine Martin, and Lenore. Lydia's premonitions are not always literal and can often be up for interpretation, especially given the fact that the premonitions do not typically include every single detail of a person's death. For example, Lydia's premonition of the Desert Wolf killing Malia Tate showed Malia hiding in her former coyote den in the Beacon Hills Preserve as the Desert Wolf approached her, while in reality, the battle between the Malia and Corinne actually happened at Fort Jewett Army Base. *("The Sword and the Spirit")*
	+ **Astral Premonitions**: In some cases, a Banshee's power of premonition can advance to the point where they can astral project themselves into their visual premonitions, allowing them to pause and examine the details of the vision as well as interact within it. This aspect of the power has only been used so far by Lydia Martin; the first time she used it, her powers had been amplified through trephination, and she was able to astral project herself into a memory of the death of Theo Raeken's sister eight years earlier. *("The Last Chimera")* Though the effects of her trephination were reversed by Alan Deaton *("Lie Ability")*, her powers have evolved naturally to this point once again; recently, Lydia touched a mirror and astral projected herself into the memory of a fellow Banshee, Lenore, which occurred in Canaan in 1987, when the Wild Hunt captured everyone in the town of Canaan except for Lenore herself; she was even able to physically touch Lenore and affect her with her Banshee wail, further demonstrating the difference between an astral premonition and a regular premonition. *("Ghosted")*
* **Divination:** Banshees are often mistaken for and compared to psychics, due in part to their ability to use various forms of divination as a tool to gain information about the death and danger they are foretelling. This power is possessed by Lydia Martin, Meredith Walker, and, unsuccessfully, by Lorraine Martin when she desperately tried to figure out how she predicted her wife Maddy's death. There are a wide variety of means through which a Banshee can use divination, many of which also involve the use of their other powers, such as clairaudience. The forms of divination used by Banshees on the series include:
	+ **Sound Divination**: Using their power of clairaudience, some Banshees can divine for information by using sound vibrations to trigger their ability to perceive supernatural energy. Lydia frequently uses this ability while trying to gain information on current or upcoming supernatural events, such as: when she was trying to locate Stiles Stilinski and plucked on strings of yarn on his crime board in order to figure out that he was dreaming about Eichen House *("Riddled")*; when she was trying to learn Derek's current status by dropping a handful of the bullet casings found in Derek's loft onto a metal table, which caused her to hear Derek Hale's screams and figure out that the Calavera Family of Hunters were responsible for the shooting *("The Dark Moon")*; and when she used the blank record in the record player at the Martin Lake House's soundproof study to divine the first code-word to the Deadpool by listening to the record's vibrations and the whispers that emanated from them. *("The Benefactor")* Meredith Walker has also used this ability to learn more about the Nogitsune's plans by listening to the vibrations from the piano strings she was plucking at Beacon Hills High School. *("Insatiable")*
	+ **Psychometry**: Some Banshees have the ability to discern information about a person's death by making physical contact with a person or with an object belonging to the person in question. Lydia is the only Banshee shown to successfully use this power; she first attempted psychometry by holding onto Alan Deaton's keys to the animal clinic in hopes of learning where he was being held hostage *("Currents")*, and has since used it successfully to: help determine who had captured Derek Hale by touching the Calavera Family's bullet casings *("The Dark Moon")*; trigger a premonition of Liam's future fight with Scott by touching a table in the library that the two would ultimately smash in the fight *("Status Asthmaticus")*; and experience an astral premonition of Lenore's memory of April 8, 1987 just by touching a mirror in the girls locker room at school. *("Ghosted")* The absence of any kind of divination can also give a Banshee some idea of what is going on, such as when Lydia was able to determine that the Turners were not dead due to the fact that she was unable to divine anything from touching their car's steering wheel. *("Memory Lost")*
	+ **Automatic Writing**: Some Banshees are able to gain information by going into a trance-like state and freely writing or typing without conscious thought or awareness. Lydia is the only Banshee shown to successfully use this power. She used it for the first time when she unconsciously drew the Nemeton while zoned out in class as a hint to her conscious self that the Darach's ritual involved the Nemeton's power. *("Unleashed")*, Template:3x07, *("The Girl Who Knew Too Much")* She also used it to tell her conscious self that two of the three Philosopher sacrifices had been completed by drawing a five-fold knot in chalk on the blackboard and writing "2" inside one of the knots. *("The Girl Who Knew Too Much")* During the Deadpool, Lydia unconsciously wrote the Deadpool computer code in her math notes, which, when one of the cipher keys ("ALLISON") was learned by Lydia through Sound Divination, unlocked the first portion of the list *("Muted")*, *("The Benefactor")*; she would later use automatic writing to discover the third and final cipher key by going into a mild trance and typing "DEREK" into the password box. *("Orphaned")* She consciously used automatic writing to determine who was missing from her memories (as well as Scott McCall and Malia Tate's memories) when she wrote "STILES" in large letters, with each letter formed from the word "MISCHIEF," which she scrawled in tiny writing hundreds of times, *("Superposition")* and did the same to figure out that Nolan would eventually try to expose Corey Bryant as a pseudo-supernatural Chimera to the rest of the school by writing "sixty-eight" in a variety of languages and codes while in a trance. *("Sundowning")*
* **Harbinger Connection:** All Banshees possess an almost psychic or telepathic connection to each other and to Hellhounds, who are also harbingers of death, which they can use to communicate with one another, regardless of how far away they are. However, this is an advanced Banshee power that needs to be consciously activated to use it; it is easier to utilize this ability if the harbingers in question already have an established relationship, such as being friends or allies.
	+ **Banshee Connection**: The harbinger connection has been frequently used by Meredith Walker and Lydia Martin in order to communicate with each other when they can't be physically in the same place. For example, Meredith used it to locate Lydia when she was captured by the Nogitsune, and they both used it to hang out in each other's minds while they were both trapped in their own catatonic states in Eichen House *("Damnatio Memoriae")*; this power allowed Meredith to teach Lydia how to use her voice as a weapon so she could attempt to escape the facility and save her friends. *("The Sword and the Spirit")* Lydia also somehow found a connection to Lenore, even from a considerable distance away, as it allowed Lydia to have an astral premonition of one of Lenore's memories. *("Ghosted")*
	+ **Hellhound Connection**: At least some Banshees appear to have a similar connection with Hellhounds, who are also harbingers of death and who share some of the powers that Banshees have, such premonitions and being drawn to recently deceased bodies. This has been demonstrated by Lydia and a Hellhound named Jordan Parrish, who share both a supernatural and a romantic connection that allows them to locate each other in emergency situations, along with being able to communicate important messages to each other regarding an impending death; for example, Lydia unconsciously appeared in Parrish's mind after he had been attacked by Belasko and urged him to hold on until help arrived *("Creatures of the Night")*, and she did the same thing after she had become catatonic to warn him of her current status and the fact that Noah Stilinski was near death as well. *("The Last Chimera")* Lydia was also shown to have a strong connection to another Hellhound, Halwyn, even when the latter was functionally dead after his vessel was shot in the head with a silver-coated bullet by Tamora Monroe *("Said the Spider to the Fly")*; while Lydia was unconscious on two separate occasions, Halwyn sent Lydia premonitions to help her understand his history and what had happened to him, along with information regarding the current threat of the Anuk-ite. *("Genotype")*
* **Banshee Scream:** A Banshee's most important and valuable power is their voice, which they can use to achieve various effects when wailing or screaming. This is a power that all Banshees possess, though some of the specific aspects and applications of this power often need to be consciously learned before the Banshee can use them effectively.
	+ **Death Announcement**: When a Banshee has either received a premonition that indicates that someone has died or will die shortly, or when they have just come out of a fugue state to find that they have located a recently deceased body, a Banshee will scream at the top of her voice, both as a sort of lament for the dead as well as an alert to others that a death has occurred. This is almost always an unconscious or instinctual reaction to death and not something that the Banshee can actively control.
	+ **Premonition Enhancement**: A Banshee's scream can also be used to enhance their power of Clairaudience and auditory premonitions by clearing out ambient noises from their ears so that they can focus only on the auditory aspects of the premonition they are receiving. For example, when Lydia was trying to figure out where William Barrow took Kira Yukimura, she felt so overwhelmed by all the noise she was hearing that she inadvertently screamed; afterward, all of the other noises had been drowned out, leaving only the buzzing of electricity in the premonition she was receiving and causing her to realize that Barrow had taken her to an electric substation. *("Galvanize")*
	+ **Concussive Scream**: The most powerful use of a Banshee's scream or wail is as an offensive weapon, though this, too, is an advanced Banshee power that often (but not always) requires experience and training to use. When a Banshee's wail is given both focus and direction, it can produce so much power and force that it can shatter bulletproof glass, overload electronics, shatter skulls and eardrums, and even create concussive blasts strong enough to throw grown men across a room. Meredith used this ability to throw Lydia down a hallway while in their shared mindspace to demonstrate the strength of the power and how important it was for Lydia to learn how to use it herself. *("Damnatio Memoriae")* After being trained by Meredith, Lydia used this ability during her first attempt to break out of Eichen House, causing light bulbs to explode from inside Eichen House all the way to Fort Jewett, before using this power several more times during her attempted escape to defend herself against the guards, forcefully throwing them backward against walls to knock them out *("The Sword and the Spirit")*; she also used this power to defend herself against Sebastien Valet, minimizing the injuries she received in the process. *("The Beast of Beacon Hills")* Lenore, a Banshee living in the "ghost town" of Canaan, was able to use this power without training to disorient Scott McCall and Malia Tate and to throw Lydia backward across the room. *("Ghosted")* This power can be focused further by the Banshee channeling their scream through their hands to push people and other objects backward. While her abilities were amplified by trephination, Lydia's concussive scream was powerful enough to fatally shatter Gabriel Valack's skull, though it is unknown if she retains her scream at this powerful of a level now that the effects of the trephination have been reversed. *("Lie Ability")* However, Banshee does not need to emit a full scream for their voice to affect their environment; simply speaking in a highly emotional state, regardless of the volume and pitch, can cause objects to shake and disorient people around them, especially if said Banshee is powerful or experienced enough. Lydia was able to use this aspect to turn the resurrected Sebastien Valet back into Mason Hewitt, whom his spirit was possessing at the time *("Apotheosis")*, and Lenore used it to shake all of the furniture and objects in her house when she had an emotional outburst. *("Ghosted")*
* **Supernatural Immunity**: Since Banshees are humans who access the supernatural rather than fully supernatural creatures who are ruled by mystical forces, Banshees are immune to the effects of many supernatural phenomena. A bite from an Alpha Werewolf will neither kill them nor turn them, provided the wounds from the bite aren't fatal; this was demonstrated when Peter Hale bit Lydia in Season 1, which did nothing but activate her latent Banshee abilities. *("Formality")*, *("Code Breaker")* Likewise, Kanima venom will not paralyze Banshees or otherwise have an effect on them whatsoever, as evidenced when Lydia unknowingly ate a piece of rock candy covered in Jackson Whittemore's venom and suffered no negative consequences from the exposure. *("Venomous")* Also, Banshees can wield rowan wood and mountain ash like any normal human and are unaffected by barriers made of it, which would weaken and trap any other truly supernatural creature. Interestingly enough, Lydia was shown to be immune to the effects of Lenore's Banshee aura, though she was still affected by the concussive blast created by her scream. *("Ghosted")*
* **Telepathy**: It appears that at least some Banshees possess a form of telepathy, which has been demonstrated by Meredith Walker on two occasions. The first was when she was hospitalized several years prior to the start of the series and was put in the same room as Peter Hale, who was still comatose after being gravely burned in the Hale House Fire. Since Werewolves remain conscious even when in comas due to their enhanced healing abilities, he was unable to do anything but think about how angry he was about the fire, and his thoughts somehow found the same "wavelength" as Meredith's, allowing her to hear every single thought running through his head as though he was talking right into her ear. *("Monstrous")* She demonstrated telepathy again right after Scott McCall had ceased performing the Alpha memory-manipulation ritual on her, as she had requested he do so in order for Scott to see how much pain Lydia was in through their shared harbinger connection. After Scott removed the claws from her neck and broke their connection, Meredith telepathically whispered, "Save her," to him in his mind, suggesting that she can telepathically communicate with others who are not Banshees. *("Amplification")*
* **Banshee Aura**: It appears that some Banshees possess the ability to imbue their environment with an aura that allows them to have unprecedented control over it as well as giving them the power to affect other non-Banshees through it. This power has only been demonstrated by Lenore, a Banshee who has lived in the ghost town of Canaan since 1987. It is possible that the immense grief Lenore felt as a result of her son Caleb's death was compounded by the trauma of watching every one of her town's citizens being captured by the Wild Hunt while also being spared by them caused her to have such a powerful mental breakdown that her Banshee power was unleashed upon Canaan, causing everything within its borders to be infused with her supernatural energy. This seemed to have only become stronger as a result of Lenore being alone for three decades and not fully processing that so much time had passed. Despite her thirty years of solitude, Lenore had a great level of control over the aura, which she could use in a variety of ways. *("Ghosted")*
	+ **Hallucination Induction**: One aspect of a Banshee aura is the ability to cause non-Banshees (even shapeshifters such as Werewolves and Werecoyotes) to have extremely vivid visual and auditory hallucinations. This was demonstrated upon Lydia, Scott McCall and Malia Tate's arrival to Canaan; soon after, Scott and Malia started having vivid and horrific hallucinations—Scott envisioned his mother, Melissa McCall, with a bite taken out of her skull like the other victims of Garrett Douglas in Beacon Hills, while Malia envisioned her adoptive mother Evelyn and her adoptive younger sister Kylie laying dead on the ground while Theo Raeken appeared and shot her in the stomach. It is possible that the hallucinations forced upon Scott and Malia were premonitions of sorts, since Theo was released from his underground prison that same day, and Melissa has been helping Chris Argent investigate the deaths of victims who died of the same injuries she was shown to have.
	+ **Apparition Projection**: Another aspect of the Banshee aura is the ability to create apparitions. Lenore unconsciously used this power to create a ghostly manifestation of her dead son, Caleb, who had drowned in the mid-late 1980s; Caleb appeared both as a young boy in good health and a drowned boy with blue lips. Caleb seemed to exist as a result of the Lenore's Banshee aura, as there are several moments when Caleb speaks where his voice is undercut with Lenore's voice. The apparition of Caleb had a connection to Lenore, allowing her to use her powers to manipulate the Banshee aura through him; he also seemed to have some degree of sentience, as he possessed his own memories of his life and could sense what his mother wanted or felt. It can be argued that Lenore's Banshee power had been operating on a subconscious level and that Caleb was a projection of Lenore's overwhelming desire to see her son again, allowing this projection to manipulate the Banshee Aura and force this effect on Scott and Malia. It should be noted that while Lenore believes that the Ghost Riders brought her son back at the cost of the rest of the townspeople they captured, but there is no proof to support that, making it more likely that her power created Caleb without her knowledge, since she seemingly had no idea that she was even a Banshee until Lydia identified her as one.
	+ **Psychokinesis**: Through her Banshee aura, Lenore was able to manipulate the objects in her environment through sheer force of will. This was demonstrated when she caused all of the doors in her home to slam shut on their own, locking Scott, Malia, and Lydia inside. It should be noted that Lenore also caused the front door and the window glass to become so strong that Scott and Malia could not break through it; it is unknown if this was the result of a density-manipulation aspect of the power, or if she could nullify the supernatural powers of other beings. Lenore was also able to turn on a carousel from quite a distance away and cause the lights to flicker, suggesting that this power also included the ability to manipulate electricity.
* **Supernatural Sensitivity**: Banshees, as conduits of supernatural forces, can sense, seek out, and identify its energy, though how they are able to do this varies among individuals. For example, Meredith is able to sense the supernatural identities of the creatures in her vicinity, as she was able to identify every single supernatural creature in Beacon Hills and put them on the Deadpool. *("The Benefactor")*, *("I.E.D.")*, Template:Ep\4x06 Lydia, on the other hand, is extremely sensitive to supernatural energy; when at the Glen Capri Motel and Camp Oak Creek, both locations where hundreds of people have died violent deaths, Lydia was overwhelmed by the whispers and screams of the dead. *("Motel California")*, *("Insatiable")* Similarly, Lydia was able to feel the Banshee aura that Lenore had created within Canaan while still remaining immune to its effects. *("Ghosted")*

### Weaknesses

Banshees are still physically human, and as a result, they share the same weakness of mortality, making them vulnerable to injury, illness, and death just as any other human. Because they possess enhanced senses of hearing, they can also be harmed by extremely loud or high-pitched noises; this was evidenced when Meredith was seriously injured after listening to the "Banshee record" with headphones at Lorraine Martin's lake house ("Perishable"), and when Meredith's Banshee-wailed so loudly that she caused Lydia's ear to bleed, despite the fact that she was with the regular human Stiles Stilinski, who was not injured by the scream. ("Orphaned") Banshees are also susceptible to the psychological turmoil as a result of the trauma involved with constantly being surrounded by death, whether it is having premonitions of a death or stumbling upon the body of someone who has been brutally murdered. Since the supernatural world is still a secret to the majority of humans, Banshees are typically mistaken for being mentally ill, since they can see and hear things that very few people can and often behave strangely as a result of the passive aspects of their powers; this puts them at risk of being institutionalized by family members, as Lorraine Martin, Meredith Walker and, briefly, Lydia Martin have all spent time in Eichen House.

## La Bête du Gévaudan

La Bête du Gévaudan, also known as The Beast of Gevaudan, is a monstrous Werewolf who terrorized France in the 1700s. The Beast was eventually killed by one of the ancestors of the Argent family of Werewolf Hunters.

### History

The Beast was originally born in France in the early 1700s as Sebastien Valet. What his early life was like is still a mystery, but it is known that he eventually became a soldier in the French military and served during the Seven Years' War in North America, fighting alongside the Native Americans against the British. He and his comrade Marcel were running from British soldiers on a rainy night when he tripped and fell face-first onto the ground, accidentally drinking water from a puddle in the ground made by a wolf's paw print. As a result, Sebastien was inadvertently transformed into a monstrous form of a Werewolf made of shadows who took pleasure in violently tearing apart any living thing that crossed his path, all while Marcel helped him cover up his role in the killings.

This caused the legend of "the Beast of Gevaudan" to begin even before Sebastien and Marcel officially returned to their hometowns of Gevaudan, France, where a young boy named Emil was slaughtered, causing a hunting party led by Sebastien's sister Marie-Jeanne Valet, the best hunter in the village. With help from Henri Argent, Marie-Jeanne was able to identify her brother as the murderous Beast and began hunting him through the Auvergne and South Dordogne regions of France between 1764 and 1767.

It was after three years old hunting that Marie-Jeanne finally caught up with her brother and was able to slay him with a mystical pike made of steel, Valet blood, wolfsbane, and mountain ash under a full moon. However, by this point, the Beast had already killed upwards of five hundred innocent humans. To ensure that Sebastien could not die satisfied that history would always remember him for being the most vicious and feared Werewolf in history, Marie-Jeanne gave him the final punishment of damnatio memoriae, Latin for "condemnation of memory;" she and the town destroyed everything associated with Sebastien and that acted as evidence of his existence, leaving the real name of the Beast to be lost to time and unknown in the 21st century.

However, Marcel, desperate to resurrect his friend Sebastien, who he believed was the world's most perfect killer, augmented his medical knowledge by deep research into the supernatural, artificially bestowing powers upon himself and two other like-minded scientists; the three would become known as the Dread Doctors, and their mission was to create the perfect vessel for the resurrected spirit of the Beast, though they were not successful.

### Physical Appearance

The Beast of Gevaudan's "beast" form is a more larger version of an Alpha Werewolf's beast form, being almost twice the size and with more fur covering its body as well as large red visible veins. The face of the Beast is also peculiar, being more feline than canine and with an oversized mouth with no lips. Additionally, the Beast almost appears as though it is made up of black smoke or shadows, and has been described as looking both solid and shapeless at the same time. Instead of eyes like typical Werewolves, which have either red, blue, or gold irises, the entire surface of the Beast's eyes are a glowing white-blue. specifically an electric blue. It is shown that the Beast had these traits in its original life, meaning it was never a "normal" Werewolf to begin with; thus the strange powers and appearance has nothing to do with the Dread Doctors or it coming from a Chimera.

### Powers

The Beast possesses the common powers of a Werewolf, but they are extremely heightened and powerful. It appears to be the most powerful Werewolf ever to appear on the series thus far, and it was even able to gain the upper-hand in a battle against the Hellhound, Jordan Parrish. Even Deucalion, an Augmented Alpha Werewolf who was self-described as "the Demon Wolf," saw the Beast as an incredibly dangerous and formidable force to be reckoned with, which says a lot about his level of power.

The Beast's ability to "transform" itself is also unusual in that it is able to keep its clothes intact, which was proven when the Beast's bloody paw-prints at a crime scene were shown to morph into bloody shoe prints. It's implied that it morphs into its bestial form by wrapping shadows around its "human" body, though how it does this is not fully understood as of yet. It was recently revealed that it could do this in its original life and was apparently turned not by a bite or a scratch but by drinking rain water from a paw print of a wolf.

### Weaknesses

In the Beast's original life, it would have presumably had the same weaknesses of a typical Werewolf though it has been stated that even in the past, it was never a "normal" Werewolf. According to Sebastien himself, he could not be killed by ordinary steel weapons, and according to Gerard Argent, the only effective weapon against it was a special spear (made of mistletoe, mountain ash, and Valet blood under a full moon) in the hands of a young woman.

Mountain Ash is effective as a barrier against it, suggesting that does indeed have the typical weaknesses of a typical Werewolf. Deucalion suggested that the Beast should also be vulnerable to Kanima Venom; however, this was proven false when Theo Raeken attempted to paralyze him in order to steal the Beast's power.

Since the resurrected Beast was inhabiting the body of a Chimera, it was even more of a mystery as to whether it has any weaknesses typical of a Werewolf, though it was ultimately still susceptible to being killed by the same spear that killed him in his first life.

## Berserker

Berserkers are men who, after special rituals using the pelts and bones of bears, gain supernatural powers of strength, speed, and durability. However, doing so also causes them to channel the bear's ferocity, causing them to become mindlessly violent beings.

### Appearance

The natural Berserkers who have appeared thus far in the series were shown to wear armor made of bear bones, including the sternum and rib cage, which is worn as a chest plate over their bare chests. Under the bones is a roughly-processed leather made out of bear skin, which also is used to create the strings that hold all of the armor together. Over their faces, they wear a bear skull, which is believed to bind the animal spirit to the human spirit, as evidenced by the fact that the only known ways to kill a Berserker is to damage the bear skull. Some Berserkers have bone claws affixed to their hands that they would use just like a bear would use their own claws, while others keep the claws tucked in their waist belt, which they use as daggers in battle.

### Creation

There are two confirmed methods of becoming a Berserker, though many of the details of these methods remain unknown. Berserkers are typically created from humans but Kate Argent was capable of making True Alpha Scott McCall a Berserker, which proves that Werewolves (and possibly other supernatural creatures) can be made into Berserkers as well, at least temporarily.

The first method was used by Kate, though it is unknown if the power to perform this particular ritual is something unique to Kate herself, if the ritual must specifically be performed by Werejaguars, or if it is something that anyone can do; it is also unknown if this particular ritual must be performed in the Temple of Tezcatlipoca, or if it can be done anywhere. This ritual consists of binding the soon-to-be Berserker to an altar with wolfsbane (though this may be used only when turning a Werewolf such as Scott McCall into a Berserker), placing the bones and skin of a bear on the potential Berserker and then finally placing the skull of the bear over their face. This method proved successful, as Kate had complete control of Scott to the point where he nearly killed his friends, even despite the fact that he wasn't human when he was turned.

The second method involved rituals using animal skins, which was how the first Berserker Chris Argent hunted was transformed into one, but the exact ritual that was used by this teenager remains unknown; all Chris said about the experience was that the teenagers were playing around with animal pelts and somehow managed to tap into their power.

The Dread Doctors have also successfully created at least one part-Berserker Chimera, but their deaths in *The Beast of Beacon Hills* and *Apotheosis* means that this process, the details of which remain unknown, is not likely to be replicated again.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Super Strength:** Berserkers are incredibly strong, and their strength is far greater than that of any human and most Werewolves. as not even the True Alpha Scott McCall could match their strength. Their power so strong that even Peter Hale was initially unwilling to fight one, even with superior numbers on his side.
* **Super Speed:** Berserkers are very fast, which has been stated and demonstrated on multiple occasions; neither Kira Yukimura, an incredibly fast Kitsune, or Malia Tate, a powerful Werecoyote, were able to keep up with them.
* **Super Durability:** Berserkers are one of the most durable supernatural creatures seen to date. They are capable of withstanding an exceptional amounts of damage with little to no injury whatsoever. Chris Argent stated that it took almost every bullet he and two other hunters had to take down just one of them. This durability extends to the bones they wear, as neither Kira Yukimura's katana nor the claws of a Werewolf or Werecoyote could breach their armor even despite the fact that the bones appear to be old and brittle.
* **Enhanced Stealth:** According to Chris Argent, Berserkers leave very little in the name of tracks, making them near impossible to track by footprint, even for a highly trained tracker such as Chris.

### Weaknesses

* **Skull Removal/Destruction:** Berserkers can be killed through the forceful removal or destruction of their bear skull, though this is a difficult process to successfully perform, as the skull is what binds the animal spirit of the Berserker to the human spirit. The former process was proven successful when the newly evolved Derek Hale was able to break off the skull of one of Kate Argent's Berserkers from their face, as well as when Scott McCall ripped off his own skull upon remembering that he was a Werewolf. The latter process was demonstrated by Sheriff Stilinski when he successfully killed Kate's last Berserker by blowing it up with a claymore mine, destroying its skull so badly that it turned the Berserker to dust.
* **Strong Scent:** Despite their ability to conceal their footprints, Berserkers do not seem to be able to conceal their scent, making them easily tracked by supernaturals with heightened senses of smell. According to Malia Tate, a Berserker's scent is very strong and smells like death.

## Chameleon

### Powers and Abilities

* **Adaptive Camouflage**: Chameleons possess the power to make oneself imperceptible to the human eye by blending into one's surroundings or becoming invisible. This includes the ability to cloak themselves or others, usually through physical contact.
* **Co-Existence**: Chameleons possess the power to exist in different planes of reality, such as the normal reality and the Ghost Rider's reality.
	+ **Supernatural Perception**: They can see supernatural phenomena that cannot be perceived by Human eyes, such as the Ghost Riders when they are hidden, or objects warped from reality.
* **Superhuman Condition**: Chameleons possess capabilities/attributes/aspects drastically beyond what is naturally possible. This includes superior strength, agility, and speed all up to par with those of a Werewolf.
	+ **Accelerated Healing**: A Chameleons's body regenerates its cells at an incredible rate, giving them an immunity to all human illnesses and conditions as well as allowing them to heal from mild to moderate injuries within minutes. As a result of this healing factor, they are unable to get drunk on alcohol or high on drugs.
	+ **Longevity**: Because a Chameleon's rapid cellular healing prevents them from contracting any human illness or condition and replaces aging cells at a constant rate, they have a tremendously extended lifespan.

### Weaknesses

* **Mountain Ash**: Chameleons, like the majority of supernatural creatures in the show, most likely cannot cross barriers made of mountain ash or rowan wood, nor could they touch or manipulate the wood or its ash in a non-barrier form. This would make them vulnerable to being trapped within a ring of mountain ash, or being prevented from entering an area that has been warded with it.
* **Scent**: Chameleons can still be sensed by supernatural creatures and Chimeras with heightened senses while they're is essentially invisible.
* **Electricity**: Chameleons can most likely be weakened or killed by exposure to electricity, depending on the level of voltage used.

## Chimera

A Chimera is a human who has been scientifically given the powers of at least one supernatural species by the Dread Doctors, although they typically have the traits of two of these species. According to Alan Deaton, these hybrid creatures are not bound by the same rules as real supernatural creatures since they were created through science rather than magic or mysticism, thus making them essentially enhanced humans. For example, Chimeras can handle Mountain Ash like any other human, whereas a true supernatural would be unable to touch or manipulate it in any way. Despite this, they are still beholden to some metaphysical rules that are too rigid to be broken, such as being unable to steal a True Alpha Werewolf's powers, as proven when both Belasko and Theo Raeken attempted to steal Scott McCall's True Alpha status; since neither were Betas who were bitten and turned by Scott himself, they were both unsuccessful.

As previously stated, Chimeras were created by the Dread Doctors, who specifically chose human teenagers with genetic chimerism (i.e. humans with two sets of DNA, caused by such factors as organ/tissue transplants or fetal resorption syndrome) as their test subjects in pursuit of the ideal vessel for the resurrected spirit of the Beast of Gevaudan. However, all but one of these Chimeras were referred to by the Doctors as "failures," as they transformed in ways that made them unsuitable vessels for the Beast. The majority of these failures were characterized by bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth; they often first began to bleed black blood before then getting nosebleeds or vomiting the modified mercury that the Dread Doctors used to turn them in the first place. They then began to forget who they were and eventually devolved into mindless beasts who fought everyone around them, as seen with Tracy Stewart, who was already prone to this madness due to her preexisting condition of night terrors.

The only truly successful Chimera was Mason Hewitt, who was a genetic chimera as a result of absorbing his twin in the womb rather than receiving an organ or tissue transplant, and who ultimately became the host for the Beast of Gevaudan; while Theo Raeken was considered to be a somewhat successful Chimera due to the fact that, he did not reject the transformation like the ten other Chimeras who were considered to be "failures," he was also not truly a success by the Dread Doctors' standards, since he was not a suitable vessel for the Beast's spirit.

### Transformation

The exact transformation process the Dread Doctors used to turn humans with genetic chimerism into super-powered Chimeras remains unknown, but from what was revealed, it appears that they began this process by identifying teenagers with two sets of DNA, likely because teenagers were more likely to survive the transformation than adults were. As seen with Tracy Stewart, it appears that once the test subjects were chosen, the Dread Doctors would give the soon-to-be Chimeras infusions of a modified mercury solution over multiple nights before burying them in the ground as a sort of incubation period.

Once the Chimera was able to dig themselves out of their makeshift graves, they began to exhibit the supernatural traits and powers of the creatures that made up their new hybrid nature, which in some cases meant the species of both creatures combined to create unique powers (though it is unknown how or why each Chimera gained the supernatural characteristics that they developed—it could be that the Dread Doctors chose the species that made up their Chimera nature, though this seems unlikely, or it could be a case of "the shape you take reflects the person that you are" in which the newly turned Chimera's supernatural nature is determined by their personality and body chemistry, which is typical of true supernatural creatures).

After this point, the Dread Doctors gave them a final mercury infusion. From there, the Chimeras would continue to be tested and experimented on, which may or may not include physical transformations like new sets of teeth, talons, or wings. Throughout this weeks-long process, the Dread Doctors would continually modify the memories of the Chimeras so that they wouldn't know what was being done to them until the Doctors were ready for them to be aware of their true nature.

It would quickly become clear whether they were successes or failures depending on their behavior after they exhibited their new hybrid powers. Rejection of this transformation would cause the Chimeras to begin to forget who they were and what was happening to them, sometimes involving hallucinations, and then they would begin to bleed black blood and become unable to heal their wounds at an accelerated rate. Once the Chimera began to bleed modified mercury from their eyes, noses, mouths, or open wounds, the Dread Doctors would determine that they were failures and kill them, as they believe failures tainted the experiment pool.

Mason Hewitt did not seem to go through this rejection process whatsoever due to his status as a truly successful Chimera, nor did Theo Raeken, who became a genetic chimera through a heart transplant performed by the Dread Doctors themselves when he was nine years old, and survived his transformation without any negative side-effects. However, the rest of the Chimeras all began to exhibit signs of being a failure and were subsequently killed, though four of them were resurrected by Theo using a green serum of the Dread Doctors' design that allowed them to successfully complete their transformations without issue after they were revived.

### Physical Appearance

Most of the Chimeras have their own unique form that was given to them by the Dread Doctors, though it remains unknown how or why the Chimeras gained the traits of their specific species. For some of these Chimeras, their physical characteristics appeared to be permanent and could not be transformed back and forth like typical shapeshifters. For example, Belasko had glowing blue talons, along with the ridged brow, fangs, and glowing blue eyes of a Werewolf, though the colors of his eyes changed when he siphoned the powers of a supernatural creature, such as when they turned fiery reddish-orange when he tried to take the Hellhound Jordan Parrish's powers; these physical characteristics did not seem to be retractable. Likewise, Donovan Donati's Wendigo fangs also appeared to be permanent due to the Dread Doctors pulling out all of his human teeth, though he could make his eyes transform back and forth from their human brown to Wendigo white, and could create lamprey mouths over his body at will as well. Zach also had wings growing out of his back until the Dread Doctors cut them off, and the female Chimera who was killed by Kira Yukimura at the McCall House had long, black, needle-like claws that may or may not have been retractable.

Other Chimeras are more like true shapeshifters, in that they have a human form and a Chimera form that usually resembled one or both of the supernatural creatures whose powers they possessed. For example, Josh Diaz, a Chimera with unknown donor species, had glowing purple eyes, claws (which physically resembled those of typical werecreatures but which glowed with the same purple light as his eyes), and large sharp fanged teeth, all traits that had never been seen before in any other known creature in the series. Upon completion of Tracy Stewart's transformation, her eyes originally glowed bright yellow, like those of a typical Beta Werewolf, but they later changed to resemble the eyes of a Kanima; to match her Kanima nature, she also could develop reptilian scales over half of her body and had a tail that she could extend and retract from her spine before Kira Yukimura cut it off with her sword.

Similarly, both Theo Raeken and Hayden Romero could both shapeshift their features into those that resembled a Beta Werewolf, including glowing golden eyes, claws, and fangs; however, Theo also possessed the ability to fully shift into a wolf due to his Werecoyote side, while Hayden demonstrated she could transform her skin to resemble a Werejaguar when she was dying of a mercury overdose. Noah Patrick had the ability to extend and retract Berserker claws from his wrist and hand, and could transform his face to resemble a Berserker's as well, which caused his eye sockets to become sunken in and darkened.

Additionally, one specific Chimera, Corey, doesn't have shapeshifting abilities whatsoever; instead, he can camouflage himself by pressing himself against his surroundings like a chameleon and can thereby make himself invisible to the human eye. Mason Hewitt, as the vessel for the Beast of Gevaudan, possessed all the powers of the Beast, including the ability to shapeshift from his own human form into a large, black bestial Werewolf by summoning the shadows and darkness around him to envelop him. This lasted until the Beast remembered who he truly was, after which point Mason shapeshifted into the human form of Sebastien Valet while retaining his own memories inside Sebastien's mind. Now that the Beast has been vanquished and Mason has been returned to his true form, it is believed that he no longer has any physical traits or powers of a Chimera, since his powers were derived fully from Sebastien's spirit.

### Powers and Abilities

The powers of a Chimera vary depending on the individual, though many of them who are partially of the same species may share similar powers; what powers they gain upon their transformation depends on what species make up their Chimera nature and how those two species combine with each other. Additionally, the degree of their powers may not be on the same level as the true supernatural creatures from whom they were derived. Theo Raeken has mentioned that he considers the Chimeras to be "cheap knock-offs," since their powers are still inferior to those of true shapeshifters, although the strength level of a Chimera can even vary within their own species.

Theo seemed to demonstrate the strongest abilities of all the Chimeras, likely due to the fact that he survived his transformation without any negative side effects, and possibly also as a result of the fact that he was turned when he was nine years old; for example, Theo was strong enough to overturn a Jeep, though he was still not as strong as Malia Tate, a Werecoyote, and his healing ability was strong enough to allow him to survive a snapped neck (though it should be noted that he had absorbed the powers of two other Chimeras at this point, which may have heightened the strength of his supernatural powers). Deucalion also referred to Hayden Romero as the next strongest Chimera in the Chimera Pack after Theo, though whether this was a true belief of his or merely a lie to win Hayden over remains to be seen; Hayden, prior to her transformation into a true Werewolf, did indeed appear to have reasonably powerful speed, agility, and senses (for example, she was able to jump onto the roof of Eichen House from the parking lot in a single bound without a running start), but for reasons unknown, her healing ability was inferior to most of her Chimera peers.

With that in mind, the most common abilities among them were superhuman physical attributes, such as enhanced strength, speed, agility/reflexes, durability, senses, and an accelerated healing factor, all of which seem to be possessed by all Chimeras, regardless of their combination of species, though there was still a great deal of disparity in the strength level of these individual powers. The next most common power was shapeshifting, which all the Chimeras seemed to possess in some manner with the exception of Corey, though this shapeshifting power varies based on the species of the Chimera in question.

Aside from these powers, the rest of the powers they possessed appeared to be somewhat unique to the individual in question—as previously stated, these unique powers were based on the specific supernatural species that made up the Chimeras' nature and the manner in which they combined with each other.

* **Belasko** had the common abilities of an Omega-level Werewolf in terms of physical attributes, but he could also absorb the powers of other supernatural creatures through his talons.
* **Tracy Stewart** possessed the fangs and claws of a Werewolf and the eyes, scales, and paralytic venom of a Kanima, along with the physical attributes of both. She also possessed incredible superhuman durability on a level far surpassing the rest of her peers, which made it so that not even a surgical steel scalpel could cut through her skin, although she was still vulnerable to the claws of Chimeras and true shapeshifters as well as weapons imbued with mystical energy, such as Kira Yukimura's katana. Unlike the majority of her part-Werewolf peers, Tracy did not develop the power to take the pain of living beings.
* **Donovan Donati** possessed the eyes, fangs, and cannibalistic hunger of a Wendigo and the ability to create lamprey mouths wherever he wanted on his body.
* **Lucas** had the claws and physical attributes of a Werewolf and the ability to produce scorpion stingers (complete with scorpion venom that caused agonizing pain in those exposed to it) on the back of his arms and spine.
* **Josh Diaz** had the glowing purple eyes, glowing purple claws, and fangs of unknown creatures, as well as electromagnetokinesis, or the ability to siphon, create, and manipulate electricity, magnetism, and electromagnetic fields. This power also gave him the ability to sense electrical and electromagnetic forces around him, as he needed a source of this energy to fuel his powers, and he experienced a euphoric "high"-like sensation when he absorbed electricity.
* **Hayden Romero** possessed the glowing gold eyes, claws, and fangs of a Werewolf as well as the unique skin patterning and the ability to sense Berserkers that is common among Werejaguars. However, the Werejaguar aspects of Hayden's powers were presumably lost upon her transformation into a real Werewolf after being given the Bite by Scott McCall. Like Werewolves, Hayden was also able to absorb the pain of living beings as a Chimera.
* **Theo Raeken** has the glowing gold eyes, claws, and fangs of a Werewolf, along with the ability to full-shift into a large black wolf due to his Werecoyote nature and the power to take the pain of living beings due to both species. After killing and absorbing the powers of Tracy Stewart and Josh Diaz, Theo gained the ability to excrete Kanima venom as well as the ability to absorb and manipulate electromagnetic energy, though these powers were lost after his imprisonment underground for nearly four months.
* **Corey Bryant** possesses the power of Adaptive Camouflage, allowing him to blend in with his surroundings through tactile contact in a manner similar to a chameleon. He was also able to camouflage at least one other person by touching them as well, and his power appears to have advanced to where he can now blend in with the air around him to become invisible, rather than blending himself into a tangible object such as a wall. He also possesses superhuman physical attributes such as super strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and a powerful an accelerated healing factor that allowed him to survive and recover from being completely engulfed in a Hellhound's hellfire, albeit with some help from Malia Tate's pain absorption ability.
* **Zach** possessed wings on his back, though once he began displaying symptoms of being a "failure," the Dread Doctors cut them off.
* **The unnamed female Chimera** who was found dead at the McCall House possessed long, black, needle-like claws on all of her fingers. It is unknown what other powers she possessed or from which species she inherited her powers. She was killed by Kira Yukimura while in a Kitsune-spirit-induced fugue state.
* **Beth** possessed superhuman physical attributes such as super strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and durability. It is unknown what other powers she possessed or from which species she inherited her powers, as she was killed by the Dread Doctors for being a "failure" before it could be revealed.

### Weaknesses

Unlike true supernatural creatures, Chimeras have shown no specific weakness to substances such as Wolfsbane or Mountain Ash, which are common vulnerabilities among supernatural creatures and shapeshifters. However, this does not make them unkillable or invulnerable, as they are still susceptible to death like any other living creature (though their accelerated healing ability does make it slightly more difficult to kill them than it would be for a human), as has been proven on multiple occasions.

For example, Josh Diaz was killed by Theo Raeken on two occasions; once after having his throat clawed out, and again after being impaled with Theo's claws and having both his pain and his powers siphoned out of him. Corey was nearly killed by Cerberus after being engulfed by the Hellhound's flames, and while Malia Tate's ability to take away pain helped his healing ability kick in enough to prevent him from dying, the burns still took several days to heal. Lucas, who showed showed extraordinary strength in battle, was killed after being shot in the heart with a retractable crossbow bolt, and Donovan Donati was killed similarly after being impaled in the chest by a large metal brace. Chimeras also seem to be susceptible to overdoses from the same modified mercury that transformed them in the first place, as evidenced by both Tracy Stewart and Hayden Romero being killed by the Dread Doctors in this manner.

It also appears that Corey's power of supernatural camouflage wasn't effective against the Dread Doctors, who seemed to be able to see through his camouflage in order to kill him, possibly due to their own electromagnetokinetic powers; additionally, while his camouflage ability does allow him to mask his physical presence, it will not mask his scent or his heartbeat, allowing true shapeshifters and Chimeras with heightened senses of smell and hearing to track him even if he isn't visible.

## Cold Ones

**The Cold Ones** are the primary supernatural creatures of the *Twilight* universe. They are a pseudo-species of crystalized immortal beings who must feed on the blood of humans or animals to survive.

Vampires are one of the four known supernatural species in the *Twilight* series, with the others being shape-shifters, vampire-human hybrids, and true werewolves. Though humans are generally not considered supernatural, vampires and Children of the Moon are transformed humans (by venom and infection, respectively); shapeshifters are a human population with special gifts, and even "ordinary" humans are gifted.

## History

The origin of vampires remains a mystery. In the *Twilight* universe, vampires greatly deviate from traditional myth; a fact often referenced in the series, usually for humor. For example, all vampires have refined and perfected physical features (including their scent and voice), allowing them to attract prey (i.e., humans).

Their skin is flawless and textured with a marble-like substance much harder and stronger than granite. Due to the crystalline properties of their cells, when a vampire is exposed to sunlight, their body will sparkle like diamonds. For vampires who feed on human blood, their eyes reflect a deep red, as opposed to those who drink animal blood, whose eyes will reflect a medium gold color. Vampires also possess superhuman powers, such as speed and strength. They also have incredibly keen senses and are able to hear for miles and see in total darkness.

Vampires are indeed immortal unless destroyed. Unable to sleep, they spend all days and nights awake. After transformation, a few vampires show special abilities such as foresight or telepathy, usually a prominent personality or physical trait magnified from their human life. Most of them, however, do not. Vampires are unharmed by garlic, holy items, or wooden stakes; they have reflections and shadows, and are able to walk freely in the sunlight without being physically damaged by it.

## Physiology

### Nutrition

"*When we taste… human blood, a sort of frenzy begins. It's almost impossible to stop.*"
―Edward Cullen to Bella Swan.[src]
Vampires subsist on blood as their only food source. Human blood is by far the most common source and the most appealing, and subsequently the most difficult to resist.

As blood is the only component of a vampire's diet, failing to drink blood (whether human or animal) for an extended period of time will physically and mentally weaken a vampire. The longer a vampire abstains from blood, the more likely the vampire will lose their rationality and mental faculties until they give into their thirst, because their throats are described to be in "burning pain", which will worsen the longer they do not drink blood. Although it still gives them nutrition, animal blood is less appealing to vampires.

Vampires who wish to blend in with human society are also seen to ingest human food and drinks, but, since their bodies can no longer digest this, they must cough everything up later. On occasion, the appeal of human blood can be so enticing that a "vegetarian" vampire will lose control, especially if their self-control is weak. To a "vegetarian" vampire, carnivores' blood is more appetizing than herbivores, though still not quite as good as humans.

On the moral grounds that all human life is precious, a very small proportion of vampires in the *Twilight* universe receive their sustenance from animal blood, jokingly calling themselves vegetarians. The only examples known are the Cullen family and the Denali coven.

#### Singers

"*I wanted to kill you. I've never wanted a human's blood so much in my life… Your scent… is like a drug to me. You're like my personal brand of heroin.*"
―Edward about Bella's appealing blood.[src]
The blood of each human has an individual taste and smell; sometimes a certain vampire finds a particular human whose blood he or she finds nearly absolutely irresistible. The Volturi call such a human "la tua cantante"—your singer—as their blood "sings" to that particular vampire. To most vampires, such discovery is an experience to be savored.

### Physical appearance

"*As predators, we have a glut of weapons in our physical arsenal—much, much more than really necessary. The strength, the speed, the acute senses, not to mention those like Edward, Jasper, and I, who have extra senses as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we are physically attractive to our prey.*"
―Alice to Bella[src]
After the change, vampires' physical appearance and muscle mass is enhanced and perfected, eye color changes, and they no longer need to breathe, though they often still do so out of habit, and feel uncomfortable without their sense of smell—the first warning of an impending threat or the smell of potential prey. The ability to cut off airflow from their lungs allows them to remain submerged underwater for as long as they wish, and contributes greatly to their excellent swimming capabilities.

Vampires are extraordinarily beautiful, some more attractive than others, such as Heidi and Rosalie. Their beauty is described as angelic or even god-like. This is one of the several features meant to attract their prey—more specifically, to attract, fascinate, and (if necessary) seduce, unsuspecting humans. How physically appealing their prey finds them is determined by how desirable they were as humans themselves. If an already attractive human were to be transformed, their physical beauty would be "beyond breathtaking". If they were of average interest, their attractiveness would be lower, but still stunningly beautiful. If however they were not particularly pleasing to the eye, they would become average (as shown with James), but this is a rare occurrence, as vampires normally select exceptional humans to turn.

A vampire's skin is described as "chalky", alabaster, or marble (because of its texture and feel, as well as its appearance). Regardless of original ethnicity, a vampire's skin will be exceptionally pale. The hue varies slightly, with darker-skinned humans having a barely discernible olive tone to their vampire skin, but the light shade remains the same. They owe their unnatural pale complexion to their lack of blood flow; once they reach the first anniversary of their transformation, they no longer possess blood of their own (though they still become slightly flushed after feeding). When the venom spreads, it also leeches pigment in the skin, so after the transformation is complete, the vampire loses nearly all its skin color, as well as any moles, freckles, scars, tattoos, or any other part of the skin with pigment from their human life. Their strong resemblance to marble statues rests also on their skin's granite-like appearance and impenetrability, as well as the now useless need to blink—the venom-based fluid that resides in the eyes now fulfills the function of eyelids and also lubricates the eye so that it can move easily within its sockets. The vampire also is unable to produce tears after the transformation, as tears are used to remove objects harmful to the eye, and those objects would be unable to harm a vampires eye. A vampire may not move at all, if need be, and if they stay immobile for several thousand years, they will start showing the appearance of fragility or petrification, though their physical capabilities will remain unchanged. Aside from Aro's clouded, "milky" eyes, Bella notes that his skin—as well as that of his brothers, Marcus and Caius—looks like paper. However, though they feel closer to shale than granite, they are no more fragile than those remaining active.

Their body's natural changes no longer occur. They cannot age or grow (things such as fingernails, toenails, and hair will no longer be able to grow. However, if an arm, leg, nose, or other such appendage should be removed, albeit painfully, it can be easily reattached. Vampire venom is noted to be the only thing that scars a vampire. Since the venom is adhesive, coating the severed end with it will help it heal faster. They show no physical or mental illnesses and defects, and their voice becomes more alluring, melodic, and seductive. Their heart no longer beats.

The venom, and venom based liquids replace all of the natural chemical processes and functions in the body. It wets and pools in the mouth instead of saliva. It coats the eyes, burning through contacts after only a few hours, protecting them from damage and thus eliminating all necessity and reason to produce tears. It also lubricates them, allowing them to move around more easily within their sockets. A similar venom based liquid lubricates between the vampires cells allowing their hard stone bodies to move. If a vampire were to remain motionless over thousands of years, dust will actually begin to petrify in response to the venom based liquids, turning their skin powdery and similar to shale in texture, as well as their eyes which develop a milky film over their red irises making the eyes appear pink in color. This can be seen with the ancient Volturi members. These imperfections, however, do not affect the vampires impenetrability or compromise their vision, a vampire that stays motionless would be just as indestructible and sharp as a vampire remaining active.

As vampires describe themselves, they are unchanging, "living stone" beings frozen exactly as they were when they were transformed. (Though to another vampire, the granite-skin feels smooth, soft, and warm and not the icy-hard touch a human would feel). Requiring little or no change to produce sperm, males can still breed, while female vampires cannot; their bodies no longer accommodate the changes related to pregnancy. In male vampires, the venom takes on a form so similar to seminal fluid that it can bond with a human ovum, making possible the creation of a human-vampire hybrid. The underlying biochemistry and physiology is currently unknown.

Their bodily scent is based on their venom, which is pleasant, not only to humans, but to other vampires as well.

A wise vampire will avoid exposure to direct sunlight in public, so as not to be seen by humans during the day, unless the sky is overcast, since their skin sparkles like diamonds; their cells have become hard and refractive as if they were so many small prisms.

#### Eye color

"*I saved his eyes for last, knowing that when I looked into them I was likely to lose my train of thought. They were wide, warm with liquid gold, framed by a thick fringe of black lashes. Staring into his eyes always made me feel extraordinary—sort of like my bones were turning spongy. I was also lightheaded, but that could have been because I'd forgotten to keep breathing. Again.*"
―Bella Swan
A vampire's eye color changes with both his/her age and diet. Newborn vampires show bright red eyes regardless of how long they abstain from blood or their diet. A diet of human blood would eventually darken them to a rose red color. However, a diet of animal blood would instead dilute the eyes to a golden color. A vampire who has recently fed on animal blood will have light, honey gold eyes, while a vampire who has recently fed on human blood will have vivid crimson eyes. All older vampires' eyes darken perceptively as they abstain from blood, until their eyes become *onyx*, or *coal* black. The process usually takes one to two weeks before the eyes are turned completely black.

Only the Cullen and Denali covens are known to be vegetarian vampires, feeding only on animal blood instead of human. Their eyes are liquid topaz, or honey-gold, reflecting their diet. These eyes, however, are viewed as strange and somewhat unnatural by other vampires whose diet consist of human blood, such as James and Victoria, and whose eyes are of a vivid deep crimson, becoming even more vivid as they continue to feed on human blood, and a darker burgundy as they abstain.

As a vampire's thirst grows, his/her eyes grow darker with it, until they at last become a coal black. In contrast, as vampires feed, their eyes become lighter. In addition to the thirst, the purplish-black bruises under their eyes become more pronounced as their thirst grows. Though if they have recently fed the bruises becomes less noticeable, and all but disappear (depending on how well-fed they are). The bruises indicate that vampires never sleep.

Newborn vampires are known for having incredible strength as well as brilliant crimson eyes. Both traits are caused by their own blood that still lingers within their tissues, producing the shockingly bright red eyes that "fade slowly over the course of a year" and incredible speed.

Meyer writes that, if a Cullen were to drink human blood, his/her eyes would instantly turn burgundy, and if two weeks were to pass without blood, his/her eyes would grow dark. If he/she were to return to a diet of animal blood, his/her eyes would become dark gold, and a lighter golden color, if they were to continue on animal blood.

#### Teeth

The bite of a vampire can sever the limbs of their opponents, as vampires are known for having extremely sharp and strong teeth. A vampire's teeth appear no different than regular human teeth. They do not possess fangs. However, a vampire's teeth are flawless, unbreakable, and razor sharp at the edges. They are also incredibly strong, able to bite through almost any solid substance, including vampire skin. Their teeth are also venomous, affected by the vampire venom that flows in their mouths. According to Alice Cullen, a vampire's greatest weapon is their teeth, though they are more armed than necessary.

### Genetics

Vampires carry 25 pairs of chromosomes, 2 chromosomes more than humans. Carlisle reveals this in *Breaking Dawn* while telling Jacob about their supernatural genetic relations. While vampires have 25 pairs of chromosomes, the Quileute shape-shifters carry 24. Vampire hybrids are theorized to have 24 pairs themselves.

## Abilities and limitations

A vampire's physical and mental abilities far exceed those of a human being. These traits vary between different vampires depending on what they were more capable of as humans. Certain vampires also develop one extra supernatural power manifested from their strongest trait as a human.

### Speed

One of the most amazing among their abilities is their speed. They are able to run in excess of a hundred miles per hour, substantially faster than the human eye can see. When vampires run, they become "all but invisible". The Shape-shifters are noted to be one of the few things that can keep up with them. This suggests that vampires are meant to move to a new location every so often. We see the speed of all the Cullens again during the baseball game. Emmett is described as "a blur around the bases", and Edward can move so quickly that he is able to intercept a ball that has been hit "like a meteor."

They can lay down and sit up within the same fraction of a second, almost without having to even think about going through the motions. After being turned into a vampire, Bella describes her movements as being instantaneous. As a result of this, that they are also able to survive accelerations of at least ~100g, where any normal human subjected to the same would immediately die.

### Strength

"*You are so soft, so fragile. I have to mind my actions every moment that we're together so that I don't hurt you. I could kill you quite easily, Bella, simply by accident… I could reach out, meaning to touch your face, and crush your skull by mistake.*"
―Edward to Bella on his strength
Another enhanced trait is their unstoppable physical strength. A vampire is said to be thousands of times stronger than any human, able to lift objects several hundreds of times their own weight. They can crush granite boulders, subdue any prey, throw cars, crush metal, and uproot trees with their bare hands. Edward feared his strength when first meeting Bella, and explained that there was barely a difference between caressing her head and knocking it off. A good example of their strength is seen when Bella decides to arm wrestle Emmett after becoming a vampire. She describes the power in his one arm to be about the same as a cement truck moving down a sharp decline at over 60 miles per hour. She beats him, however, because she is a newborn at the time. Newborn vampires are always stronger than older ones, since their strength derives from the lingering human blood left in their body from their human life. A vampire's strength also enables them to leap incredible distances. Edward was able to leap over a 50 yard wide river with ease during Bella's first hunt, while Bella was able to leap over twice his distance, while still only using a small amount of her force.

Diet does not have a massive impact on strength, since it always depends on the individual vampire. Although, a diet of human blood makes a vampire stronger than animal blood, albeit only fractionally. Vegetarian vampires find that "big game"—predators like bears or wildcats - not only smell more appealing to them, but also make them stronger than the "weaker" blood of herd animals such as deer or cattle.

Strength, of course, is not always physical. If a vampire possessed great mental strength and willpower as a human, he will find it easier to control his wild, animalistic instincts. Even so, if a vampire has not fed for a long time, he will be less likely to think clearly and more likely to give in to his thirst, attacking the first living thing he detects and draining it of blood within seconds, all without a single thought (human or animal). If, however, an unlucky human were to be near their vicinity, they will preferably attack him/her rather than the animal.

### Senses

A vampire's senses are also greatly enhanced, which enables them to see, hear, smell, feel, and taste things imperceptible to humans.

**Sight:** While running, a vampire can see and sense everything that is around them, allowing them to keep tabs of their surroundings and avoid hitting anything unnecessarily. A vampire's vision is incomparable. Everything is much sharper, and more defined as a vampire, and their vision is unhindered by darkness. As a vampire, colors are much more vibrant. Humans are considered *blind* or *mud-eyed* in comparison. Bella described looking back at her human life as like looking through a thick, dark veil because of her new incredible vision. Their sense of sight exceeds by far that of a hawk: They can see objects in microscopic detail, and can see into the invisible spectrum of light. Bella describes her sight as being better than an eagle's. Vampires find wearing glasses or contact lenses to be uncomfortable or irritating because they see the smallest imperfections such as very small scratches and optical aberrations imperceptible to humans. Vampires also have much better depth perception than humans.

**Smell:** When a vampire hunts, he uses his sense of smell to find prey and hearing to track its movements. Vampires can smell objects several miles away in a good breeze. Smell is most intense to vampires, because one can smell the blood of his prey. By not breathing, they feel uncomfortable due to the lack of smell, though they can survive without it.

As they grow older and more disciplined, vampires can learn to smell differences between the scents of various humans' blood, as well as scents of other things (like fabrics - the unique scent of denim). The range of their senses can be increased (though only fractionally) through concentration. Vampires mostly rely on smell to find their prey and take in the environment, which is partly why they find the lack of breathing uncomfortable.

**Hearing:** Vampires can hear the most muted sounds. When Bella completed her transformation into a vampire, she listened to the sound of rap music until it slowly faded away. She then realized that it was coming from a car with its window rolled down on a freeway, miles away from where she was. When she went on her first hunt, Bella could hear the fluttering wings and heartbeats of small birds flying through the forest. She could also hear the scurrying noises of animals that were beneath the ground, as well as an army of ants on the ground. They also have an instinctive reaction to danger, usually from ill-willed vampires.

They can hear sounds coming from several miles away, and even with their eyes closed, they can be sure that there are multiple people in a room thanks to their varied breathing patterns. They can hear the sound of a heartbeat, a pulse thudding in a vein, and words spoken too quietly or too fast for humans to detect.

**Touch:** Despite being indestructible and hard-skinned, vampires can feel the things they touch, no matter the softness; such as fur, the coolness of wind, etc. They can feel the slightest changes of temperature around them, though they are not bothered by it. They can feel the heat radiating from a human several meters away. When their skins meet sunlight, they can also feel its warmth. Physical pain is implied when their bodies are being ripped apart by something with similar supernatural strength.

**Taste:** Vampires have a similarly enhanced sense of taste allowing them to taste flavors with much more depth and precision. They can taste the differences of particles in their atmosphere. They can also detect minute differences between similar flavors. Even as a newborn, vampires are able to taste if the human they are feeding on has recently ingested drugs or alcohol.

**Sixth sense:** Vampires also have a keen sense to danger, usually from something strong enough to harm them. Sometimes, they may even detect danger before they know it consciously.

### Indestructibility

Another impressive feature about vampires is their virtual indestructibility. During the transformation process, a vampire's cells become extremely hard, durable, and refractive, rendering their bodies nearly impenetrable. Vampires are noted to be exponentially more durable than "soft" humans. The strength of a vampire's skin is described as harder than granite, and even diamond-hard. Their bodies are so hard that they are unable to be harmed by standard human weapons (except for possibly incendary, high explosive, high velocity, AP, nuclear, et al.), and the only creatures capable of killing them are werewolves and other vampires. Their teeth are also noted to be one of the few things strong enough to be able to cut through their skin, as are werewolf teeth. Because of this indestructibility, it is virtually impossible for a vampire to kill himself. As a newborn, Carlisle attempted this in many ways including jumping from atmospheric heights, drowning himself, and starving himself, after all of which he was unharmed.

### Regenerative healing

Vampires are capable of regenerating from various injuries and harm even wounds that are normally fatal to humans. Hair cannot be healed. Also if a limb is torn off they must reattach it and the torn limb will heal. If a vampire is torn to pieces and the pieces are not burned in the fire, the vampire can reconstruct themselves as if no damage occurred, with no sign of harm. Vampires can also use their saliva which is also venom to accelerate the healing of their injuries. They apply venom to the wound, causing them to heal quicker.

### Flexibility

"*Unnerved, I reached out to touch her cheek. In the same instant that the desire to touch her entered my mind, my hand was cradling the side of her face. There was no in-between—no process of lifting my hand, watching it move to its destination. It was just there.*"
―Beau Swan[src]
A vampire's body movements are uncannily flexible. Their agility is more advanced than humans, which allows them to rapidly respond to change by adapting to its initial stable configuration; They can make numerous gymnastic, or martial arts implements with little effort using a combination of strength, balance, reflexes and speed. They can even swing, flip, bend and twist themselves without failure due to their enhanced sense of balance and flexibility. Using their physical senses as allies, they can find motions at human speed too slow for them to miss.

In battle, vampires can swiftly dodge an attack without having to think how to move their bodies first. In general, only something that moves at vampire-speed can render a vampire unnoticed to the motion.

Part of this enhancement is based on the enhanced activity of their brains, which allows them to think and move much faster than humans.

### Perfect recall

A vampire can instantly remember and recall everything that they have ever experienced, encountered or learned since their transformation with perfect clarity, something they can perform for all their existence.

### Venom

*Main article: Venom*
When a vampire catches his prey, he bites into its neck and injects his venom into its bloodstream while feeding. This serves as a way to immobilize his prey while also initiating the conversion from human to vampire, allowing the predator to feed on his prey without it trying to resist, even though it would not have done any good. While the venom is transformative to humans, it is deadly to animals and shape-shifters. Children of the Moon, however, are completely immune to its effects.

If a vampire loses a body part, they can use venom to reattach the lost limb, though it is unable to reattach hair.

### Special abilities

*Main article: Special abilities*
"*Yes, well, there are some vampires who have gifts beyond the usual super strength and super senses. You've seen one aspect in… our coven. Gifts are rare—one in fifty, maybe—but everyone is different. There's a huge range of gifts out there, and some of them are more powerful than others.*"
―Riley[src]
Most vampires find their key personality characteristics intensified by the vampire transformation in the same way their physical abilities are strengthened, but relatively few have abilities that can be classified as supernatural. More common would be a human with a love of learning becoming a vampire with an insatiable scholarly curiosity, or a human with a deep value for human life becoming a vampire with the strength to avoid human blood.

But a few vampires do develop additional abilities that go beyond the natural. These extra abilities are due to psychic gifts in the original human that are intensified in the resulting vampire. For example, a human who was very sensitive to other people's moods might develop the vampire ability to read thoughts or influence emotions. A human who had some limited precognition might develop into a vampire with a strong ability to see the future. A human with a good instinct for hunting might become a powerful vampire tracker. If a human already possessed a certain supernatural gift, this talent will be amplified many times after he is transformed into a vampire.

The proportion of supernaturally talented vampires to "normal" vampires is greater than the proportion of psychically gifted humans to "normal" humans. This is due to the same factor of temperament that results in more beautiful humans being selected to become vampires. Vampires are also drawn to gifted humans when they look to create companions. Some vampires actively seek out the gifted in the hope of utilizing that extra ability in their coven.

According to Eleazar, most vampire gifts are manifested in the mind, though there are certain exceptions. Benjamin was the best case—his power over the elements of nature is completely physical.

No gift ever works in the exact same way in two vampires, because no person (human or vampire) is ever *exactly* the same.

## Lifestyles

Though there are a range of vampire lifestyles, the most common is nomadic. The majority of vampires move frequently, never settling permanently in one place. This pattern is partly an attempt to hide from the notice of humans. If too many humans disappear from one area, suspicion might be aroused and the Volturi might take notice. Also, if a vampire interacts regularly with humans, eventually the humans will notice that the vampire isn't aging. Another aspect is boredom; vampire lives are so long that many keep up a continuous search for novelty.

A few covens are exceptions to this rule, and maintain semi-permanent or permanent homes. Doing this requires a great deal of subterfuge—if the coven wants to avoid suspicion and keep the Volturi from becoming involved—and most vampires don't care for the hassle.

Vampires usually travel alone or in pairs; so much so that James's coven, which included Victoria, James and Laurent, was considered large. Exception to this rule are the Volturi, the Olympic coven and the Denali coven, the largest covens of them all.

## Psychology

**Individual characteristics**: When a human becomes a vampire, all of their natural behavior, needs and characteristics are frozen within them forever, though they are also heightened at the same time. From the moment a vampire is made, their interests, dislikes and personality are permanently petrified. For instance, if a human with a loving character becomes a vampire, his or her passion is magnified, allowing him or her to love others even more intensely. Another example is if the human was ambitious and cunning, those characteristics become magnified as a vampire, thus making him a ruthless killer. The only aspect that does change is the vampire's outlook on the world.

**Basic instincts**: Aside from their original personalities, they also have ferocious instincts and a compelling drive for consuming blood. The moment they give in to their thirst, all of their human characteristics disappear and they could risk hurting one another by competing for prey. The longer they abstain from blood completely, the harder it becomes for them to resist, and eventually they will give in to their thirst.

Vampires are feral, predatory creatures, and far more savage and beast-like than their human appearance suggests. They growl, hiss, snarl, and curl their lips back baring their teeth as signs of aggression when provoked. They also have a sense of self-preservation; when they are confronted with danger that proves too overwhelming for their capabilities, they will immediately evade the area, unless there is something holding them back.

**Bonding factors**: Vampires are mostly territorial and nomadic, but there are a few occasions for them to bond with someone else, human or vampire. The first bonding force is **romance**: If a vampire falls in love, that feeling never fades away and that love is bound for eternity. As a general rule, only the bond between mates is strong enough to survive the competitive drive for blood. Larger covens are less stable, and usually end because of internal violence. If a vampire was romantically bound to someone before he turned, that love will remain as a permanent aspect in his characteristics after the transformation. It is also possible for a vampire to fall in love after he was turned, and that love will be just as permanent as any other.

Another prevalent vampire trait is that of a **vengeful nature**. Related again to their unchanging state, vampires are not forgiving; they do not move past an insult or injury. The most common example of vampire vengeance is the aftermath of the loss of a mate. When a vampire loses his mate, he never recovers from the pain. he will not even think about anything else, potentially even feeding, or in extreme cases keeping the existence of vampires a secret, until he achieves his vengance. Centuries can pass without lessening the ferocity of his need for vengeance. However, it is possible to suppress that desire if they compel themselves to focus.

The second bonding force, and one that is able to keep a large coven stable, is **ambition**. Vampires are competitive by nature, and some vampires have been able to evolve this competitive disposition into a greater cause capable of uniting many individuals into a secure whole. The pursuit of power is that bonding cause for vampires. The Romanians were the first to do this successfully for a significant length of time.

The third, and rarest, bonding force is the **vampire conscience**. Very few vampires are born with or develop a value for human life. The consumption of human blood is such a known aspect of vampire life that few ever question it; the driving thirst for human blood seems irresistible. However, those who do learn to value human life in spite of this reality are able to subsist on animal blood. Vampires who live this way are sometimes referred to as "vegetarians". Animal blood is unappealing to vampires, and thus a difficult diet to maintain. Those who make the sacrifice, though, experience related benefits. In the absence of human blood, the competitive drive disappears. Vampires are able to form bonds of love in addition to the bond between mates. The weak coven alliance is replaced by a strong, family-style union. The Cullen and Denali covens are the only known groups to have successfully adjusted to this diet.

## Transformation

"*The warmth inside my heart got more and more real, warmer and warmer. Hotter. The heat was so real it was hard to believe I was imagining it. Hotter. Uncomfortable now. Too hot. Much, much too hot.*"
―Bella[src]
Humans can be changed into vampires by another vampire's venomous bite, and vampire venom is nothing more than a deadly poison to animals.

Transformation from human to vampire is described as being "the sharpest memory they have of their human life." Once a human is bitten, the venom from glands inside the vampire's mouth is injected into the bloodstream and will travel throughout the body to change every living cell.

Depending upon "how much venom is in the bloodstream, and how close the venom enters to the heart", the transformation could last anywhere from two to five days. During this time, the human will endure indescribable pain. Once the venom is injected, the victim feels very close to being burned alive. The venom will then make its way throughout the body. Next through the heart, and it will pump again and again in the heart until it starts meeting itself in the veins. Then it will burn all the veins until the heart stops beating. It moves slower than blood because it is thicker, which makes the transformation long-lasting. Each beat of the heart can only push it so far. The changing/burning process is slow. The venom has to saturate every cell in the body before the process can be completed.

There is no medicine that is strong enough to numb the pain; the best one could do is to immobilize the body.

## Weaknesses

"*We have to kill him. Rip him apart and burn the pieces.*"
―Edward[src]
Vampires are not known to be killed by human effort, are unharmed by sunlight, garlic, holy water, silver, any kind of stake or cross, and can enter homes without permission. Also, any kind of standard human weapon, including bullets, bounces off of them without any pain or harm done. The only known way to kill a vampire is to dismember his or her body and burn the remains before it can reconstruct itself. Thus their weakness is the strength of their own kind or something as strong, which cannot be copied by humans, and fire that consumes them. If a human were to succeed in lighting a vampire on fire, the vampire could simply take a quick high-speed bound to put it out. This is why it is necessary to rip a vampire's body to pieces before incinerating them into ashes, to prevent them from putting out the fire before it can do serious damage. In Alice's vision in *Breaking Dawn - Part 2*, it appeared that vampires could be destroyed by molten lava. A number of vampires fell into the deep fissure made by Benjamin and never came out of it; they were likely consumed by magma. During the final battle scene Aro says that humans possess weapons with enough capabilities to destroy their kind. This suggests that a vampire could be vaporized in a nuclear blast. Otherwise vampires are virtually indestructible.

Vampires are more vulnerable in the movies than in the books: they can be killed by severing their heads from their necks. However, fire is still the only known method to destroy them completely.

## Newborns

"*They're incredibly powerful physically, for the first year or so, and if they're allowed to bring strength to bear they can crush an older vampire with ease. But they are slaves to their thirst, and thus predictable.*"
―Jasper Hale[src]
**Newborn** or **newborn vampire** is the term for a vampire that has been transformed for less than one year. On average, a newborn's physical strength greatly surpasses that of an older vampire because they still have their own blood lingering in their tissues. As time passes, however, the venom in them will consume that blood, and the newborn's physical capabilities and thirst will slowly diminish until it reaches that of a normal vampire, by the end of its first year. A newborn's thirst for blood is overwhelmingly and relentlessly painful, described by Bree Tanner as being a "fire in the throat", and they will feed as much as possible to curb it.

Some indications which show a newborn are their bright crimson eyes (due to the blood left in their body at the time of changing), uncontrollable thirst that makes them more ferocious than most vampires, and superior physical abilities. In the Olympic Coven, Emmett Cullen was the hardest to contain when he was a newborn because of his superior physical strength, though he did become a vegetarian successfully.

### Physiology

Newborns appear much like normal vampires with the exception of their eyes. A newborn's eyes are an incredibly bright crimson, indicating that their own blood is still in their system, though their heart is no longer beating. In the months that a vampire feeds on animal blood, their eyes will change from red to amber and then to gold. If he reverts to feeding on human blood, the eyes will darken to be almost a burgundy color.

Newborns are also incredibly powerful in the physical sense, being much stronger and faster than a regular vampire, which allows them to easily crush an older vampire. As they become older their strength begins to wane, and after the first year, their strength will be reduced to that of an average vampire. In *Breaking Dawn*, Bella arm-wrestles with Emmett and wins easily because of her newborn strength.

### Psychology

Newborns are often bloodthirsty, violent and uncontrollable. Their enhanced emotions are hard to control and they anger easily. They are also likely to kill one another to compete for blood. When they catch the scent of blood, their hunting instincts will take over and cloud their ability to focus, even the thought of the word "blood" is enough to make their thirst unbearable. The thirst is so maddening in the first year that most newborns are more animalistic and wild than their older counterparts. However, as time passes, their thirst will slowly diminish and become easier to manage. Their secondary human emotions and desires will mostly be dormant for a while, and resurface slowly over time.

Bella Swan is an exception to this rule, as she had time to think about her decision and therefore did not have the first brutal year that most vampires encounter. Carlisle Cullen showed an amazing control of his thirst for human blood as a newborn, which kept him from feeding on humans and redirecting his thirst to animals instead. Rosalie Hale had never tasted human blood, though she had killed her attackers and their bodyguards by torturing them to death.

It is impossible to predict how long a newborn or an average vampire will remain vicious and bloodthirsty before their secondary desires and personality resurfaces, since every person is different. Certain vampires may have to wait for at least a few years after their first year ends.

### History

In the 19th century, a vampire named Benito invented the idea of raising an army consisting of newborn vampires, since their strength and speed were much greater than regular vampires and were therefore more powerful as a whole. His invention triggered the vampire wars of the south, and devastated the human and vampire populations as a result. The threat of exposure caused the Volturi to arrive and stop them. Though the wars continued after they left, they fought on a smaller, less noticeable scale. A newborn army also appeared in *Eclipse*, created by a vengeful vampire named Victoria to destroy the Cullen coven and Bella Swan. The newborns wreaked havoc in Seattle, with many humans dying at their hands. When the Cullens find out that the army is moving in on them, they form an unusual alliance with the Uley pack and initiate a battle against them, and win with much ease due to Jasper's knowledge of newborn movements and weaknesses.

In *Eclipse*, Jasper mentions a Mexican vampire named Maria who had previously created an army with his help. When the newborns reached the end of their first year and became of little use, he was to dispose of them. Except for one case, Peter, who was kept as a babysitter for the newborns. Later he ran off with Charlotte, after her newborn mark, to save her from execution. Years later, they came back to him, inviting him to the North and its better life. He accepted the invitation.

## History

The origin of vampires remains a mystery. In the *Twilight* universe, vampires greatly deviate from traditional myth; a fact often referenced in the series, usually for humor. For example, all vampires have refined and perfected physical features (including their scent and voice), allowing them to attract prey (i.e., humans).

Their skin is flawless and textured with a marble-like substance much harder and stronger than granite. Due to the crystalline properties of their cells, when a vampire is exposed to sunlight, their body will sparkle like diamonds. For vampires who feed on human blood, their eyes reflect a deep red, as opposed to those who drink animal blood, whose eyes will reflect a medium gold color. Vampires also possess superhuman powers, such as speed and strength. They also have incredibly keen senses and are able to hear for miles and see in total darkness.

Vampires are indeed immortal unless destroyed. Unable to sleep, they spend all days and nights awake. After transformation, a few vampires show special abilities such as foresight or telepathy, usually a prominent personality or physical trait magnified from their human life. Most of them, however, do not. Vampires are unharmed by garlic, holy items, or wooden stakes; they have reflections and shadows, and are able to walk freely in the sunlight without being physically damaged by it.

## Physiology

### Nutrition

"*When we taste… human blood, a sort of frenzy begins. It's almost impossible to stop.*"
―Edward Cullen to Bella Swan.[src]
Vampires subsist on blood as their only food source. Human blood is by far the most common source and the most appealing, and subsequently the most difficult to resist.

As blood is the only component of a vampire's diet, failing to drink blood (whether human or animal) for an extended period of time will physically and mentally weaken a vampire. The longer a vampire abstains from blood, the more likely the vampire will lose their rationality and mental faculties until they give into their thirst, because their throats are described to be in "burning pain", which will worsen the longer they do not drink blood. Although it still gives them nutrition, animal blood is less appealing to vampires.

Vampires who wish to blend in with human society are also seen to ingest human food and drinks, but, since their bodies can no longer digest this, they must cough everything up later. On occasion, the appeal of human blood can be so enticing that a "vegetarian" vampire will lose control, especially if their self-control is weak. To a "vegetarian" vampire, carnivores' blood is more appetizing than herbivores, though still not quite as good as humans.

On the moral grounds that all human life is precious, a very small proportion of vampires in the *Twilight* universe receive their sustenance from animal blood, jokingly calling themselves vegetarians. The only examples known are the Cullen family and the Denali coven.

#### Singers

"*I wanted to kill you. I've never wanted a human's blood so much in my life… Your scent… is like a drug to me. You're like my personal brand of heroin.*"
―Edward about Bella's appealing blood.[src]
The blood of each human has an individual taste and smell; sometimes a certain vampire finds a particular human whose blood he or she finds nearly absolutely irresistible. The Volturi call such a human "la tua cantante"—your singer—as their blood "sings" to that particular vampire. To most vampires, such discovery is an experience to be savored.

### Physical appearance

"*As predators, we have a glut of weapons in our physical arsenal—much, much more than really necessary. The strength, the speed, the acute senses, not to mention those like Edward, Jasper, and I, who have extra senses as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we are physically attractive to our prey.*"
―Alice to Bella[src]
After the change, vampires' physical appearance and muscle mass is enhanced and perfected, eye color changes, and they no longer need to breathe, though they often still do so out of habit, and feel uncomfortable without their sense of smell—the first warning of an impending threat or the smell of potential prey. The ability to cut off airflow from their lungs allows them to remain submerged underwater for as long as they wish, and contributes greatly to their excellent swimming capabilities.

Vampires are extraordinarily beautiful, some more attractive than others, such as Heidi and Rosalie. Their beauty is described as angelic or even god-like. This is one of the several features meant to attract their prey—more specifically, to attract, fascinate, and (if necessary) seduce, unsuspecting humans. How physically appealing their prey finds them is determined by how desirable they were as humans themselves. If an already attractive human were to be transformed, their physical beauty would be "beyond breathtaking". If they were of average interest, their attractiveness would be lower, but still stunningly beautiful. If however they were not particularly pleasing to the eye, they would become average (as shown with James), but this is a rare occurrence, as vampires normally select exceptional humans to turn.

A vampire's skin is described as "chalky", alabaster, or marble (because of its texture and feel, as well as its appearance). Regardless of original ethnicity, a vampire's skin will be exceptionally pale. The hue varies slightly, with darker-skinned humans having a barely discernible olive tone to their vampire skin, but the light shade remains the same. They owe their unnatural pale complexion to their lack of blood flow; once they reach the first anniversary of their transformation, they no longer possess blood of their own (though they still become slightly flushed after feeding). When the venom spreads, it also leeches pigment in the skin, so after the transformation is complete, the vampire loses nearly all its skin color, as well as any moles, freckles, scars, tattoos, or any other part of the skin with pigment from their human life. Their strong resemblance to marble statues rests also on their skin's granite-like appearance and impenetrability, as well as the now useless need to blink—the venom-based fluid that resides in the eyes now fulfills the function of eyelids and also lubricates the eye so that it can move easily within its sockets. The vampire also is unable to produce tears after the transformation, as tears are used to remove objects harmful to the eye, and those objects would be unable to harm a vampires eye. A vampire may not move at all, if need be, and if they stay immobile for several thousand years, they will start showing the appearance of fragility or petrification, though their physical capabilities will remain unchanged. Aside from Aro's clouded, "milky" eyes, Bella notes that his skin—as well as that of his brothers, Marcus and Caius—looks like paper. However, though they feel closer to shale than granite, they are no more fragile than those remaining active.

Their body's natural changes no longer occur. They cannot age or grow (things such as fingernails, toenails, and hair will no longer be able to grow. However, if an arm, leg, nose, or other such appendage should be removed, albeit painfully, it can be easily reattached. Vampire venom is noted to be the only thing that scars a vampire. Since the venom is adhesive, coating the severed end with it will help it heal faster. They show no physical or mental illnesses and defects, and their voice becomes more alluring, melodic, and seductive. Their heart no longer beats.

The venom, and venom based liquids replace all of the natural chemical processes and functions in the body. It wets and pools in the mouth instead of saliva. It coats the eyes, burning through contacts after only a few hours, protecting them from damage and thus eliminating all necessity and reason to produce tears. It also lubricates them, allowing them to move around more easily within their sockets. A similar venom based liquid lubricates between the vampires cells allowing their hard stone bodies to move. If a vampire were to remain motionless over thousands of years, dust will actually begin to petrify in response to the venom based liquids, turning their skin powdery and similar to shale in texture, as well as their eyes which develop a milky film over their red irises making the eyes appear pink in color. This can be seen with the ancient Volturi members. These imperfections, however, do not affect the vampires impenetrability or compromise their vision, a vampire that stays motionless would be just as indestructible and sharp as a vampire remaining active.

As vampires describe themselves, they are unchanging, "living stone" beings frozen exactly as they were when they were transformed. (Though to another vampire, the granite-skin feels smooth, soft, and warm and not the icy-hard touch a human would feel). Requiring little or no change to produce sperm, males can still breed, while female vampires cannot; their bodies no longer accommodate the changes related to pregnancy. In male vampires, the venom takes on a form so similar to seminal fluid that it can bond with a human ovum, making possible the creation of a human-vampire hybrid. The underlying biochemistry and physiology is currently unknown.

Their bodily scent is based on their venom, which is pleasant, not only to humans, but to other vampires as well.

A wise vampire will avoid exposure to direct sunlight in public, so as not to be seen by humans during the day, unless the sky is overcast, since their skin sparkles like diamonds; their cells have become hard and refractive as if they were so many small prisms.

#### Eye color

"*I saved his eyes for last, knowing that when I looked into them I was likely to lose my train of thought. They were wide, warm with liquid gold, framed by a thick fringe of black lashes. Staring into his eyes always made me feel extraordinary—sort of like my bones were turning spongy. I was also lightheaded, but that could have been because I'd forgotten to keep breathing. Again.*"
―Bella Swan
A vampire's eye color changes with both his/her age and diet. Newborn vampires show bright red eyes regardless of how long they abstain from blood or their diet. A diet of human blood would eventually darken them to a rose red color. However, a diet of animal blood would instead dilute the eyes to a golden color. A vampire who has recently fed on animal blood will have light, honey gold eyes, while a vampire who has recently fed on human blood will have vivid crimson eyes. All older vampires' eyes darken perceptively as they abstain from blood, until their eyes become *onyx*, or *coal* black. The process usually takes one to two weeks before the eyes are turned completely black.

Only the Cullen and Denali covens are known to be vegetarian vampires, feeding only on animal blood instead of human. Their eyes are liquid topaz, or honey-gold, reflecting their diet. These eyes, however, are viewed as strange and somewhat unnatural by other vampires whose diet consist of human blood, such as James and Victoria, and whose eyes are of a vivid deep crimson, becoming even more vivid as they continue to feed on human blood, and a darker burgundy as they abstain.

As a vampire's thirst grows, his/her eyes grow darker with it, until they at last become a coal black. In contrast, as vampires feed, their eyes become lighter. In addition to the thirst, the purplish-black bruises under their eyes become more pronounced as their thirst grows. Though if they have recently fed the bruises becomes less noticeable, and all but disappear (depending on how well-fed they are). The bruises indicate that vampires never sleep.

Newborn vampires are known for having incredible strength as well as brilliant crimson eyes. Both traits are caused by their own blood that still lingers within their tissues, producing the shockingly bright red eyes that "fade slowly over the course of a year" and incredible speed.

Meyer writes that, if a Cullen were to drink human blood, his/her eyes would instantly turn burgundy, and if two weeks were to pass without blood, his/her eyes would grow dark. If he/she were to return to a diet of animal blood, his/her eyes would become dark gold, and a lighter golden color, if they were to continue on animal blood.

#### Teeth

The bite of a vampire can sever the limbs of their opponents, as vampires are known for having extremely sharp and strong teeth. A vampire's teeth appear no different than regular human teeth. They do not possess fangs. However, a vampire's teeth are flawless, unbreakable, and razor sharp at the edges. They are also incredibly strong, able to bite through almost any solid substance, including vampire skin. Their teeth are also venomous, affected by the vampire venom that flows in their mouths. According to Alice Cullen, a vampire's greatest weapon is their teeth, though they are more armed than necessary.

### Genetics

Vampires carry 25 pairs of chromosomes, 2 chromosomes more than humans. Carlisle reveals this in *Breaking Dawn* while telling Jacob about their supernatural genetic relations. While vampires have 25 pairs of chromosomes, the Quileute shape-shifters carry 24. Vampire hybrids are theorized to have 24 pairs themselves.

## Abilities and limitations

A vampire's physical and mental abilities far exceed those of a human being. These traits vary between different vampires depending on what they were more capable of as humans. Certain vampires also develop one extra supernatural power manifested from their strongest trait as a human.

### Speed

One of the most amazing among their abilities is their speed. They are able to run in excess of a hundred miles per hour, substantially faster than the human eye can see. When vampires run, they become "all but invisible". The Shape-shifters are noted to be one of the few things that can keep up with them. This suggests that vampires are meant to move to a new location every so often. We see the speed of all the Cullens again during the baseball game. Emmett is described as "a blur around the bases", and Edward can move so quickly that he is able to intercept a ball that has been hit "like a meteor."

They can lay down and sit up within the same fraction of a second, almost without having to even think about going through the motions. After being turned into a vampire, Bella describes her movements as being instantaneous. As a result of this, that they are also able to survive accelerations of at least ~100g, where any normal human subjected to the same would immediately die.

### Strength

"*You are so soft, so fragile. I have to mind my actions every moment that we're together so that I don't hurt you. I could kill you quite easily, Bella, simply by accident… I could reach out, meaning to touch your face, and crush your skull by mistake.*"
―Edward to Bella on his strength
Another enhanced trait is their unstoppable physical strength. A vampire is said to be thousands of times stronger than any human, able to lift objects several hundreds of times their own weight. They can crush granite boulders, subdue any prey, throw cars, crush metal, and uproot trees with their bare hands. Edward feared his strength when first meeting Bella, and explained that there was barely a difference between caressing her head and knocking it off. A good example of their strength is seen when Bella decides to arm wrestle Emmett after becoming a vampire. She describes the power in his one arm to be about the same as a cement truck moving down a sharp decline at over 60 miles per hour. She beats him, however, because she is a newborn at the time. Newborn vampires are always stronger than older ones, since their strength derives from the lingering human blood left in their body from their human life. A vampire's strength also enables them to leap incredible distances. Edward was able to leap over a 50 yard wide river with ease during Bella's first hunt, while Bella was able to leap over twice his distance, while still only using a small amount of her force.

Diet does not have a massive impact on strength, since it always depends on the individual vampire. Although, a diet of human blood makes a vampire stronger than animal blood, albeit only fractionally. Vegetarian vampires find that "big game"—predators like bears or wildcats - not only smell more appealing to them, but also make them stronger than the "weaker" blood of herd animals such as deer or cattle.

Strength, of course, is not always physical. If a vampire possessed great mental strength and willpower as a human, he will find it easier to control his wild, animalistic instincts. Even so, if a vampire has not fed for a long time, he will be less likely to think clearly and more likely to give in to his thirst, attacking the first living thing he detects and draining it of blood within seconds, all without a single thought (human or animal). If, however, an unlucky human were to be near their vicinity, they will preferably attack him/her rather than the animal.

### Senses

A vampire's senses are also greatly enhanced, which enables them to see, hear, smell, feel, and taste things imperceptible to humans.

**Sight:** While running, a vampire can see and sense everything that is around them, allowing them to keep tabs of their surroundings and avoid hitting anything unnecessarily. A vampire's vision is incomparable. Everything is much sharper, and more defined as a vampire, and their vision is unhindered by darkness. As a vampire, colors are much more vibrant. Humans are considered *blind* or *mud-eyed* in comparison. Bella described looking back at her human life as like looking through a thick, dark veil because of her new incredible vision. Their sense of sight exceeds by far that of a hawk: They can see objects in microscopic detail, and can see into the invisible spectrum of light. Bella describes her sight as being better than an eagle's. Vampires find wearing glasses or contact lenses to be uncomfortable or irritating because they see the smallest imperfections such as very small scratches and optical aberrations imperceptible to humans. Vampires also have much better depth perception than humans.

**Smell:** When a vampire hunts, he uses his sense of smell to find prey and hearing to track its movements. Vampires can smell objects several miles away in a good breeze. Smell is most intense to vampires, because one can smell the blood of his prey. By not breathing, they feel uncomfortable due to the lack of smell, though they can survive without it.

As they grow older and more disciplined, vampires can learn to smell differences between the scents of various humans' blood, as well as scents of other things (like fabrics - the unique scent of denim). The range of their senses can be increased (though only fractionally) through concentration. Vampires mostly rely on smell to find their prey and take in the environment, which is partly why they find the lack of breathing uncomfortable.

**Hearing:** Vampires can hear the most muted sounds. When Bella completed her transformation into a vampire, she listened to the sound of rap music until it slowly faded away. She then realized that it was coming from a car with its window rolled down on a freeway, miles away from where she was. When she went on her first hunt, Bella could hear the fluttering wings and heartbeats of small birds flying through the forest. She could also hear the scurrying noises of animals that were beneath the ground, as well as an army of ants on the ground. They also have an instinctive reaction to danger, usually from ill-willed vampires.

They can hear sounds coming from several miles away, and even with their eyes closed, they can be sure that there are multiple people in a room thanks to their varied breathing patterns. They can hear the sound of a heartbeat, a pulse thudding in a vein, and words spoken too quietly or too fast for humans to detect.

**Touch:** Despite being indestructible and hard-skinned, vampires can feel the things they touch, no matter the softness; such as fur, the coolness of wind, etc. They can feel the slightest changes of temperature around them, though they are not bothered by it. They can feel the heat radiating from a human several meters away. When their skins meet sunlight, they can also feel its warmth. Physical pain is implied when their bodies are being ripped apart by something with similar supernatural strength.

**Taste:** Vampires have a similarly enhanced sense of taste allowing them to taste flavors with much more depth and precision. They can taste the differences of particles in their atmosphere. They can also detect minute differences between similar flavors. Even as a newborn, vampires are able to taste if the human they are feeding on has recently ingested drugs or alcohol.

**Sixth sense:** Vampires also have a keen sense to danger, usually from something strong enough to harm them. Sometimes, they may even detect danger before they know it consciously.

### Indestructibility

Another impressive feature about vampires is their virtual indestructibility. During the transformation process, a vampire's cells become extremely hard, durable, and refractive, rendering their bodies nearly impenetrable. Vampires are noted to be exponentially more durable than "soft" humans. The strength of a vampire's skin is described as harder than granite, and even diamond-hard. Their bodies are so hard that they are unable to be harmed by standard human weapons (except for possibly incendary, high explosive, high velocity, AP, nuclear, et al.), and the only creatures capable of killing them are werewolves and other vampires. Their teeth are also noted to be one of the few things strong enough to be able to cut through their skin, as are werewolf teeth. Because of this indestructibility, it is virtually impossible for a vampire to kill himself. As a newborn, Carlisle attempted this in many ways including jumping from atmospheric heights, drowning himself, and starving himself, after all of which he was unharmed.

### Regenerative healing

Vampires are capable of regenerating from various injuries and harm even wounds that are normally fatal to humans. Hair cannot be healed. Also if a limb is torn off they must reattach it and the torn limb will heal. If a vampire is torn to pieces and the pieces are not burned in the fire, the vampire can reconstruct themselves as if no damage occurred, with no sign of harm. Vampires can also use their saliva which is also venom to accelerate the healing of their injuries. They apply venom to the wound, causing them to heal quicker.

### Flexibility

"*Unnerved, I reached out to touch her cheek. In the same instant that the desire to touch her entered my mind, my hand was cradling the side of her face. There was no in-between—no process of lifting my hand, watching it move to its destination. It was just there.*"
―Beau Swan[src]
A vampire's body movements are uncannily flexible. Their agility is more advanced than humans, which allows them to rapidly respond to change by adapting to its initial stable configuration; They can make numerous gymnastic, or martial arts implements with little effort using a combination of strength, balance, reflexes and speed. They can even swing, flip, bend and twist themselves without failure due to their enhanced sense of balance and flexibility. Using their physical senses as allies, they can find motions at human speed too slow for them to miss.

In battle, vampires can swiftly dodge an attack without having to think how to move their bodies first. In general, only something that moves at vampire-speed can render a vampire unnoticed to the motion.

Part of this enhancement is based on the enhanced activity of their brains, which allows them to think and move much faster than humans.

### Perfect recall

A vampire can instantly remember and recall everything that they have ever experienced, encountered or learned since their transformation with perfect clarity, something they can perform for all their existence.

### Venom

*Main article: Venom*
When a vampire catches his prey, he bites into its neck and injects his venom into its bloodstream while feeding. This serves as a way to immobilize his prey while also initiating the conversion from human to vampire, allowing the predator to feed on his prey without it trying to resist, even though it would not have done any good. While the venom is transformative to humans, it is deadly to animals and shape-shifters. Children of the Moon, however, are completely immune to its effects.

If a vampire loses a body part, they can use venom to reattach the lost limb, though it is unable to reattach hair.

### Special abilities

*Main article: Special abilities*
"*Yes, well, there are some vampires who have gifts beyond the usual super strength and super senses. You've seen one aspect in… our coven. Gifts are rare—one in fifty, maybe—but everyone is different. There's a huge range of gifts out there, and some of them are more powerful than others.*"
―Riley[src]
Most vampires find their key personality characteristics intensified by the vampire transformation in the same way their physical abilities are strengthened, but relatively few have abilities that can be classified as supernatural. More common would be a human with a love of learning becoming a vampire with an insatiable scholarly curiosity, or a human with a deep value for human life becoming a vampire with the strength to avoid human blood.

But a few vampires do develop additional abilities that go beyond the natural. These extra abilities are due to psychic gifts in the original human that are intensified in the resulting vampire. For example, a human who was very sensitive to other people's moods might develop the vampire ability to read thoughts or influence emotions. A human who had some limited precognition might develop into a vampire with a strong ability to see the future. A human with a good instinct for hunting might become a powerful vampire tracker. If a human already possessed a certain supernatural gift, this talent will be amplified many times after he is transformed into a vampire.

The proportion of supernaturally talented vampires to "normal" vampires is greater than the proportion of psychically gifted humans to "normal" humans. This is due to the same factor of temperament that results in more beautiful humans being selected to become vampires. Vampires are also drawn to gifted humans when they look to create companions. Some vampires actively seek out the gifted in the hope of utilizing that extra ability in their coven.

According to Eleazar, most vampire gifts are manifested in the mind, though there are certain exceptions. Benjamin was the best case—his power over the elements of nature is completely physical.

No gift ever works in the exact same way in two vampires, because no person (human or vampire) is ever *exactly* the same.

## Lifestyles

Though there are a range of vampire lifestyles, the most common is nomadic. The majority of vampires move frequently, never settling permanently in one place. This pattern is partly an attempt to hide from the notice of humans. If too many humans disappear from one area, suspicion might be aroused and the Volturi might take notice. Also, if a vampire interacts regularly with humans, eventually the humans will notice that the vampire isn't aging. Another aspect is boredom; vampire lives are so long that many keep up a continuous search for novelty.

A few covens are exceptions to this rule, and maintain semi-permanent or permanent homes. Doing this requires a great deal of subterfuge—if the coven wants to avoid suspicion and keep the Volturi from becoming involved—and most vampires don't care for the hassle.

Vampires usually travel alone or in pairs; so much so that James's coven, which included Victoria, James and Laurent, was considered large. Exception to this rule are the Volturi, the Olympic coven and the Denali coven, the largest covens of them all.

## Psychology

**Individual characteristics**: When a human becomes a vampire, all of their natural behavior, needs and characteristics are frozen within them forever, though they are also heightened at the same time. From the moment a vampire is made, their interests, dislikes and personality are permanently petrified. For instance, if a human with a loving character becomes a vampire, his or her passion is magnified, allowing him or her to love others even more intensely. Another example is if the human was ambitious and cunning, those characteristics become magnified as a vampire, thus making him a ruthless killer. The only aspect that does change is the vampire's outlook on the world.

**Basic instincts**: Aside from their original personalities, they also have ferocious instincts and a compelling drive for consuming blood. The moment they give in to their thirst, all of their human characteristics disappear and they could risk hurting one another by competing for prey. The longer they abstain from blood completely, the harder it becomes for them to resist, and eventually they will give in to their thirst.

Vampires are feral, predatory creatures, and far more savage and beast-like than their human appearance suggests. They growl, hiss, snarl, and curl their lips back baring their teeth as signs of aggression when provoked. They also have a sense of self-preservation; when they are confronted with danger that proves too overwhelming for their capabilities, they will immediately evade the area, unless there is something holding them back.

**Bonding factors**: Vampires are mostly territorial and nomadic, but there are a few occasions for them to bond with someone else, human or vampire. The first bonding force is **romance**: If a vampire falls in love, that feeling never fades away and that love is bound for eternity. As a general rule, only the bond between mates is strong enough to survive the competitive drive for blood. Larger covens are less stable, and usually end because of internal violence. If a vampire was romantically bound to someone before he turned, that love will remain as a permanent aspect in his characteristics after the transformation. It is also possible for a vampire to fall in love after he was turned, and that love will be just as permanent as any other.

Another prevalent vampire trait is that of a **vengeful nature**. Related again to their unchanging state, vampires are not forgiving; they do not move past an insult or injury. The most common example of vampire vengeance is the aftermath of the loss of a mate. When a vampire loses his mate, he never recovers from the pain. he will not even think about anything else, potentially even feeding, or in extreme cases keeping the existence of vampires a secret, until he achieves his vengance. Centuries can pass without lessening the ferocity of his need for vengeance. However, it is possible to suppress that desire if they compel themselves to focus.

The second bonding force, and one that is able to keep a large coven stable, is **ambition**. Vampires are competitive by nature, and some vampires have been able to evolve this competitive disposition into a greater cause capable of uniting many individuals into a secure whole. The pursuit of power is that bonding cause for vampires. The Romanians were the first to do this successfully for a significant length of time.

The third, and rarest, bonding force is the **vampire conscience**. Very few vampires are born with or develop a value for human life. The consumption of human blood is such a known aspect of vampire life that few ever question it; the driving thirst for human blood seems irresistible. However, those who do learn to value human life in spite of this reality are able to subsist on animal blood. Vampires who live this way are sometimes referred to as "vegetarians". Animal blood is unappealing to vampires, and thus a difficult diet to maintain. Those who make the sacrifice, though, experience related benefits. In the absence of human blood, the competitive drive disappears. Vampires are able to form bonds of love in addition to the bond between mates. The weak coven alliance is replaced by a strong, family-style union. The Cullen and Denali covens are the only known groups to have successfully adjusted to this diet.

## Transformation

"*The warmth inside my heart got more and more real, warmer and warmer. Hotter. The heat was so real it was hard to believe I was imagining it. Hotter. Uncomfortable now. Too hot. Much, much too hot.*"
―Bella[src]
Humans can be changed into vampires by another vampire's venomous bite, and vampire venom is nothing more than a deadly poison to animals.

Transformation from human to vampire is described as being "the sharpest memory they have of their human life." Once a human is bitten, the venom from glands inside the vampire's mouth is injected into the bloodstream and will travel throughout the body to change every living cell.

Depending upon "how much venom is in the bloodstream, and how close the venom enters to the heart", the transformation could last anywhere from two to five days. During this time, the human will endure indescribable pain. Once the venom is injected, the victim feels very close to being burned alive. The venom will then make its way throughout the body. Next through the heart, and it will pump again and again in the heart until it starts meeting itself in the veins. Then it will burn all the veins until the heart stops beating. It moves slower than blood because it is thicker, which makes the transformation long-lasting. Each beat of the heart can only push it so far. The changing/burning process is slow. The venom has to saturate every cell in the body before the process can be completed.

There is no medicine that is strong enough to numb the pain; the best one could do is to immobilize the body.

## Weaknesses

"*We have to kill him. Rip him apart and burn the pieces.*"
―Edward[src]
Vampires are not known to be killed by human effort, are unharmed by sunlight, garlic, holy water, silver, any kind of stake or cross, and can enter homes without permission. Also, any kind of standard human weapon, including bullets, bounces off of them without any pain or harm done. The only known way to kill a vampire is to dismember his or her body and burn the remains before it can reconstruct itself. Thus their weakness is the strength of their own kind or something as strong, which cannot be copied by humans, and fire that consumes them. If a human were to succeed in lighting a vampire on fire, the vampire could simply take a quick high-speed bound to put it out. This is why it is necessary to rip a vampire's body to pieces before incinerating them into ashes, to prevent them from putting out the fire before it can do serious damage. In Alice's vision in *Breaking Dawn - Part 2*, it appeared that vampires could be destroyed by molten lava. A number of vampires fell into the deep fissure made by Benjamin and never came out of it; they were likely consumed by magma. During the final battle scene Aro says that humans possess weapons with enough capabilities to destroy their kind. This suggests that a vampire could be vaporized in a nuclear blast. Otherwise vampires are virtually indestructible.

Vampires are more vulnerable in the movies than in the books: they can be killed by severing their heads from their necks. However, fire is still the only known method to destroy them completely.

## Newborns

"*They're incredibly powerful physically, for the first year or so, and if they're allowed to bring strength to bear they can crush an older vampire with ease. But they are slaves to their thirst, and thus predictable.*"
―Jasper Hale[src]
**Newborn** or **newborn vampire** is the term for a vampire that has been transformed for less than one year. On average, a newborn's physical strength greatly surpasses that of an older vampire because they still have their own blood lingering in their tissues. As time passes, however, the venom in them will consume that blood, and the newborn's physical capabilities and thirst will slowly diminish until it reaches that of a normal vampire, by the end of its first year. A newborn's thirst for blood is overwhelmingly and relentlessly painful, described by Bree Tanner as being a "fire in the throat", and they will feed as much as possible to curb it.

Some indications which show a newborn are their bright crimson eyes (due to the blood left in their body at the time of changing), uncontrollable thirst that makes them more ferocious than most vampires, and superior physical abilities. In the Olympic Coven, Emmett Cullen was the hardest to contain when he was a newborn because of his superior physical strength, though he did become a vegetarian successfully.

### Physiology

Newborns appear much like normal vampires with the exception of their eyes. A newborn's eyes are an incredibly bright crimson, indicating that their own blood is still in their system, though their heart is no longer beating. In the months that a vampire feeds on animal blood, their eyes will change from red to amber and then to gold. If he reverts to feeding on human blood, the eyes will darken to be almost a burgundy color.

Newborns are also incredibly powerful in the physical sense, being much stronger and faster than a regular vampire, which allows them to easily crush an older vampire. As they become older their strength begins to wane, and after the first year, their strength will be reduced to that of an average vampire. In *Breaking Dawn*, Bella arm-wrestles with Emmett and wins easily because of her newborn strength.

### Psychology

Newborns are often bloodthirsty, violent and uncontrollable. Their enhanced emotions are hard to control and they anger easily. They are also likely to kill one another to compete for blood. When they catch the scent of blood, their hunting instincts will take over and cloud their ability to focus, even the thought of the word "blood" is enough to make their thirst unbearable. The thirst is so maddening in the first year that most newborns are more animalistic and wild than their older counterparts. However, as time passes, their thirst will slowly diminish and become easier to manage. Their secondary human emotions and desires will mostly be dormant for a while, and resurface slowly over time.

Bella Swan is an exception to this rule, as she had time to think about her decision and therefore did not have the first brutal year that most vampires encounter. Carlisle Cullen showed an amazing control of his thirst for human blood as a newborn, which kept him from feeding on humans and redirecting his thirst to animals instead. Rosalie Hale had never tasted human blood, though she had killed her attackers and their bodyguards by torturing them to death.

It is impossible to predict how long a newborn or an average vampire will remain vicious and bloodthirsty before their secondary desires and personality resurfaces, since every person is different. Certain vampires may have to wait for at least a few years after their first year ends.

### History

In the 19th century, a vampire named Benito invented the idea of raising an army consisting of newborn vampires, since their strength and speed were much greater than regular vampires and were therefore more powerful as a whole. His invention triggered the vampire wars of the south, and devastated the human and vampire populations as a result. The threat of exposure caused the Volturi to arrive and stop them. Though the wars continued after they left, they fought on a smaller, less noticeable scale. A newborn army also appeared in *Eclipse*, created by a vengeful vampire named Victoria to destroy the Cullen coven and Bella Swan. The newborns wreaked havoc in Seattle, with many humans dying at their hands. When the Cullens find out that the army is moving in on them, they form an unusual alliance with the Uley pack and initiate a battle against them, and win with much ease due to Jasper's knowledge of newborn movements and weaknesses.

In *Eclipse*, Jasper mentions a Mexican vampire named Maria who had previously created an army with his help. When the newborns reached the end of their first year and became of little use, he was to dispose of them. Except for one case, Peter, who was kept as a babysitter for the newborns. Later he ran off with Charlotte, after her newborn mark, to save her from execution. Years later, they came back to him, inviting him to the North and its better life. He accepted the invitation.

## Darach

A Darach is a dark Druid, or a Druid who has "gone down the wrong path,"  presumably valuing their own desires over that of maintaining the balance of nature as Druids are meant to do. The word "Darach" means "dark oak" in the Gaelic languages.

### The Sacrifices

In almost all of the deaths in the Five Fold Knot ritual, each victim was killed by one of the three means: blow to the head, sliced throat or strangulation by garrote. (It should be noted that the entire "Healer" trio were killed via asphyxiation due to being hung by their wrists, and the final "Philosopher" sacrifice was killed solely by slitting their throat, not by blunt force trauma to the head or strangulation. Additionally, while all three potential "Guardian" sacrifices had been hit hard in the head, the Darach was ultimately going to kill them by crushing them to death in a cave-in of the Nemeton's root cellar.)

The victims, in groups of three, were chosen based on the following types:

* Virgins
* Warriors
* Healers
* Philosophers
* Guardians

The ritual was incomplete due to Jennifer Blake not being able to kill three Guardians. Each trio gave her different powers to help her finally defeat the entire Alpha Pack, including Deucalion.

* By sacrificing Warriors, she gained enhanced strength
* By sacrificing Healers, she was able to not only heal herself at an accelerated rate, but also heal others, such as Derek Hale and Deucalion himself.
* By sacrificing Philosophers, she gained enhanced intelligence, strategy, and an aptitude for using her powers.
* By sacrificing Virgins, she seemingly gained a heightened ability to seduce others in the name of achieving her goals (e.g. Derek Hale), and possibly made her Glamouring ability more powerful.
* Jennifer implied that the Guardians' sacrifice would give her a type of supernatural protection and/or some form of invulnerability.

### Powers and Abilities

The only known Darach, Jennifer Blake, possessed a wide number of powers, some of which she seemed to possess naturally, and others that she gained as a result of sacrificial rituals and connecting herself to the telluric currents running through Beacon Hills. **Darach Powers**: As a Darach, otherwise known as a Dark Druid, Jennifer possessed several supernatural powers.

* **Telekinesis**: Jennifer demonstrated the ability to move objects solely with her mind during a battle with Kali, Ethan, and Aiden when she gestured with her hands and made and entire wall's worth of broken window glass rise in the air. She had perfect control over all of these shards of glass, and was able to make each individual piece spin in the air before pointing them directly at Kali. She ultimately used this ability to forcefully shove the pieces toward Kali like bullets, where they embedded in her body from head to toe and killed her. She was also able to use her telekinesis to remotely cut a piano wire during the high school recital in order to kill the pianist as her third philosopher sacrifice; this use of her power was so precise that she was able to do it while in another room and without seeing the piano and the pianist.
* **Mountain Ash Mastery**: Like all Druids, Jennifer had the ability to create mountain ash barriers simply by throwing the ashes into the air and willing them into the shape she wanted. A notable example of her using this power was in her battle against Deucalion and Scott McCall the night of the lunar eclipse, when she threw a handful of mountain ash from inside her pocket into the air, creating a perfect and unbroken circle around herself to prevent any Werewolf from coming near her. This may be connected to her telekinetic power.
* **Zoopathy**: Jennifer demonstrated the power to control or influence animals, as evidenced by the fact that she managed to force hundreds of crows to commit suicide by flying into windows on at least two separate occasions, one of which was before or at the very moment she became a Darach. She also seemed to be able to control insects to an extent, such as the moths she made fly into Dr. Hilyard's car and coat the exterior windows of the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic and the scarabs she made appear on the tent where Emily and Caitlin were camping out in the woods.
* **Astral Projection**: Jennifer was shown to be able to project her spirit to anywhere, which she demonstrated when she appeared in the flames of a gasoline-based explosion at the Glen Capri Motel just after attempting to kill Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin and Allison Argent, and again when she appeared in Dr. Hilyard's car to cause her to nearly crash his car.

* **Mass Crow Sacrifice Powers**: After performing at least two mass animal sacrifices in which she willed hundreds of crows to commit suicide by flying through glass windows, Jennifer gained additional powers.
	+ **Illusion Casting**: Jennifer possessed the ability to cast illusions in the minds of those she intended to sacrifice, which she typically used in order to terrify her victims, thus making them easier to kill. She demonstrated this power on several occasions, such as when she made Heather believe that the wine bottles in her basement were being shot at her and shattering on the floor, bloodying her feet in the process; when she made Emily believe that a horde of beetles were crawling over her before she was seemingly consumed by them; and when she made Tara Graeme believe that she was seeing her own dead body under the shower in the boy's locker room at the high school. Jennifer could also use this power to induce auditory hallucinations, such as when she made the band teacher, Adrian Harris, and Lydia Martin hear what became known as the "Darach chanting" song.
		- **Glamouring**: Jennifer possessed the ability to use her illusion casting ability to put a glamour over herself so that others would see her as a beautiful and unblemished young woman rather than a scarred and mutilated victim of a Werewolf. She had perfect control over this power, and was able to switch back and forth between her true appearance and her glamoured appearance at will.
* **Five-Fold Knot Sacrifice Powers**: After sacrificing three humans for each category of virgins, warriors, healers, and philosophers, Jennifer was given powers that related to each of the categories.
	+ **Virgin Powers**: After sacrificing Heather, Emily, and a lifeguard wearing a promise ring, Jennifer gained powers associated with virgins. Though these powers were not explained in detail, it was implied by Jennifer than these sacrifices augmented her glamouring ability, and possibly even aided her in her seduction of Derek Hale.
	+ **Warrior Powers**: After sacrificing Kyle, the band instructor, and Adrian Harris, Jennifer gained powers associated with warriors. This power manifested as super strength that was equal or greater to that of an average Alpha Werewolf, allowing her to crush a Sheriff's badge in the palm of her hand, break Scott McCall's sternum with a single palm-thrust to his chest, forcefully shove Kali down a long hospital corridor, and snap Ethan and Aiden's merged Alpha form's neck over her shoulder.
	+ **Healer Powers**: After sacrificing three doctors at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital, Jennifer gained the ability to mystically heal her own wounds at a rapid rate, as well as healing the wounds of others. She used these powers to heal all of the wounds Derek sustained in his battle against the Alpha Pack, to restore Deucalion's eyesight so he could see the damage Kali did to her face, and to heal her own thigh after she was shot by Sheriff Stilinski, all of which occurred in the span of several moments. However, this ability appeared to have its limits, as she was unable to heal her slashed throat without assistance from the Nemeton, which is what gave Peter Hale the opportunity to kill her. Using this power to heal serious wounds, such as Deucalion's blindness, also weakened her significantly, which caused her to be unable to use any of her powers or abilities for at least several minutes.
	+ **Philosopher Powers**: After killing Tara Graeme, Mr. Westover, and a recital pianist, Jennifer gained the powers associated with philosophers. Like her virgin powers, the powers gained from philosophers were only vaguely defined, but Jennifer implied that she gained supernaturally-enhanced knowledge and strategy for use in battles. She even stated that she should have started with philosophers instead of virgins so she could have used the strategy skills to better enact her sacrifices to avoid getting caught for a longer period of time.
	+ **Telluric Current Connection**: Because Jennifer performed all of her abductions and subsequent sacrifices on the telluric currents of Beacon Hills, she became so in-sync with them that she was even able to tap into their power. She used this connection to perform terrakinetic and atmokinetic feats, such as creating intense thunderstorms that knocked out power to the town and earthquakes that caused the Nemeton's root cellar to collapse. She was able to use her atmokinetic powers to create a gust of wind to blow a lit flare into a puddle of gasoline in an attempt to kill Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin and Allison Argent.

### Weaknesses

* **Mistletoe**: Mistletoe can reveal a Darach's true form when they are using a glamour.

## Dhampir

### Powers

* **Super Strength:** Dhampir are stronger than some supernatural creatures and humans. Due to their vampire side, they also get stronger with age. Older non-Original vampires may be stronger and more challenging for many newborn Dhampir, however, fighting a non-Original vampire closer to their age range, the Dhampir will win. Dhampir can toss an average-size, fully-grown human across a room with great speed and force, single-handedly lifting grown men high off the ground by the throat, and snapping others necks. Their strength allows them to jump higher and further than any natural creature. The Dhampir who feed on humans are stronger than those who feed on animal blood, Dhampir that try to drink as little human blood as possible. Although a Dhampir's strength enhances with age, it can also be noted that the emotional status of the dhampir takes a toll on the strength.
* **Super Speed:** Dhampir have intensified quickness, agility, reflexes, and endurance makes them faster than many other human and supernatural beings. As with strength, Dhampir get faster with time. Dhampir can accelerate their movements to cover short distances in an instant, usually faster than the human eye can see. When running across long distances, they appear as a vibrat blur of motion allowing them to appear or vanish quickly and quietly. Their reflexes and dexterity are similarly heightened, allowing them to catch certain projectiles such as arrows and thrown stakes in the air with ease.
* **Super Agility:** Dhampir posse much more superhuman stamina, flexibility, reflexes, agility, and dexterity than many humans and supernatural beings. They can move, jump, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion.
* **Super Senses:** Dhampir have extremely keen senses of hearing, sight, touch, and smell that mostly exceed those of other supernatural beings and humans. Dhampir's senses are superior to the individual species, making their ability extremely effective. They can hear whispered conversations, even ones in far of buildings and on phones, though Delphina learned how to tune out most ambient noises when it's not necessary to hear them. Dhampir can turn their enhanced hearing off, which explains why they can occasionally miss auditory warnings, such as the footsteps of approaching enemies, when they paying attention to other things. Dhampir can also smell blood from several meters away, and see in total darkness. Their sense of taste is also enhanced as well, allowing them to detect the presence of drugs, alcohol, or vervain in someone's blood.
* **Super Durability:** Dhampir can bear a lot of trauma. They also hardly ever get tired or fatigued and can take far more trauma than other supernatural beings and humans, without much discomfort or injury. Even when shot with wooden bullets, which have a weakening effect on Dhampir, they has been seen to continue fighting so long as they were not shot in the heart or the head. Dhampir still react to physical force in a human manner, particularly in their younger day, when they would occasionally be affected even by human-strength-level force. Dhampir can still be stunned and dazed by strikes and trauma, though her tolerance for it will increase as she gets older.
* **Enhanced Healing Factor:** Dhampir have superior healing capabilities and can recover from most injuries much quicker and more effectively. This renders her practically invincible to anything but fatal wounds that can seriously impair their healing capabilities, such as decapitation or heart extraction. Human blood and blood from Niklaus has also been known to make the healing process faster. Delphina can recover tissue from any form of physical damage to her body within seconds to minutes, though she still feels the pain of a wound before it heals. Delphina can snap her bones back into place after they have been broken and has been seen to fully recover from gunshots, stab wounds, and torso impalement very quickly, so long as she had consumed a regular diet of human blood prior to the injury. When Delphina has feed on animals, she will still heal much faster than a human, but her injuries, especially severe ones, will take much longer to heal than a when she feeds on human blood. The only injury Delphina can sustain that cannot be healed on its own or by consuming more blood is a werewolf bite, which requires Klaus' or Hope's blood or a very rare scientifically-created serum to cure. Also, Delphina's enhanced healing is limited to physical damage to their bodies—many forms of magical damage and psychological damage are beyond her capability. Delphina cannot grow back body parts, though she can reattach the severed limb with some effort.
* **Immortality:** As a Dhampir, Delphina stopped aging the moment she transitioned. She become immune to all conventional diseases, toxins, poisons, viruses, illness, infections, and injuries.
* **Enhanced Emotions:** As a Dhampir, Delphina experiences emotions more powerfully than humans and some other supernatural creatures. Emotions like love, joy, and happiness are magnified for Delphina, allowing her to live life more intensely. This ability allows Delphina to feel emotions at their peak regardless of her age. Conversely, sadness, depression, guilt, fear and anger are also amplified.
* **Mind Compulsion:** As a Dhampir, Delphina can compel the minds of humans. She has the ability to influence and control thoughts, emotions, and behavior and can alter or erase memories. There is a sort of hierarchy as to how this ability works and have a weaker form than that of Original vampires and can only compel humans and cannot compel other supernatural beings.
* **Telepathy:** As a Dhampir, Delphina has the ability, albeit a weak variant, to enter the minds of others as long as hers is stronger than them. Normally, this ability works through tactile contact, usually by Delphina placing the palms of her hands on the temples of the victim whose mind she wants to enter. Delphina then closes her eyes and focuses on the information she wishes to seek, allowing her to sort through her victims' memories until she see what she's looking for. Like her physical attributes, her mental strength increases with age. It is one of the hardest abilities to master, and because of this, it is usually the last of the mind-control-related abilities a dhampir learns after becoming proficient in mind compulsion.
	+ **Dream Manipulation:** As a Dhampir, Delphina can control dreams and subconscious. She can produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares, or lucid dreaming. Other effects of this ability are the distortion of reality and trapped in dreams. This is an aspect of telepathy that is much easier to learn, however, this is a learned skill that requires practice to achieve.
	+ **Illusions:** As a Dhampir, Delphina has the power to trick the minds of others into seeing and feeling things that aren't actually happening.

## Doppelgänger

Doppelgängers, also known as Shadow Selves or Mortal Shadow Selves, were a supernatural occurrence that were created by Nature. After Silas and Amara became true immortals by consuming Qetsiyah's immortality elixir, they violated the natural law that all living things must die. Nature found a balance by creating mortal shadow selves that could die. For this reason, doppelgängers have existed for as long as immortals, having been born and died in the place of Silas and Amara.

There are only two doppelgänger "lines" that rippled throughout history, colloquially known as the Salvatore and Petrova doppelgängers. Stefan Salvatore and Tom Avery are Silas' doppelgängers while Tatia, Katerina Petrova and Elena Gilbert are Amara's.

With Elena's death in I Was Feeling Epic, doppelgängers are extinct.

### Creation

Qetsiyah, one of the most powerful witches of all time and member of very gifted people called the Travelers, created a spell for immortality with the intention that she and her true love, Silas, would drink it together at their wedding. However, Silas stole the immortality elixir and used it on himself and his true love, and Qetsiyah's handmaiden, Amara. When they drank the immortality elixir, they violated the natural law that all living things must die, so Nature found a balance by creating mortal shadow selves of Silas and Amara that could die in their place.

According to Qetsiyah, many identical versions of Silas and Amara have been born over the centuries, finding each other time and time again as though drawn together by destiny. However, it was later revealed by Markos that he had cast the spell on the two respective lines of doppelgängers to draw them together so they could eventually break the curse on their people by harvesting the blood of the sole remaining doppelgängers of each line.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Blood:** Doppelgängers, being mystical and recurrent, are sources of great magical power.
	+ The blood of a doppelgänger can be used to link supernatural beings with the help of magic conducted by any witch.
	+ Their blood can also be used to bind an extremely powerful curse or spell or to use as a power source in spells that require more magic than the witch in question possesses on their own.
	+ For some spells, the blood must come from a human doppelgänger. For other spells, the blood of a doppelgänger can still be used even if they've been turned into a vampire, as seen in *Death and the Maiden* when Qetsiyah used Elena's blood (along with Katherine and Amara's blood) to transfer the Anchor from Amara to Bonnie. There are certain spells and uses that require the doppelgänger to be "pure" and human, however, like the undoing of the Hybrid Curse and the siring of hybrids.
	+ The blood of the last two "living" doppelgängers can be used to reverse spells cast using non-traditional forms of magic, especially Spirit Magic (e.g. turning a vampire back into a (dead) human, undoing the spell that bound the Other Side, reversing the spells cast on daylight rings for vampires, removing a triggered gene in those cursed with lycanthropy, etc).

### Weaknesses

* **Magic:** Doppelgängers are still susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. Given the right spells, casting a spell on one doppelgänger will affect that of another.
* **Mortality:** Despite their mystical occurrence, doppelgängers share similar weaknesses as humans (e.g. age, decapitation, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, etc.).

### Loopholes

Doppelgängers are for most intents and purposes humans; however, they are a supernatural occurrence. In some ways they are considered a supernatural species while in others they are human.

1. Death by a doppelgänger counts as a supernatural death. A person wearing a Gilbert Ring will come back to life if killed by a human doppelgänger. This was proven when Elena killed Alaric in *Bringing Out The Dead* and he resurrected.
2. The Gilbert rings do not protect supernatural creatures and is theorized to not to work on a doppelgänger. This has never been confirmed.
3. Human doppelgängers, however, can be compelled by vampires like any regular human. Elena was compelled multiple times prior to Stefan giving her a necklace that contained vervain.
4. Despite being "supernatural," or at the very least mystical, human doppelgängers cannot be siphoned. For example, Kai attempted to siphon magic from Stefan's vampirism, however unknown to him, he had already been cured. Despite being a doppelgänger, having potent blood used as binding agents in spells, at having the mystical cure within him, Kai was unable to siphon any magic from him.

## Druids

Celtic Druids, also known simply as Druids, are a group of humans in the Teen Wolf series who are dedicated to maintaining the balance of nature by spending a great deal of their lives studying the supernatural world and the mystical arts. Legend has it that many Druids have had a connection to Werewolves dating back thousands of years, and as a result, they are known as Emissaries, or advisers, to Werewolf packs, giving them guidance in their supernatural lives while also keeping them connected to their humanity.

This scholarly and diplomatic role is why they are known as Druids, as the word in Gaelic is said to mean "wise oak." However, Druids who act as Emissaries to a Werewolf pack typically keep their identities hidden from everyone except for the Alpha of the pack, although there are exceptions to this pattern, such as the McCall Pack; in this case, their Emissary, Alan Deaton, is known by and close to all of the members of the pack, and he encourages each one of them to consult him whenever they are in need of his counsel, regardless of whether or not their Alpha, Scott McCall, is present or has knowledge of the meeting.

However, the Druid Emissaries' role as advisers to the Werewolves does not mean they are simply relegated to passive roles on the sidelines; many Emissaries, such as Alan Deaton, participate in missions in an active capacity when necessary, as evidenced when Deaton spearheaded a dangerous mission to Japan in order to incapacitate a Yakuza boss and obtain the special letharia vulpina lichen needed to help Stiles stay in control of his body while possessed by the Nogitsune. ("Letharia Vulpina") Due to the multiple ways in which an Emissary can help their packs, and the fact that Druids in general are known as scholars and healers, they are typically very educated in a number of different fields, including but not limited to: human and supernatural history and current events, botany, folklore, medicine, psychology, mystical rituals, and foreign languages, among many others.

Druids, who in general are meant to remain neutral in their task as the maintainers of the balance of nature, do have a dark counterpart as well. These counterparts are known as a Darach, which in Gaelic translates to "dark oak," another apt name that describes their inner darkened nature due to the fact that they gain powers through ritual sacrifices. Depending on the types of sacrifices they commit, a Darach can gain one or a number of enhanced powers, including superhuman attributes (e.g. strength and agility), psionic abilities (e.g. telekinesis, astral projection, illusion casting, glamouring), or even elemental powers (e.g. atmokinesis, terrakinesis)

### History

Due to the secretive and mysterious nature of the Druids and the lack of written documentation of their studies and practices, their history remains mostly unknown at this time. However, according to legend, the Celtic Druids have been around for thousands of years, allegedly since the time of the Titans and the Gods of Olympus in ancient Greek religion. According to the story told to Scott McCall and Allison Argent by Gerard Argent, thousands of years ago, there were many people in Ancient Greece who believed that they owed their lives more to the Titans (such as Prometheus, the Titan who gave humanity fire as a gift and thereby made them less reliant on the gods), than they did the second generation of gods known as the Olympians. As a result, many named their children after the various Titans (such Lycaon, who named his son Deucalion, the Titan son of Prometheus) instead of the other Greek deities. Lycaon was especially disdainful toward the Olympians, to the point that he not only scorned them, but challenged them as well. One evening, Lycaon invited Zeus to a banquet, where he attempted to trick him into eating the flesh of a human, an act that enraged the Olympian sky-father so much that he summoned lightning bolts to strike Lycaon and his sons, cursing them by turning them into wolves.

According to Gerard, there is a lesser-known version of legend, which is that Lycaon and his sons sought out the Celtic Druids, who were believed to possess the ability to shapeshift, in hopes that they could help them return to their human forms. However, while the Druids were unable to undo the curse, they were able to help them maintain their connections to their humanity so that they could shift from human to Werewolf and back again at will. Because of the invaluable help the Druids provided the Werewolves, many of them ended up becoming advisers to the Werewolf packs and thus became known as Emissaries, who acted as their guides through both the human and supernatural worlds. ("Visionary") Emissaries seem to have their own careers in addition to their Druid practice that can aid them in their roles as advisers in other ways as well, such as working as doctors, teachers, and psychologists, among many other professions. This affords the Druids a variety of ways in which they can be of value to their packs.

It has been suggested that Druids can draw power from external energy sources, such as a Nemeton, which has acted as the sacred meeting place of Druids for centuries; according to Chris Argent, the Druids selected an older tree in a grove that would represent the center of the world, and because of the power it would gain from worship and sacrifices, it gained a power of its own that would cause the surrounding villages to suffer from fires, plagues, and other forms of strife if any harm came to the tree. The types of sacrifices the Druids would perform would vary based on the morality of the Druid in question and the time period, but a sacrifice could range from simply non-fatally spilling blood on the roots of the tree, killing a massive number of a certain animal, such as crows, or killing one or a trio of people who met a specific criterion (i.e. three virgins, warriors, or philosophers) in order to gain a kind of sympathetic power from it.

### Characteristics and Culture

As previously mentioned, Druids are simply humans who, through study of the mystic arts and the supernatural world, have gained a large amount of knowledge regarding rituals and their components, such as herbs like mistletoe, or the metaphysical energy generated by the telluric currents running through the earth. Among the rituals they can perform are surrogate sacrifice rituals and rituals to help restore suppressed memories. Druids also know a great deal about the supernatural world, especially Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and Banshees.

Druids are meant to maintain the balance of nature, which can be made easier if they are associated with a pack, since the shapeshifters can help them with this mission by using their powers defensively in the case that a supernatural being has amassed too much power. However, they can vary in how they maintain the balance; for example, Alan Deaton went out of his way to ensure Stiles Stilinski's survival while he was possessed by the Nogitsune by going to Japan to find a rare lichen with which to poison the Void Kitsune and helping the McCall Pack steal a Shugendo Scroll that could help them exorcise it, whereas his sister, Marin Morrell, was okay with helping them out to an extent but made it clear that she would kill Stiles to prevent a further rampage if their other options failed, something that Deaton wasn't willing to do. ("Letharia Vulpina"), ("Echo House") On the more extreme end of this spectrum, Jennifer Blake grew so desperate for vengeance against Deucalion and the Alpha Pack that she became a Darach, also known as a Dark Druid, during which time she committed at least two massive animal sacrifices as well as twelve human sacrifices in order to gain the power to take them down, despite the fact that gaining this much power also contributed to nature's imbalance.

As noted earlier, Druids use Nemetons, or a large older tree in a grove, as a sacred meeting place where they can gather for meetings or perform rituals and/or sacrifices. This tree will usually be identified as a Nemeton by the Celtic five-fold knot typically painted onto its roots. Druids also use a number of other symbols as well, including triskelions, which eventually became the symbol of the Hale Pack. In addition to symbols, the Druids also utilize numerous herbs and plants in their practice, such as Mountain Ash, which is incinerated rowan wood used as a protective substance against supernatural creatures, or mistletoe, which can be both a poison or a cure depending on how it is used.

### Types of Druids

#### Emissaries

As stated above, Druid Emissaries act as advisers and guides to Werewolf packs (though they can vary in how they fulfill these tasks depending on what their "day job" is), and the majority of Emissaries' identities are kept secret from everyone in the pack but the Alpha, though there are exceptions to this rule. In general, most Emissaries act in a diplomatic fashion by helping their Alphas navigate territory disputes and interact with other packs, and they are crucial in helping the packs maintain connections to their humanity. From there, individual Emissaries can have their own areas of expertise; Alan Deaton, as a veterinarian, best serves his packs as a healer, whereas Marin Morrell, as a psychologist, is better at providing emotional and psychological support and comfort to her pack, as well as tactical and strategic advice based on her assessments of their opponents. It is unknown what Jennifer Blake's area of expertise was when she was an Emissary, but she seemed to have a very extensive understanding of the supernatural world.

It also seems that the relationships between Emissaries and their Alphas/pack members can vary based on the methods used by the Emissary in question. When Deaton was the Emissary to the Hale Pack, only Talia and Laura Hale knew of his identity, and he was said to be in love with Talia; conversely, while he is close to his new Alpha Scott McCall to the point of being a father-figure, Deaton's role as an Emissary to the McCall Pack is that of a friend, mentor, and healer who is known by and accessible to all members of the pack regardless of rank or species. Marin Morrell seemed close to Deucalion, which likely led her to decide to stay with him when he created the Alpha Pack, but she did not seem to have a close relationship with the others in the pack, as evidenced by the fact that Kali was willing to threaten her life to get Deaton to comply with her demands. It is unknown what kind of relationship Jennifer Blake had with Kali's original pack, but given Kali's comment that she loved Jennifer (when she was still known as Julia Baccari) indicates that they were very close as well.

#### Darachs

In the case where a Druid loses sight of their mission to maintain the balance of nature and begins to "go down the wrong path," they become a Darach, which usually entails performing ritual sacrifices to gain more powers. The powers a Darach can gain depend on the types of sacrifices that they commit, and are usually based on sacrificing a certain type of person, such as virgins, warriors, healers, philosophers, guardians, or animals; the powers gained will correspond with the sacrifices committed, such as gaining super strength from warriors, the ability to heal oneself or others from healers, etc.

It is also possible for a Darach to give their new powers an additional boost by sacrificing humans on telluric currents, or currents of geothermal energy, which are coincidentally numerous in and around the earth in Beacon Hills. When Jennifer performed her five-fold knot sacrifice ritual, she would capture her victims on a telluric current and then kill them on a convergence of currents, holding them captive in the interim in a place in the middle of the two aforementioned locations. By doing this, Jennifer became in-sync with the currents, allowing her to manipulate the earth and the weather within these currents. She planned to commit her final trio of sacrifices, the "guardians" (Noah Stilinski, Melissa McCall, and Chris Argent) on the roots of the Nemeton itself, though she was unsuccessful; it is unknown what kind of powers she could have attained had she succeeded, but she implied that she would be invulnerable. *("Lunar Ellipse")*

### Powers and Abilities

Druids are humans who have harnessed mystical energy that can be used for various effects, but how exactly these powers are gained and the full range of how they can be used remain a mystery as of now. In addition to these mystical or magical powers, Druids are typically highly educated scholars who not only have a specific expertise that aids them in their practice (such as being a veterinarian or a psychologist), but they are also knowledgeable in a range of different topics including (but not limited to) history, foreign languages, botany, pharmacology, mythology and folklore, and anthropology, among other things. They all usually possess at least a basic level of self-defense training and close-quarters combat, due to the danger that exists as advisers to occasionally unstable shapeshifters.

The powers possessed by benevolent Druids who have not taken the darker path to becoming Darachs are largely undefined thus far in the series and are barely understood. The main power they possess seems to be the mastery of the use of Mountain Ash, allowing them to use their own willpower to manipulate the ash into the shape needed, typically in straight lines across the thresholds of doors or in perfect circles around them to protect themselves or others from supernatural threats. There are additional powers that seem to have been demonstrated by Druids, though they seem to vary based on the individual. Alan Deaton, for example, is the Druid with the most screen-time in the series, and, as such, has demonstrated the most potential powers, including: the ability to mysteriously escape being bound, gagged, and locked in a car trunk *("Night School")*; the ability to prevent himself from being hit by a chair thrown at him by Peter Hale by causing it to break into pieces in midair (possibly through a form of telekinesis) *("Code Breaker")*; and the ability to force a transformed Kali to shift back into human form after she threatened to kill Marin Morrell (possibly through a form of biokinesis) *("Motel California")*.

In terms of human abilities, these also depend on the specific Druid in question and what career they have outside of their Druid or Emissary duties. This could extend to veterinary/human medical and pharmacological knowledge in Deaton's case, human psychological knowledge in Morrell's case, and literary knowledge in Jennifer's case, who was an English teacher as a day job. In general, Druids are typically extremely learned in mythology and folklore in terms of the supernatural world of which they are a part, giving them immense knowledge on the powers and weaknesses of the range of supernatural creatures, as well as mystical rituals that can achieve various effects. They also are very knowledgeable about herbs and plants, such as rowan wood/Mountain Ash, wolfsbane, mistletoe, and lichen such as letharia vulpina.

Druids also tend to speak numerous languages, possibly to aid them in learning more about the supernatural in texts that are not in English; Deaton has been shown to speak Japanese and American Sign Language to a significant degree, and Morrell is fluent in Latin and a number of Romance languages such as French, which she used to teach at the high school. *("Ice Pick")*, *("Frenemy")* In addition to these skills, the Druids introduced thus far have also had various levels of skill in close-quarters combat and the use of weaponry; both Deaton and Morrell have demonstrated the ability to defend themselves against both human and supernatural threats, and Deaton is very competent in the use of fighting with a retractable steel baton.

### Weaknesses

Since Druids are humans, they possess the common weaknesses of their species, particularly mortality, though those who have enhanced healing powers (such as the Darach, Jennifer Blake) will have a higher resistance than regular humans. It has been shown that Mistletoe can disrupt some of their powers as well, as Jennifer's glamouring ability was temporarily neutralized after Scott McCall tossed ground-up mistletoe power at her, forcing her to reveal her true, mutilated face.

## Enhanced Original Vampire

Enhanced Original Vampire is a term used to describe the type of Original vampire Alaric Saltzman became when Esther recast the Immortality Spell to turn him. She made changes such as binding Alaric's life to a doppelgänger, whereas the other Originals' immortality was granted by the white oak tree. This meant that he could not be killed at all, as long as Elena lived, thus meaning even the white oak stake or the white oak ash daggers have no effect on him, as it will not even neutralize him. The only way he could die is if someone killed Elena, which is why he had to guard her life. His darker personality was enhanced as well, as Alaric's true personality is now gone completely, replaced by the psychotic vampire-hating serial killer that was created as a result of using the Gilbert ring to come back to life too many times, along with Esther manipulating his mind every time he died.

The Enhanced Original vampire was purified in The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get, after Tripp dragged Alaric Saltzman across the border of Mystic Falls which stripped away the effects of Esther's spell that turned him into an Original. His life was saved by Josette Laughlin before he could die from the wound that Esther inflicted upon him.

### Creation

In *Do Not Go Gentle*, Esther modified her original spell and turned Alaric into an Enhanced Original vampire. The spell, however, had one major addition. Since Esther's spell called for the need of the doppelgänger's blood to cast the Immortality Spell, she took the opportunity to bind Alaric's life to Elena's. Her intention for doing so was to correct her first mistake and a means of ensuring that he would have eventually died as Esther did not intend to have any more vampires roaming the earth after the Originals and their descendants have been killed. If Elena was near death or dying, then it would affect Alaric. When Elena was dying as Alaric was fighting Damon, it allowed Damon to get the upper hand, and Alaric died as soon as Elena drowned underwater, rendering Enhanced Originals extinct.

Alaric was created to hunt down and kill all of the Originals, which quite possibly could have made him superior to all regular Originals, and possibly even Niklaus, the Original hybrid. His physical strength is shown when Klaus and Alaric fight in the school and the latter gains the upper hand by breaking Klaus' wrist, slamming Klaus against a locker, and then throwing him to the floor effortlessly. After Alaric gains the upper hand, he attempts to stake Klaus with the White Oak Stake while he is on the ground, however, Klaus manages to hold Alaric to a stalemate using all of his strength. Elena, fearing the consequence that Klaus' death would bring, decides she has to intervene to save Klaus, especially once she realizes Alaric's true weakness, Elena herself. She then threatens to cut her own throat to force Alaric to stand down, calling his bluff by starting to slit her throat. This causes Alaric to lose his composure, giving Klaus time to push Alaric off and take Elena away from the scene.

### Powers and Abilities

Due to the nature and purpose of the spell that created them, the Enhanced Original vampire's powers and abilities were at least on par if not superior to the Original vampires that came before. Alaric was created to become the ultimate hunter, capable of eradicating the vampire species as a whole. Similarly, he was endowed with superhuman physical abilities as strength, speed, agility, durability, healing and senses as well as powers of mind control. Given the relatively short time this being was in existence, it remains unknown if their physical or mental abilities grew stronger with age and experience.

* **Super Strength:** The Enhanced Original vampire was much stronger than other human and supernatural beings even possessing enough strength to overpower Original vampires, and even the Original Hybrid. An Enhanced Original vampire like Alaric was able to easily overpower non-Original vampires, Stefan and Damon and Original vampire, Rebekah. When Klaus attacked Alaric, Alaric quickly managed to beat and throw Klaus around though the former was able to hold him to a stalemate when they grappled for the White Oak Stake.
* **Super Speed:** The Enhanced Original vampire was much faster than other human and supernatural beings. Alaric was slightly faster than Original vampires, and was of similar speed to the Original hybrid. They are able to stop other supernatural species in their tracks and run miles in mere minutes. Alaric incapacitated both Damon and Stefan within seconds with his superior strength and speed, as the two vampires could not even hold Alaric longer than a few seconds before both were neutralized instantly.
* **Super Agility:** The Enhanced Original vampire possesses more superhuman agility, flexibility, and dexterity than humans and other supernatural beings. They can move, jump, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion.
* **Super Senses:** The Enhanced Original vampire has extremely keen senses of hearing, sight, and smell, even greater than vampires and Original vampires.

* **Super Durability:** The Enhanced Original vampire can take far more trauma than humans and other supernatural beings without much discomfort or injury. Alaric could heal faster than normal vampires when exposed to vervain and sunlight. For example, Alaric was able to drag Caroline back inside while burning from the sun without even catching on fire. Wood does not seem to weaken them and even the White Oak Stake, a powerful enchanted object, will not kill the Enhanced Original vampire; likewise, it seems unlikely they would be affected by the white oak ash daggers. It is unknown if decapitation or heart extraction would have had any effect on him, although it is unlikely as the magic that protects them renders their body completely indestructible.
* **Semi-Immortality:** The Enhanced Original vampire will not physically age and is immune to all illnesses, toxins, poisons, and diseases. However, the only Enhanced Original had its life force tied to a doppelgänger, thus Alaric has the same lifespan as Elena's, meaning once she dies of old age or by any other means, he would immediately follow. After his resurrection, this facet of the spell became unknown as Elena had been turned into a vampire. He was, however, purified and was turned back into a human by the Magic Purification boundary spell that was cast over Mystic Falls.
* **Healing Factor:** The injuries of the Enhanced Original vampire healed faster than other human and supernatural beings. Human blood has also known to make the healing process faster.
* **Emotional Control:** The Enhanced Original vampire can control and manipulate the emotions of one's self. Alaric was completely devoid of humanity while as an Enhanced Original vampire, completely driven by "The Darkness", his split personality that hated all vampires and even humans who protected or ignored their presence.
* **Enhanced Emotions:** The Enhanced Original vampire experienced emotions more powerfully than humans. Emotions like love, joy, and happiness are intensified for vampires allowing them to live life more intensely. This ability allowed the Enhanced Original vampires to feel emotions at their peak regardless of their age.
* **Mind Compulsion:** The Enhanced Original vampire can compel the minds of humans, non-Original vampires, and non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids.
	+ **Dream Manipulation:** The Enhanced Original vampire could control dreams and subconscious. The vampires can produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares or lucid dreaming. Other effects of this ability is the distortion of reality and trapped in the dreams.
	+ **Illusions:** The Enhanced Original vampire had the power to trick the minds of others into seeing or feeling things that aren't actually happening.

* **True Face:** An Enhanced Original vampire's true face is the appearance they are hiding under their normal human face. When revealed, the sclera of their eyes turns blood-red, dark veins appear under their eyes as the blood pumps forcefully through them, and their canine teeth extend into razor-sharp fangs. An Enhanced Original vampire’s fangs are extremely sharp which gives them the ability to tear into almost any substance and tear off limbs.

### Weaknesses

* **Animal Blood:** Animal blood weakens an Enhanced Original vampire's strength.
* **Broken Neck:** Breaking an Enhanced Original vampire's neck will not kill them, but it will render them unconscious for several hours.
* **Desiccation:** Being completely drained of blood or the heart stopping will cause an Enhanced Original vampire to desiccate like any other vampire or Original, losing most of their strength and any ability to move. This process can be replicated artificially by a witch casting a desiccation spell.
* **Invitation:** In order to enter any house owned by humans, they had to be invited by that person. Once invited the vampire cannot be uninvited, only if ownership of the house is changed can they be removed until re-invited. If a vampire lives in a house, other vampires can enter freely and if a vampire is in the house without being invited in it will become disoriented and will begin to suffocate.
* **Link to Elena Gilbert:** If Elena dies, then so shall the Enhanced Original vampire that is bound to her. The status of this weakness was disputed after Alaric's resurrection and taking into account that Elena was biologically dead as a vampire.
* **Magic:** Enhanced Original vampires are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. A witch with enough magical power at their disposal could harm or even kill it. Magic can also be used to trap an Original through boundary spells, and magic can also be used to desiccate an Original. This is inclusive of mystical and dark objects. Likewise, it is assumed that the Cure would have similar effects as with non-Original vampires.
* **Physical Trauma:** Minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds and broken bones will cause an Enhanced Original vampire pain and also slow them down.

* **Sunlight:** The sun also burns the Enhanced Original vampire but it cannot kill them. Alaric seemed to be able to tolerate sunlight better than Original and non-Original vampires. In one such incident, Rebekah quickly took cover upon being burnt, while Alaric calmly dragged Caroline into the school.
* **Vervain:** Vervain burns Enhanced Original vampires just like it does with the other vampires, although an Enhanced Original vampire will heal very fast to the point where the damage done by the vervain is gone within seconds.
* **Werewolf Venom and Enchanted Thorns:** Similar to Original vampires, it is assumed that werewolf venom can't kill an Enhanced Original vampire and will likely experience similar effects. It is unknown whether or not Lucien Castle's advanced werewolf venom or the Hollow's enchanted thorns could kill Alaric given the difference in the spells that created the two different, yet simlar species.

### Former Weaknesses

* **Doppelgänger Blood Magic:** If blood from the last pair of doppelgängers are used in the Magic Purification Spell, all vampires' abilities will be stripped from them little by little and then they will be brought back to the last stage of their human life: Death. They will then relive the way they died when they transitioned into vampirism. Kai absorbed the magic purification spell and its no longer there.

## Evolved Werewolf Type B

An Evolved Werewolf refers to the werewolves of the Crescent Wolf Pack, who were blessed with additional powers by the Unification Ritual between the pack's two Alphas; Hayley Marshall of the Labonair bloodline, and Jackson Kenner of the Kenner bloodline. These werewolves possess the gifts of each Alpha, such as enhanced speed and strength, but more importantly, they have also gained the unique powers possessed by Hayley, who was a non-original werewolf-vampire hybrid.

Evolved werewolves have full control of their abilities which includes transformation control, which means they now can control their transformation into wolf forms at all times just as Hayley can (including not turning on the full moon and partially transforming their eyes, claws and fangs during a fight). This also means that they can access the full potential of their wolf form, making them stronger, faster, and generally superior to average werewolves who are limited by their once monthly transformations.

### Creation

At the genesis of the werewolf species, each specific bloodline had distinct abilities, such as enhanced strength, enhanced speed, the ability to sense impending danger from miles away, etc. Over time, they learned to evolve by performing what is known as the Unification Ceremony, where two Alphas of different packs would be married by a shaman, causing all of the members of both packs to adopt the abilities of their new Alpha in addition to their old powers. After centuries of intermarriage, werewolves eventually ended up all possessing the same abilities (enhanced strength, speed, and accelerated healing), and instead of marrying two packs in order to evolve, their marriages became political alliances to collect territory.

Jackson would eventually learn of the Unification Ceremony and what it could mean to the Crescent Wolf Pack if he were to marry Hayley, a hybrid that could control her transformation. Eventually, he and Hayley realized that as the heirs to their respective bloodlines, their performance of the unification ritual would allow them to transfer her ability to control her transformation to the rest of the pack, which would allow the others in their pack to no longer be dependent on the moonlight rings provided to the pack by Esther and Finn Mikaelson in exchange for their loyalty.

Hayley and Jackson were married by werewolf elder Mary Dumas at the Mikaelson compound, which bestowed Hayley's ability of transformation control to every member of the pack in attendance. Afterward, the pack began to train each other to use the full potential of their new abilities, which included augmented strength, speed, and the ability to produce venomous bites at all times, allowing them to fatally bite vampires at will.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Super Strength:** Evolved werewolves are stronger than regular werewolves and humans, possessing strength powerful enough to even take on non-Original vampires in human form. This was shown when Jackson was able to beat multiple members of the Strix, and momentary overpower Lucien, a thousand year old vampire, long enough to bite him. They were also shown to be strong enough to face off against Klaus, the Original hybrid, in small groups although they were eventually outmatched. The full moon will also boost their strength and so will intense feelings of anger.
* **Super Speed:** An Evolved werewolf's intensified quickness, agility, reflexes, and endurance makes them faster than any regular werewolves and humans. Jackson was able to quickly surprise Elijah, an Original vampire, with a punch strong enough to knock him down from behind, although Elijah was initially caught off guard and soon overpowered Jackson when he attempted to bite him. Evolved werewolves can use this ability in both their human or werewolf forms.
* **Super Agility:** Evolved werewolves possess superhuman agility. They can move, jump, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion.
* **Super Durability:** Evolved werewolves can take far more trauma than humans and non-original vampires can without nearly as much discomfort or injury. They can also exert themselves for longer periods without tiring.
* **Healing Factor:** Evolved werewolves possess superhuman regenerative abilities, meaning that if they are physically injured, their bodies will heal rapidly. Evolved werewolves can heal from grievous of injuries, even in human form, though more slowly in comparison to non-original vampires. They, however, cannot heal from fatal wounds, such as a broken neck.
* **Super Senses:** Evolved werewolves have the extremely keen and heightened senses of smell, sight, taste, hearing and touch inherent in all canines. Because they are supernatural and have powers that excel their wolf counterparts, they can hear, see, and smell better than that of regular canines.

* **Lycanthrope Enhancement:** Evolved werewolves are capable of using their werewolf features to further supplement their powers. As such, they can grow claws from their fingernails and werewolf fangs from their teeth even when they are still in their human forms. Their eyes also change into those of their werewolf form, presumably granting them better eyesight.
* **Shapeshifting**/**Transformation Control:** Evolved werewolves have the ability to transform into their werewolf forms at will. Most of them avoid transforming at all due to the pain it causes. They can also perform partial transformations, manifesting single features of their werewolf forms. An Evolved werewolf can stay in werewolf form longer than a normal werewolf, who is limited to the peak hours of the full moon unless they have magical assistance, such as from a moonlight ring.

* **Werewolf Venom:** Evolved werewolves and regular werewolves have venom which is fatal to non-original vampires if it is introduced into their system. This is usually accomplished by the werewolf biting a vampire, but it has been demonstrated that werewolf venom can be extracted and used in darts and bullets or laced in drinks.
* **Full Moon:** An Evolved werewolf's strength, speed, agility, and all their powers are evolved and at their peak during a full moon.
* **Immunity to silver:** Evolved werewolves are immune to magic bonded to silver. Weapons made of silver might wound them, but the wound still heals at supernatural rates and will not be fatal to them.

### Weaknesses

* **Link to Alpha:** Because the source of an Evolved werewolf's power is through the link they share with the two alphas of their pack through the Unification Ceremony, that link can be exploited. This was demonstrated by Dahlia, who was able to curse the entire Evolved Crescent Wolf pack by casting a modified Crescent Curse solely on Hayley and Jackson.
* **Magic:** Evolved werewolves are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical objects as well as spells that can speed up or slow down their transformations, or force them to transform on the spot. Siphoners can siphon magic from werewolves as well as the magic of a werewolf bite; this can extend to Evolved werewolves, though never shown.
* **Mortality:** Werewolves can die of old age and share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. suffocation, extreme blood Loss, a broken neck, decapitation, fire, heart extraction, etc.)
* **Physical Trauma:** Minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds and broken bones will cause an Evolved werewolf pain and will also slow them down. However, this is only temporary, as they will heal completely within minutes.
* **Wolfsbane:** When ingested, wolfsbane causes an Evolved werewolf to become severely weak and feverish. Exposure to their skin will burn them.
* **First Transformation:** Evolved werewolves of the Crescent Wolf pack must undertake their first transformation, despite their ability to control shapeshifting. Klaus explains that this is a rite of passage and cannot be avoided.

## Ghost

A Ghost, or Veiled Matter, was the soul of a deceased supernatural person that could, under certain circumstances, appear as a visible manifestation to the living from the Other Side. In even rarer circumstances, ghosts could physically interact with the living world. However, following the destruction of the Other Side in Home, the term is defunct.

Souls of supernatural beings can continue to linger for an indeterminate amount of time as spirits in the Space In-between until they find peace or move on to another afterlife.

### Appearance

Ghosts do not appear any different dead than they did when they were alive. Whenever they appear to the living, they are usually seen dressed in the very same attire they were wearing at the time of their deaths. However, it's possible that ghosts can somehow change their appearance and manifest different clothing; Bonnie Bennett, Vicki Donovan and Lexi Branson were shown wearing different clothing on the Other Side than the outfits they originally died in.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Intangibility:** Ghosts cannot physically feel nor can they be physically felt, unless they are given a physical foothold in the land of the living.
* **Species-Specific Abilities:** Should a supernatural being become a ghost, they will still possess their given supernatural abilities. In addition, witches can still perform feats of magic while on the Other Side to directly affect the living world.

### Weaknesses

* **Isolation:** Ghosts can only interact with the living through mediums and witches. However, if the person chooses to isolate themselves from the ghost, they will be forced to vanish. With the exception of witches, ghosts are even isolated from one another and for all intent and purposes, alone.
* **Witchcraft:** Ghosts are susceptible to the forces of witchcraft. Since the Other Side was destroyed by a spell, all the ghosts who couldn't come back to life either got sucked into the dark void or found peace.

### The Other Side

The Other Side was the mysterious dimension where the souls of dead supernatural beings reside. It was created by Qetsiyah in an attempt to imprison the immortal Silas. The spell ensured that every supernatural being that died would go to the Other Side, instead of the peaceful afterlife. While ghosts on the Other Side could, during moments where the Veil was down, manifest themselves and were able to interact with the living world, either to cause harm or to help.

## Ghost Riders

Ghost Riders, also known as the Wild Hunt, are an unknown species of creature that was first mentioned in Season 5 and first introduced in Season 6 of MTV's Teen Wolf. They possess an unexplained connection with Hellhounds. According to Alan Deaton in the official trailer release during 2016's Comic-Con, despite popular belief that the Wild Hunt takes people, the real lore behind these mysterious creatures is that they erase people from reality.

*"Woden's Hunt, also known as the Wild Ride or Wild Hunt. A myth of devilish riders in the sky accompanied by black dogs, spectral beasts whose eyes glowed with fire... A Bearer of Death and Guardian of the Supernatural, the black dog is also known by its more common name, the Hellhound."*

### Characteristics

Not much is known about Ghost Riders as of yet, but their personalities seem to be similar to that of Cerberus insomuch as they are aloof and have no interest in anything but their target goals; any interference is met with force, but like the Hellhound, they show no real interest in engaging in fights if they can avoid it, as evidenced by the fact that they seemingly viewed Liam's futile attempts to physically defeat them as being that of a mere nuisance.

One of the Ghost Riders (presumably The Outlaw) showed curiosity when confronted by Jordan Parrish, as it somehow sensed his Hellhound nature and attempted to communicate with him before they vanished. It should be noted that, in the Bestiary consulted by Lydia Martin, the Hellhound is a part of the Wild Hunt, indicating there is a connection between the species. Though Mason believed that the Ghost Riders feared the Hellhound, in reality, they wanted it to return to them; during their first confrontation, one of the Riders shot at Parrish when he transformed into the Hellhound rather than fight him, and during their second interaction, the captured Ghost Rider attempted to communicate with him before somehow compelling Cerberus to control Parrish and aid in their escape.

Lydia Martin had a Banshee premonition that indicated that all captives of the Ghost Riders became Ghost Riders themselves, and Peter Hale seemed to confirm that this was true when he said that he and Stiles Stilinski, as captives of the Wild Hunt, were doomed to ride the skies forever. This was further supported when a Ghost Rider informed Scott McCall, Liam Dunbar, and Theo Raeken that no one resists or escapes their captivity, though this was later proven to not be absolutely true. Judging by Lydia's comments, the process through which a Wild Hunt captive goes to transform into a Ghost Rider involves having their souls hollowed out, taking every characteristic and trait that makes up the victim's identity until the only thing that is left is a walking corpse dedicated to the hunt for eternity. *("Ghosted")*

It was late revealed that the Ghost Riders technically don't exist on the plane of reality known as the "real world," which is why they can appear invisible unless they choose to allow others to see them. This also extends to other objects and people, giving them the ability to shift things into their plane of existence so that they are invisible to the human naked eye, as was proven when Jake Sullivan was erased from reality by the Ghost Riders, and one of his relics (in Jake's case, his library card) was made invisible and dropped on the floor, which Corey Bryant, a Chimera with similar powers to the Ghost Riders, pulled back into their world.

### Physical Appearance

The Ghost Riders have a much more old-western appearance. They ride horses while wearing cowboy hats and old withered clothing typical of the 1800s, while also arming themselves with supernatural pistols and whips. A Ghost Rider's face appears to be pale and heavily lined, as if scarred, and their mouths are kept shut due to numerous strips of skin stitching it together. There is also blackness where their eyes should be.

### Powers and Abilities

The Ghost Riders possess a multitude of powers, many of which have not been fully explored or defined. Part of their power comes from the fact that they technically do not reside in the "real world" dimension; they exist in the Phantom Train Station, but can interact with the real world.

* **Super Strength** Ghost Riders possess super strength, as evidenced by the fact that one easily ripped the passenger door off of the Turner family's car, and another was shown to effortlessly manhandle both Liam Dunbar and Corey Bryant at the same time. Even exceptionally strong shapeshifters such as Scott McCall, Malia Tate, and Peter Hale have been unable to do any more than simply hold their own against the Riders for brief moments before being overpowered.
* **Power Granting**: The Ghost Riders have the ability to turn humans and other supernatural creatures into more of their own kind by swarming around their target and laying their hands on them, hollowing out their soul and transforming their bodies into that of an undead Ghost Rider. This power was used by the Ghost Riders to turn Garrett Douglas into one of their own in retribution for his attempts to control them and force them to do his bidding.
* **Reality Warping**: The Ghost Riders possess a rare ability that has never before been seen in the series until their introduction—the ability to manipulate reality, specifically how others perceive reality. The Ghost Riders have used this power in a variety of ways, including:
	+ **Existence Erasure:** The most used aspect of this power that the Ghost Riders use is the ability to literally erase a person from existence. Like with reality warping, this power to erase people from existence has many aspects:
		- **Memory Manipulation**: In erasing a person from existence, the Ghost Riders possess the ability to modify and/or remove the memories of the victim in the minds of anyone who knows them. This was evidenced by the fact that everyone who knew the Turner family, Stiles Stilinski, and Phoebe forgot that they ever existed, causing their friends, family, and acquaintances to not recognize them before they were taken by the Ghost Riders. However, this power doesn't seem to work properly on people with dementia, as Elias Stilinski, during a moment of lucidity, seemed to remember Stiles and somehow know that his son's wife Claudia was supposed to be dead. Likewise, Theo Raeken, who had been trapped in a mystical underground prison, remembered Stiles upon his release, despite the fact that he had been erased from the memories of everyone else, however brief it may have been. In one case, after the Ghost Riders conjured a phantom who masqueraded as his deceased wife Claudia to distract him from the fact that they had captured his son Stiles, the Ghost Riders implanted false memories in his mind so he wouldn't question her presence. However, in general, the Ghost Riders simply allow the victims of their memory manipulation to fill in the blank places in their memories, which ultimately ended badly for them due to the fact that Scott McCall, Malia Tate, and Lydia Martin began realizing that their memories made no sense without Stiles' presence in them.
		- **Matter Manipulation**: In erasing a person from existence, the Ghost Riders can manipulate objects. This includes changing photographs to remove their victims' likeness from them and altering documents such as deeds to houses or yearbook forms to erase information about the victim, and making their bedrooms, homes, or apartments look as though they have been abandoned for an unknown amount of time. This appears to be through a form of Illusion Casting.
		- **Dimensional Shifting**: The Ghost Riders exist on a different plane of reality known colloquially as the Phantom Train Station, but are capable of manifesting in the "real world." However, because they are not of the real world, they seem to have a foot on each plane, allowing them to transport themselves back and forth along with other objects and people. This power gives them the power to make themselves and other people and objects invisible to the naked human eye while in the real world, suggesting that this power is a form of Projection.
	+ **Visual Connection**: The Ghost Riders have the ability to target individuals who have seen them, allowing them to locate these victims, capture them, and erase them from existence at a later time. This has presumably happened to numerous people, including Stiles Stilinski, the Turner family, Jake Sullivan, Phoebe, as well as everyone at the party Liam Dunbar, Mason Hewitt, and Corey Bryant threw at the McCall House.
	+ **Electromagnetokinesis**: The Ghost Riders appear to have the ability to manipulate electromagnetic energy, as evidenced by the fact that phones are unable to geolocate when they're in the vicinity, and their presence prevents compasses from being able to accurately point north; instead, the compass leads to their location. This indicates that they can control both electricity and magnetism. Their presence also causes clocks to stop and can make magnets around them more or less powerful. They were also able to prevent the Turners from driving away when one of the Ghost Riders confronted them in the road by disabling the battery that powered the car.
	+ **Atmokinesis**: The Ghost Riders have a limited ability to control the weather, allowing them to create thunderstorms, lightning bolts, and powerful gusts of wind in their location at will.
		- **Atmokinetic Teleportation**: The Ghost Riders appear to have the ability to teleport from one place to another in the blink of an eye through storm-related phenomena, as evidenced by the Ghost Riders appearing at the McCall House through a lightning strike and leaving through a powerful gust of wind. Their appearance through teleportation is typically accompanied by dry, dead leaves blowing toward their target with the wind gusts. The Ghost Riders also seem to be able to bring their victims along with them when they teleport, as well as teleporting their victims remotely to the Phantom Train Station without teleporting themselves. This form of teleportation is said to be able to bypass Mountain Ash barriers.
	+ **Telekinesis**: The Ghost Riders seem to have the ability to move objects through sheer force of will. This was demonstrated when The Outlaw opened the school doors with a simple hand gesture. However, the Ghost Riders typically rely more on their superhuman strength rather than this power.
	+ **Pathokinesis**: The Ghost Riders possess the ability to manipulate the emotions of others; so far, they have used this ability specifically to heighten aggression and violent behavior in the members of the lacrosse teams at the Beacon Hills High School lacrosse match. This fits with the mythology of the Wild Hunt, who are said to be drawn to war and mayhem.
	+ **Telepathic Communication**: The Ghost Riders have the ability to communicate with each other and their Hellhounds through a mysterious language even from a distance, and can compel Hellhounds to do what they want, as evidenced by the fact that they influenced Jordan Parrish into helping free one of their own who had been captured by the McCall Pack through their connection to Cerberus, the Hellhound spirit possessing him. They can also communicate with people who are not members of the Wild Hunt if necessary, such as when the pack captured a Ghost Rider to interrogate them on their plans. This form of communication is needed due to the fact that the Ghost Riders' mouths are seemingly sewed shut.

### Weaknesses

So far, the Ghost Riders have shown few weaknesses. They do seem to be vulnerable to Mountain Ash, as the majority of supernatural creatures are, but, like other creatures such as the Oni and Hellhounds, they can break through it with assistance, such as using their supernatural whips with enough force or compelling their Hellhound to use their fire to burn through the barrier. Additionally, they are able to bypass Mountain Ash barriers by teleporting through lightning strikes to the location they seek, though this, too, can be hindered if the Ghost Rider is in a location that is immune to lightning strikes, such as the generator the McCall Pack used to trap a Ghost Rider.

The Ghost Riders also seem to be vulnerable to Corey Bryant's Chimera power of Adaptive Camouflage, as when he is actively using this ability, he is able to see the Ghost Riders even when they appear to be invisible to the human eye, and he has also demonstrated the power to pull the Ghost Riders and the objects they have shifted out of their world back into it. This was demonstrated when Corey made tactile contact with Jake Sullivan's library card, a relic that was left behind after his capture and erasure from reality, and made it visible again, and again when he was camouflaging himself and grabbed the arm of a Ghost Rider, pulling him into their world so everyone else could see them.

Additionally, people with medical conditions that affect memories seem to have at least a partial immunity to the Ghost Riders' memory manipulation powers, as Elias Stilinski, Stiles' paternal grandfather, who suffers from dementia, seemed to remember Stiles when no one else who knew him could, and he knew that his son's wife, Claudia, was meant to be dead. Likewise, Theo was able to remember Stiles after he was released from his mystical prison, suggesting that the prison protected him from outside influences such as the Ghost Riders' powers.

Another weakness appears to be relics, or objects belonging to their victims that are somehow not erased with them. According to Lydia Martin, relics are an object with a fixed association in the past that are left behind due to a conservation of mass; such relics include Jake Sullivan's library card and the bracelet Gwen made for her sister Phoebe, both of which were found at the scene of where they were taken. It has been implied that these relics can be used to reverse the erasure of a person from reality by the Ghost Riders.

It has also been shown that, with help, people can recover their lost memories of an erased loved one through extended contact with the person; for example, speaking to Stiles through his police radio allowed Scott, Malia and Lydia to remember him, and seeing the burned Peter Hale after he returned from the Phantom Train Station allowed Scott and Malia to remember him as well. Noah Stilinski was able to recover his memories of his son Stiles by finding another one of his relics—his red yarn and push-pins—which allowed him to slowly recover more and more memories while also recovering more and more of Stiles' possessions in his bedroom. This seems to indicate that the Ghost Riders' magic can only repress memories, not take them away completely, leaving it possible to recover these memories by triggering them through various means.

Mason Hewitt has suggested that hiding underground can prevent a Ghost Rider from harming them, as the earth's surface would ground their lightning strikes and keep the Wild Hunt from getting anywhere near them. Additionally, despite being considered "dead" and unstoppable by legend, they can still be physically hurt and killed through the same means as many supernatural creatures; for example, Garrett Douglas was able to kill a Ghost Rider simply by biting a chunk out of the back of its skull before eating its pineal gland. In the final battles, Liam Dunbar and Theo Raeken fought dozens of Ghost Riders and successfully killed several of them; one died from trauma to the internal organs after being forcefully pinned between an autopsy table and the wall by both Theo and Liam, while Theo killed another by stabbing it in the throat with a bone saw, and Liam shot two with their own guns.

### Equipment

* **Supernatural Weapons**: Ghost Riders have guns that fire "magic" bullets, which shatter glass in ways a normal bullet are unlikely to do and cause the glass to turn blue or green, possibly from a muzzle flare. When a human or non-Ghost Rider supernatural creature is hit with the magic bullet in the gun, they are erased from reality and transported to the Phantom Train Station. Their whips possess the same quality when used to bind someone, and they can also be used to break through Mountain Ash barriers, though it takes a great amount of force and several thrashes before the barrier will start to be weakened. Bullets from their guns can cause a Hellhound to revert to its human form. Their whips also seem to possess a type of magical venom that can prevent wounds from healing in supernatural and pseudosupernatural creatures with accelerated healing abilities and that can kill a human after a long enough period of exposure, though this poisoning in both (pseudo)supernatural creatures and humans can be reversed with a potion made out of the nine herbs to counteract nine supernatural venoms mixed with honey. These weapons can only be wielded by a Ghost Rider (or, in Garrett Douglas' case, someone who has the powers of a Ghost Rider due to eating their pineal gland), though it appears that those who have been captured with the intention of becoming a Ghost Rider can use them if they are in the Phantom Train Station, as shown when Chris Argent stole one and used it to kill two of the Riders.
* **Horses**: The Ghost Riders, while possessing the ability to teleport, prefer to travel by riding their black horses to wherever they need to go. These horses possess their own ability to safely travel through the rifts between the real world and the Phantom Train Station even when not being ridden by a Ghost Rider, as Liam Dunbar was able to use a dead Rider's horse to get through the rift to the Phantom Train Station to help Hayden Romero and Mason Hewitt save Corey Bryant and stop the worlds from merging.

## HellHounds

The Hellhound, also known as the Black Dog or the Bearer of Death, is a species of amortal supernatural spirits who possesses the bodies of humans upon being reborn on Earth in order to complete their destined missions. They possess pyrokinetic and thermokinetic powers and are said to be the guardian of the supernatural world, making it their duty to make sure this world remains a secret to the human world.

They are neither good nor evil, being utterly neutral and focused only on their "natural" duty. It was initially believed that Jordan Parrish was the only vessel for a Hellhound spirit in the Teen Wolf series, but in the second half of Season 6, it was revealed that there is at least one other Hellhound, whose name is Halwyn and who has possessed an unknown vessel for over one hundred years. ("Said the Spider to the Fly")

According to folklore and legend, Hellhounds ride the storm with the Ghost Riders of the Wild Hunt, though their specific role within in the Hunt remains a mystery as of now. The vessel of a Hellhound often has no idea of this fact; for example, Parrish had no idea that he had been possessed by the Hellhound for over a year until he was finally informed of his supernatural identity by Chris and Gerard Argent in The Sword and the Spirit.

Because the Hellhound is a creature of the night, the transformation into their Hellhound form usually happens after nightfall, during which point it typically completely takes over its human host, repressing the host's spirit until their job is done for the evening. The transformation has thus far been shown to be a sort of blackout, where the person usually has no memories of what they did while the Hellhound was in control, although after several weeks of actively transforming into the Hellhound at night, Parrish began to remember bits and pieces of the Hellhound's activities that he subconsciously witnessed.

However, the Hellhound is also capable of fully merging with its host, allowing the host conscious control over its powers so they can have a more equal relationship while still completing their mission. This eventually became the case with Jordan Parrish and the Hellhound possessing him, Cerberus, and it can be assumed that the same was the case with Halwyn and his host.

The Hellhound's eyes typically glow reddish-orange like flames (though they can also turn a blue-green color when they are being controlled by the Ghost Riders or someone with the power of a Ghost Rider, such as Garrett Douglas). They possess the power to generate fire and heat from their bodies and control these elements, as evidenced when Parrish burned Theo Raeken and knocked him out with a flaming punch to the face, and when Parrish incinerated the Chimera Corey Bryant's body when he tried to restrain Parrish in a battle.

This power also affords them an immunity to fire as well; for example, Parrish was burned alive in a car, but moments later, he walked into the police station with no burns or permanent damage, with the exception of the melted and burned remnants of his uniform. Exposure to fire can trigger the Hellhound's control over the vessel's body in cases where the Hellhound spirit and their human vessel have not merged.

### Characteristics

It is unknown how many Hellhounds exist in the *Teen Wolf* universe, but, at present, only two have been introduced. The first Hellhound, who is referred to as Cerberus, is currently possessing Jordan Parrish, and the second, known as Halwyn, has been possessing an unnamed male vessel since at least 1912.

#### Cerberus

Parrish's Hellhound has gone by many names throughout its immensely long life, including Cerberus, Garmr, the Black Shuck, and the Black Dog, presumably gaining the names from various different cultures' version of the Hellhound legend in mythology.

From the short amount of time the Hellhound has been seen in control of Parrish's body, he has given the impression of being aloof and focused solely on fulfilling his mission, barely seeming to notice anything else around him due to his view that it is small and unimportant in comparison. However, he is perfectly willing to eliminate any obstacle in his path if they seem to get in his way, such as the violence he has committed in his pursuit to take the bodies of the dead Chimeras to the Nemeton.

That said, he worked with Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, and Liam Dunbar, allowing them to follow him in his pursuit of the Banshee, Lydia Martin, at Eichen House; he even moved Stiles out of the way with only minimal force so he could shield them from the force of the Banshee's scream.

This contrasts strongly with his reaction to the members of the Chimera Pack, who he forcefully attacked after Theo Raeken ordered them to take him down. The Hellhound even warned Scott and his pack about the Beast's trap, suggesting that he at the very least views the pack as innocent creatures who are not worth killing; given the fact that the Hellhound is known as the Guardian of the Supernatural, he may have been trying to protect them in the same way he intended to protect the secret of the supernatural world's existence.

Personality-wise, Parrish's Hellhound is seemingly completely neutral and thus neither good nor evil. While he views Parrish as nothing more than a vessel in his mission to defeat the Beast, he was willing to listen to Lydia when she told him that he could only defeat his foe by accepting Parrish's spirit and allowing them to work together. While his duty is to cover up the supernatural, hiding it from the human world, he hasn't attempted to kill witnesses of his behavior, nor those who know about the supernatural, suggesting that he has some sort of moral code that he follows regarding loss of innocent life.

#### Halwyn

Halwyn was very determined in his hunt and also used violence against those who would impede him (at least those who were supernatural, such as the Werewolf Liam Dunbar and fellow Hellhound Jordan Parrish), having a similar single-minded goal as Cerberus in that they intended to hunt and kill something that was a serious threat. Halwyn mistakenly hunted Liam but later realized that he was not the entity he was after and changed tactics. The entity he was hunting was revealed to be an Anuk-ite, a powerful shapeshifter that fed on and generated fear; Halwyn had previously caught it and trapped it in the Wild Hunt at some point during or prior to 1912, after which point he helped build Eichen House, where he could have a safe place to go dormant until he was needed.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Amortality**: According to Cerberus, he is beyond life and death and are one of the few (if not the only) infinite beings in the *Teen Wolf* universe. He implied that his spirit is extremely old, and judging by the comment he made about being known as Cerberus, a Hellhound figure from Ancient Greek mythology, he has possibly existed for millennia.*("A Credible Threat")* The Hellhound spirit itself exists forever by being reborn into new human bodies when he has a supernatural duty to fulfill on Earth. This immortality appears to extend to their vessels, as Halwyn's vessel appears to have not aged in the one hundred or so years that it has been imprisoned in Eichen House, though it is unknown whether or not his period of dormancy had anything to do with this arrested aging process.*("Memory Lost")*
* **Possession**: The Hellhound can take a human vessel by imbuing it with its spirit and power. By doing so, the human gains all of the powers and the abilities of the Hellhound, a process that the Hellhound has seemingly performed countless times throughout its long life. After possessing a body, the Hellhound can either dominate the vessel's spirit and control their body like its own, or they can merge themselves with the spirit of their vessel so that they can work together for a common goal, such as what happened with Parrish and Cerberus when it became clear that they would unable to defeat the Beast without each other's cooperation. It's possible that the human needs to be moments away from death in order to be possessed by a Hellhound, as was the case with Parrish, who had just accidentally triggered an I.E.D. explosion while serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan when the Hellhound Cerberus possessed him, keeping him alive in the process. *("A Credible Threat")*
* **Super Strength:** The Hellhound is incredibly strong. This was demonstrated when Parrish knocked Theo Raeken out with one punch and flipped over Stiles' Jeep with ease while Stiles was still inside of it.*("Strange Frequencies")* It even had enough strength to possibly rival the Beast by blocking its strong strikes, though he had to this with two hands due to the immense size difference between them.*("The Sword and the Spirit")*, *("A Credible Threat")*, *("The Beast of Beacon Hills")*, *("Apotheosis")* After the McCall Pack successfully trapped a Ghost Rider in a cage and surrounded it with Mountain Ash, the Hellhound was compelled by the Ghost Rider to break the mountain ash barrier; when both Scott and Liam attempted to stop him, they were both forced to sync their efforts and push off from the bars of the cage while lifting the Hellhound from the ground just to knock him back and prevent the Hellhound from getting closer. *("Blitzkrieg")*
* **Super Speed, Agility, and Reflexes:** Like most supernatural creatures, the Hellhound is very fast, easily faster than any normal human. The Hellhound appears to be one of *Teen Wolf's* most swift creatures, as it was running so fast that it easily kept up with the pace of the Beast of Gevaudan *("A Credible Threat")* and was able to completely clear up the blood and body left after Donovan Donati's death within moments so that it appeared as though no one had ever been there.*("A Novel Approach")*
* **Super Senses:** The Hellhound's heightened senses allow them to see, smell or hear things that normal humans cannot, though the exact range of this power has yet to be defined. Halwyn demonstrated a very acute sense of hearing, which he could use to identify people simply by listening to their specific heart rate and pattern.*("Memory Lost")* When their eyes glow with hellfire, their eyesight is enhanced enough to see in the dark and to perceive supernatural phenomena not otherwise visible to human sight, such as the Nemeton.

* **Super Durability**: The Hellhound's body is much more durable than that of a normal human, allowing them to endure impact trauma with little to no injury. Parrish and Halwyn have both been seen getting thrown forcefully into (and sometimes even *through*) walls and have gotten right up to continue fighting, and has handled being punched and hit by the Beast of Gevaudan with a similar amount of endurance. Halwyn was hit across the face with a torn-off locker door by Liam Dunbar and was barely fazed by the impact.*("Memory Lost")*
* **Shapeshifting:** The Hellhound has the ability to transform the bodies of their human hosts into Hellhound form, which involves glowing reddish-orange eyes, retractable claws and fangs that are deadly sharp, and skin that has the appearance of black volcanic rock with veins of molten lava running through it.
	+ **Pyrokinetic Shapeshifting**: The Hellhound can transform into a fire-based being, their bodies completely composed of flames with which it can selectively use to protect or ignite; for example, the flames covering Parrish's hand caused a Chimera named Corey Bryant to burst into flames and sustain third-degree burns over his entire body, *("Amplification")* while a Banshee, Lydia Martin, was protected by the flames when Cerberus wrapped his flaming arms and body around her to protect her and the bystanders from her overpowered Banshee wail. *("Lie Ability")* When the Hellhound is being compelled by a Ghost Rider of the Wild Hunt (or, in Garrett Douglas' case, a supernatural being who has taken the power of a Ghost Rider), their glowing eyes will turn from blazing orange-red to bright blue-green, reflecting the same color as the Wild Hunt's mystical energy.*("Blitzkrieg")*
* **Accelerated Healing:** The Hellhound has been shown to heal from mild to moderate wounds extremely quickly. Parrish has had his abdomen clawed open and his chest impaled with a pipe, both of which healed completely within an hour. It appears that the Hellhound's healing ability is related to its fire-based powers, as the wounds are shown to literally smoke until the tissue is regenerated. This healing happens much quicker when the Hellhound is in control; when their human vessel is in control, their healing is remarkably decreased in speed.
* **Pyrokinesis**: The Hellhound possesses the ability to produce extremely hot flames from within their body, which they can use for many different effects. The Hellhound, while in Parrish's body, has been seen using the flames his body creates to set fire to the bodies of the dead Chimeras whose supernatural secret he was protecting; to enhance his fighting by using flaming fists to hit opponents; and using it as a defensive mechanism, such as when Corey Bryant grabbed him and was subsequently set ablaze. *("Amplification")* This fire does not always need to be harmful, though, as the Hellhound has also used it to protect Lydia Martin and the bystanders from her Banshee scream. *("Lie Ability")* After some practice, Parrish was able to produce projectile streams of fire from his palms, directing it wherever he wanted, such as using it as a weapon against an opponent.
	+ **Thermokinesis**: Hellhounds have the ability to generate an extreme amount of heat from one's body, and can heat their and direct the heat through their hands to melt objects such as metal without having to utilize fire to do so. Parrish/Cerberus used a more advanced version of this ability to great effect during the war with the Hunters, as he was able to send out a wave of heat from his body that made the Hunters' guns heat up to the point of glowing orange, forcing them to drop them before they could be burned. *("The Wolves of War")*
	+ **Fire Immunity**: Due to their pyrokinetic and thermokinetic abilities, the Hellhound is completely immune to the effects of heat and fire. Jordan Parrish was once doused in gasoline and set ablaze, and the only negative side effect that occurred was that his clothing melted; otherwise, he suffered no burns or injuries of any kind. Fire is even able to bring the Hellhound into control.
* **Harbinger Connection**: The Hellhound (and the Wild Hunt in general) has a mysterious connection to other Harbingers of Death.
	+ **Banshee Connection**: At least some Banshees appear to have a similar connection with Hellhounds, who are also harbingers of death and who share some of the powers that Banshees have, such premonitions and being drawn to recently deceased bodies. This has been demonstrated by Lydia and a Hellhound named Jordan Parrish, who share both a supernatural and a romantic connection that allows them to locate each other in emergency situations, along with being able to communicate important messages to each other regarding an impending death; for example, Lydia unconsciously appeared in Parrish's mind after he had been attacked by Belasko and urged him to hold on until help arrived, *("Creatures of the Night")* and she did the same thing after she had become catatonic to warn him of her current status and the fact that Noah Stilinski was near death as well. *("The Last Chimera")* Lydia was also shown to have a strong connection to another Hellhound, Halwyn, even when the latter was functionally dead after his vessel was shot in the head with a silver-coated bullet by Tamora Monroe *("Memory Lost")*; while Lydia was unconscious on two separate occasions, Halwyn sent Lydia premonitions to help her understand his history and what had happened to him, along with information regarding the current threat of the Anuk-ite. *("Werewolves of London")*, *("Genotype")*
	+ **Premonitions:** As part of the Harbinger Connection, the Hellhound can experience premonitions (most often in the form of dreams, but they can also occur when the Hellhound and/or its vessel is awake); for example, the premonition Parrish experienced that depicted the future in which they are retrieving the bodies of the dead Chimeras (or dead supernaturals) and bringing them to the Nemeton to be burned in their ritual. *("Condition Terminal")* However, since the future is ever-changing, those who are dead in the Hellhounds' dream may not end up that way if the event that caused their death can be stopped.
		- **Precognitive Dreaming**: Hellhounds capable of perceiving future events in dreams. He first began experiencing premonitions in general in dreams in which he was taking the bodies of the Chimeras who were considered failures by the Dread Doctors to the Nemeton to be burned in order to hide them from the human community.
* **Rift Manipulation**: Due to its connection to the Wild Hunt (as well as their pyrokinetic powers), the Hellhound is able to safely cross through rifts in the fabric of reality and can use its strength to manually open a rift so that others can safely travel through it as well. This was demonstrated when Garrett Douglas, who was controlling Cerberus/Parrish at the time, compelled them to forcefully open a hole in the rift so that the two of them could pass through. *("Blitzkrieg")*
* **Supernatural Immunity**: Like Banshees, the Hellhound is immune to several types of supernatural phenomenon. Electricity, including that produced by Kitsune and Chimeras with electrokinetic abilities (such as Josh Diaz), have no effect on the Hellhound, nor will Kanima venom paralyze them like it does other humans and supernatural creatures. They also are immune to Mountain Ash, due in part because their pyrokinesis can literally burn out the mystical energy that creates the barrier.
* **Harbinger of Death Sense**: Hellhounds have the limited supernatural power to sense an impending death or a death that has already happened, much like their Banshee compatriots.

### Weaknesses

The Hellhound is implied to be reborn on Earth in the body of a human when it has a duty to fulfill, such as the Hellhound Cerberus' mission to defeat The Beast of Gevaudan and possibly protect the Nemeton. When the Hellhound is initially possessing a human, they are only partially active, as they spend most of the daytime hours in human form where their control is suppressed, and therefore their vessel is usually ignorant to their true nature. Additionally, they are more vulnerable during the daylight hours, as it usually isn't until after nightfall that the Hellhound takes control of the body and suppresses the human spirit. Fire is currently the only known thing that can reliably force the transformation from Human to Hellhound so as to counter this weakness.

Additionally, because of their dual nature, their actions while in Hellhound form can be unpredictable. The dual nature is implied to be the reason why the Hellhound was losing his battle against the Beast, as it is fighting against Parrish's spirit for control. This can be rectified by the Hellhound spirit and human spirit communicating and agreeing to become balanced in their control over their shared body.

Ghost Riders are able to exert some control over Hellhounds, as the Ghost Rider captured by the McCall Pack compelled Cerberus/Parrish to use his fire to burn away the Mountain Ash barrier trapping him and nearly caused them to free him. After consuming the pineal gland from the aforementioned Ghost Rider, Garrett Douglas gained some aspects of their powers, allowing him to take control of Cerberus/Parrish by stating, *"Steigen, Höllenhund!",* which is German for "Mount, Hellhound!" This allowed Garrett to force the Hellhound to open a rift so the two of them could safely travel to the Phantom Train Station. *("Blitzkrieg")*

Additionally, Ghost Rider weapons, such as their pistols, are able to temporarily deactivate a Hellhound's power by extinguishing its flames and forcing it back into human form. All of the aforementioned weaknesses leave a Hellhound vulnerable to the whims of the Wild Hunt.

Like other animalistic shapeshifters such as Werewolves and Werecoyotes, taking too much physical harm can also weaken and force a Hellhound back into its human form, such as impalement by metal bars or even claws. This leaves them open to threats of a mundane level as their human form lacks most of their supernatural durability.

While the myth that Werewolves are vulnerable to silver is just that—a myth—Hellhounds actually are susceptible to silver bullets, as being shot in the head with one can cause them to enter a deathlike state, as evidenced when this exact circumstance happened to Halwyn after being shot by Tamora Monroe. Halwyn then ultimately died as a result, as the removal of the bullet caused his body to heat up as it healed the damage, subsequently melting the leftover silver fragments and causing him to die from silver poisoning.

Another possible weakness is that despite the spirit's age, the host does not inherent the spirit's experience, as while Parrish had the ancient Cerberus as his spirit, he was still unable to defeat Halwyn, who had been a host for longer than Parrish though it is unknown how old Halwyn's Hellhound spirit was.

## Hybrid

Hybrids are a cross-breed of two or more different supernatural species. The term is commonly used to describe a werewolf turned into a vampire due to the fact that they were the first supernatural hybrid to be introduced in the series. However, since the werewolf-vampire hybrid's creation, there have been other hybrids, such as siphoner turned witch-vampire hybrids, werewolf-witch hybrids, and, in the unique case of Hope Mikaelson, a witch-werewolf-vampire tribrid.

Hybrids possess both the strengths and some of the weaknesses of their parent races, along with powerful attributes unique to themselves alone due to their combined heritage. For werewolf-vampire hybrids, this includes day walking and being able to transform into a wolf without the Full Moon's influence. For siphoner-vampire hybrids, they retain their ability to siphon magic and their own vampirism as a power source for their use in witchcraft; as they did not possess their own magic as siphoners; this is a skill that makes them powerful.

Types:

* Original Hybrid
* Werewolf(type B)-Vampire Hybrids
* Witch-Vampire Hybrid
* Human-Vampire Hybrid (Dhampir)

## Immortal

**Immortals**, also called **Immortal Beings**, are a species of supernatural beings that are truly immortal and cannot be killed by any weapon. The term "immortal" is used to describe the species into which Silas and Amara, the very first immortal beings in history, were transformed when they consumed the immortality elixir created by the witch Qetsiyah.

Immortals can be considered as the template for the Original vampires and, in turn, all vampires. However, immortals differ to vampires in many different ways, and vice versa. The biggest of those differences being that they are still alive, rather than being undead like vampires, who must die after ingesting vampire blood so their bodies can be magically reanimated. They also do not possess superhuman physical powers to the same level as vampires; however, they do possess far superior range of psychic abilities than vampires.

### History

Over 2,000 years ago in Ancient Greece, a young and powerful witch named Silas desired immortality, the ability to live forever without ever aging or dying. Silas was engaged to be married to another powerful witch named Qetsiyah. Silas told her that he wanted to be with her forever, and never wanted to be parted from her, even by death. Silas asked her to help him create the Elixir of Immortality, also known as the Immortality Spell. Qetsiyah created the elixir of Immortality and planned on consuming it (with Silas) during their wedding ceremony. Unfortunately, Qetsiyah quickly realized that the elixir had already been consumed when all of the plants around the altar began to wilt and die. She discovered that Silas did not intend to use immortality to spend eternity with her, but instead share it with another woman, one whom Silas was truly in love with: Qetsiyah's handmaiden, Amara. Qetsiyah immediately became enraged with jealousy and wanted instant revenge. Therefore, she created a cure for immortality prior to enacting her plan for vengeance. She confronted and desiccated Amara first before entombing her and making it look as though she had killed her to try to convince Silas to take the cure and spend the rest of their mortal lives together. After Silas angrily refused this offer, she lured Silas to a remote island, desiccated him like she did his lover, and buried him in a magically-protected tomb along with the cure deep underground. Qetsiyah then created the Other Side, a limbo or purgatory meant for the souls of dead supernatural beings, which she bound to the now-immortal and desiccated Amara, using her as a physical anchor between the living and the dead. Qetsiyah's main goal was for Silas to be forced to take the cure to avoid an eternity of entombment, die a mortal death (i.e. become a witch again), then die before being reunited with Qetsiyah on the Other Side for eternity, and therefore never allowing Silas to reunite with Amara in the afterlife. However, Silas knew this was Qetsiyah's intention, and, as a result, he resisted taking the cure for over two thousand years, hoping that someday he would be freed so he could destroy the Other Side, take the cure, and then die to reunite with Amara in the peaceful afterlife for eternity in spite of his vengeful ex-fiancée.

#### Legacy

Since the burial of Silas and the desiccation of Amara, the immortality spell has been known to be replicated twice; once in the creation of what came to be known as the Original Vampires, and then a second time in the remaking of Alaric Saltzman as an Enhanced Original Vampire. Both these times imperfect variants of immortals were created that had had weaknesses that could lead to their demise, as Nature had deemed that everything on Earth must have a weakness and had already had to compensate for the creation of immortals by creating Doppelgängers to die in their place. Original vampires could be killed by the White Oak Stake, and Alaric died because his life-force was bound to Elena Gilbert's. Original vampires could turn humans into vampires using their blood but they would not be as strong, nor would they be immune to nature's wrath in the same way as the Originals - they could be killed by far more methods than Originals themselves.

#### The Release of Silas

To get the cure, which was in Silas' fossilized hands, Bonnie Bennett stated that they had to wake him up in order to retrieve the cure from his hands. Later Katherine Pierce used Jeremy Gilbert to feed Silas enough to awaken him, leading Silas to ultimately Jeremy dry before snapping his neck. After he fed, Silas released himself from his cave. Silas was now free to initialize his ultimate plan to complete the Expression Triangle, and use Bonnie to permanently lower The Veil separating the Other Side from the living world, allowing all of the dead supernatural creatures to return to their corporeal bodies. Once the veil was down, Silas could safely take the cure and die so he could pass on to the afterlife and be reunited with his true love, Amara, whom he still believed to be dead. Because he planned to commit suicide, Silas did not care about the chaos and destruction that would be done to the earth by the return of two thousand years worth of resurrected supernatural beings returning to life. After Bonnie died, and Elena shoved the cure down Katherine' throat, Silas' plan to take the cure himself was ruined. He then roamed the earth freely while planning for his revenge.

#### The End of the Immortals

Once Silas realized that the cure remained in the blood of the person who ingested it for the rest of their lives, Silas fed on Katherine in order to cure himself with her blood and returned to being a mortal witch as he was prior to drinking the immortality elixir. He later discovered that he had been deceived by Qetsiyah regarding Amara's death two thousand years earlier—instead of killing her like Qetsiyah claimed, she had actually desiccated her and bound the Other Side to her immortal life to ensure that even if Silas broke out of his tomb, he would never have the heart to destroy his true love. Silas found her and awakened her with the blood of a Traveler he had killed, but Amara, driven to near-insanity after acting as the Anchor to the Other Side and feeling the deaths of supernaturals for two millennia, Amara stabbed Silas and drank his blood, using the cure in his veins to render herself mortal as well. Silas, wishing for them both to die so they can go to the afterlife together, tried to kill Amara by slitting her throat as she asked, but Stefan interrupted him and killed Silas instead in punishment for Silas' torture against him. After Silas was killed, Amara took the same knife that Stefan threw at Silas to kill him and stabbed herself in the stomach, which resulted in Amara's death. Fortunately for Qetsiyah, the witch was able to transfer the status of Anchor to the Other Side to Bonnie, which meant that while Amara, as a human, was able to move on to find eternal peace in the afterlife, Silas was trapped on the Other Side, just as Qetsiyah had intended. Qetsiyah killed herself soon after, leaving Silas trapped with her for eternity. In 2012, Silas attempted to resurrect himself with the Travelers' resurrection spell to ensure that his spirit would not be lost when the Other Side inevitably collapsed due to the Magic Purification spell, but before he could be brought back, he was sucked into oblivion, leaving it next to impossible to bring him back and officially bringing the truly immortal species to an end.

### Nature

Immortals appear to have a physical form completely identical to that of a human, and do not have another form in addition to their human aspects, unlike their vampire cousins, who have a "true face" that causes the sclera of their eyes and the blood vessels surrounding them to swell and darken with blood.

Immortals, like vampires, require blood to live and maintain their supernatural abilities. However, unlike vampires, they have no fangs. When Silas had to feed he cut his victims with a knife (primarily on the wrists) in order for him to be able to feed on them, and Amara had to use a large glass shard to cut Silas' throat so she could drink the cure from his blood.

### Powers and Abilities

Immortals possess supernatural physical and psychic abilities. Although they are the first vampiric lifeforms to exist, their physical abilities e.g. their strength and speed etc. pale in comparison to that of vampires created from Esther's ritual, and do not increase over time. Their psychic powers however, are far more superior and the strongest seen thus far, having grow stronger with human blood and by simply honing them with intensive practice over time.

* **Immortality:** Immortals possess an infinite life span and are thus, immune to aging, all known diseases and illnesses, and death by any conventional means. Unlike all other known semi-immortal beings, such as Original and non-Original vampires, immortals are truly and unconditionally immortal and can't be killed by any means.
* **Advanced Healing Factor:** Immortals are able to regenerate from any damage sustained on their bodies as a result of their unconditional immortality. Their bones snap back into place after being broken, and they have been seen to fully recover from gunshots, stab wounds, snapped necks, and torso impalement.
* **Advanced Immunity:** Immortals possess a caliber of immortality that grants them immunity to all weaknesses. They're immune to wooden weapons, sunlight, vervain, werewolf bites, decapitation, heart extraction or fire and are able to walk freely into a home without being invited by the owner first. Their bodies are completely indestructible.

* **Psychic Powers:** Immortals possess various advanced psychic abilities which they can develop to affect any human or supernatural species, even at vast distances. In fact, immortals are the only known species who have abilities powerful enough to incapacitate or compel Original vampires. After intensive practice and consumption of exceptional amounts of blood, immortals can even affect multiple targets with their psychic abilities. Silas was once able to mind-control an entire crowd full of people and make them forget afterward. This ability seems to grow stronger with age, practice, and significant consumption of blood. Only Supernatural Hunters of the Brotherhood of the Five and those beings possessed by Travelers using Passenger spells are immune to these abilities.
	+ **Telepathy:** Immortals have the ability enter into the minds of another to read their thoughts and access their memories just by being in the same vicinity as them. However, it is not a passive ability, as Silas failed to realize that Damon was on to him until it was too late, suggesting that it takes conscious effort on his part to activate and sift through memories and thoughts. This ability can also have its drawbacks if the user accidentally reveals information that they are not supposed to know, which can blow their cover if they are trying to appear as someone else.
	+ **Illusions:** Immortals have the power to create powerful illusions. They are able to use these illusions on anyone they desire, no matter how powerful. The ability to cause illusions also allows a form of shapeshifting, since they can cause beings to believe that they are seeing the Immortal in the form of another. They can be used on multiple people in multiple locations simultaneously. They can keep themselves at a physically safe distance while casting illusions. The illusions have been proven sufficient against many vampires capable of brute force. Silas, despite in his weakened state after having just been awoken from desiccation, was able to cast illusions convincing enough to actually make Bonnie, a witch who is typically immune from all mental manipulation, into thinking that he was Atticus Shane. He also managed to convince the Original hybrid, Klaus, that he had broken the tip of the indestructible White Oak Stake into his back and left him on the verge of death as it scraped against his heart—it wasn't until he experienced great emotional upheaval with Caroline Forbes that Klaus was able to break himself free from it.
		- **Voice Mimicry:** When they use their illusions to appear as someone else, immortals are able to change their voice to whatever they want, using their voice in addition to their appearance to trick their victims into believing that they are truly who they are pretending to be.
		- **Psychic Pain Infliction:** Similar to witches with their pain infliction spells, immortals are able to inflict illusory psychic pain on their victims, as shown when Silas attacked Klaus and Caroline with it. By extension of this power, Silas was also able to make Bonnie think she was suffocating to death by inflicting the same kind of illusory pain; however, she was ultimately able to snap out of it by realizing that it was just an illusion, though it is unknown if being a witch gave her additional resistance than other beings.
	+ **Advanced Mind Compulsion:** Immortals can control thoughts, plague dreams, and erase memories of humans and supernatural creatures alike. They do not need eye contact, and can affect extremely powerful supernatural beings such as Qetsiyah and Klaus. Unlike vampires, vervain does not prevent an immortal from invading a victims mind. They are even able to control entire crowds from a distance with relative ease after feeding on a large enough quantity of blood. Immortals are the only known beings who can compel an Original vampire or hybrid.

* **Enhanced Strength:** Immortals have greater than average strength that makes them stronger than most humans, enhancing their strength to more or less similar levels as that of Supernatural Hunters of the Brotherhood of the Five. Silas was able to effortlessly break Jeremy Gilbert's neck with one hand, even after having just awoken from desiccation moments before. so their strength can vary on how much blood is in their system. However, their strength is inferior to that of regular vampires.
* **Enhanced Speed:** Immortals possess enhanced speed which allows them to move faster than humans, Silas was able to carry both Bonnie Bennett and Atticus Shane and get them all out of his tomb within a short span of time, and he was also able to carry Shane all the way to the shores of the island while still getting back to Bonnie before she woke up. However, like with their strength, immortal possess inferior speed to that of vampires; after Damon saved Katherine and heard Silas walking down the stairs to the foyer of the Salvatore Boarding House, Damon joked, "God, you're slow. Guess vamp-speed came with the upgrade."
* **Enhanced Reflexes:** Immortals possess enhanced reflexes which allows them to unconsciously react faster than humans to stimulus.

* **Super Durability:** Immortals are indestructible, they are highly resistant to pain and can take a great amount of damage without succumbing to physical injury. On one occasion, Silas stabbed himself through the chest with a tree limb in order to also stab Jeremy, who had him in a headlock, with only minimum flinching. He was also shot several times in the chest by a hunting rifle and was only annoyed by the hassle.
* **Enhanced Senses:** Immortals have a keen sense of hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch, and perception that exceed those of humans although, the degree of which is still unknown.

### Weaknesses

Despite being truly immortal and being incredibly powerful in their own right, immortals do possess some weaknesses, as Nature requires a balance and will not allow any living thing to be truly invulnerable.

* **Broken Neck:** Breaking an immortal's neck will result in unconsciousness of said immortal until their regenerative healing ability kicks in and repairs the damage to the spinal cord.
* **The Cure:** If an immortal takes the cure, they will become return to their mortal selves again. In Silas' case, since he was a witch prior to becoming an immortal, he returned to being a witch.
* **Desiccation:** Immortals who abstain from blood for extended amounts of time will eventually desiccate into mummification. Desiccation can also be caused by magic in order to incapacitate the immortal in question.
* **Doppelgängers:** This proved to be Silas and Amara's biggest weaknesses. As doppelgängers were created to offset the balance caused by the existence of a truly immortal being, they can be used to invoke linking spells that bind them to the immortal progenitor of their line, along with their fellow doppelgängers. If a powerful witch is able to link an immortal to one or more of their respective doppelgängers, it will allow them to take away the immortal's psychic abilities, leaving them, in the words of Jeremy Gilbert, less powerful than even a regular vampire.
* **Hunter's Curse:** While the Hunter's Curse still affects an immortal upon the death of a Supernatural hunter, Silas claimed to have found a way to beat it within minutes.

* **Magic:** Immortals are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. Qetsiyah was able to bury and immobilize Silas in a tomb while Bonnie Bennett was able to petrify him. Qetsiyah also calcified Amara and anchored her to the Other Side to ensure that the supernatural purgatory could not be destroyed. In addition, the Hunter's Curse can affect an immortal, though the effects only seemed to be temporary.
* **Physical Trauma:** Minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds and broken bones will cause an immortal pain and also slow them down. However, this is momentary as they will heal completely within seconds, so long as they have fed recently. It seems physical trauma can hurt them anywhere on the body (i.e., eye gauging, drowning, etc).

## Kanima

The **Kanima** is a type of human-animal hybrid that is reptilian in nature. It is considered a mutation of the Werewolf gene, though how exactly they came to remains a mystery.

### Biography

In a legend about the Kanima found in the Bestiary belonging to the Argent family of Hunters, the being is known as a weapon of vengeance. The legend in question detailed a South American priest who took control of a Kanima and used it to rid his village of murderers. The more the priest and master influenced the Kanima, the symbiotic bond between the two grew until the Kanima began killing whomever its master wanted, regardless of whether or not the victim had taken a life.

The Kanima is essentially a Werewolf whose transformation has somehow "gone wrong;" it is believed that this is as a result of the personal demons in the Kanima's past, which for some reason caused the human to mutate and take on a more reptilian form. Unlike a Werewolf, who is predisposed to seek out a pack (as it both makes them more powerful individually and provides them with a support system of fellow Werewolves who are closer to them than family), the Kanima is an inherently subservient being who seeks out a master to control its actions.

Jackson Whittemore is the only known person in the series to be a true Kanima, although, judging by photos of Eichen House patients who had trephination on them by Gabriel Valack, there has been at least one other Kanima in Beacon Hills in recent history. Jackson ultimately became this creature after he was given the bite by then-Alpha Werewolf Derek Hale when his inner emotional issues (stemming from the abandonment and lack of personal identity he felt as a result of his biological parents' death before his birth and subsequent adoption by the Whittemore family) forced his transformation to become corrupted.

Instead of a transformation like most Werewolves, in which they begin displaying supernatural powers such as accelerated healing and enhanced physical attributes such as Super Senses, strength, agility/reflexes, speed, etc., one at a time before transforming for the first time at the peak of the full moon, a Kanima's transformation is much slower and more subtle, to the point where they might not even realize they are supernatural at first; this was evidenced after Jackson received the bite and believed that he was somehow immune to it because he blacked out during the full moon and didn't start consciously displaying his powers until weeks later. This further lends support to the theory that a transformation into a Kanima is in a way corrupted, and has led to this well-known idiom in the supernatural community-- "The shape you take reflects the person that you are."

According to Peter Hale, the Kanima has a Beta and Alpha form, though Jackson only demonstrated a Beta form. Gerard Argent attempted to transition Jackson into an Alpha form, which would have made him even more powerful and caused him to grow wings after a brief incubation period, during which time the Kanima would wrap itself in a cocoon of its venom. However, the process was interrupted before Jackson could complete his transition.

Should a Kanima discover the cause of its existence, such as solving an identity crisis and remembering who they are, the Werewolf gene will correct itself and cause it to become a true Werewolf rather than the mutation that they were, however, as seen in Jackson's case, a Werewolf who was once a Kanima will retain some abilities and characteristics such as claws that secrete Kanima venom and its reptilian eyes, which can be summoned instead of its Werewolf eyes with extra concentration. It will also be able to summon a tail and overall will possess a heightened tolerance to certain wolfsbane species.

### Appearance

The Kanima is about the size of an average human. It has dark green reptilian scales; while the Beta form has a long, smooth, normal tail, the tail on an Alpha Kanima has a round end that is covered in spikes, which may or may not also be coated by Kanima venom. The Alpha form also includes wings on the Kanima's back. Both forms of the Kanima have very large and sharp claws, almost like talons, that discharge some type of paralytic venom that is capable of rendering its victim totally immobile from the neck down within seconds. The length of time it takes to become fully paralyzed, as well as the length of time the person remains paralyzed, varies based on several different factors, such as how much venom they were exposed to and how they were exposed, as well as whether or not the victim has a supernatural healing ability. Like most reptiles, the Kanima can climb walls. Kanimas also have long, thin, double-rowed fangs that are similar in appearance to those of a Wendigo.

### Personality

Kanimas are described as social creatures, and they desire a master, someone to control them. Once this connection is made with its master, the Kanima will usually do whatever it's told. If the bond is strong enough between the Kanima and its master then the master will only need to consciously will their intentions, and the Kanima will carry it out. For example, Matt Daehler began to take pictures of people he wanted Jackson to kill, and Jackson would do as he was told without question. This connection ultimately grew to the point where Matt only had to think of who he wanted to kill or gesture toward them before Jackson would then end their lives, indicating a telepathic connection develops between them over time.

However, after Matt had forced Jackson to kill several people from the 2006 Beacon Hills High School swim team who he blamed for his near-fatal drowning as a child, Matt then sent Jackson to kill a married couple from the team; though Jackson did successfully kill the man, he was unable to kill the woman after he realized that she was pregnant, forcing Matt to kill her himself. It is believed that this is because Kanimas are meant to only kill those who have committed murder, and killing a pregnant woman meant killing an innocent person along with the guilty, though it is also possible that Jackson's history (having been born via C-section after the death of his biological mother) prevented him from being able to go through with it as well. Because Matt had broken the metaphysical rules of the Kanima, he began to turn into a Kanima as punishment, though he was killed before the transformation was complete.

Kanimas also appear to take on some personality traits of their master. For example, while Jackson was being controlled by Matt, he acquired Matt's fear of water that he gained after nearly drowning to death as a child (the event that drove him to use the Kanima to kill in the first place). As a result, Jackson, while in Kanima form, was too afraid to jump in a swimming pool where Derek Hale and Stiles Stilinski were hiding, protecting them from attack, even despite the fact that Jackson was the captain of the swim team as a human and was obviously not afraid of water himself. After Gerard Argent killed Matt and took control of Jackson as a Kanima, Jackson lost the fear of water he acquired from him, and, according to Gerard, he was no longer afraid of anything because Gerard himself was not afraid of anything.

Additionally, Kanimas appear to be afraid of its own appearance, possibly due to its unresolved identity issues. This was proven when Scott McCall tried to use a shard of the broken mirror as a weapon against Jackson while he was in Kanima form—when Jackson saw his reflection in the mirror, he became frightened and ran away, leaving his potential prey behind.

"Like the wolf, its power is greatest at the moon’s peak."

"The Kanima is a mutation of the Werewolf gene that cannot fully transform until it resolves that in its past which manifests it."

"Like the wolf, the Kanima is a social creature, but where the wolf seeks a pack, the Kanima seeks a master."

"The Kanima, a weapon of vengeance, is used to carry out the bidding of its master. The Kanima was once used by a South American priest who took it upon himself to rid his village of all murderers. The bond between master and servant grew stronger until the will of the master became that of the Kanima's and whomever the priest deemed unworthy, the Kanima served his vengeance."

### Powers and Abilities

* **Super Strength:** Kanimas possess a tremendous amount of strength. This was demonstrated in almost every encounter with it, as Jackson was shown to be capable of tearing through bones, ripping off car doors, and breaking through corrugated steel walls. The Kanima is superior in strength to most, if not all, Werewolves.
* **Super Speed**: Kanimas are capable of running faster than any human, and they also seem to be faster than Werewolves; this was suggested when Derek Hale was chasing Jackson but couldn't catch up until after the Kanima had already stopped. They also appear to run faster when loping, better known as running on all fours.
* **Super Agility/Reflexes** Kanimas possess supernaturally enhanced agility and reflexes. The Kanima has been known to climb vertical surfaces with ease, such as walls or buildings, and can perform a multitude of gymnastic and acrobatic feats to aid in their combat skills. They're also capable of leaping very large distances as well as very tall heights.
* **Super Durability:** Kanimas are supernaturally durable. They are much more durable to blunt force trauma than humans, allowing them to be thrown through walls and from tall heights with only minor injuries. They appear to far more durable than Werewolves as well, as Chris Argent emptied an entire clip into Jackson and it didn't even slow him down, and Allison Argent even shot him in the skull with a crossbow bolt, and he simply hissed and pulled it out without even being slightly or temporarily incapacitated. The Kanima-Chimera Tracy Stewart's skin was shown to be impenetrable to conventional human weapons; only substances like a shapeshifter's claws or Kira Yukimura's magically empowered katana could wound it, as evidenced when Alan Deaton's scalpel snapped upon contact with her skin without leaving a scratch on her.
* **Super Senses:** Kanimas have extremely sensitive senses of sight, hearing, and smell. They can see in the dark and across large distances, track scents for up to several miles and can hear whispered conversations from far away with ease. This ability allows them to do things that no human would be possible of doing.
* **Accelerated Healing:** Though Kanimas are extremely durable creatures who are hard to wound in general, they are capable of rapidly healing even the most extreme injuries such as being shot multiple times, getting stabbed and clawed, or even getting their throat slashed by an Alpha, in the case that they manage to be wounded. This extraordinarily enhanced healing factor allows them to heal from almost anything within moments, making them even more invulnerable than their Werecreature peers due to the fact that Kanimas seem to be able to heal from being stabbed in the brain, something that no other supernatural creature has been shown to survive as of yet. Because their healing factor is so extreme, just like Werewolves, its assumed that Kanimas can't become intoxicated through alcohol or drugs, and they likely have greatly extended youth and lifespan.
* **Shapeshifting:** Kanimas possess the ability to shapeshift their body into a lizard, and they're also capable of only partially shifting certain features on their body such as their eyes to make them glow or shifting their hand to become reptilian and grow claws. The Kanima typically fully transforms due to the fact that they're more powerful in that form; when that happens, its full body becomes snake-like with smooth, shiny green scales. When in their full Kanima form, the Kanima's claws are more like talons that secrete venom.
* **Paralytic Venom:** The Kanima's claws and the tip of their tail contains an unknown form of venom that can paralyze their victims in seconds or minutes, depending on the amount of exposure and the healing ability of the victim. Skin contact is required for the venom to take effect. Seeing as the Kanima is like a snake, it should be noted that the Kanima in its shifted form cannot be paralyzed by its own venom; however, in human form, it *can* be paralyzed, which led to the difficulty in learning the Kanima's true identity. If Kanima venom is injected into a human's body through intravenous means, it will cause their diaphragm to be paralyzed and prevent them from breathing, killing them much like the lethal injections used on death row in the United States. However, this side effect does not seem to happen to supernatural creatures with accelerated healing abilities, as Deucalion, an Augmented Alpha Werewolf, was injected with a syringe full of the part-Kanima Chimera Tracy's venom, and he was simply paralyzed for several hours.
* **Wall Clinging**: The Kanima, like some reptiles, has the power to climb up vertical surfaces with its hands and feet, even to the point of hanging upside down from the ceiling.
* **Scent Inhibition**: While in its full reptilian form, the Kanima has no scent, making it impossible for Werewolves and other creatures with enhanced senses to use their noses to track them.

### Weaknesses

* **Mountain Ash:** Kanimas cannot pass the nearly-impenetrable barrier created by the mountain ash. If done correctly, they would have no way out. This weakness also extends to the Kanima's master, regardless of whether or not they're truly supernatural on their own. However, this weakness does not extend to part-Kanima Chimeras due to not being truly supernatural creatures.
* **The Master:** The Kanima suffers from the same weaknesses as its master. Matt Daehler couldn't swim and was afraid of water, which extended to the Kanima while he was being controlled by him.
* **Ketamine**: Though it only works for a very brief time at very, very large doses, thanks to its extremely enhanced durability, Kanimas can be temporarily incapacitated through injections of the animal tranquilizer ketamine. This was demonstrated when Isaac Lahey injected an entire vial of it into Jackson's neck at the rave, though it only kept him neutralized for several minutes before he transformed into his Kanima form and escaped.
* **Electricity**: As shown when Tracy was tasered, they are affected by electricity, though seem to be less vulnerable than Werewolves or Chimeras.[*Citation needed*]
* **Full Moon**: Like Werecreatures, Kanimas transform during the full moon. Unlike Werecreatures, they are not conscious during this time and therefore have no chance of controlling it.

### Kanima Master

The **Kanima Master** is the person that controls the Kanima and can use it however they want. The Kanima, a weapon of vengeance, is used to carry out the bidding of its master. The kanima master was a primary antagonist of Season 2.

#### History

The Kanima was once used by a South American priest who took it upon himself to rid his village of all murderers. The bond between master and servant grew stronger until the will of the master became that of the Kanima's and whomever the priest deemed unworthy, the Kanima served his vengeance.

#### Powers & Abilities

* **Kanima Control**: The Kanima Master has complete control over the Kanima.
* **Limited Telepathy**: The Kanima Master and the Kanima's minds are connected.

#### Weaknesses

* **Mistletoe**: Mistletoe is poisonous to humans and supernatural beings.
* Any phobia the master has, the Kanima will also possess.
* If the master of the Kanima kills an innocent, the master will become a Kanima as well.

## Kitsune

Kitsune are a supernatural species of Japanese fox spirits that are also commonly referred to simply as "foxes." They are creatures who live for many centuries, growing more powerful as they age, and because they are spiritual creatures, their physiology is different from that of true shapeshifters such as Werewolves.

### Overview

All Kitsune seem to possess a multitude of supernatural abilities, such as enhanced strength, speed, and agility/reflexes; a natural aptitude for weaponry and combat, production of Foxfire; and accelerated healing. However, they also possess additional powers, typically elemental in nature, which vary depending on the specific type of Kitsune in question. They accumulate tails throughout their lives that increase the strength of their powers, and the most powerful of their kind are said to have nine tails.

### History

Little is known about the history of Kitsune with regards to the *Teen Wolf* universe, but it has been implied that they have existed for at least a thousand years, as that is how long the oldest known Kitsune, the Nogitsune, is said to have lived. *("The Divine Move")* How Kitsune were created and when this occurred remains a mystery for now, as is where the Kitsune spirits who are not on Earth reside, such as the Kitsune ancestors Noshiko Yukimura referenced in *The Fox and the Wolf* or the Nogitsune, prior to it being summoned to earth by Noshiko in the mid-20th century.

### Supernatural Rules and Characteristics of Kitsune

On *Teen Wolf*, Kitsune are bound by certain metaphysical rules, much like every supernatural species. Known as tricksters, the rules governing Kitsune are rather subtle, and these restrictions affect their everyday life as well as their status and talents.

It has been referenced in folklore, myths, and other stories that Foxes and Wolves do not get along, though this is not always demonstrated in practice, as evidenced by both Noshiko and Kira Yukimura's friendships and romantic relationships with Werewolves such as Satomi Ito and Scott McCall. *("Silverfinger")*, *("The Fox and the Wolf")*

According to the Shugendo scroll, the only reliable way to exorcise a Nogitsune or other Kitsune with the ability to possess humans (a practice known as *kitsune-tsuki*) is by changing the body of the Kitsune's host. *("Echo House")* In the case of Stiles Stilinski, who was possessed by a powerful Nogitsune of 1,000+ years of age, this meant changing their body by having an Alpha Werewolf, Stiles' best friend Scott, give him the Bite to turn them into a Werewolf as well.

While this did not end up happening to Stiles himself, Scott did give the Bite to the Nogitsune's new vessel, which was an exact clone of Stiles that the Nogitsune had created with the immense amount of power he gained from the chaos, strife, and pain it had consumed over the course of several weeks. This caused the vessel to turn into dust after Kira stabbed it with her magical katana, but the Nogitsune lived on in its fly form. *("The Divine Move")* It is unknown what would happen if this happened to a Kitsune in a vessel with an actual human spirit inside of it, but it is possible that it would turn into a Werewolf or another type of werecreature.

In *Required Reading*, Kira found she was unable to read the coded novel featuring the Dread Doctors, which had been written by Gabriel Valack to help trigger repressed memories, specifically those memories that had been purposely suppressed by the Dread Doctors themselves. Mason Hewitt offered input by telling her about research he had done on Kitsune, during which he learned that fox spirits have difficulty with language. He recounted a myth he read where people could identify Kitsune by saying "*Moshi moshi*" (Japanese for "hello") on the phone, because saying the word "*moshi*" twice was a language trick that was used to both confuse and, by extension, identify Kitsune.

He then surmised that Kira can't properly read the novel because the entire coded story is one big language trick, which was confusing the Fox part of Kira. In *Ouroboros*, Noshiko helped Kira overcome this issue by instructing her to read the book backwards, as since it was the story itself that was confusing Kira's Fox, and reading it backward would allow her to achieve the desired effects without needing to fully understand the plot in order to access it.

### Types of Kitsune

There are thirteen different types of Kitsune, according to Katashi and, by extension, the Argent Bestiary, each with their own set of powers:

#### Canon

* *Sanda*, or Thunder
* *Tengoku*, or Heaven/Celestial
* *Umi*, or Ocean
* *Chikyu*, or Earth
* *Kukan*, or Void, also known as *Nogitsune*

#### Non-Canon

* *Kasai*, or Fire
* *Kaze*, or Wind
* *Mori*, or Forest
* *Yama*, or Mountain
* *Ongaku*, or Music
* *Kawa*, or River
* *Jikan*, or Time
* *Seishin*, or Spirit

Malevolent fox spirits are known as *yako*, and benevolent fox spirits are known as *zenko*, though which types of Kitsune are considered dark or light are unknown except for Void Kitsune, which are confirmed to be *yako*. However, only two Kitsune types have officially been shown in the series—Thunder (Kira Yukimura), and Void, also known as Nogitsune (a spirit who briefly possessed Rhys and Stiles in the series).

Additionally, according to Jeff Davis, Noshiko Yukimura is a Celestial Kitsune, though this has yet to be mentioned on the series, and the Celestial Kitsune's power set have yet to be thoroughly explained.

#### Thunder Kitsune

*Sanda Kitsune*, or Thunder Kitsune, are Kitsune with a special affinity for lightning and electricity. It is unknown if Thunder Kitsune are considered *yako* or *zenko*, but Kira Yukimura, the only Thunder Kitsune who has been introduced so far in the series, has demonstrated both light and dark behaviors that could indicate her potential as either type.

Thunder Kitsune can absorb, transfer, and produce electricity and lightning, also known as a form of foxfire, which can then be used for various effects. Kira has used her electrokinetic Kitsune powers to repair a broken katana blade *("The Fox and the Wolf")*, to shock and slow Scott McCall's heart rate to help him fake his death *("Time of Death")*, to siphon the electricity from an electrical grid to cause both blackouts and brownouts in various electrical grids *("Amplification")*, and has also unconsciously interfered with the telluric currents that serve as a security system for Eichen House on two separate occasions. *("A Novel Approach")*, *("Lie Ability")*

When Kira's Kitsune spirit feels threatened, she usually unconsciously produces foxfire or electricity as a defense mechanism, such as when William Barrow tried to shock her with a live wire *("Galvanize")*, or when a CDC physician tried to take Kira's blood to test her for viruses *("Weaponized")*. In addition to the aforementioned powers, Thunder Kitsune also possess enhanced physical attributes such as super strength, speed, agility/reflexes, and accelerated healing, all of which seem to increase in strength as the Kitsune in question gains more age, experience, and tails. It is possible that Thunder Kitsune have even more abilities than those listed, but since Kira is still new to her powers, she is still learning the full extent of what she can do.

#### Void Kitsune

*Kukan Kitsune*, also known as Void Kitsune or Nogitsune, are a type of *yako* who create and feed on chaos, strife, pain, and other negative emotions. The first Void Kitsune introduced in the series is the Nogitsune, a 1,000-year-old Void Kitsune who was summoned by Noshiko Yukimura in 1943. Nogitsune have the ability to possess people *("Silverfinger")*, control others by infecting them with flies they produce from their body *("De-Void")*, and create powerful illusions *("The Divine Move")*. They also are immune to the effects of electricity *("De-Void")*, though the Nogitsune was not shown to produce foxfire, indicating that he may or may not have had the ability to do so like Thunder and Celestial Kitsune.

As the Nogitsune feeds on more and more chaos, strife, and pain, they become even more powerful and are able to use their abilities to an even greater extent. They can also absorb pain through tactile contact in a similar (but more intense) manner to Werewolves in order to gain sustenance and increase their power. *("Letharia Vulpina")* However, it is unknown if they can use this tactile ability to also siphon chaos and strife from others as well.

In addition to the aforementioned powers, Nogitsune also have superhuman physical attributes such as super strength, speed, agility/reflexes, and accelerated healing, which, like the rest of their powers, increase with age, experience, number of tails, and the amount of chaos, strife, and/or pain on which they have fed.

There was also a second Nogitsune featured on the show in flashbacks to the late 1980s, when Chris Argent went on his first arms deal after turning eighteen and graduating from Hunter training. He went to Japan for the deal and was surprised when he arrived to the deal to find out that he was selling firearms to the Yakuza, a detail his father Gerard Argent had purposely left out to test his son's ability to survive as a Hunter. The leader of this group of Yakuza, a man who was known as the Kumicho, was possessed by a Nogitsune which allowed the Kumicho to rise through the ranks of his Yakuza family.

That night, five Oni arrived to slay the Nogitsune within the Kumicho, as mission that was successfully completed by killing both the Void Kitsune and its host. However, the only ability this Nogitsune displayed was shapeshifting, as the Kumicho's eyes turned white, and his teeth extended into the Nogitsune's characteristic chrome fangs. *("Silverfinger")*

### Appearance

Thus far, Kitsune have only been shown in a human form, either because they have human heritage like Kira, or because they are old enough to be able to shapeshift into a human form, like Noshiko and the Nogitsune; the latter is a skill that takes at least one hundred years to learn, according to Peter Hale. *("De-Void")*. Since Kitsune are frequently referred to and grouped with shapeshifters such as Werewolves and Werecoyotes, it appears to be likely that they can take other forms as well; however, a Kitsune's true form remains unknown (though some speculate it is similar in shape to their aura), as does information regarding other shapes that a Kitsune can take.

All Kitsune have flaming auras that surround their human bodies in the shape of a large fox, which seems to become bigger and more fierce-looking with every tail they gain. These auras can be made visible with flash photography, and supernatural creatures with enhanced vision can see them when they use their glowing eyes. *("Illuminated")* As a result, young Kitsune must learn how to conceal this aura in order to hide it from supernatural beings. *("Silverfinger")*

Conversely, Kitsune can also make their aura visible to the naked human eye if they will it, or, in some cases, if they lose control over their inner Fox spirit, which has happened to Kira on several occasions, such as during her battle with the Chimera Tracy Stewart at the Beacon County Sheriff's Station, when Lydia Martin, a human Banshee, saw her aura. *("Dreamcatchers")*

Though Kitsune have normal human eyes while in human form, they can make their irises glow orange/gold, which, much like with most supernatural creatures, allows them to better access their supernatural abilities. Nogitsune, or Void Kitsune, are also noted for having large chrome fangs and glowing white eyes rather than orange/gold, though they possess the power to conceal both of these physical traits from even supernatural eyes as well, if they wish to do so.

### Personality

Kitsune are trickster spirits, and their mischievous behavior has caused them to gain a reputation for being amoral and even evil in some myths and legends. However, in reality, Kitsune simply have their own unique sense of honor and do not really understand the human concepts of "right" and "wrong," nor do they seem to have any interest in learning about it, although Kitsune living in the human world have been shown to demonstrate empathy and consideration for others more so than those who remain outside of it. Because Kitsune have their own code of honor, they can often react very badly if they're offended, especially if they are a *yako* such as a Nogitsune. *("Riddled")*

It is said that foxes and wolves do not get along, and this can also be true for Kitsune and Werewolves, though there exceptions to this rule, such as Kira, who is not only a member of a Werewolf pack, but is also in a romantic relationship with the True Alpha Werewolf Scott McCall. Kitsune can also have very a dark sense of humor, particularly the Nogitsune, as they take more pleasure in causing chaos than *zenko* types of Kitsune.

Void Kitsune also are known for feeding upon chaos, strife, and pain (along with other negative emotions like fear, stress, and anger), which gives them more power; as a result, they typically focus solely on creating as much of those emotions in the people around them as they can. It is unknown if there are other types of Kitsune who need to feed on the various emotions of others for sustenance and/or increased power in a similar manner. However, despite some of their more negative characteristics, Kitsune can also be very loyal to the people they care about, and will do serious harm to anyone who tries to hurt their loved ones.

### Culture

Not much is known about Kitsune culture, nor where those Kitsune who do not reside in the human world live. It has been implied by Noshiko that there is some kind of mystical realm or plane of existence for Kitsune spirits, since she once prayed to her ancestors for *kitsune-tsuki*, or possession by a fox spirit, in order to imbue her with the power necessary to get revenge on those running the corrupt Oak Creek internment camp in 1943, which suggests that they may at least have some sort of afterlife dimension, if not a realm all their own for living spirits as well. *("The Fox and the Wolf")*

### Kitsune Tails

Most of a Kitsune's power comes from their tails, though how they specifically gain these tails is unknown; in some Japanese legends, Kitsune gain a tail for every century they are alive, but in others, they gain a tail for each Kitsune ability they master.

So far in the *Teen Wolf* series, it appears that Kitsune gain a tail when they meet certain milestones. For example, Kira Yukimura gained her first tail after she successfully triggered her healing ability to survive what would have otherwise been a fatal stab wound to the heart. *("Smoke and Mirrors")* The greatest number of tails a Kitsune can achieve is nine, which is how many tails Noshiko Yukimura possessed upon her family's arrival in Beacon Hills. *("Letharia Vulpina")*

Some Kitsune who live in the human world create physical representations of their tails in order to keep them safe on Earth. Noshiko made her nine tails into a set of long, thin, black ceramic knives that she called *kaiken* (Japanese for "daggers"), whereas Kira's first tail is made of a large shard of obsidian that was later shaped by her father Ken into a *shuriken*, or throwing star.

However, since the Nogitsune seemed surprised and confused upon learning that Noshiko had turned her tails into *kaiken*, it is implied that making physical representations of Kitsune tails is not necessarily a common practice among their species. *("The Fox and the Wolf")*

Tails possess great mystical power which can be used to perform powerful spells (although doing so will often cost the Kitsune the tail that they are using as a power source), and the older a tail is, the more power it contains. For example, Noshiko used at least seven of her nine tails to summon and control Oni demons to kill the Nogitsune; she first used her five most recent tails to summon five Oni *("Galvanize")*, and when three of them were killed, she used three of the next older tails to replace them, which she stated would be more powerful due to the tails being older and possessing more mystical energy. *("Letharia Vulpina")*

The Nogitsune then took one of her last tails, which was one of the oldest and thus the most powerful, which gave him the power he needed to cast his own spell and take ownership of all five Oni to do his bidding. *("Insatiable")* It is unknown if a Kitsune can regain their tails after they have been lost, stolen, or broken in this manner; it is possible that once their power is used, the tail is lost forever.

### Powers and Abilities

The full range of powers that a Kitsune possesses remain unknown, especially since there is very little known about the majority of the types of Kitsune. However, they all seem to have the same basic powers in addition to other specialized abilities based on the Kitsune's specific type.

#### Common Powers

These are abilities that have been demonstrated on the series that all Kitsune appear to possess.

* **Super Strength**: Kitsune have been shown to possess superhuman strength, though the strength of most Kitsune is still inferior to that of average werecreatures unless they are especially old and/or powerful. After gaining her first tail and having her powers amplified and unbalanced by the Dread Doctors, Kira demonstrated heightened strength when she was able to slice Noshiko's katana in half with her own during a fight *("Heartless")*, and the Nogitsune was shown throwing Derek Hale, a then-Beta level Werewolf, across the room with ease. *("De-Void")* Noshiko was also shown using her sword to cut through a thick chain that was locking the front gates to Camp Oak Creek. *("The Divine Move")*
* **Super Speed**: Kitsune are extremely fast creatures; even young Kitsune such as Kira have been shown to run so fast that they're almost a blur, and she far exceeded the speed of Danny Mahealani, the most talented human cross-country runner on the Beacon Hills High School team. Kira was even shown to be slightly faster than Scott, a True Alpha, as he struggled to keep up with her when she first discovered her super speed and began to run through the woods. *("Letharia Vulpina")*
* **Super Agility/Reflexes**: Kitsune are very agile beings who can jump very high and very far, as well as perform extraordinary gymnastic and acrobatic feats without any training. This also helps Kitsune in battle, because they are able to easily dodge, flip, and spin away from incoming attacks. Both Kira and Noshiko demonstrated incredible feats with their agility, including forward layouts, pirouettes, and spinning kicks during battle and sparring sessions.
* **Accelerated Healing**: Kitsune possess an enhanced regenerative healing ability that gives them immunity from any human illness or condition. It also allows them to heal from minor to moderate wounds in moments, and even severe injuries, such as being stabbed in the heart, can be fully healed within hours. However, in certain Kitsune like Kira, who has human heritage on her father's side, the ability to heal wounds must be activated with pain in order to work for the first time. *("Smoke and Mirrors")* It is likely that their perfect immune systems and accelerated healing ability means that they cannot become intoxicated by alcohol or recreational drugs due to their bodies repairing the damage that causes the intoxication effects too quickly, just like Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and other shapeshifters with enhanced healing abilities.
* **Longevity**: Kitsune are very long-lived creatures who can potentially live for many centuries as a result of their advanced healing powers, which keeps them from dying due to most natural causes and slows their aging down tremendously. The oldest two Kitsune on the series are the Nogitsune, a 1,000-year-old Void Kitsune *("The Divine Move")*, and Noshiko Yukimura, a 900-year-old Celestial Kitsune. *("The Fox and the Wolf")* As a Kitsune advances in age, they will also grow in general power as well, making the eldest the most powerful in the species. In fact, the Nogitsune has even shown a potential to be immortal, as he insisted he could not be killed due to his age, and every attempt to kill him has only resulted in the destruction of his human host, which doesn't truly end his life-- it simply reverts him to his fly form, which can then be trapped in a mystical container from which he could possibly be released again in the future.

* **Intuitive Combat and Weaponry Skills**: Kitsune possess an innate ability to fight in close-quarters combat, especially with melee weapons. Both Kira and Noshiko have demonstrated a natural ability to fight at an advanced level with *katanas* with no known previous training. Kira has also demonstrated a proficiency in wielding *nunchakus* in battle *("The Dark Moon")*, and was able to use both Allison Argent's mini-crossbow *("De-Void")* and a long length of chain *("A Promise to the Dead")* as weapons without any prior training. Kira has even admitted that her expert ability to fight with katanas "just sort of happened," suggesting that there is some sort of supernatural/biological muscle memory involved in this ability. *("Amplification")*

* **Foxfire Production**: Kitsune possess the ability to create fire or lightning, known as *foxfire* or *kitsune-bi*, by rubbing their tails together. The foxfire can then be produced from within the body, though Kira, the only Kitsune shown to use large amounts of foxfire so far in the series, prefers to channel her lightning-esque foxfire through her hands. It has been implied that the form of foxfire produced by a Kitsune varies based on the specific type of Kitsune they are; Kira, as a Thunder Kitsune, produces ice-blue electricity as her foxfire, whereas Noshiko, a Celestial Kitsune, produces reddish-pink sparks from her fingers.
	+ **Immunity to Electricity**: Because they can create foxfire, Kitsune are immune to the effects of electricity.

* **Aura Manipulation**: All Kitsune have flaming fox auras around them, and, with age and experience, they can learn to both conceal the auras from supernatural eyes or make them visible to even human eyes.
* **ShapeShifting**: Kitsune are often referred to as "shapeshifters" due to their trickster nature, and at one hundred years of age, a Kitsune gains the ability to assume a human form. However, the full range of how this ability works remains unknown; they may be able to take the form of other humans, the form of a true fox, or the shape of other animals, or it may just be an ability specific to a certain kind of Kitsune and not a common power.
* **Oni Summoning**: Through breaking their tails, a Kitsune can summon an Oni; the older the tail, the stronger the Oni.

#### Specific Powers

The following are abilities that have been demonstrated on the series that appear to be possessed by specific types of Kitsune. There are likely many more abilities than what is listed below that currently remain unknown, due to the fact that only three different Kitsune have been shown on the series thus far.

##### Thunder Kitsune

* **Electrokinesis**: This is an ability possessed by Thunder Kitsune, and it can be considered an advanced form of foxfire production. Thunder Kitsune like Kira can siphon electricity from any source with no ill effect to themselves, can use their own self-generated electricity to turn on electronic devices such as light bulbs, and can create bursts of lightning that have been shown to do anything from stopping a person's heart to repairing a broken katana blade. Kira specifically has even demonstrated the ability to siphon so much electricity that she has caused large-scale blackouts on at least three different occasions. Because she is a Thunder Kitsune, Kira was able to create foxfire before she knew she was a Kitsune, despite the fact that she had no tails to rub together. *("Galvanize")*

##### Celestial Kitsune

* **Astral Projection**: Noshiko demonstrated the ability to project her spirit to Kira when she was taken hostage by Kate Argent at La Iglesia. *("Smoke and Mirrors")* With this ability, she was able to assist Kira in learning how to trigger her healing ability so she could survive the stab wound to her chest she sustained from Scott while he was a Berserker. It is unknown if this is an ability specific to Celestial Kitsune, or if this is an ability all Kitsune can use with practice and age.

##### Void Kitsune

* **Nogitsune Flies**: This is an ability used by Void Kitsune like the Nogitsune to control flies. These flies, once in the Void Kitsune's control, can enter the bodies of others and allow the Kitsune to control them. These flies have been used by the Nogitsune to force William Barrow to kidnap Kira and to try to trigger her foxfire in order to jump-start the Nogitsune's control over Stiles Stilinski *("Galvanize")*, as well as to increase the pre-existing rage in Derek Hale, Isaac Lahey, and the twins Ethan and Aiden, causing a fight between them that distracted the pack from what the Nogitsune was doing *("De-Void")*. It is implied that wild purple reishi mushrooms can counteract this fly possession, as can physical removal of the fly from inside the body of their hosts. *("The Fox and the Wolf")* When a Nogitsune's vessel is killed, its spirit will remain in the form of a fly, which can then be imprisoned within a magical object such as the Triskelion Urn, which was made out of wood from the Nemeton. *("The Divine Move")* This fly can also enter the body of another being and possess them, as is what presumably occurred when the Nogitsune possessed Corporal Rhys and Stiles Stilinski.

* **Possession**: This is an ability used by Void Kitsune (and possibly other forms of Kitsune) that allows them to possess the body of a human. This ability was used by the Nogitsune to possess Corporal Rhys in 1943 *("The Fox and the Wolf")* and to possess Stiles Stilinski in 2011 *("Silverfinger")*. Though it was implied that Nogitsune can possess other Kitsune who have shapeshifted into human bodies (since Noshiko prayed to her ancestors for *kitsune-tsuki* so that the Nogitsune could possess her and give her the power to heal from her extensive wounds and get back at the corrupt Camp Oak Creek military members), it is unknown if they are capable of possessing other supernatural creatures.
* **Pain Absorption**: This is an ability used by Void Kitsune that allows them to siphon pain from a person through tactile contact, as Void Kitsune feed off of chaos, strife, and pain. This ability works in the same way as it does for a Werewolf—the Nogitsune places their hands on the body of the person whose pain they're trying to take, and the veins in their hands and arms become black as they transfer the person's pain into themselves. *("Letharia Vulpina")* This ability then gives the Nogitsune more power and sustenance.
* **Illusion Casting**: This is an ability used by Void Kitsune (and possibly other types of Kitsune) to create lifelike illusions. In the case of the Nogitsune, he used this ability to create several dreams in which to communicate with his host, Stiles Stilinski, along with several visions to distract Scott McCall and Lydia Martin when they entered Stiles' mind to forcefully give Stiles control over his body again. He also used it to make Scott, Lydia, Stiles, and Kira believe that they were in Ikeda's Japanese garden, complete with falling snow and Oni demons; these illusions were so realistic that Kira and Scott both believed that they had been cut multiple times by Oni swords until they broke through the illusion. *("The Divine Move")*
* **Teleportation (possibly)**: This is an ability that is potentially possessed by Void Kitsune (and possibly other types of Kitsune) that allows them to travel from one place to another almost instantly without moving in the space in-between. This seemed to be demonstrated by the Nogitsune when he disappeared from Derek's loft in the blink of an eye and then appeared in the basement of Eichen House a short time later. *("De-Void")*

## Lamprey

### Powers and Abilities

The powers listed are based on the brief amount of time that Donovan Donati was seen using his powers in the series, and thus it is not a comprehensive list.

* **Shapeshifting**: Lampreys possess the ability to transform several of their features into those similar to Lampreys.
	+ **Lamprey-Mouth Manifestation**: Lampreys can develop or create 'Lamprey'-mouths on their body and make them vanish when they're done with them. These mouths are powerful and can cause painful bite wounds that take a while to heal, as seen when the mouth Donovan created on the palm of his hand managed to bite Stiles on the shoulder, causing a bite wound that didn't heal for several episodes.

### Weaknesses

* **Mountain Ash**: Lampreys, like the majority of supernatural species in the show, most likely cannot cross barriers made of mountain ash or rowan wood, nor could they touch or manipulate the wood or its ash in a non-barrier form. This would make them vulnerable to being trapped within a ring of mountain ash, or being prevented from entering an area that has been warded with it.
* **Electricity**: Lampreys can most likely be weakened or killed by exposure to electricity, depending on the level of voltage used.

## Löwenmensch

Löwenmensch (German: "Lionhuman"), also known as a Werelion, are a species of shape-shifters introduced during Season 6. Like their lupin cousins, Löwenmensch have the power to transform from an regular human appearance to a partially lion-like form that includes glowing eyes, pointed ears, claws and fangs, and a ridged brow though these features are noticeably different from those of Werewolves. Only one known Löwenmensch has been seen so far: Garrett Douglas, a former Captain in the Nazi German military and member of the Anenherbe unit, who was originally thought to be a Werewolf due to the similar features shared by both species.

A Löwenmensch functions much like a Werewolf in that they follow the same hierarchy structure in a pack, judging by the fact that Garrett was an Alpha with red eyes. This theory is supported by the fact that, in the natural world, Lions operate in prides, suggesting that a supernatural lion-shapeshifter like the Löwenmensch would be free to either join/form a pride or join a regular Werewolf pack and may even gain a power boost from being in one. However, since there is a lack of information about this species, this has yet to be confirmed to be true.

It is unclear why Mason Hewitt incorrectly described a Löwenmensch as being part-wolf since in the all the legends, a Löwenmensch is not actually half-wolf and half-lion at all but half-lion and half-man, essentially a werelion. The legend comes from a figurine also known as the Lion-man of the Hohlenstein-Stadel, which is a prehistoric sculpture made from ivory that was discovered in a German cave of the same name.

### Powers and Abilities

Löwenmensch seem to possess almost identical powers to Werewolves, but due to the fact they are part lion rather than part wolf, their powers seem to be much more potent; Chris Argent noted that the bite force of a Löwenmensch (which he originally thought was a Werewolf) was much more powerful than anything he's ever seen. However, it is unknown if this is due the creature's actual nature or the side effects of the ordeal Garrett Douglas went through at the hands of the Ghost Riders and Dread Doctors. The powers demonstrated by a Löwenmenschen thus far include:

* **Super Strength**: It is unknown how strong a regular Löwenmensch would be compared to a typical Werewolf, but Garrett, an Alpha Löwenmensch mutated by the Dread Doctors' green serum and the venom on a Rider's whip, was incredibly strong and overpowered a Ghost Rider effortlessly, something that even the combined might of Corey Bryant, Scott McCall, and Liam Dunbar could not do. Garrett's strength was so powerful that he was able to bite through the skulls of both humans and Ghost Riders and could throw grown men across a room with ease.
* **Super Speed**: Löwenmenschen possess superhuman speed that allows them to run faster than even the most athletic human being, and can run on all fours in both human and Löwenmensch form.
* **Super Agility/Reflexes**: Löwenmenschen possess superhuman agility, allowing them to jump very high and across large distances, jump from several stories up while landing lightly on their feet, and perform a multitude of acrobatic, gymnastic and martial arts feats such as flips, handsprings, and spinning kicks. This power also extends to their reflexes; as a result of their ability to perceive moving objects much better than humans can, they can catch projectiles such as arrows in mid-air and dodge speeding bullets before they can be hit.
* **Super Durability**: Löwenmenschen, like their Werewolf cousins, are much more durable than average humans and can withstand much more blunt force trauma, though they are still vulnerable to open wounds. As a result, they can tolerate being punched, kicked, being thrown into walls, and falling from extremely tall heights without serious injury.
* **Super Senses**: Löwenmenschen, like their Werewolf cousins, have incredibly keen superhuman senses of hearing, smell, and sight. They can see in the dark and across large distances, track scents for up to several miles, and hear whispered conversations across great distances and from inside buildings. Using their sense of smell in particular, they can interpret the chemosignals in scents that indicate identity and emotional state. These enhanced senses help them fight at night, hear approaching enemies, and locate people by scent. A Löwenmensch's enhanced sight can also be used to see supernatural phenomena that cannot be seen with human eyes, such as the Nemeton or a Kitsune's aura.
* **Accelerated Healing**: Like their Werewolf counterparts, Löwenmenschen possess extraordinarily enhanced regenerative healing, allowing them to recover from most mild to moderate wounds within moments. Garrett was shown to have such a powerful healing factor that he was able to heal from the full-body injuries caused by being in the Dread Doctors' tank for seventy years, due in part to the green regenerative serum inside of it made from his blood. They are seemingly immune to human diseases and conditions and cannot get high or drunk on drugs or alcohol.
	+ **Longevity**: Because a Löwenmensch's rapid cellular regeneration prevents them from contracting any illness or condition and replaces aging cells at a constant rate, they presumably have an extended lifespan, judging by the fact that Garrett spent seventy years in the Dread Doctors' tank and maintained the appearance of a man in his late 20s or early 30s.
* **Shapeshifting**: Löwenmenschen, as lion-like shifters, possess the power to shapeshift their features into that of the aforementioned species, including glowing eyes, fangs, claws, mutton chops, pointed ears, and ridged brows that are again similar to Werewolves but with noticeable differences. The only known Löwenmensch, the Alpha Garrett Douglas, had glowing red eyes, so it can be assumed that they can also have gold or blue eyes like Beta or Omega-level Werewolves.

### Weaknesses

The Löwenmensch presumably possesses similar weaknesses to Werewolves and likely shares the same weaknesses that most supernatural creatures, such as Mountain Ash, Mistletoe, electricity, etc.

## Nogitsune

The Nogitsune was a major antagonist in Season 3 of Teen Wolf. He is a Void Kitsune who feeds on chaos, pain, and strife. He was first mentioned by Katashi in Silverfinger when Chris Argent, Allison Argent, and Isaac Lahey came to him to ask him about the Oni demons who had recently come to Beacon Hills. Katashi explained that the Oni were hunting a Nogitsune, or a Void Kitsune, by examining every supernatural creature they came upon to make sure they hadn't been possessed by the dark Kitsune in question.

It was then revealed at the end of the episode that the Nogitsune had possessed Stiles Stilinski at some point following his death and resurrection as a result of the surrogate sacrifice ritual performed by Allison, Scott and Stiles in Alpha Pact. As a Void Kitsune who fed on chaos, strife, and pain, the Nogitsune used Stiles' body to create the very feelings in others that he needed as sustenance to increase his power, and used the Nogitsune flies that he could produce from his body to infect others with anger in order to create more chaos, purposely distracting the McCall Pack to the point where they would be too overwhelmed to interfere with his plans.

In The Fox and the Wolf, it was revealed that Noshiko Yukimura was responsible for summoning the Nogitsune in 1943, when the aftermath of the riots at the Oak Creek internment camp (and the government's subsequent cover-up of the deaths of the internees) made her so angry that she prayed to her Kitsune ancestors to allow a powerful Nogitsune to imbue her injured body with power and heal her so she could take revenge on those responsible for the deaths of her fellow internees.

However, instead of possessing her as intended, the Nogitsune actually possessed the body of her recently deceased lover, Corporal Rhys, who then went on and killed the remaining campers and employees at Oak Creek before Noshiko and her friend Satomi Ito neutralized the Nogitsune by expelling it from Rhys' body with Noshiko's magical katana, causing him to revert to his fly form, which was then trapped in a jar and buried in the roots of the Nemeton. The Nogitsune would remain a prisoner in this jar until Stiles Stilinski, Allison Argent, and Scott McCall's surrogate sacrifice ritual, in conjunction with Jennifer Blake's geokinetic abilities causing the Nemeton's root cellar to collapse, unintentionally released the Nogitsune in autumn of 2011.

The Nogitsune then possessed Stiles' weakened body at some point afterward, using his then-limited control over Stiles to commit acts of chaos, strife, and pain that killed multiple people over the span of several weeks. After eventually amassing enough power to leave Stiles' body and create his own human body that was identical to Stiles, he went on to attempt to force Stiles to kill himself, claiming to end the game if he did so. However, when Stiles, Scott, Lydia Martin, and Kira Yukimura finally saw through the illusions he had created around them, they were able to fight back. They eventually defeated the Nogitsune after Scott gave him the Bite, weakening him enough for Kira to stab him with her katana, turning his vessel to dust and once again reverting him back to fly form, which was trapped in a box made of the wood of the Nemeton before it was cut down, where he remains to this day.

### History

Very little is known about the Nogitsune's early history, though it can be assumed based on his own comments about being one thousand years of age that he was born in the late 10th or early 11th century at the latest. ("The Divine Move") What he did with his life between then and the 20th century is a mystery, but in 1943, the eight-hundred-year-old Celestial Kitsune Noshiko Yukimura, severely wounded in a riot at the Oak Creek internment camp in Beacon Hills, California, prayed to her ancestors for kitsune-tsuki, or possession by a fox spirit; specifically, a Nogitsune, also known as a Void Kitsune, which are notable for the fact that they feed on and are empowered by chaos, strife, and pain; since Noshiko wanted to give herself a necessary source of power with which to heal and get revenge on the government officials who were covering up the riot, the Nogitsune's natural personality fit well with her current agenda.

Unfortunately for Noshiko, Kitsune are also notorious for having dark senses of humor, which makes requesting kitsune-tsuki a dangerous task. This was soon proven to be the case, when, instead of possessing Noshiko as she had asked, the Nogitsune possessed the body of her deceased human lover, Corporal Rhys, who had died shortly beforehand from complications resulting from being hit with a Molotov cocktail in the riot. After taking control of Rhys' body, the Nogitsune went on a rampage, killing everyone in his path at the camp, regardless of whether they were American soldiers or Japanese-American internees.

Noshiko, horrified by the death and destruction that she had inadvertently wrought by summoning the Nogitsune, grabbed her magic katana from under her bed, and, with help from her friend in the camp, a bitten Werewolf named Satomi Ito, she was able to use her sword to exorcise the Nogitsune from Rhys' body. ("The Fox and the Wolf") The Nogitsune was then reduced to its fly form, making it easy for Noshiko to capture it in a glass mason jar, which she buried in the roots of the Nemeton, a magical and sacred tree used by the Druids which had yet to be cut down at this time; the power that the ancient tree possessed allowed it to keep the Nogitsune imprisoned within its roots for the next seven decades. ("The Divine Move") However, during this time, the Nogitsune, deeply offended by the fact that Noshiko had summoned him to Earth only to imprison her for doing what she wanted, made plans for his revenge in the event that he was released from his prison. ("Letharia Vulpina")

### Personality

The Nogitsune, as an ancient Dark Kitsune, is a true trickster who relishes in creating chaos, strife, and pain, along with other negative emotions, in order to feed himself and gain more power. He is exceptionally skilled at reading people, and knows exactly how to manipulate others in order to cause the maximum amount of drama and pain. This was evidenced on numerous occasions, including: when he threatened Stiles' loved ones, knowing that Stiles would allow him to take control of his body in order to protect them; when he used the secrets Stiles had overheard as a child in order to emotionally manipulate Melissa and Rafael McCall; and when easily convinced Scott to absorb the pain from Isaac, Coach Finstock, and a dying deputy so that he could then take that pain from Scott and convert it into more power.

Another example of this is how the Nogitsune used William Barrow's obsession with "children with glowing eyes" to manipulate him into capturing Kira, and knew exactly how to trick Kira into activating her foxfire for the first time so that it would shock Stiles and jumpstart the Nogitsune's powers so he could gain greater control over Stiles' body. He was also skilled at setting up multiple distractions to ensure that no one would try to interfere with his plans, and had several contingency plans in case of any unforeseen complications. Like most Kitsune, the Nogitsune is easily offended, and it was implied that part of the reason why he caused so much chaos in 2011 was because he was trying to get revenge on Noshiko for summoning him to Earth, only to imprison him after he did what she wanted.

### Physical Appearance

Since the Nogitsune has only ever been seeing possessing the bodies of others, it is unknown what he truly looks like. However, like all Void Kitsune, he appears to have chrome fangs that he can extend and conceal at will, and he can take on the appearance of a fly.

### Powers and Abilities

#### Powers

The Nogitsune, as a 1,000+ year old dark Kitsune, was an especially powerful Fox spirit who seemed to have a high skill level in his powers. However, it is likely that he has many more powers than those that were shown on the series. The powers he was shown to use on-screen are as follows:

* **Super Strength**: As an ancient Kitsune, the Nogitsune possessed superhuman strength, though unlike many Kitsune, his strength was at least equal to that of an Alpha Werewolf. The Nogitsune could easily break out of handcuffs and other restraints, and was able to throw Derek Hale across the room with little effort. Despite his great strength, The Nogitsune preferred to use his intellect and trickery to destroy his enemies as befitting a trickster spirit.
* **Super Speed, Agility, and Reflexes**: As an ancient Kitsune, the Nogitsune possessed superhuman speed that allowed him to look as though he was a blur when he ran. He is also incredibly agile and had rapid reflexes, allowing him to quickly dodge attacks and catch projectiles. He used this ability to catch the taser darts when Allison Argent shot at him with her stun gun.
* **Accelerated Healing**: The Nogitsune possessed an enhanced regenerative healing ability that gave him immunity to all human diseases and conditions and allowed him to heal from the majority of wounds; mild to moderate wounds healed within minutes, while more serious wounds could take several hours. He was presumably unable to get drunk on alcohol or high on drugs due to the fact that his body healed too quickly.
	+ **Longevity**: Kitsune are very long-lived creatures who can potentially live for centuries, due in part to their advanced healing factor. The Nogitsune claimed that he was over 1,000 years old, and since no one has yet found an effective way to truly kill him, it is quite possible that he's actually immortal—all attempts to kill the Nogitsune have ended in his vessel being destroyed with his spirit living on in the shape of a fly.
* **Electricity Immunity**: As a Kitsune, the Nogitsune is immune to all forms of electricity, as proven when he caught a taser dart and was completely unaffected by the electricity surging through his body. This immunity is usually related to a Kitsune's foxfire ability, but since the Nogitsune was never seen producing electricity of any kind, it is unknown if he has the ability to create, control, and release foxfire.
* **Aura Manipulation**: All Kitsune have flaming auras around their bodies in the shape of a fox that is undetectable by the human eye. With age and wisdom, they can learn to both conceal it from supernatural eyes or make it visible to anyone, regardless of their human or supernatural identity. Given the Nogitsune's immense age and advanced control over his powers, it is likely that he can conceal his aura from many different supernatural creatures, allowing his possession of Stiles Stilinski to go unnoticed for many weeks.
* **Shapeshifting**: Kitsune are often referred to as shapeshifters due to their trickster nature, and it has been said on several occasions that a Kitsune can shapeshift into a human form after they reach 100 years of age. The Nogitsune has been shown to take the form of a fly, which he can then use to possess others, though it is unknown if he has further shapeshifting abilities.
* **Possession**: Also known as *kitsune-tsuki*, the Nogitsune has the ability to possess the bodies of humans (it is unknown if they can possess other supernatural beings as well, though it has been implied that they can possess other Kitsune who are in human form). The Nogitsune used this power to possess both Corporal Rhys and Stiles Stilinski, possibly among many others in his millennium-long life.
* **Pain Absorption**: Like Werewolves and Werecoyotes, the Nogitsune possesses the ability to absorb pain from living beings through tactile contact. This ability manifests in the form of darkening blood vessels that begin at the point of contact and work their way up from the fingers to the arm toward the chest and neck. As a Void Kitsune who feeds on chaos, strife, and pain for sustenance, the Nogitsune's pain absorption power was much more advanced than that of other creatures. However, it is unknown if the Nogitsune can siphon the effects of other negative emotions during his feedings in this manner as well.
* **Illusion Casting**: As a Void Kitsune, the Nogitsune possesses a very powerful ability to create lifelike illusions to confuse and disorient his victims. He has used this ability on numerous occasions, including: influencing Stiles' dreams while he was possessing him; causing Stiles to believe he was playing *Go* with him on the Nemeton in the White Room while inside his mind; causing Scott McCall and Lydia Martin to believe that they were making out with Allison Argent and looking for Jackson Whittemore, respectively; and making Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and Kira Yukimura believe that they were in the snow-covered garden at Ikeda's house in Japan rather than at the high school in Beacon Hills.
* **Zoopathy**: As a Void Kitsune, the Nogitsune had the ability to produce and control swarms of flies from within his body, which he then could use to turn humans and supernatural creatures into his thralls. The flies would enter the body through an orifice (such as the mouth, nose, or ear) or through a wound and would take root in the back of the throat. From there, the Nogitsune could control what the possessed person would do. In some cases, such as with William Barrow and Oliver, they were simply given a task to perform, usually in order for the Nogitsune to gain control of their host or to give him more power. However, in other cases, the Nogitsune would lower the thralls' inhibitions and increase their anger, causing them to act on their rage when they ordinarily wouldn't; for example, Isaac Lahey went after Ethan and Aiden to gain revenge on them for killing Erica Reyes and Vernon Boyd, despite the fact that they were then packmates and had made peace, while Derek Hale attacked Chris Argent in retribution for his sister setting the Hale House Fire that killed his family. There are two known methods to free a person from the control of the Nogitsune fly: the person can either be fed wild purple reishi mushrooms, which will cause them to cough up the fly, or the fly can be physically removed by another person by reaching into the back of their throat and extracting it.
* **Teleportation** (possibly): In *De-Void*, the Nogitsune/Void Stiles completely vanished during a skirmish between the Oni and Sheriff Stilinski, Chris Argent, Derek Hale, and Allison Argent and then appeared at Eichen House so he could confront Noshiko Yukimura. It is unknown if he used teleportation to accomplish this feat, or if he simply had an exceptionally powerful form of super-speed to achieve a similar effect.

#### Abilities

* **Cunning/Wisdom**: As a 1,000+ year old Kitsune, the Nogitsune has had over ten centuries to learn an exorbitant amount of knowledge and to gain a mastery over strategy and human psychology/behaviour, making him a formidable opponent and very difficult to outsmart.

### Weaknesses

* **Letharia Vulpina**: Canine supernaturals, such as kitsune, werewolves, and werecoyotes are vulnerable to a specific type of lichen called *letharia vulpina*, also known as "wolf lichen." This lichen has been used for centuries to kill real foxes, coyotes, and wolves by mixing it in with meat and broken glass, but instead of killing supernatural creatures, it simply weakens them considerably, particularly when the lichen has grown from the blood of a nogitsune like the kind that Alan Deaton obtained in Japan. Deaton once injected Void Stiles with an infusion of letharia vulpina, which allowed Stiles to regain control of his body for roughly three days before the Nogitsune became strong enough to take control back from him, though this effect was hastened by the sedatives and antipsychotic medications that he was given by Brunski while in Eichen House.
* **Change to Host**: According to the Shugendo Scroll, the most reliable way to neutralize a Nogitsune is to change its host, such as by having the host bitten by an alpha werewolf. When Scott McCall did this to the Nogitsune, he was weakened enough by the bite that Kira Yukimura was able to easily stab him through the chest with her katana, turning his vessel to dust and reverting the Nogitsune to his fly form. However, this will not kill the Nogitsune—it will only eliminate its host and make it weak enough that it can be put into a strong prison, if such a prison is available.
* **Oni**: Oni are Japanese demons who hunt down and eliminate various Void Kitsune, and the Nogitsune can be killed by the Oni if it is weak enough. However, if the Nogitsune amasses enough power from feeding on exceptional amounts of chaos, strife, and pain, he will be strong enough to kill the Oni, who are otherwise very difficult to kill.
* **Lack of Sustenance**: The Nogitsune survives and empowers itself by feeding on chaos, strife, pain, tragedy, and other powerful negative emotions that are occurring in his presence. When he is sequestered from other beings, he is unable to feed on these emotions and becomes weakened, as is what happened during the nearly seventy years he was trapped in the jar within the roots of the Nemeton; upon his release, he was forced to manipulate his host, Stiles Stilinski, into putting himself in the position to be electrocuted by Thunder Kitsune Kira Yukimura's foxfire, which jump-started his powers within Stiles' body and gave him back a significant portion of his strength.
* **Silver**: While not confirmed, it is thought that the Nogitsune is vulnerable to silver arrows like the Oni, given they are both built of one or more fireflies.

## Medium

**Mediums** were humans who could communicate with deceased beings on the Other Side as a result from being resurrected from a non-supernatural death. They are not considered a supernatural species, unlike the Doppelgängers and Supernatural Hunters who do not reside in the Other Side when they die.

Since the collapse of the Other Side, mediums can no longer contact the spirits of the dead, as the spirits have now moved on to other afterlife dimensions that are currently inaccessible to those in the living world.

### Creation

Gaining mediumship is regarded as a consequence and an undesirable supernatural occurrence. Humans are able to become mediums from dying a non-supernatural death and then be resurrected by a witch, either through magical or medical means, giving them a connection to the dead. Examples of mediums who gained their abilities by this process are Jeremy Gilbert, who was resurrected by magic, or Matt Donovan, who was brought back to life with CPR.

The other way was to be bound to the Other Side as its Anchor, such as Amara or Bonnie Bennett, as the supernatural role allowed them to exist both on the Other Side and in the living world at the same time.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Mediumship:** Mediums possess the ability to perceive ghosts who are otherwise normally invisible. Ghosts can be summoned just by thinking of said individual although the medium needs to have some sort of connection to the ghost in question when they were alive. However, it has been demonstrated that being around someone connected to the ghost they seek can be enough to contact the spirit if the medium had no interaction with them in life. Those who serve the role as Anchor to the Other Side were able to not only communicate with the spirits of deceased supernaturals, but also physically interact with them as a result of their existence in both dimensions.

### Weaknesses

* **Mortality:** Mediums who gain their powers from resurrection are still human and share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, decapitation, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, etc.)
* **Magic:** Mediums are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical objects such as Papa Tunde's Blade, and Dark Objects.

## Oni

the Oni are a spiritual species of supernatural demonic warriors who are so powerful that they are described as a "force of nature" that is meant to be endured rather than fought. The species was first introduced in Season 3 after Noshiko Yukimura summoned at least seven Oni total with the supernatural power in her Kitsune tails, and they acted as minor antagonists in Season 3B. The Oni then made another brief appearance in Season 5, when the Desert Oni was summoned by the Skinwalkers to test Kira Yukimura's ability to control her inner Thunder Kitsune spirit.

The Oni appear to be made of pure darkness that is contained within their samurai armor, and they are animated by a firefly that lives inside their chest. They are somehow connected to the Nemeton, as they were summoned through the Nemeton stump in Beacon Hills by Noshiko. It was first implied that the Oni's sole purpose is to hunt and kill Void Kitsune, also known as Nogitsune, but since they have also been shown pursuing other missions (such as the Nogitsune using the Oni to slaughter innocent civilians at the hospital, animal clinic, and Sheriff's station, and the Skinwalkers summoning an Oni to test Kira), it appears that they are capable of performing other tasks.

Though their appearance leads many to believe that the Oni are malevolent beings, they are actually neutral; their morality is controlled by the being who summoned them, such as Noshiko Yukimura, or the being who stole the possession of them, such as the Nogitsune.

### History

The first known incidence of summoned Oni occurred in 1988, when Chris Argent encountered five of them during his first solo arms deal as a Hunter, during which time he was unwittingly sent to make the buy with the Yakuza in Japan. Halfway through the transaction, a group of Oni appeared from the shadows, having arrived to slay the Kumicho, who had allowed himself to be possessed by a Nogitsune to rise through the ranks of their Yakuza family. However, since the Kumicho's fellow Yakuza members attempted to protect him, the Oni slayed almost all of them before all five of them impaled the Kumicho with their swords, spilling his blood over a fountain and killing both the Kumicho and the Nogitsune inside of him.

At the last moment, when the young Chris believed a Yakuza called Katashi intended to take the Oni on himself, he used one of his newly forged silver bullets (a rite of passage among Hunters upon their graduation from training) to shoot one of the Oni in the face, breaking its mask and revealing the swirling darkness within it. Though Chris would not realize it until twenty-four years later, this event proved that the Oni are vulnerable to silver, a fact that would be very helpful during the Nogitsune's reign in 2011. *("Silverfinger")*

In the autumn of 2011, the Celestial Kitsune Noshiko Yukimura was alerted to the fact that the Nogitsune that she had imprisoned in the roots of the Nemeton in 1943 had been inadvertently released as a result of the surrogate sacrifice ritual performed by Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, and Allison Argent in order to defeat the Darach. *("The Fox and the Wolf")* As a result, Noshiko moved her family (including her husband, Ken, and her daughter, Kira, the latter of whom was beginning to manifest her Thunder Kitsune abilities) to Beacon Hills, where she quickly sacrificed five of her nine Kitsune tails (physical representations of her age, wisdom, and power) to summon five Oni from the Nemeton to seek and destroy the Nogitsune before it could cause any more chaos. *("More Bad Than Good")*, *("Letharia Vulpina")*

While these Oni were able to scan the bodies of several of Beacon Hills' supernatural community (including Isaac Lahey, Derek Hale, Lydia Martin, Ethan, Aiden, Scott McCall, and Noshiko's own daughter Kira), three of them were eventually killed by Stiles Stilinski, who had been possessed by the Nogitsune and was causing chaos across town from which to feed and gain power; this massacre revealed that the Oni were animated by fireflies, and that removing or killing the firefly would kill an Oni. *("Illuminated")*, *("Silverfinger")* Noshiko was then forced to sacrifice three more Kitsune tails to summon three more Oni to replace them, though she assured Ken that these Oni would be stronger because the tails she sacrificed were older and thus had more power. *("Letharia Vulpina")* These Oni had little success in hunting down Stiles and the Nogitsune until the latter had gained enough power to separate from the former by literally creating a new, identical body for Stiles to inhabit while he remained in Stiles' original body. *("De-Void")* After scanning Stiles to determine that he was, in fact, himself, they accompanied Noshiko everywhere from sunset to sunrise, including to Oak Creek Internment Camp, where she intended to kill the Nogitsune (an act that could have possibly killed Stiles as well).

Unfortunately, before the battle could even begin, the Nogitsune turned the tables by using one of the last of Noshiko's Kitsune tails to take control of all of the Oni for himself, allowing him to order the Oni to attack Noshiko, Kira, Allison, and Isaac. This was an fight that led to one of the Oni killing Allison, though not before she shot another one in the chest with a silver-tipped arrow, confirming that Oni are vulnerable to silver and marking the first known case of a human killing an Oni. *("Insatiable")* There was a break in the battle while both sides regrouped, but when it commenced anew the following evening, Chris, Derek, Ethan, and Aiden were able to successfully kill the rest of the Oni using the rest of Allison's silver arrowheads, though Aiden, like Allison, met his death in the process. *("The Divine Move")*

In the late autumn of 2012, a desert version of an Oni was summoned by the Skinwalkers in Shiprock, New Mexico to test Kira Yukimura and the overpowered Kitsune spirit within her. This Oni was different from the Oni summoned by Noshiko Yukimura in that it was taller, more corporeal, and had a kind of sympathetic mystical power that caused every injury Kira inflicted on it to be inflicted upon herself as well. Despite this advantage, Kira's Kitsune spirit took control of her body and used its immense power to consume the Oni, which caused Kira to fail the test.

### Appearance

The Oni, as ninja warriors, are dressed in black samurai armor and with shiny black Japanese demon masks. Though their armor and masks make them appear corporeal, they are actually made up by swirling darkness and smoke which comes together to form a humanoid shape. Their eyes glow the same greenish-yellow color of the firefly that animates it, which lives it its chest where a human's heart would normally be.

### Self *Kanji*

The "self" Kanji, also known as *jiko*, is a mark (which resembles a backwards 5) left on a subject after they've been scanned by the Oni in order to see if they were being possessed by a Nogitsune. During the mission given to the Oni by Noshiko Yukimura in 2011 to find the Nogitsune, the Oni used their power of sensing the supernatural to seek out these creatures in order to figure out if they were being possessed.

Their process of determining if a person is being possessed starts with the Oni subduing their target before one of them places their hand on the face of the person in question before making sustained eye contact with them, causing their eyes to glow greenish-yellow. Once it has been determined that the scanned person is not possessed, the Oni will use their finger to brand the *jiko* kanji behind their right ear, denoting the fact that the scanned persons are still themselves.

The characters who have been marked with this symbol are Isaac Lahey, Ethan, Aiden, Derek Hale, Lydia Martin, Scott McCall, Kira Yukimura, and lastly, Stiles Stilinski, though Stiles was not branded until after the Nogitsune left his body. This process of scanning leaves the individual in a hypothermic state, which can last longer in those who do not have accelerated healing abilities such as humans or Banshees.

### Summoning

Oni can be summoned through mystical rituals, though the exact details of the summoning rituals are unknown and seem to vary depending on the person who is summoning them. When Noshiko Yukimura summoned the Oni, she did so by breaking her Kitsune tails as a power source, which allowed the Oni to come to the living world through a portal in the Nemeton and materialize from a cloud swirling darkness and hundreds of fireflies; Noshiko started with her most-recently gained tails and worked her way up to the older ones, which meant that each Oni was increasingly stronger than the other. A Desert Oni was summoned by the Skinwalkers through unknown means and appeared from within a cloud of dust created by a gust of wind after the sun had set in the desert of Shiprock, New Mexico.

Once the Oni has been summoned, they wholeheartedly fulfill the commands of the person who summoned them; this typically involves hunting down and slaying a Nogitsune, though this is not always the case. Regardless of the reasoning behind why they were summoned, they will not stop until they have completed their mission or are killed. However, control over these summoned Oni can be taken by someone with a stronger power source, as the Nogitsune did when he used one of Noshiko's oldest tails to make her Oni loyal to him instead.

### Desert Oni

The **Desert Oni** was a large demonic being of the Oni species. It was much larger than the typical Oni, and it differed in its uniform as well, with the Desert Oni wearing chin and neck armor as well as chainmail. This particular Oni was a manifestation created by the Skinwalkers as a part of their test given to Kira Yukimura, which was intended to determine how much control she had over her inner Kitsune spirit, a spirit that had been getting stronger and stronger over the past few weeks. Despite being a manifestation, the Desert Oni seemed to have a corporeal form, as Kira and her inner Fox spirit were able to cut off its mask with her sword and carry it back to Noshiko and the Skinwalkers.

### Powers and Abilities

The Oni, as demonic samurai warriors, possess a number of supernatural powers and abilities, such as:

* **Super Strength:** The Oni possess superhuman strength that is equal to or greater than that of an Alpha Werewolf. They have been seen slicing up humans and supernatural creatures alike with only their swords and have thrown grown Werewolves across the room with one hand.
* **Shadow Teleportation:** The Oni possess the ability to teleport through the darkness from one place to another within seconds. They do this by evaporating in the blink of an eye, leaving only a puff of darkness that quickly dissipates after they have left. This also allows them to leave in a hurry when the sun rises and forces them to hibernate until sundown.
* **Umbrakinesis**: The Oni possess the power to summon more darkness once the sun has set. This was evidenced when the Oni arrived at the McCall House right after sundown, when they accelerated the rate of nightfall to make it easier for them to subdue and scan Scott and Kira.
* **Supernatural Scanning:** The Oni are capable of scanning any individual in order to determine whether they are possessed or if they are truly themselves. This process is used to identify an individual that may be possessed by a dark spirit such as a Void Kitsune, or Nogitsune. They perform this test by making prolonged eye contact with the subject using their glowing greenish-yellow eyes until they have determined whether or not the subject is possessed.
	+ **Tactile Branding**: Once the Oni has determined that a subject is not possessed, they are able to supernaturally brand them by placing their fingertip behind the subject's ear, allowing them to brand the *jiko* kanji, 己, which means "self."
* **Phasing:** The Oni are capable of phasing through sold matter such as a wall or the ground. When Lydia Martin was attacked at Derek's loft by an Oni, it phased through the ground.
	+ **Weapon Intangibility:** The Oni can store their samurai swords inside their bodies and pull them out as needed, which may be related to their phasing ability. When this happens, their swords literally form from the smoke, which could also indicate a form of conjuring is involved in the process.
* **Power Nullification**: The Oni has been shown to neutralize certain supernatural powers, such as when they absorbed Lydia's Banshee scream so that she could not alert her pack that she was in danger. It is unknown if they are able to neutralize the powers of other supernatural beings.
* **Martial Arts:** The Oni are highly skilled in martial arts as well as hand-to-hand combat, which was demonstrated during the numerous battles between the Oni and the McCall Pack and their allies, as well as the battle between Kira Yukimura and the Desert Oni.

### Weaknesses

* **Mountain Ash:** Just like every other supernatural creature, the Oni cannot initially pass through barriers made of rowan wood or Mountain Ash barrier. However, they are capable of breaking through it after testing the barriers for weaknesses, as evidenced by the Oni breaking through the barrier of Mountain Ash at the McCall House.
* **Silver:** Silver is the only known man-made weapon that can kill an Oni. However, to do so, it must remain inside the body for a significant amount of time in order to kill it, otherwise the Oni will only be injured; for example, Chris Argent shot an Oni with a silver bullet, which passed right through its body and only shattered its mask, whereas Allison Argent shot an Oni with a silver-tipped arrow that lodged into its chest long enough to poison and kill it, causing it to explode in a cloud of darkness.
* **Firefly Removal:** It has been proven that if the firefly from inside the Oni is removed, it will kill them. However, this appears to be a feat that only incredibly powerful creatures such as a Nogitsune are capable of performing, as evidenced by when Stiles Stilinski/the Nogitsune ripped the fireflies from the chests of three Oni. Afterward, the fireflies died and evaporated in a puff of darkness.
* **Sunlight:** The Oni cannot appear during the daylight hours, and will be forced to use their shadow teleportation powers before the sunlight can make contact with them.
* **Lack of Will**: The Oni do not have wills of their own, and, as a result, their actions are dictated by the being who summoned them or is currently in possession of them. Because of this, the Oni cannot be considered benevolent or malevolent, as they are at the mercy of their owners, and are limited to doing whatever mission they have been assigned.

## Original Hybrid

Niklaus Mikaelson was conceived when his mother Esther had an affair with Ansel, the Alpha of the North East Atlantic werewolf pack. Her affair, as well as Klaus' werewolf heritage, was kept a secret from everyone. However, when Klaus made his first human kill after being turned into an Original vampire, he triggered his werewolf gene, which turned him into the world's first hybrid.

When Mikael learned about his wife's infidelity, he killed Ansel and the werewolves. As a hybrid, Klaus had additional powers over his siblings and father. Esther, however, cursed him to cause his werewolf side to become dormant, as a duty to Nature to keep the balance as well as a way of atoning for her affair. She bound the curse with the blood of Tatia, the Petrova doppelgänger, and the moonstone.

In 2010, Klaus enlisted a witch, Greta Martin, to break the curse by sacrificing Jules, a werewolf, Jenna Sommers, a newly turned vampire, and Elena Gilbert, the Petrova doppelgänger.

### Powers and Abilities

Klaus has the powers and abilities of both werewolves and Original vampires, both physically enhanced powers and abilities of mind compulsion. Klaus will grow stronger and faster when he is using his lycanthrope enhancement due to his werewolf side. His strength and speed will also increase during a full moon. Klaus is slightly more physically powerful than his maternal half-siblings, even more so when enraged, using his lycanthrope enhancements or when he is in his werewolf form; due to his werewolf heritage.

* **Super Strength:** Klaus is much stronger than many other supernatural beings and humans. He is able to decapitate other species with a single chop and shatter windows and doors with small objects. He is even slightly physically superior to the Original vampires, even more so when enraged, using his lycanthrope enhancements, or when he is in his werewolf form. Both Elijah and Kol have displayed the ability to fight Klaus on almost equal terms, though not enough to defeat him. Elijah has been able to fight Klaus to a stalemate and has even defeated him once, while Rebekah has been easily subdued, though unlike Elijah, Rebekah very rarely fights back. Klaus' strength is enough that he could kill twelve non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids single-handedly, and was able to fight and kill twenty-four non-Original vampires on his own with only some difficulty as well as kill six Evolved werewolves with little difficulty. Klaus has also been able to put up more of a fight against beings who have overpowered his siblings in strength, such as holding Alaric to a standstill over the White Oak Stake when he had become an Enhanced Original vampire whereas Rebekah was easily overpowered. In *The Devil Comes Here and Sighs* and in *Where Nothing Stays Buried*, Lucien, an Upgraded Original vampire, was proved to be much stronger than Klaus in their confrontations.
* **Super Speed:** Klaus' intensified quickness, agility, reflexes, and endurance makes him much faster than immortals, non-Original vampires, werewolves, evolved werewolves, non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids, supernatural hunters and humans, he is slightly faster than his Original Vampire maternal half-siblings, as he once said, "I'm faster than your average vampire", even more so when he is using his lycanthrope enhancements or when he is in his werewolf form; due to his werewolf heritage. He is able to stop other supernatural species in their tracks and run miles in mere minutes. His reflexes are similarly heightened, as he once caught Connor's arm before the latter could stab him with a small stake; he later saved both himself and Connor from an explosion intentionally triggered by Connor to kill both them and Damon. Only Marcel and Lucien, as Upgraded Original vampires, have been able to surpass his speed.
* **Super Agility:** Klaus possesses much more superhuman stamina, flexibility, reflexes, agility and dexterity than any immortals, non-Original vampires, werewolves, evolved werewolves, non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids, and humans, even slightly more than original vampires. He can move, jump very high, flip, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion.

* **Super Senses:** Klaus has a more enhanced sense of hearing, sight and smell that far exceeds those of other supernatural beings.
* **Super Durability:** Klaus can take far more trauma than other supernatural beings without much discomfort or injury. However, like with his maternal half-siblings, he has never been dismembered, implying that his durability may be close to invincibility though he can still be hurt. Wood and White Oak Ash Daggers do not weaken him, making him virtually indestructible.
* **Enhanced Healing Factor:** Klaus heals and recovers faster from any and all injuries than those of other supernatural beings. He also seems to heal much more quickly when exposed to vervain, wolfsbane, or wood than the individual species. Vervain or wolfsbane laced liquid has also been shown to weaken him, though he recovers from the effects much more quickly. Human blood has also been known to make the healing process faster.
* **Immortality:** With the last White Oak Stake destroyed, no physical weapon on earth can kill Klaus. Nothing but immense magical power worth a hundred witches summoned by an exceptionally powerful witch, or the bite of an Upgraded Original vampire, can kill Klaus. Despite the extent of his immortality, Klaus still needs to feed otherwise he will desiccate and become immobile just like any other immortal or vampire-based species.

* **Day Walking:** Due to his werewolf heritage, Klaus is immune to the lethal effects that UV rays and sunlight have on vampires thus allowing him to walk in daylight without the use of a daylight ring.
* **Emotional Control:** Due to his vampire heritage, Klaus is able to exert certain control over his own emotions and can turn off his humanity.
* **Enhanced Emotions:** Because of his vampiric and werewolf traits, Klaus experiences emotions more powerfully than humans and other supernatural beings. Particularly due to his werewolf heritage, he experiences emotions such as anger, rage, aggression, and violence more deeply and more prone to violence and rage than the other Original vampires. However, emotions such as love, joy, and happiness are intensified for him as well, allowing him to live life more intensely. This ability allows him to feel emotions at his peak regardless of his age.

* **Lycanthrope Enhancement:** Klaus is capable of using his werewolf features to further supplement his powers. Klaus can grow werewolf claws and fangs even when he is still in his human form. Klaus can display both sets of vampire and werewolf fangs. His eyes also change into those of his werewolf form, presumably granting him better eyesight. Due to his werewolf heritage, Klaus' strength and speed are heightened further during a full moon and at its peak in his werewolf form.
* **Mind Compulsion:** Klaus can compel the minds of most sentient creatures; humans, non-Original vampires, and non-Original hybrids. He cannot compel supernatural hunters that are members of the Five due to them being immune to mental manipulation. Klaus cannot compel werewolves, evolved werewolves, or any of the other Original vampires. His inability to compel werewolves was even confirmed by Ray Sutton.
* **Shapeshifting**/**Transformation Control:** Klaus has the ability to transform into his werewolf form at will. Elijah informed Klaus that he remained a wolf for two days, even when the sun was up. He can transform some features partially, displaying his werewolf eyes and teeth.
* **Sire Bond:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids turned by Klaus had a deep sense of gratitude and commitment to him, causing them to obey his every command.
* **Telepathy:** Klaus has the ability, albeit a weak variant, to enter the minds of others as long as he is stronger than them. Normally, this ability works in a tactile fashion and requires physical contact to work successfully. Klaus has also been able to share his memories with others.
	+ **Dream Manipulation:** Klaus can control dreams and subconsciousness. He can produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares, or lucid dreaming. Other effects of this ability are the distortion of reality and trapped in the dreams.
	+ **Illusions:** Klaus has the power to trick the minds of others into seeing or feeling things that aren't actually happening.
* **Werewolf Bite:** Due to his werewolf heritage, Klaus has venom which is fatal to non-Original vampires and Klaus himself is immune to werewolf venom. Klaus' venom seems to take effect much faster than a normal werewolf venom and a non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid venom.
* **Werewolf Bite Cure:** Klaus' blood is the only cure for a normal werewolf or a non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid venom, this ability seems to be unique only to Klaus and his daughter, Hope. However, Klaus' blood won't cure a bite from the Beast.
* **Immunity to Silver:** Due to his werewolf heritage, magic bonded to silver doesn't affect Klaus. Weapons made of silver might wound him, but the wound heals at super-normal rates than regular wounds.
* **Procreation:** Sophie explained that Klaus was only able to procreate due to being the Original hybrid — a born werewolf, turned into a vampire by magic — Nature's loophole. This has since been made impossible.

### Weaknesses

* **Broken Neck:** Breaking an original werewolf-vampire hybrid's neck will result in temporary death, though they will revive a short time later.
* **The Cure:** If an Original werewolf-vampire hybrid takes the cure, they will revert back to being a werewolf again. Once taken, the cure prevents them from being immortal again, causing the body to reject vampire blood.
* **Desiccation:** Being completely drained of blood or the heart-stopping will cause an original werewolf-vampire hybrid to desiccate due to their vampire side, losing most of their strength and any ability to move. This process can be replicated artificially by magic.
* **Invitation:** Due to their vampire heritage, Original werewolf-vampire hybrids are unable to enter a home without an invitation.
* **Magic:** Original werewolf-vampire hybrids are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical and dark objects such as the Starling Necklace, Gilbert Device, Papa Tunde's Blade, Cursed Stake.
* **Physical Trauma:** Minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds, and broken bones will cause an Original werewolf-vampire hybrid pain and also slow them down. However, this is momentary as they will heal completely within seconds. It seems physical trauma can hurt them anywhere on the body (i.e. eye gouging, drowning, etc).
* **Poison:** There are various poisons invented by Dr. Wes Maxfield and Aya, to name a few, that are capable of incapacitating or desiccating a vampire when administered. Klaus also used a poison to kill Tim that not even vampire blood could cure. It is unknown what effect, if any, any of these poisons would have if ingested by a non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid.
* **Vervain:** Vervain prevents an Original werewolf-vampire hybrid from compelling anyone who takes it and burns them on touch. Original werewolf-vampire hybrids will heal very quickly from vervain wounds, however.
* **Wolfsbane:** When ingested, wolfsbane causes an original werewolf-vampire hybrid to become severely weak and feverish. Also, If an original werewolf-vampire hybrid's skin is exposed to wolfsbane, it will burn them. Original werewolf-vampire hybrid will heal very quickly from wolfsbane wounds, however.

#### Former Weaknesses

* **Doppelgänger Blood Magic:** If blood from the last pair of doppelgängers is used in the Magic Purification Spell, an Original werewolf-vampire hybrid will have their vampire powers stripped from them little by little and then they will be brought back to the last stage of their werewolf life; death. They will then relive the way they died when they went into transition to the point where they die again. Kai, however, absorbed the magic purification barrier.
* **Golden White Oak Ash Dagger:** A weapon originally forged by witches and transmuted by Kol and Davina using Kemiya as a way to subdue Niklaus since he is unaffected by White Oak Ash Daggers. If dipped into the White Oak ashes and then stabbed Klaus' heart, he will be neutralized and desiccate and will remain that way for as long as the dagger stays in place. As of *Ashes to Ashes*, the dagger was destroyed by Dahlia.
* **White Oak Stake:** The White Oak Stake was the only weapon on Earth that can permanently kill Klaus. As of *When The Saints Go Marching In*, Klaus and Elijah used the last remaining stake to stake each other.
* **Enchanted Thorns:** Magically infused thorns created by the Hollow, that were grown in the ground laced with Marcel's blood, an Upgraded Original Vampire. A single scratch from these thorns will kill an Original; as of *Phantomesque*, the rosebush and thorns have all been destroyed.

## 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.

### Powers and Abilities

Due to the nature and purpose of the spell that created them, the Original vampire's powers and abilities are the most advanced and, by far, superior to other vampires. Rebekah said herself that they are the strongest creatures in the world. This was the case until the creation of the Enhanced and Upgraded Original vampires. It is unknown if Original vampires grow stronger with age like non-Original vampires.

* **Super Strength:** Original vampires are considerably much stronger than immortals, Supernatural Hunters, non-Original vampires, werewolves, evolved werewolves, non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids and humans. They are able to decapitate other species with a single chop of their bare hands, shatter windows and doors with small objects, and single-handedly tear out the hearts of younger vampires and other creatures with little to no effort. Their strength has been used to break necks and spines, and break and move heavy objects. Their impact can send anyone flying. Their strength is also enough to rival that of their own kind. While Original vampires are more powerful than werewolves in either form, transformed werewolves still rival enough of their strength to take down an Original vampire in small groups as it was shown that four of them were capable of overwhelming Rebekah (although she managed to kill half of them), while two took down Elijah (these wolves were channeling the power of their werewolf forms through enchanted kyanite stones, and Elijah was taken by surprise and briefly passed out from their venom). Vampires of 900 years or more may present a slight challenge. However, given how Originals seem to have the peak power of their condition, they currently remain the most powerful of their kind. Lucien was much stronger than any of the Originals while an Upgraded Original, and with him dead and Marcel now the only remaining Upgraded Original, he is now stronger than them physically as well, though possibly not to the extent that Lucien was.
* **Super Speed:** Original vampires are much faster than immortals, supernatural hunters, non-Original vampires, werewolves, evolved werewolves, non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids and humans. They are able to stop other supernatural species in their tracks, run miles in mere minutes and can easily catch up to any species of creature, supernatural or not. Their reflexes are similarly heightened. It is unknown if they grow faster with time. Lucien was shown to be incredibly fast, more so than an Original.
* **Super Agility:** Original vampires possess more superhuman agility, flexibility and dexterity than immortals, supernatural hunters, non-Original vampires, werewolves, evolved werewolves, non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids and humans. They can move quickly, jump very high, climb and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion.
* **Super Senses:** Original vampires have extremely keen senses of hearing, sight and smell that far exceed those of immortals, supernatural hunters, non-Original vampires, werewolves, evolved werewolves, non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids and humans.
* **Super Durability:** Original vampires can take far more trauma than supernatural hunters, non-Original vampires, werewolves, evolved werewolves, non-original werewolf-vampire hybrids and humans can, without much discomfort or injury. No Original vampire has ever been dismembered throughout the series, implying that their durability may be close to invincibility. Wood seems to be ineffective at weakening them, though being stabbed in the heart with it will often incapacitate them for several minutes until they recover. Ordinary bullets, knives and blunt objects can hurt an Original vampire as seen with Finn, Kol and Klaus. Rebekah once stated to Matt that she never feels cold. When running from Mikael, she also stated how her siblings and her ran through winter and autumn, sleet and snow.
* **Healing Factor:** The injuries of Original vampires heal faster than those of supernatural hunters, non-Original vampires, werewolves, evolved werewolves, non-original werewolf-vampire hybrids and humans. Original vampires also seem to heal much more quickly when exposed to vervain or wood. They can heal/recover/regenerate from any and all injuries in a matter of seconds. Even a werewolf bite is no threat to them, it is only painful to them and will cause weakness and hallucinations as they are not wholly immune to the bite, but it wears off. Vervain-laced liquid has also been shown to weaken them, though they recover from the effects much more quickly. If they are stabbed with Papa Tunde's blade and its removed, the healing process becomes much slower due to the dark magic within it, this applies to werewolf venom as well. Mikael still bore the scars of his attack for a day or so as he still had venom in his system. Human blood has also known to make the healing process faster.
* **Immortality:** Original vampires are immortal. They do not physically age and are immune to all illnesses, toxins, poisons and human diseases or physical conditions. The only physical weapon that can bring permanent death to an Original is the White Oak Stake, and the only other substance being poisons from the advanced strain of werewolf toxin contained in the bite of an Upgraded Original vampire, as well as the similar toxin from the enchanted thorns grown by The Hollow from an Upgraded Original's blood.
* **Enhanced Emotions:** Original Vampires experience emotions more powerfully than humans. Emotions like love, joy, and happiness are intensified for vampires allowing them to live life more intensely. This ability allows the original vampires to feel emotions at their peak regardless of their age. They have been shown experiencing emotions as powerfully today as they did 1,000 years ago.
* **Emotional Control:** Original vampires have a limited degree of control over their own emotions. It has been stated that Emotional Control fades over time. It is unknown if the Original vampires still possess the ability to "switch off" their emotions completely.

* **Mind Compulsion:** Original vampires can control and influence the thoughts, emotions, behavior, actions and memories of humans, non-Original vampires and non-original werewolf-vampire hybrids. They cannot however compel witches, immortals, or werewolves/evolved werewolves.
* **Sire Bond:** Although rare among them, Sire Bonds can be formed when a human is turned with the blood of the vampire whom they had strong human feelings for.

* **Telepathy:** Original vampires have the ability to enter the minds of others as long as theirs is stronger than them although, as Original vampires, they have one of the strongest minds in the world. Normally, this ability works in a tactile fashion and the vampire requires physical contact in order for it to work successfully. However, Elijah has been shown to mentally communicate with others from a short distance sending distress calls and mental images. Klaus and Elijah have also been shown sharing their memories with others.
	+ **Dream Manipulation:** Original vampires can control dreams and subconscious. They can produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares or lucid dreaming. Other effects of this ability is the ability to distort perceptions of reality and being able to trap someone in their dreams.
	+ **Illusions:** Original vampires have the power to trick the minds of others into seeing/feeling things that aren't actually happening.
* **True Face:** An Original vampire's true face is the appearance they are hiding under their normal human face. When an Original vampire's true face is revealed, the sclera of their eyes turns blood-red, dark veins appear under their eyes as the blood pumps forcefully through them, and their canine teeth extend into razor-sharp fangs. An Original vampire's true face can be revealed whenever they wish, but it will appear against their will whenever they are aroused by the scent of blood, or are feeling intense emotions such as anger, lust, sadness, etc. An Original vampire's fangs are extremely sharp which gives them the ability to tear into almost any substance (including and especially flesh) and tear off limbs. With the fangs come the darkened veins under the eyes as well.

### Weaknesses

Even though the Original vampires are the first and strongest vampires in the world, they still have some weaknesses, although fewer as compared to non-Original vampires. Original vampires are immune to most of the weakness of non-Original vampires.

* **Sunlight:** Sunlight will burn an Original vampire, but cannot kill them. All members of the Original Family possess lapis lazuli rings to combat this. Klaus is not affected by sunlight due to being a werewolf-vampire hybrid.
* **The Cure:** If an Original Vampire takes the cure, they will revert back to being mortal again. Once taken, the cure prevents them from being immortal again, causing the body to reject vampire blood.

* **Desiccation:** Being completely drained of blood or the heart stopping will cause an Original vampire to desiccate like any other vampire, losing most of its strength and any ability to move. The desiccated body of an Original vampire will appear as a corpse and can only start functioning again once they feed on blood. This process can be replicated artificially by a witch casting a desiccation spell.
* **Invitation:** In order to enter any house owned by humans, they need to be invited in by a living person that officially lives there or the person of entitlement. Once invited, the invitation cannot be revoked. Should an Original vampire be in the house without being invited in, such as being in a dessicated state, they will become disoriented and will begin to suffocate upon recovery. If the ownership to a house changes while inside, an Original, like normal vampires, would likely become disoriented and pulled from the house against their will.
* **Witchcraft:** Witches can perform a wide range of spells that can have a variety of effects upon an Original vampire. For example, there is a spell that can be used to effect supernatural hearing with the use of burning sage. A witch with enough power can dangerously affect and even kill a being as powerful as an Original vampire. Witches, such as Bonnie and Davina, empowered by extremely potent sources of magic (the violent deaths of a hundred witches and the power of the Harvest, respectively) were able to cripple Klaus, bringing him close to death. Specifically, Bonnie would have succeeded in killing Klaus had Elijah not saved him. Witches have also created dark objects that also have a variety of effects that are capable of harming Original vampires, such as Papa Tunde's Blade, Cursed Stakes and many other objects.
* **Physical Trauma:** While any physical trauma can slow an Original down, minor ones such as cuts and bruises, are essentially ineffective due to the healing factor of an Original vampire. More significant injuries along the lines of gunshots, stab wounds, broken bones, and organ damage can incapacitate one due to the combination of pain and lack of their bodies proper function. However, the most effective way to neutralize an Original is to inflict injury normally fatal to a human such as breaking their neck. However, this is temporarily as they will completely heal in a short amount of time.
* **Vervain:** Vervain prevents Original vampires being able to compel anyone who's ingested or wear it. Plants and other forms of vervain will also burn them upon contact, but they will heal very quickly if not for prolonged exposure.

* **Werewolf Venom:** While werewolf venom can't kill Original vampires, it greatly weakens and incapicates them and causes them to experience hallucinations based on their memories. The effects are temporary and only last for a few hours. Mikael, however, has overcome pain from the venom and fought through the effects rather than suffer and hallucinate given his mental fortitude.
	+ **Advanced Werewolf Venom:** Lucien Castle invented an advanced strain of venom derived from the seven werewolf bloodlines with no known cure. The venom is infused in the bite of an Upgraded Original Vampire. It is fatal to Original vampires in a manner similar to that of a werewolf or hybrid bite on regular non-Original vampires, although working twice as fast and more painfully. It is so potent that not even the blood of Klaus or Hope Mikaelson can cure it.
* **Wood:** A wooden stake through the heart will desiccate an Original vampire and temporarily "kill" them. However, wood from the White Oak Tree can permanently destroy an Original vampire. Once staked with this wood, the stake will ignite in flames and ingulf the body of the Original, rendering both into ash.
* **White Oak Ash Daggers:** A collection of enchanted silver daggers dipped in the ash of the white oak tree will neutralize an Original vampire when stabbed through the heart. If the dagger is removed, it must be dipped again in White Oak Ash to re-neutralize the Original vampire. Otherwise, it will have no effect and the Original vampire awakens within a few hours.

#### Former Weaknesses

* **Doppelgänger Blood Magic:** If blood from the last pair of doppelgängers are used in the Magic Purification Spell, all vampires' abilities will be stripped from them little by little and then they will be brought back to the last stage of their human life: Death. They will then relive the way they died when they transitioned into vampirism. Kai absorbed the magic purification spell and as such, it is no longer there.
* **White Oak Stake:** The only weapon on earth that can permanently kill an Original vampire, it comes from an ancient White Oak Tree that existed during the creation of the Original vampires and was used as the source of their immortality. Dahlia destroyed the stake, made indestructible by Esther, in *Ashes to Ashes*, and it was revealed that an Original can slowly die by inhaling white oak splinters. In *Wild at Heart*, the Wooden Knight Klaus carved as a child was made of white oak wood and it was fashioned into seven wooden bullets. The last bullet was destroyed in Lucien's spell to become an Upgraded Original vampire. It was later revealed that Klaus secretly kept a white oak stake for decades in case he ever wanted to commit suicide, but he identified it as the last remaining white oak stake in existence. Klaus and Elijah later broke the stake in half and used the pieces to kill each other as part of Klaus' plan to destroy the Hollow for good. It is presumed that the existence of white oak wood is now extinct.
* **Enchanted Thorns:** Enchanted thorns created by the Hollow that were magically infused and grown in the ground laced with Marcel's blood, as an Upgraded Original vampire. A single scratch from these thorns will kill an Original; as of *Phantomesque*, the rosebush and thorns have all been destroyed.

## Psychic

**Psychics** were a subset of humans, though classified as a supernatural species, that exhibited the ability to read, manipulate and/or control the minds of others.

### History

Psychics, seemingly, were a natural occurring phenomenon, born with psychic abilities. However, a psychic's function and purpose in the natural world is not known. Arcadius was the first known Psychic and he used his powers for the good of his village; however, the village turned against him when they discovered his abilities. Arcadius was then burnt alive at the stake and in his last moments, he unleashed a psychic blast that actually created another dimension, where his soul resided.

The next two and last known psychics were Sybil and Seline, who were banished to an island that was the former home of Arcadius. Seline used her powers to lure men on to the island in order to be butchered and eaten. The two eventually became the first and only known Sirens. With the deaths of Sybil and Seline and Arcadius' destruction, all known psychics have perished and are presumed extinct from the known world.

### Powers

#### Basic Powers

* **Telepathy:** Psychics are able to enter the minds of others and read their thoughts and access their memories. While they appear to have considerable range, seeing as how Seline and Sybil were able to reach sailors beyond the island they were on, physical contact allows them to search through the deeper recesses of a person's mind. During the course of his life, Arcadius was shown to be able to read the minds of others with focus, allowing him to discern the trick a boy performed. During their time on the island, Seline taught Sybil to use their voice as a physical aid to influence their mental abilities.
	+ **Mind Control:** Psychics possess the ability to apply subtle influence on the minds of others. Seline was shown to be able to call on sailors to sail into the rocks of her island, creating the myths about Sirens. Additionally, Arcadius once offered to quell the impure thoughts of a fellow villager.

#### Uncommon Powers

* **Dimensional Creation:** Psychics, specifically Arcadius, possess the potential to create their own afterlife dimension by releasing a large psychic blast under extreme emotional duress. This leaves a psychic imprint on the world through unknown means. To date, only Arcadius has been shown capable of performing this feat. However, through similar means, Bonnie Bennett, a witch, awoke a similar gift with the death of Enzo.

### Weaknesses

* **Mortality:** Despite their mental abilities, psychics are still human and share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, decapitation, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, etc.) as well as the physical limitations.
* **Staff of Arcadius:** An ancient Mesopotamian tuning fork that operates at an unknown frequency that is capable of disrupting psychic abilities. When coupled with the Maxwell Striker and Founders Bell, it has the potential to release Hellfire, capable of destroying everything in it's path, including Psychics.

## Siphoner

**Siphoners**, or **Siphons**, are a subsection of witches born without the ability to generate their own magic but do possess a rare power that allows them to siphon magic from other sources and use that magic for their own purposes. They are considered abominations by many witches, specifically the Gemini Coven, despite the fact that siphoners are born with these abilities and may face harsh treatment when discovered. They appear to be rare and few in numbers although they are rather controversial because they have the potential to become witch-vampire hybrids.

### Creation

Very little is known about siphoners, especially with regards to how or why they came into existence. Their conception and birth appear to be the same as that of ordinary witches, given that many siphoners do not know of their true nature until adolescence. In the case of twins, there seem to be no indication that they both must be either siphoners or regular witches, as evidenced by the existence of three sets of twins from the Gemini Coven—the twins Olivia and Lucas Parker were both born as regular witches, whereas their older twin siblings Josette and Malachai Parker were born a regular witch and a siphoner, respectively, and the twins Lizzie and Josie Saltzman were both born siphoners.

In *This Woman's Work*, the birth of twin siphoners, Lizzie and Josie Saltzman, was shown for the first time. It was revealed that siphoners begin to siphon magic from inside their mother's uterus, starting with feeding on very small, almost imperceptible amounts of magic at a time that will grow larger and larger as the pregnancy continues. During the final stages of birth, a surge in siphoning may be observed which may put said mother in danger.

### History

#### 19th Century

Over a course of over a decade in the mid-1800s, a number of siphoners were exiled from the Gemini Coven because of the witches belief that they are abominations. These six individuals, eventually calling themselves Heretics, were befriended by Lillian Salvatore in the late 1800s and she turned them into vampires. As vampires, they discovered that they could siphon the magic holding them alive, becoming witch-vampire hybrids. While on the way to destroy the Gemini Coven, they were imprisoned in a prison world by them.

One of the siphoners, Valerie Tulle, became a nurse at a sanatorium near Mystic Falls, where she befriended one of her patients, Lillian Salvatore, who ultimately died with vampire blood in her system and became a vampire herself. While Lily was learning control over her vampirism, she took Valerie under her wing, forming a trio with herself and lover, Julian. Shortly afterward, their trio grew larger after a fellow exiled Gemini siphoner, Oscar, joined them.

After Valerie was sent to check in on Lily's human son, Stefan Salvatore, in Mystic Falls, she ultimately fell in love and had sex with him, resulting in an inadvertent pregnancy. When Julian learned that Valerie intended to leave their family to start a new family with Stefan, he beat her so severely at the harbor that she miscarried and fell unconscious, allowing Julian to bring her back to Lily and lie to her about what happened, claiming instead that Valerie was mugged and beaten, since he knew that Valerie could not expose him without revealing her relationship with Lily's son.

Distraught as a result of Julian's monstrous acts and her miscarriage, Valerie killed herself by overdosing on laudanum and drowning in the bath, but because Lily had healed her with vampire blood earlier, she awoke in transition and became a vampire with witch power; the first of her kind. Eventually, Lily and Julian turned the remaining siphoners, seeing Valerie's potential upon realizing that she had retained her ability to practice witchcraft and was now able to draw on her own vampirism as a source of power.

#### 20th Century

In the late 20th century, the Gemini Coven was plagued by the birth of another siphoner, Malachai Parker, the son of Coven leader Joshua Parker and the twin brother of Josette Parker, who had been born a regular witch. Because Josette and Malachai were twins, they were set to inherit the leadership of the coven from Joshua, which Joshua and the rest of the family feared due to Kai's emerging signs of sociopathic nature and his siphoning ability giving him an almost guaranteed "win" in the Merge.

To prevent Kai from usurping the coven's leadership upon Kai and Jo's 22nd birthday, Joshua and his wife decided to continue having as many children as possible until they gave birth to another set of twins, which eventually occurred in 1991 with Olivia and Lucas Parker's birth. In 1994, just shy of his 22nd birthday, Kai realized that his parents intended for the youngest twins, known as Luke and Liv, to inherit the leadership instead of himself and Jo, which caused him to become so furious that he vowed to kill them and ensure that the coven would have no choice but to let Kai and Jo Merge as originally intended.

Kai enacted his plan on May 9, 1994, which involved him killing all of his non-twin siblings before setting his sights on murdering Liv and Luke. Not wanting to watch any of her other siblings die at the hands of her twin, Jo, who had been stabbed in the abdomen and would soon lose her spleen as a result, agreed to perform the Merge with Kai not before insisting that he must spare Liv and Luke, a concession that Kai happily made.

The Merge ceremony then occurred the next day during the solar eclipse, as they needed a celestial event to power the spell to merge them as one. Jo and Kai began the Merge by holding hands, but after a moment, Kai began to sense something had gone wrong when the coven's members began to gather around them. He then realized that he couldn't sense any of Jo's magic, leading to the revelation that Jo had put her magic into an object for safekeeping in order to prevent him from taking it. The coven then used another Ascendant to create a new Prison World, where they sent Kai to live out the same day over and over for eternity in solitude as punishment for his crimes.

#### 21st Century

In 2013, Bonnie Bennett and Damon Salvatore were magically transported to the 1994 Prison World where Kai Parker had been imprisoned for nearly twenty years as a result of the Other Side, the supernatural purgatory where they had been sent after their deaths, being destroyed. After weeks of living in the Prison World, repeating the same day over and over again while having no idea where they were or why they had been sent there, Damon and Bonnie realized that they were not alone and eventually came upon Kai, who threatened Damon's life in an effort to reactivate Bonnie's witch powers again. He helped them figure out how to portal the three of them back to the living world using magic and the ascendant, and though Damon and Bonnie ultimately found a newspaper that described Kai's slaughter and were so horrified by what he had done that they tried to prevent him from returning to the real world, Kai still managed to find a way back anyway.

Upon his return, Kai immediately sought out his three surviving siblings, Liv, Luke and Jo, who all happened to be at Whitmore College. He then picked up his plan where he previously left off, intending to get back at the Gemini Coven by killing Luke and Liv and forcing Jo to regain her magic so she can perform the Merge with him as originally planned. To increase his chances of success, Kai siphoned the incredible amount of magical power used by the Travelers to cast the Magic Purification Spell over Mystic Falls. Despite his best efforts to use his newly-gained power to fulfill his goal, he came up slightly short when Luke proposed that he and Kai perform the Merge ceremony together, since Kai's stay in the Prison World kept him from aging, making them both the same age in addition to their connection as siblings.

Desperate for his own personal power, Kai ultimately took the bait and "won" the Merge against Luke, causing him to absorb Luke's soul and have it merged with his own, giving Kai his ability to generate his own magic. This also made Kai the leader of the Gemini Coven, a result that devastated the coven's members, particularly Joshua, Liv, and Jo.

Fearing that he would lose his status as the Coven's leader, Kai attacked and killed Jo, and seemingly her unborn twins at Alaric and Jo's wedding, where he took advantage of all of the Gemini Coven members in attendance to attack full-force. When he became surrounded by Geminis chanting a spell around him, he assumed they were trying to send him to a new Prison World and killed himself by stabbing himself in the neck with a piece of broken glass. Due to the coven's connection to their leader, all of the members began to die as a result of Kai's death, which was exactly what he had planned would happen. It was then revealed when he awakened shortly afterward that he had died with Lily's blood in his system, becoming the first new witch-vampire hybrid in over a century.

Several months later, it was revealed that the spell the coven was casting prior to their deaths was actually a powerful spell of the Coven's own creation that would transfer children in utero whose mother was near-death to a new surrogate to ensure the coven's survival. Jo and Alaric's twins were then transferred to the womb of Caroline Forbes, whose semi-immortal nature only increased the children's chances of survival.

In 2014, Beau, Nora Hildegard, Mary Louise, Valerie Tulle, and Bonnie Bennett helped Caroline Forbes give birth to the twins, who had been revealed to be siphoners after they almost killed Caroline on several occasions by siphoning too much of her vampirism. Caroline and the twins all survived the difficult childbirth, and the newborn daughters were named Lizzie and Josie Saltzman by their father, Alaric Saltzman; Josie being named after her biological mother, Josette Laughlin and Lizzie being named after her late surrogate grandmother, Elizabeth Forbes.

In 2017, the three-year-old twins Josie and Lizzie, at Alaric and Caroline's urging, used their abilities to absorb the boundary spell on the Armory, cast earlier by Bonnie Bennett, to find the last shaman to save Bonnie.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Siphoning:** Siphoners possess the rare ability to absorb nearly all forms of magic from external sources in place of their lack of personal power. As a result of this ability, they are able to detect the magic within other beings as well as unravel the most sophisticated of spells. Siphoning can be used to siphon the magic of enchanted objects as well as the magic from supernatural beings such as other witches, vampires, werewolves, doppelgängers, etc. This also extends to a supernatural being's body fluids, such as the blood of a witch, vampire or doppelgänger, or a werewolf's venom.
* **Spell Casting:** Siphoners, after having absorbed magic from an external source, have the ability to cast spells like any witch. This allows them to change and control events through the use of incantations and more. However, the amount of power they have absorbed is finite and will eventually need to be replenished by siphoning more magic, though the frequency of which depends on the amount and strength of the magic they absorbed.
* **Potion Brewing:** The power to brew and concoct potions, remedies, and elixirs that have supernatural properties.
* **Telekinesis:** Siphoners, after having absorbed magic from an external source, have the ability to move objects and people like any witch.
* **Pain Infliction:** Siphoners, after having absorbed magic from an external source, have the ability to inflict excruciating migraines like any witch.
* **Pyrokinesis:** Siphoners, after having absorbed magic from an external source, have the ability to generate and manipulate fire like any witch.

### Weaknesses

* **Siphoning:** This ability also doubles as a weakness; siphoners, that have siphoned and gained magic from another source, can be siphoned themselves and the magic taken from them. This was proven true in *We're Gonna Need A Spotlight* when Lizzie siphoned magic from Josie who had siphoned Hope's boundary spell and attempted to create a fireball.
* **Distraction:** Denying a witch from concentrating or giving full attention to their spells may render it ineffective.
* **Herbs:** Ingestion of certain herbs can cause a witch to lose consciousness and prevent them from using magic for an undetermined amount of time. The Lobelia flower prevents a witch from being able to focus and concentrate, which is necessary to effectively cast spells, making it a common herb used in the weakening of a witch in the same manner as someone would use vervain to weaken a vampire. There are also other herbs that will temporarily mute or suppress the use of magic, though the length of time the herbs are effective are based on the strength of the witch in question.
* **Huntress' Blood:** A supernatural huntress' blood can suppress all magic of a witch when consumed, as well as prevent magic from working on said witch, as seen when the Armory could not perform a locator spell on Bonnie Bennett. Prolonged ingestion is toxic and ultimately leads to the death of the witch. Once black scabs start appearing on their body, the infected witches have less than a week of life, similar to how Vampires react to Werewolf Venom. There is no known cure to combat this disease.
* **Mortality:** Siphoners, like any witch, are still human, and thus share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, decapitation, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, etc.).
* **Magic:** Siphoners are just as susceptible to the forces of witchcraft as any other being. This is inclusive of mystical objects such as Papa Tunde's Blade, and Dark Objects.
* **Physical Contact:** Siphoners need physical contact with their source in order to siphon from them. This can be overcome through the use of magic containing amulets that can be worn with them to be siphoned in defense.
* **Staff of Arcadius:** An ancient Mesopotamian tuning fork capable of producing a high frequency that has some minor effects on witches and siphoners, giving them painful headaches.

## Siren

**Sirens** were a supernatural species who were originally psychic, and given immortality that depended on the feeding of human flesh to remain young and beautiful. They were the servants of Arcadius who were tasked with harvesting the souls of the wicked. They were one of the oldest supernatural races and there were only two known in existence.

### Creation

Sirens came into creation when Seline struck a deal with Arcadius to save her dying sister, Sybil. The exact details on how he was able to accomplish this remains elusive, but Seline mentions that one needs to consent first to be transformed. Consent can also be given if the subject is dead, as according to Sybil who died prior to the deal, Arcadius could see into her soul and see her desire to live. In return for immortality, Seline and her sister would have to constantly devour the flesh of anyone who has committed a bad deed, no matter how small or insignificant. They predate the vampire species by approximately two millennia, making them one of the oldest supernatural species in existence. Sybil claims to be over three thousand years old, making Sirens older than the immortals, Silas and Amara, by at least a thousand years. The sirens eventually became known in human folklore with the story varying on information.

### History

#### The Capture of the Sirens

On June 21, 1790, both Seline and Sybil were lured through the underground tunnel system of (the not yet founded) Mystic Falls, by Beatrice Bennett and Ethan Maxwell into the Amory's Vault after their successful plan to destroy the local coven. There, Beatrice entrapped them with a spell.

#### The Release of Seline

Nearly a hundred years later during 1883, Virginia's great-grandfather, Dalton St. John released Seline from the Armory's Vault, presumably by accident, when the vault was re-opened by him and his team in 1882. It is unknown as to why Sybil did not leave along with her.

#### The Release of Sybil

Bonnie broke her cousin's spell that sealed the Armory's Vault when forced by Alexandria St. John. Quickly thereafter, all Armory members were killed by Sybil, though Bonnie re-sealed the Armory to prevent the evil presence from being released. Though in order for Damon to get to the last member of the Eight Everlastings and save Bonnie, the siphoner twins, Lizzie and Josie, removed Bonnie's spell. The Siren therein used Elena's voice to lure Damon further into the vault and eventually subdues him with her mind control. Enzo enters the vault soon after and is confronted by Damon. After a short conversation, Enzo is grabbed from behind by the monster. The Siren and the two vampires managed to find a way out of the Vault, and the Siren forced the two vampires to bring it 'evil' victims. Later the Siren, Sybil, finally consumed enough people to have recovered enough of her strength and is rejuvenated, regaining her beauty.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Immortality:** Sirens cannot die due to the deal they made with Arcadius and can remain youthful so long as they continue to feast on the flesh of humans. Virginia mentions that the only known siren has lived for thousands of years. Sybil later says she is immortal and is over three thousand years old. This form of immortality, however, is dependent on Arcadius and, upon a temporary death, he sends their spirit back into their body, effectively reviving them.
* **Accelerated Healing:** Sirens are able to regenerate from damage sustained on their bodies and appear to be superior to even the likes of an Original vampire. Sybil was shown to heal near instantaneously from a snapped neck, however, she was unable to rapidly heal wounds sustained from being forced through a windshield and had to wait for a passing car, implying that healing may be dependent on feeding.
* **Telepathy:** Sirens, seemingly from their previous psychic heritage, can enter into the minds of another person to read their thoughts and access their memories. This was initially done using their voice as a guide, but has since been refined into singing. They can strengthen this with physical contact, allowing them to search the entire mind of their victims and even alter their memories. This ability is superior to a vampire's as they don't require eye or even physical contact, but the ability is seemingly inferior to an Immortal's given the resistance some can have to it. Sirens are capable of telepathic communication even from a great distance as Damon was contacted by Sybil from within the Armory while he was driving at an unknown distance away.
	+ **Mind Control:** Sirens can take over the minds of their victims, even to the point of shutting them down. The victims are conscious of this interaction as it creates a psychic rapport between siren and servant. This allows them to maintain a constant presence from within such that servants straying too far from Sybil will be struck with psychic pain and suffer hemorrhages until they return to her. By using their "Siren Call", mind control can be used en masse and has even be used via cellphone service to access and reestablish the psychic connection. However, some vampires, like Damon and Enzo, can offer some resistance to a siren's access by focusing on the people they care most about. They can also use their mind control to force a vampire to turn on/off their humanity; the former being a painful process as the flood of memories can crush them under the weight of their guilt.
	+ **Memory Manipulation:** Sirens possess the ability to manipulate and change the memories of the victims under their control. Sybil has shown the ability to manipulate Damon Salvatore's memory and alter one key memory; of his first meeting with Elena, where she inserted herself and erased Elena. Subsequently, she had to alter individual, "key" memories to continue to change their personality. Seline has also been showing erasing Stefan Salvatore's memory, altering his subconscious enough that he forgot the time when he massacred an entire village in Monterey on Christmas Eve.
	+ **Psychic Pain Infliction:** Sirens are able to induce extreme amount of pain through their telepathic powers. Sybil was able use this technique on Enzo, which was strong enough to manifest physical symptoms, such as coughing up blood and nose bleeds, while being separated great distances and maintaining normal appearances.
	+ **Psychic Illusions:** Derived from their mind control, Sirens can create minor illusions, forcing their victims to see what they want. However, this has only been demonstrated on a human and Seline's illusion was broken after Lizzie siphoned from Sybil, breaking her concentration.

* **Voice Manipulation:** Sirens are able to manipulate their voice to lure their victims as fabled. Sybil has shown to use her voice to captivate others through singing and mimic the voices of others like Yvette St. John and Elena Gilbert. Their control is so fine that they are able to generate sound waves to match the resonant frequency of glass in order to break it. Sybil demonstrated this when she used it to break the glass and free herself from the Armory.

* **Claws:** Sirens possess sharp claws and can use them to inflict fatal wounds onto humans; their claws have only manifested when severely deprived of food or when their power had been siphoned. It is unknown if they can manifest them willingly.
* **Aquatic Respiration:** Sirens appear to have some form of underwater adaptation. Sybil spent many months underwater, suggesting that she is able to breathe underwater.

#### Former

* **Super Strength:** Sirens possess vast strength. Sybil was strong enough to kill various members of The Armory as well as overpower Damon and Enzo long enough to enslave them. It is unknown if sirens are stronger or weaker than Original vampires nor has it been shown that they possess such strength in their normal/human form. Sybil was able to kill a police man, who was not under her control, with her bare hands through the use of her claws, implying she still possesses some form of enhanced strength to overpower a large adult male.
* **Super Speed:** Sirens are incredibly fast, this was seen when Sybil evaded The Armory's men that were searching for her. She again demonstrated her speed further when she dragged Enzo into the shadows of the Armory even at a desiccated state. Such speed has not been used since.
* **Super Durability:** As an immortal being, sirens are indestructible, though despite this, their actual durability seems to be less effective than immortals. Sybil was knocked unconscious simply by going through a windshield. Later Caroline, a young vampire, knocked her out with a just kick to the head, though this was after the Staff of Arcadius was used against her.

### Weaknesses

* **Arcadius:** As the creator of the sirens and the one who gave them their immortality, he has the power to take away their immortality and kill them with his own Hellfire. Their speed of recovery from an otherwise fatal attack is also dependent on him, as Sybil's revival was delayed once as Arcadius held a conversation with her, prior to her soul being sent back to her body.
* **Hunger:** Sirens feed on the flesh of humans which they require in order to maintain their youth and strength. Sirens also appear to require much more sustenance than vampires to be able to restore themselves if they haven't fed in centuries. Abstaining from such causes them to deteriorate to some degree, as seen with Sybil's hands after being released from the vault. Sybil also claimed that her eyeballs had rotted away over time whereas Damon mentioned that Sybil's face rotted off.
* **Magic:** Sirens appear to be susceptible to the powers of witchcraft seeing as the Bennett witches were able to imprison them with various spells. It has been confirmed that a siphoner can siphon the magic from sirens.
* **Mystic Falls Founders Bell:** An indestructible bell that amplifies the effects of the Staff of Arcadius, an ancient Mesopotamian tuning fork, when combined with the Maxwell Striker. When struck, it produces an unknown frequency that disrupts and neutralizes psychic activity, and is capable of stunning sirens in the process. Other than Arcadius, this bell is the only known weapon capable of killing sirens. This, however, is dependent on the release of Hellfire when struck 12 times by someone from the Maxwell bloodline.

## Skinwalker

Skinwalkers are a species of shapeshifters who were introduced in Teen Wolf in Season 5. According to Native American folklore, Skinwalkers are people that possess the ability to shapeshift into any animal at will. They are often referred to as medicine men, witches or, in the Navajo language, yee naaldooshii, which translates to “with it, he goes on all fours.” In most legends, Skinwalkers are considered evil, but in the series, this doesn't seem to be the case; Noshiko Yukimura even made a point of reminding Kira that the Skinwalkers wearing animal pelts and fighting with spears was not that different from Kira herself wearing a leather jacket and wielding a katana. They traditionally transform into wolves, coyotes, owls, foxes, or crows, but they are said to be able to turn into any animal so long as it is native to their region. They've been known to wear the pelt of the animal they desire to shift into, though this doesn't seem to be a requirement.

In most Native American lore, this rare form of shapeshifter can also possess the ability to "to steal the face" or shapeshift into another person. How this ability is acquired is varies between cultures; many believe a Skinwalker can steal someone's form by looking them in the eyes, while others believe they could only access this ability after they killed a blood relative.

The Shiprock Skinwalkers were introduced in Damnatio Memoriae after Noshiko and Kira Yukimura sought them out to ask for their assistance in teaching Kira control her inner Kitsune spirit, which has grown too powerful for her to keep contained. Though the Skinwalkers, three indigenous American women who live in Shiprock, New Mexico, agreed to help Kira, they did so under one condition: if Kira was unsuccessful in controlling her inner Fox spirit after their training and testing, Kira would be forced to stay with them and become a Skinwalker herself, spending the rest of her days walking under the sun and through the dust with them.

After their initial sparring match with Kira when Kira and Noshiko arrived, the Skinwalkers used a special wrap to help the Thunder Kitsune heal her battle wounds faster while they prepared a test for her that involved fighting a desert version of an Oni, insisting that Kira could only return home if she passed the test. However, though Kira defeated the Oni, it was because her Kitsune spirit took control and destroyed it, proving that Kira was not in control and causing her to fail the test. When the Skinwalkers attempted to get her to stay and become one of their kind, Noshiko fought the women until Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski arrived to rescue them.

In The Beast of Beacon Hills, Kira, knowing that she needed help reassembling her magical katana in order to help defeat the Beast and save the life of her friend and packmate Mason, returned to Shiprock to ask for the Skinwalkers' help once again. Despite the fact that their last meeting ended on very poor terms, the Skinwalkers did agree to help her reassemble the sword and defeat the threats to Beacon Hills (the Beast and the Werecoyote-Werewolf Chimera Theo Raeken); however, they once again had a condition—after Kira protected her friends and defeated the town's threats, she would return to Shiprock and train with them in order to finally get control over her inner Fox spirit. As pained as Kira was to be separated from her family and pack, Kira agreed to these terms and worked with the Skinwalkers to help organize Kira's plan for when she returned to Beacon Hills.

In Apotheosis, after the arrangement with Kira had been made, the Skinwalkers fulfilled their end of the deal by using their power to put her sword back together. In a surprising twist, the Skinwalkers also seemed to be in contact with Theo's sister Tara (who he either killed or at least simply allowed to die in order to become a genetic Chimera), as they used their abilities to summon her to Beacon Hills, which allowed her to drag him underground; while in his underground prison, Theo was haunted by visions of his dead sister in a devastating time loop as part of the Skinwalkers' punishment. Afterward, they stood by and watched as Scott and Kira said their goodbyes before the two finally parted, with the new Kitsune protégé joining her Skinwalker mentors as they walked toward the sunset and disappeared in the dust.

### Appearance

It is believed that Skinwalkers often wear the skin of the animals they transform into. By wearing the pelt of that animal, they can channel its power which allows them to take that shape, making them somewhat similar to Berserkers, though Skinwalkers appear to be much more controlled than Berserkers are. Skinwalkers are also known to wear tribal face paint, incorporating certain symbols that have symbolic meaning in their culture.

### Personality

Most of the lore about Skinwalkers says that they are evil beings, but according to Noshiko, this is not actually the case, as folklore also claims that Kitsune are evil when many of them are actually good or neutral. Skinwalkers believe in controlling the inner animal and are very knowledgeable about their people. They also seem to possess knowledge on other creatures as well, such as Kitsune, as evidenced by the fact that Kira and Noshiko came to them with the belief that they had the necessary skill set to help Kira learn to control her inner Fox spirit.

### Powers and Abilities

#### Powers

* **Super Strength:** Skinwalkers possess superhuman levels of strength. One Skinwalker alone was able to cause a large crack in the earth beneath her feet by simply pounding it with her staff. Another one of the Skinwalkers was able to throw a spear with such force that it knocked Kira backward, impaled her through her shoulder and pinned her to a large, solid boulder behind her.
* **Super Senses:** The Skinwalkers appear to have superhuman senses, as they were able to tell that Noshiko and Kira Yukimura had arrived at their home despite the fact that they were underground, and they were able to sense that Kira was afraid of her out-of-control abilities, likely due to listening to her heartbeat or interpreting the chemosignals in her scent. Since they are animal shapeshifters like Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and Werejaguars, it is possible that they possess the same heightened eyesight, sense of smell, and sense of hearing that the animals they transform into have as well.
* **Shapeshifting:** Skinwalkers are presumably able to shapeshift into the form of whatever animal they desire, though this has yet to be shown in the series.
* **Terrakinesis**: Skinwalkers appear to be able to manipulate the earth. They could move around underground, then quickly rise up out of the earth before they confronted Kira and Noshiko Yukimura. They could also use their super strength in conjunction with their terrakinetic abilities to shake and crack the earth beneath their feet just by tapping it with their staffs. Additionally, they seem to be able to control the desert sand and atmosphere on and around their land by creating dust clouds that can conceal their presence.
* **Immortality**: It is implied that they are immortal, due to the fact that they walk with each other forever.
	+ **Longevity**: Because the Skinwalkers told Kira that she would walk with them as Skinwalkers forever, it is suggested that they are extremely long-lived, like Kitsune, or are possibly even immortal.
* **Necromancy**: The Shiprock Skinwalkers were able to both communicate with Theo's late sister as well as summon her from beyond the grave so she could capture Theo and put an end to his wrongdoing by dragging him underground.
	+ **Mediumship**: Skinwalkers have the power to communicate with the dead.
	+ **Undead Summoning**: They can also summon the dead.
* **Oni Summoning**: The Shiprock Skinwalkers were able to summon a Desert Oni.
	+ **Apparition Projection**: Skinwalkers also appear to have the power to conjure and project a person or object into reality, normally Oni.
* **Magic:** The Skinwalkers appeared to possess some kind of mystical power, as evidenced by how they were not only able to magically repair Kira's shattered katana, but they were also able to imbue it with their own power, allowing her to use their terrakinetic abilities through the katana to create a large sinkhole in the earth; through this sinkhole, Theo's late sister was able to crawl up, grab Theo, and pull him underground with her as punishment for his crimes against her. Afterward, Kira was able to close the sinkhole as though it was never there, suggesting that the sword acts as a sort of key to the underground prison.
	+ **Underground Prison Creation**: Additionally, the prison their power created seemed to involve the creation of a mystical dimension of sorts in which Theo experienced an endless loop of the same dream while his body remained in a kind of suspended animation that required no sleeping or eating on his part in order to sustain him. In this dream or hallucination, he was forced to break out of a cubby in the morgue of Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital, only to be caught by his sister Tara, who would then rip out the heart he stole from her and had transplanted into himself out of his chest. Once Theo was "killed," the dream or hallucination would restart anew.

#### Skills and Abilities

* **Natural Medicine**: The Skinwalkers are very knowledgeable about holistic medicine, as they used a special wrap to help Kira's stab wound to heal faster. Since Skinwalkers are known as medicine men and women in folklore, it is likely that they are very skilled at other forms of healing as well.
* **Combat and Weaponry**: The Skinwalkers are impressive warriors who were able to best Kira in a battle, though Kira admitted that she was holding back out of fear of losing control. They are especially skilled with melee weapons such as bow-staffs, swords, and spears.

### Weaknesses

* **Mountain Ash:** As a supernatural creature, it can be assumed that Skinwalkers are unable to pass through barriers created by mountain ash.

## Sluagh

Sluagh are a form of supernatural shapeshifters that were introduced in Season 5 of MTV's Teen Wolf. According to Gabriel Valack, the Sluagh possesses the ability to take the shape of lost souls. This was proven to be true in A Novel Approach when Stiles Stilinski and Lydia Martin entered the supernatural wing of Eichen House. As they walked down the hall, Stiles looked into one of the cells, where he originally saw Donovan Donati, a Wendigo-Lamprey Chimera who Stiles had secretly killed in self-defense the previous evening. However, this being was soon revealed to be a Sluagh who had simply taken the appearance of Donovan.

In real world mythology, the Sluagh comes both Scottish and Irish mythology, where they are known for being restless spirits of dead that are usually depicted as evil beings who were not welcomed into heaven, hell, or the otherworld. In some myths, they are associated with the Wild Hunt or the fae, otherwise known as the race of fairies.

### Appearance

The only Sluagh shown on screen had a very shiny and slick appearance, with gray-ish colored skin, a monstrous face, long pointy ears, and razor sharp fangs.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Shapeshifting:** The Sluagh's only know ability was to change shape into that of a lost soul. Any other powers are currently unknown at the moment.

## Spirit

A **Spirit** is the soul of a deceased human or supernatural being that has found peace, since the destruction of the Other Side, or had previously been sucked into "Oblivion". With the exception of Katherine, who was confirmed to be in Hell during its destruction, it remains to be seen what happened to the other spirits that were in Hell. Some spirits can continue to linger, however, in the Space In-between, "Spectral Plane" or Limbo. Spirits can rarely interact with the physical plane and are believed to be unable to be resurrected through traditional means of witchcraft.

### Appearance

Spirits do not appear any different dead than they did when they were alive. Whenever they appear to the living, they are usually seen dressed in the very same attire they were wearing at the time of their deaths.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Intangibility:** Typically, spirits cannot physically feel nor can they be physically felt. However, unique supernatural beings, such as psychics can interact with spirits within the In-between. Bonnie, as the Anchor, could also interact with Katherine who was unable to past through her to enter the Other Side.
* **Species-Specific Abilities:** Spirits of supernatural beings should still possess their given supernatural abilities if their spirit is summoned or they're resurrected. For example, when the the Bennett witches manifested from peace, they retained their abilities to practice magic and helped Bonnie redirect Hellfire and destroy Hell. When Josette was resurrected by the Necromancer, she remained a powerless witch since she gave up her magic to her brother.

### Weaknesses

* **Witchcraft:** Spirits are susceptible to the forces of witchcraft, particularly necromancy. The Necromancer has a proficient understanding and workings of necromancy that allows him to see across dimensions, communicate with, raise and completely resurrect spirits that he can force to do his bidding.

### The Afterlife

With the destruction of the Other Side, souls were sucked into Hell or allowed to find peace. Prior to the destruction of Hell, spirits were described to endure physical and emotional turmoil, with literal and eternal fire and brimstone. Sybil recounts that it is where Arcadius feeds on the souls of the damned. Hell, however, was destroyed when Bonnie and other Bennett witches redirected hellfire back into the dimension with Katherine's spirit back within the dimension. Spirits that reside in peace experience something drastically different as they can watch over their loved ones both in the physical plane or with one another in peace. Josette described it as like she was in a dream where everything is warm and happy. Spirits that cannot find peace, however, are doomed to linger in Limbo until they can come to terms with what's holding them from finding peace.

## Supernatural Hunter

**Supernatural Hunters** and **Huntresses**, also known as **Hunters** for short, are humans who are endowed with supernatural abilities to hunt and kill vampires through magical means. They are considered a supernatural species despite being humans and reside on the Other Side when they die.

### Creation

#### The Hunter

While Vampire hunting predates the Supernatural Hunters, the first group to be transformed into Supernatural Hunters are known as the Brotherhood of the Five, which existed in the 12th Century and created by a dying Bennett witch and bound in fire. They were created to oppose immortal beings, specifically to hunt, cure and kill Silas.

#### The Huntress

The Huntress, the only known daughter of one of the Five was not born with supernatural abilities. Upon her father's death, she sought out the Shamans for vengeance. The eight shamans bestowed upon her great power using the "tea of protection" (to ward off magic), strength and their eight lives, giving her the ability to self-resurrect upon her death. It was also demonstrated that the Huntress title can be magically transferred to another, Bonnie.

### Powers and Abilities

#### Supernatural Hunter

As supernaturally gifted hunters, members of the Brotherhood of the Five are endowed with peak or above human physical abilities, such as strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and endurance. This includes a natural affinity with weapons combat and hunting. Klaus once hinted that they are highly skilled in vampire hunting.

* **Hunter's Mark:** Each member of the Five possess a mystical tattoo known as the hunter's mark, located on their right arm. In its incomplete form, the mark is invisible to all save for fellow supernatural hunters or potential hunter. In its complete form, the mark is visible to all and in it is the map and key to the Tomb of Silas along with the story of the first immortal depicted on its symbols. As such, the map also leads to The Cure for immortality. Connor reveals to Jeremy that his incomplete mark expands every time he kills a vampire or hybrid. The incomplete mark appears on a potential's hand whenever a member of the Five dies. It grows upon their initial vampire kill, marking their activation from potential to supernatural hunter. Galen's Mark fully completed itself on its own once fellow Brotherhood member Jeremy Gilbert had completed his own mark by killing Kol along with every vampire made from his sireline.
* **Hunter's Curse:** Supernatural Hunters of The Five have the ability to inflict powerful and extremely realistic hallucinations onto vampiric beings who kill them. Once struck, the curse will consume said victim, tormenting them until they are driven to kill themselves. The only known way to lift the curse is to activate a potential hunter, by allowing them to kill their first vampiric creature (whether a vampire or a hybrid) and grow Hunter's Mark. Niklaus Mikaelson was once struck with the hallucinations after killing the first generation of the Five and was tormented inside his head for a period of 52 years, 4 months, and 9 days.
* **Peak Physical Condition:** Supernatural Hunters possess bodily functions that are enhanced to the pinnacle of human conditioning.
	+ **Peak or above Human Strength:** Supernatural Hunters of the Five possess superior strength that makes them stronger than humans, but below that of newborn vampires. That said, they can still hold themselves in a fight, as both Vaughn and Connor were able to fight against Damon's strength (a nearly 200 hundred year old vampire) with the former subduing him by wrestling and snapping his neck. It is unknown if they are stronger than werewolves in human form. While no threat to the Original Vampires, members of the Five are strong enough to combat against Silas. Jeremy was strong enough to fight Elena. Connor, using leverage was able to decapitate a Hybrid with a chain.
	+ **Peak Human Speed:** Supernatural Hunters of the Five possess peak-human speed, though it is unknown if they are superhuman. They are shown to be able to draw their weapons quickly and are fast enough to catch vampires by surprise before they can react. Connor Jordan once remarked that he was "faster than the average hunter". Jeremy demonstrated being able to move very quickly to try and stake Elena. This is also seen when Vaughn tackles Damon, appearing almost from thin air.
	+ **Peak Human Stamina:** Supernatural Hunters of the Five possess peak-human stamina. This is not largely controllable and often occurs as a burst of energy within a Hunter, but they can run for dozens of miles and not lose breath and can physically exert themselves at peak capacity for several hours without resting before showing signs of fatigue. Jeremy mentioned feeling a constant rush of energy, which he shows off in the form of enhanced strength when carrying barrels in each hand easily whereas Matt could barely move one with two hands.
	+ **Peak Human Endurance:** Supernatural Hunters of the Five can endure more physical stress than the average person. They can tolerate large amounts of physical pain such as being shot, stabbed repeatedly, burned with high heat, and beatings than that of an ordinary person. They can remain calm through stressful and painful situations, can tolerate extreme hunger, unbearable thirst and the strong urge to sleep.
	+ **Peak Human Reflexes:** Supernatural Hunters of the Five possess peak-human reflexes. They have demonstrated superior reaction time to those of humans and can dodge offensive attacks, evade strikes from beings with super speed and dodge multiple gunfire with ease, though not fast enough to contend with the Original Vampires.
* **Invulnerable Mind:** Upon activation, a Supernatural Hunter's mind becomes immune to all mental intrusions. This includes an Immortal's advanced psychic powers, compulsion by Vampires, Hybrids and Original Vampires, and Spirit Possession by Witches.
* **Silas Detection:** Members of the Brotherhood can instinctively sense Silas, although it seems to require physical contact, seeing as their the main goal of their creation is to hunt and kill Silas. Jeremy once stated that he felt a chilling sensation where his Hunter's Mark was located when he was touched by a disguised Silas.

#### Supernatural Huntress

* **Enhanced Strength:** Supernatural Huntresses start off possessing superior strength that makes them stronger than humans but below that of newborn vampires. That said, they are endowed by shamans to grow stronger every time they lose a life. Eventually, their strength appear to be able to match that of even the most ancient vampires in the world as Rayna was able to fight and slaughter many Strix members and even warrant Klaus' wary. Their strength also do not falter with old age, even as an old woman, Rayna was able to restrain Bonnie with one hand while attempting to strangle her.

* **Enhanced Reflexes:** Supernatural Huntresses possess peak-human reflexes. They have demonstrated superior reaction time to those of humans and can dodge offensive attacks and evade strikes from beings with super speed. Rayna was able to wipe out numerous members of the Strix, even catching two of them off guard and immediately killing them. She was also able to shoot several of Julian's vampires, killing them without them even being able to react.
* **Immunity to Magic:** A Supernatural Huntress' body becomes immune to offensive magic directed at them which seemed to be the work of the Tea of Protection. This is proven when Bonnie tried to use telekinesis on Rayna when the latter attempted to kill her, but to no avail. However, this immunity did not prevent Nora and Bonnie from using a locator spell to find her nor did it hinder a Shaman from transferring her life and abilities to Bonnie. In addition, Rayna could not track Stefan when his scar was blocked by the disruption spell placed on St. James Infirmary.
	+ **Poisonous Blood:** Supernatural Huntresses possess blood that is poisonous to witches, even those that are immortal such as a witch-vampire hybrid. Pills made from Rayna's blood were able to block a witch's power and if taken daily for a period of time and will eventually kill said witch. This fatal effect on witches appear to come from the Huntress' immunity to witchcraft.

* **Marking:** Supernatural Huntresses possess the ability to mark their victims. Initially, this was done through the Phoenix Sword, allowing Rayna to mark vampires by stabbing them however, it was later revealed that they are also capable of imprinting vampires mentally.
	+ **Tracking:** Supernatural Huntresses can sense and track down vampires who have been marked by them.
	+ **Link to Victims:** Supernatural Huntresses are linked to the vampires they have marked, giving them an increased urge to find and finish them. This connection can be amplified with concentration, allowing them to see their every move, and feel their every emotion. Once they are down to their last life, anyone still marked by them will die along with them upon their last death.

* **Self-Resurrection:** Supernatural Huntresses possess the ability to continually resurrect from the dead a total of eight times, similar to users of the Gilbert Ring. Moments after their death, their body spontaneously self-combusts only to reborn from the ashes to the age when they received their abilities from the Shamans, akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes. This was achieved through the self-sacrifice of the Eight Shamans who gave their lives to Rayna with their bodies preserved but each of her deaths caused one of them to decay.
	+ **Longevity:** In each of their lives, Supernatural Huntresses age at a slower rate compared to humans, affording them an extended lifespan.

### Weaknesses

#### Supernatural Hunter

* **Broken Neck:** Breaking a supernatural hunter's neck will result in instant death.
* **Decapitation:** Decapitation will result in instant death for a hunter.
* **Heart Extraction:** Ripping a supernatural hunter's heart out will result in instant death.
* **Hunter Instinct:** When awakened, a hunter becomes filled with a supernatural urge to kill vampires. The more vampires a hunter kills, the stronger the urge becomes. This urge is purely based on instinct, and forces a hunter to try to kill a vampire even if he or she does not want to, including family members. However, the instinct can be overcome with hypnotism and precise training to great effect.
* **Magic:** Supernatural Hunters of the five are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical objects such as Papa Tunde's Blade, and Dark Objects. Siphoners can siphon magic from the five including the spell within the Hunter's Mark.
* **Mortality:** Despite their enhanced physical attributes, Supernatural Hunters are still human and share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, etc.)

#### Supernatural Huntress

* **Herbs:** Certain herbs, when applied as a paste on the scars, can mask the signal that allows a Supernatural Huntress to find their marked victims.
* **Hunter Instinct:** Supernatural Huntresses appear to suffer from the same supernatural urge to kill vampires as the Brotherhood of the Five. The more vampires they kill, the stronger the urge becomes. This urge is also purely based on instinct and seems to worsen with age and begins to affect the mind. As the desire to kill vampires has had a huge impact on Rayna's mental stability in which she accidentally mistakes a supermarket cashier for a vampire, whom she stakes, leading to her being confined into a secure psychiatric hospital and became old there.
* **Eighth Life:** Supernatural Huntresses only possess a total of eight lives, and would die permanently after expending their eighth life.
* **Mortality:** Despite their enhanced physical attributes, Supernatural Huntresses are still human and shares many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, decapitation, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, etc.) however the huntress becomes reborn from said death.
* **Link to the Everlastings:** Should all of the bodies of the Eight Everlastings be destroyed, the spell that keeps them as Supernatural Huntresses would be undone and they would revert back to the state they were before.
* **Victim Connection:** Supernatural Huntresses are connected to the ones they killed using the Phoenix Stone Sword and are sometimes haunted by them; their minds.

### Former Weaknesses

* Doppelgänger Blood Magic: If blood from the last pair of doppelgängers are used in the Magic Purification Spell, all Supernatural Hunters will revert back to being ordinary humans.

## Tribrid

**Hybrids** are a cross-breed of two or more different supernatural species. The term is commonly used to describe a werewolf turned into a vampire due to the fact that they were the first supernatural hybrid to be introduced in the series. However, since the werewolf-vampire hybrid's creation, there have been other hybrids, such as siphoner turned witch-vampire hybrids, werewolf-witch hybrids, and, in the unique case of Hope Mikaelson, a witch-werewolf-vampire tribrid.

Hybrids possess both the strengths and some of the weaknesses of their parent races, along with powerful attributes unique to themselves alone due to their combined heritage. For werewolf-vampire hybrids, this includes day walking and being able to transform into a wolf without the Full Moon's influence. For siphoner-vampire hybrids, they retain their ability to siphon magic and their own vampirism as a power source for their use in witchcraft; as they did not possess their own magic as siphoners; this is a skill that makes them powerful.

### Creation

The birth of Hope Mikaelson was one of Nature's loopholes. Sophie Deveraux explained that Klaus was only able to procreate due to being the Original hybrid; he was a born werewolf, turned into a vampire by magic, as opposed to transitioning by vampire blood. At the time of Hope's conception, Hayley Marshall was a triggered werewolf while Klaus was the Original hybrid. Hope Mikaelson was born as a living witch-werewolf-vampire tribrid, having inherited the ability to practice witchcraft from her paternal grandmother Esther, her werewolf gene from both her parents, and vampire heritage from her father. Though a tribrid, she was still required to activate her werewolf curse by killing another human as well as dying and transitioning into a fully activated tribrid.

Immediately after Hope's birth, Hayley was killed, but because Hope's blood was still in her system, she reawakened in transition, and eventually drank another drop of Hope's blood to complete her transition as a werewolf-vampire hybrid. It has been proven that tribrid blood is a powerful binding agent similar to doppelgänger blood. This eliminates the need for doppelgänger blood during the transition, though only the tribrid's blood can finish the transition of a new hybrid, thus the hybrid race still depends on a single and rare supernatural creature. Since becoming a fully activated tribrid, it is unclear if her blood can still create hybrids, similar to how Elena's undead blood become useless for Klaus.

### Powers

Hope Mikaelson is the only known witch-werewolf-vampire tribrid and the full extent and limits of Hope's powers are currently unknown. According to Dahlia, Hope's werewolf temper and vampire blood would possibly taint her witch side. Furthermore, as a firstborn of her bloodline, Hope will inherit great, but unstable power. As of *See You On The Other Side*, Hope completed her transition into a fully activated tribrid, giving her access to all of her abilities.

* **Werewolf Gene:** Being part werewolf, Hope's body contains the werewolf gene that provides her with standard werewolf attributes and provides her with enhanced senses, such as hearing, sight, and smell, as well as heightened aggression. Hope even demonstrated that she can tell when someone is lying to them by listening to their heartbeat. In *The Tale of Two Wolves*, Klaus states, in response to Caroline's question, that Crescent wolves and by extension, Hope, cannot control their first transformation despite being able to control their shifts with Transformation Control as Evolved werewolves. However in *This is the Part Where You Run*, Hope explains to Landon that her ability to control her transformation stems from her tribrid status, as with other werewolf-vampire hybrids. Currently, whether it's the former or latter which grants her transformation control or additional abilities, remains unknown.

* **Vampire Gene:** Being part vampire and prior to transitioning, Hope's body naturally produced vampire blood, constantly running through her system, tainted with dark magic. As a fully transitioned tribrid, she seemingly possesses all the abilities of at least a non-Original vampire, such as compulsion. In *I Thought You'd Be Happier To See Me*, Hope compelled a vampire bartender who was sent by Triad Industries to spy on her, and later, compelled a much older vampire in *Follow the Sound of My Voice*.
	+ **Enhanced Healing Factor:** Hope can heal from injuries with a speed comparable to normal vampires. Her blood also retains the vampiric ability to heal others as Hope was able to heal her mother while in the womb.
	+ **Siring:** Hope's blood has the ability to turn werewolves into werewolf-vampire hybrids as long as they drink her blood before dying and after, completing the transition. She can also sire vampire-witch hybrids without the need for them to drink her blood after.
* **Witch Gene:** Being part witch, Hope can channel vast amounts of mystical energy. According to Dahlia, as a firstborn of her bloodline, Hope has the potential for great, but destructive magic. As a fully activated tribrid, she can still practice magic and cast spells.
	+ **Channeling:** Hope has the power to invoke extra forms of energy by focusing on external forces.
	+ **Potion Brewing:** Hope has the power to brew and concoct potions, remedies and elixirs that have supernatural properties.
	+ **Spell Casting:** Hope has the power to change and control events through the use of incantations and more.
	+ **Divination:** Hope has the power to divine future, past, and present events based on extrasensory perception.
* **Werewolf Bite Cure:** Hope's blood is the only cure for a normal werewolf or a non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid venom; this ability was inherited from her father, the Original hybrid, Niklaus. Like Klaus' blood, Hope's blood cannot cure a bite from the Beast.
* **Malivore Mud Bullets Cure:** Unique to Hope, as her status of being one of Nature's loopholes and a tribrid, her blood is also a curative to Malivore mud bullets, weaponized by Triad scientists; this was proven when her blood healed Josie's wound. Her blood is also lethal to Malivore himself and what caused his destruction.

### Weaknesses

* **Disbelief:** The act of denying or disbelieving in one's potential could cause Hope to inadvertently suppress her magical power.
* **Distraction:** Denying Hope from concentrating or giving full attention to her spells, may render them ineffective.
* **Emotions:** Hope's magic is subject to the influence of her emotional state and may fluctuate according to it when untrained. According to Sheila Bennett, strong emotions such as worry and anger can fuel a witch's power while emotions such as fear may prevent a witch from properly accessing their powers.
* **Herbs:** Ingestion of certain herbs can cause a witch to lose consciousness and prevent them from using magic for an undetermined amount of time. The Lobelia flower prevents concentration and the practice of magic and can be used to weaken a witch as one would weaken a vampire with vervain. Being part werewolf and vampire, she may also acquire the adverse effects of wolfsbane and vervain as well.
* **Huntress' Blood:** Consumption of a supernatural huntress' blood will cause a witch to lose their ability to use magic. Prolong exposure poisons them, leading them to get sick. When scabs appear on their body, it eventually leads to death. According to Alex and Rayna Cruz, Rayna's blood can't be reversed for anything and all the attempts to make a cure were unsuccessful. It is unknown what effect Rayna's blood would have on Hope.
* **Magic:** Hope is still susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical and dark objects. A siphoner can siphon the magic from a witch where prolonged exposure may lead to death, albeit perhaps prior to transitioning into a fully activated tribrid.
* **Overexertion:** The excessive use of magic could lead to disorientation, nose bleeds, unconsciousness, and if taken to the extreme, death. As a fully activated tribrid, death seems temporary.
* **Broken Neck:** Breaking Hope's neck will result in her temporary death, though she will revive a short time later.
* **Invitation:** Due to her vampire heritage, Hope, as a fully activated tribrid, is unable to enter a home without an invitation.
* **Desiccation:** Being completely drained of blood or the heart-stopping will cause a Tribrid to desiccate due to their vampire side, losing most of their strength and any ability to move. This process can be replicated artificially by magic.
* **Unique Physiology:** Being born with aspects of all three species, Hope's nature is somewhat at odds with each other. Dahlia deduces that without proper guidance, Hope's potential as a firstborn of her family's bloodline will prove destructive and unstable when mingled with vampire blood and werewolf aggression.
* **Wood:** A wooden stake through the heart will desiccate Hope and temporarily "kill" her. However, wood from a Red Oak tree can permanently destroy Hope as Nature created a balance near the site of the tribrid's birth through the sapling that she, Lizzie and Josie created. In the Therapy Box simulation, Cleo tested her theory and Hope was stabbed and immediately turned to ash. The validity of this, however, has not been tested outside of the simulation. The tree, however, was chopped down and rendered to ash.
* **White Oak Ash Daggers:** A collection of enchanted silver daggers dipped in the ash of the white oak tree will neutralize Hope when stabbed through the heart, causing her to desiccate. However, the effects are only temporary and they will wear off in a short amount of time. It's unknown if Hope directly overcame the desiccation, and pulled the dagger out, or if the desiccation slowly receded, revived and then removed the dagger. Due to her werewolf-nature, magic bonded to silver likely doesn't affect her or, in this case, only temporarily weakens her.
* **God Spear:** Smithed by Jen, it is a divine weapon forged with god magic and Red Oak ash. It is a lethal combo for Hope, provided it's stabbed into her heart. Since it's forged with god magic, it also renders her witchcraft useless. Injuries from this weapon causes the poisonousness effects of the Red oak to make its way through her bloodstream, though given Jen's claim, it is unlikely to kill her outright. This poisonousness effect can be reversed by siphoning.

## Upgraded Original Vampire

An **Upgraded Original Vampire**, is a term used to describe the type of Upgraded Original vampire that Lucien Castle and Marcel Gerard became when a reversed engineered Immortality Spell was used to turn them. It was prophesied to be the undoing of the Mikaelson siblings or created from the destruction of the Original Family.

This is a branch of Original species similar to the Enhanced Original vampire, like Alaric Saltzman was formerly, which was designed to be superior to that of the Originals in very specific ways; being capable of fighting, defeating, and killing normal Originals. As an Upgraded version of an Original vampire, it possesses a bite that is capable of killing an Original as it secretes an extremely potent strain of engineered Werewolf Venom with an altered predator face and more fangs. Unlike hybrids, an Upgraded Original is a vampire infused with a werewolf bite, further distinguishing the species.

The title 'the Beast' refers to the Upgraded Original vampire that was prophesied by Alexis. This turned out to be Marcel Gerard.

### Creation

In *Behind the Black Horizon*, Lucien is turned into the first of two Upgraded Original vampires by a reverse engineered and modified version of Esther's Original vampire spell. The spell was cast on hallowed ground, where Esther created the first Originals. Combining a piece of the white oak, Freya's blood and an engineered strain of werewolf venom from each of the seven original werewolf bloodlines, the spell created a serum, enough for two doses. Once Lucien consumed the serum, his death triggered the transformation into an Upgraded Original. In *Give 'Em Hell Kid*, Marcel would also transform into an Upgraded Original. Both instances, they were originally regular vampires before transitioning into Upgraded Original vampires. This makes the transition unusual as regular vampires are turned as humans either through another vampire or into Originals through magic. One notable difference between the Upgraded Originals and other Originals is that the former don't seem to require human blood to complete the transition from one form to another. Furthermore the typical transition period seems to have been bypassed altogether with the user's death being the only step needed to complete the transformation as in both instances, they displayed their new powers and vampire face immediately upon resurrection, something which is not normal for humans in transition.

A prophecy was predicted about the Beast's rising by Alexis, Lucien Castle's prophetic witch, that explains the Beast will either be the product of the Mikaelson Family becoming undone, or be the reason the family falls. However, it could also mean that after everything and everyone regarding the Mikaelson Family has fallen, the Beast will rise from the ashes. The full meaning of the Prophecy is currently unknown.

### Powers and Abilities

Upgraded Originals possess roughly the same powers befitting an Original vampire, but with a few modifications due to the nature of the spell that created them as well as the introduction of advanced werewolf venom.

* **Super Strength:** They are considerably stronger than Original vampires. Lucien was much stronger than Elijah and Finn when they fought. Lucien even proved to be much stronger than Klaus, the Original hybrid, during their confrontations. Similarly, Marcel was also stronger than the Originals and Klaus, fighting them with ease.
* **Super Speed:** They are also considerably much faster than most supernatural species seen thus far. They are quite possibly the fastest known creatures as Lucien was able to dodge Klaus' attacks effortlessly.
* **Super Agility:** They possess more superhuman agility, flexibility and dexterity than any other known supernatural species. They can move quickly, jump very high, climb and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion.
* **Super Senses:** They have extremely keen senses of hearing, sight and smell that far exceed any other known supernatural species.
* **Super Durability:** They can take far more trauma than any other supernatural species. No Original vampire has ever been dismembered, decapitated, or had their heart removed, nor has anyone attempted this, implying that their durability may be close to invincibility.
* **Immortality:** They are immortal just like any Original vampire. Unlike their strength and resilience, Upgraded Originals seem to be no more or less eternal than an Original vampire.
* **Healing Factor:** They are able to heal much faster than any other known supernatural species.
* **Enhanced Emotions:** They experience emotions more powerfully than humans. Emotions like love, joy, and happiness are intensified for vampires allowing them to live life more intensely. This ability allows Upgraded Originals to feel emotions at their peak regardless of their age.
* **Emotional Control:** They have a limited degree of control over their own emotions though it has been stated that this control fades over time.
* **Mind Compulsion:** They can control and influence the thoughts, emotions, behavior, actions and memories of humans, non-Original vampires, and non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids.
* **Telepathy:** They have the ability to enter the minds of others as long as theirs is stronger than them although, as they are more powerful than Original vampires, they have one of the strongest minds in the world. Normally, this ability works in a tactile fashion and the vampire requires physical contact in order for it to work successfully.
	+ **Dream Manipulation:** They can control dreams and subconscious. They can produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares or lucid dreaming. Other effects of this ability is the ability to distort perceptions of reality and being able to trap someone in their dreams.
	+ **Illusions:** They have the power to trick the minds of others into seeing or feeling things that aren't actually happening.

* **True Face:** Their true face is the appearance they are hiding under their normal human face. When their true face is revealed, their irises turn blood-red as dark veins appear under their eyes as blood is pumped forcefully through them; in addition, the red veins under the Upgraded Original's eyes go down further on their face similar to an Augustine Vampire. This is markedly different from the normal Original vampire's and non-Original vampire's true faces in the sense that Original vampires' and non-Original vampires' sclera turn red when the blood forcibly pushes into their eyes while their irises stay the same color. In another notable divergence from other vampire species, Upgraded Original vampires possess six razor sharp fangs; four on the upper jaw and two on the lower jaw.

* **Advanced Werewolf Venom:** They possess a bite that is deadly enough to even kill an Original vampire and consequently non-Original vampires. As in the case of Joshua Rosza, he was killed only minutes after having the venom introduced into his system; however, this was due to the venom already injected within his heart, whereas when Camille O'Connell was bitten on the wrist by Lucien, she survived longer but still died quicker than a bite typical of a normal werewolf bite. Klaus' blood, though it can alleviate some of the effects of the venom, such as hallucinations, cannot cure it as the venom that was used in the Immortality Spell was a new strain created from all seven werewolf bloodlines and was designed to have no known cure. Even the blood of an Upgraded Original could not cure the venom; this was evident with Camille. It is unknown how it would affect Klaus or any non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid as Klaus' and Hope's blood had no chance of curing it. Davina, however, attempted to use Marcel's venom by introducing it directly into Klaus' blood in an attempt to sacrifice him; this implies that even though he's a hybrid, Klaus is susceptible to its fatal effects. However, Freya was able to create an anti-venom by using the venom from all seven werewolf packs and Klaus' blood along with a spell.

### Weaknesses

* **Broken Neck:** Breaking an Upgraded Originals neck will not kill them, but it will render them unconscious.
* **Desiccation:** Being completely drained of blood or the heart stopping will cause an Upgraded Original to desiccate like any other vampire, losing most of its strength and any ability to move. The desiccated beast will appear as a corpse and can only start functioning again once they feed on blood. This process can be replicated artificially by a witch casting a desiccation spell.
* **Invitation:** In order to enter any house owned by humans, they had to be invited by that person. Once invited the vampire cannot be uninvited, only if ownership of the house is changed can they be removed until re-invited. If a vampire lives in a house, other vampires can enter freely and if a vampire is in the house without being invited in it will become disoriented and will begin to suffocate. It was shown that vampires can be pulled out by extreme force making them have to exit, if ownership is changed while inside.
* **Magic:** Upgraded Originals are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. A witch with enough magical power at their disposal could harm or even kill them. Magic can also be used to trap an Upgraded Original through the use of boundary spells, and magic can also be used to desiccate them. Thus far, the only way to kill an Upgraded Original in the absence of a White Oak stake is to channel the power of the ancestors who helped make them and reverse the effects of the spell, turning them back into a non-Original vampire. This is inclusive of mystical and dark objects such as Papa Tunde's Blade, the Cursed Stake, and Freya's Dagger. Likewise, it is assumed that the Cure would have similar effects as with non-Original vampires.
* **Physical Trauma:** Minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds and broken bones will cause an Upgraded Original pain and may also slow them down. However, this is momentary as they will heal completely within seconds. Lucien showed some resistance to wooden bullets.
* **Sunlight:** Sunlight will burn an Upgraded Original, but cannot kill them. Lucien possesses a lapis lazuli ring to combat this.
* **Wood:** A wooden stake through the heart will desiccate an Upgraded Original vampire and they will appear as if they were dead, but will revive within a few hours, just like the Originals.
* **White Oak Ash Daggers:** Similar to Originals, it is assumed that enchanted silver daggers dipped in the ash of the white oak tree will neutralize an Upgraded Original vampire when stabbed through the heart. This, however, has not been demonstrated.
* **White Oak Stake:** The only weapon on earth that can permanently kill an Original vampire, it comes from an ancient White Oak Tree that existed during the time of the genesis of the Original vampires and was used as the source of their immortality. Dahlia destroyed the Indestructible White Oak Stake in *Ashes to Ashes* and revealed that an Original can slowly die by inhaling what is presumably white oak ash or splinters. In *Wild at Heart*, it was revealed that the Wooden Knight Klaus carved as a child is made of white oak wood and it was fashioned into seven wooden bullets. The last bullet was destroyed in Lucien's spell to become an Upgraded Original vampire. At current time, this wood is extinct.
* **Freya's Dagger:** A dagger that was made by Freya with the help of Keelin's expertise in medicine and biology. The dagger was made by using Freya's blood, Esther's magic, Marcel's venom, and the ashes of Lucien Castle. It holds the power to specifically kill an Upgraded Original vampire though has yet to be demonstrated.

## Vampires

**Vampires** are magically reanimated human corpses which are inhabited by the spirits of the deceased person and who closely resemble the living human they were before their transformation. Vampires feed and survive on the blood of the living, typically on that of humans, and they can also transform other humans into more of their kind by sharing their own blood with them. Vampires are one of the many known supernatural species that were created by witches, albeit through the creation of their progenitors, the Original vampires.

### Creation

A human who has consumed vampire blood in some way (whether by drinking it, having it poured into their open wound, or by being injected with it) and has subsequently died with the blood in their system will be magically revived as an undead vampire, just like the vampire who sired them. The exact nature of the human's death is irrelevant to this process; the only condition that must be met is that the body has to be more-or-less intact and able to function once they reawaken in transition, though the upper limits of physical damage upon a human body by which vampirism can recover has yet to be defined.

### Sirelines

Every regular vampire who has ever existed is descended from those of their kind known as the Original vampires, who, unlike the majority of vampires, were turned not by dying with vampire blood in their system, but who were instead transformed using a spell that was cast using dark magic at some point around 1001 AD in what is now modern-day Mystic Falls. However, the ritual that resulted in their transformation does have similarities to how normal vampires are turned, in that they had to consume blood (in their case, the blood of the human Petrova doppelgänger Tatia which had been enchanted with an adapted version of The Immortality Spell by their powerful witch mother, Esther) before being killed while that blood was in their system.

After the Originals awakened in transition, they fed on the blood of another human from their village and were officially transformed into the world's first true vampires, from which all other vampires were created. Their blood possesses mystical properties that are passed down to each and every one of the vampires they sire, along with every vampire sired by their progeny, connecting all vampires to one of the six Original vampires from whom they are descending by a bloodline. Due to this link, the death of an Original vampire will result in this connection being severed, and every vampire in the deceased Original's bloodline will follow them in death within an hour. This bloodline connection can be broken, however. Using magic, Davina Claire and the the Sisters used a spell that Davina created to break the sireline of an Original in an attempt to free all of Klaus and Elijah's sirelings from their progenitors. This spell made it possible to kill an Original without killing their sirelings in the process. The spell was only performed on Klaus and it resulted in every vampire he or his progeny had ever sired to be free of their connection

### History

As Ayana expected, the creation of the Original vampires eventually led to the start of a "plague" in 1002 after the Originals inadvertently learned they could turn humans into more of their kind by feeding them their blood and killing them, which caused the population of vampires to multiply in increasing numbers over the centuries following the species' creation. However, the progeny of the Original vampires soon proved to be much weaker than their sires, even those who were closest to them in age, giving the Originals a high status that demanded respect from their younger sired vampires.

After being turned, the Original vampires became slaves to their bloodlust and their heightened emotions. When Niklaus killed for the first time, he discovered that he, unlike the rest of his siblings, was also a werewolf due to being a product of his mother, Esther's affair with the North East Atlantic Pack's Alpha, Ansel, making Niklaus the world's first hybrid; a werewolf-turned-Original vampire. Mikael, furious at the discovery that Niklaus was not his child, forced his wife to suppress Niklaus' werewolf side before finding and killing her lover, Ansel. The deaths of Ansel and at least half of his family at the hands of the new vampires turned the werewolves against the new race. After their father's rampage, Klaus, furious at his mother's betrayal and hurt that she would turn her back on him, killed her when he lost control of his werewolf anger and then blamed it on Mikael so his siblings wouldn't abandon him as well. Knowing that Mikael would hunt them down and kill them, the five vampire Mikaelson children left the New World for Europe, where they eventually settled in Marseilles in 1002, living in the woods and feeding upon the humans they came upon on back roads.

After the five of them realized they had fed on and killed four noblemen and a noblewoman, they figured out that their victims had been headed to the Court of Marseilles and decided to take on their identities and hide in plain sight from their father, giving them the opportunity to actually live in a home rather than squatting wherever they could find shelter. With the help of the Count de Martel's servant, Lucien Castle, who offered to help them by teaching them the customs of French nobility and royalty in exchange for the Mikaelsons sparing his life, the Mikaelson children went to the Count Martel's castle and introduced themselves as the children of the Count de Guise before being invited to stay as guests in the Count de Martel's castle. Once there, they settled into their new lives of comfort as noblemen and made friends with those at court, including the Count's children Tristan and Aurora de Martel, the latter of whom was the object of both Klaus and Lucien's affections.

It was shortly after they had come to stay at the Marseilles court when they realized they could heal humans with their blood; this fact was made apparently after they found Lucien had been viciously tortured by Tristan, who mistakenly believed Lucien had made amorous advances toward Aurora (though, in reality, it had actually been Klaus). After Tristan whipped Lucien's back dozens of times and sliced his mouth open from ear to ear, Lucien angrily stabbed Klaus with a knife and caused the vampire's blood to drip into his own wounds, healing them completely as the blood circulated through his system. Incorrectly assuming that he had been turned into a vampire like Klaus, Lucien went to attack Tristan in revenge for being tortured by him and was promptly killed by the lord's guards. Klaus tried to feed him more blood to heal him, leading Elijah to presume that their blood only healed the living. However, once Klaus and Elijah prepared to give Lucien a traditional Viking funeral, Lucien awakened in transition as the first non-Original vampire to exist in the world, as well as the first vampire progeny to be created with Klaus' blood. Lucien then completed his transition by feeding on a servant and joined the Mikaelsons as vampires at court.

Not to be outdone, Aurora, after learning of Klaus' secret, begged Klaus to turn her as well so that she, who was dealing with melancholy and other mental illness, would be strong and healthy like them, but he refused, not wanting to curse Aurora to his fate. Knowing she would never be able to convince him to turn her, she slit her own wrists in a mock suicide attempt, tricking Rebekah into healing her wounds by feeding her vampire blood. She then tried to get Rebekah to kill her to turn her, as well, but when Rebekah refused for the same reasons Klaus did, Aurora angrily asked her to leave. Having what she needed to turn herself, Aurora walked over to the window of her tower and allowed herself to fall off of the ledge, killing herself and transforming herself into the second non-Original vampire and Rebekah's first progeny.

Unfortunately, in time, rumors started to spread in the village about demons who fed on blood as a result of the seven vampires' feeding habits, and it soon became clear that Mikael would be coming after them. In the middle of a heated argument between Aurora and Elijah in which Aurora confessed that Klaus had killed Esther, Elijah accidentally and unintentionally used mind compulsion for the first time to cause her to see Klaus as a monster and to stay behind rather than trying to flee with them. Before the Mikaelsons left court, Elijah, who had gotten the hang of compulsion and could now use it intentionally, fed Tristan his blood and killed him, making him his own first vampire progeny. He then compelled Lucien, Aurora, and Tristan to believe that they were Niklaus, Rebekah, and himself before forcing them to flee the castle, allowing them to be the bait that Mikael chased while the real Mikaelsons traveled on to Italy and settled in Tuscany.

Lucien, Tristan, and Aurora, who eventually became known as the Trinity, believed that they were actually Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah for over a century, until Elijah being daggered for the first time in 1114 caused their compulsion to be broken. Though they then knew their true identities, Mikael continued to chase after them, causing the three younger vampires to become incredibly resentful toward the Mikaelsons, which is what eventually pushed them to search the world for weapons they could use to destroy their sires.

The growth of the vampire race led to several attempts to end them before they grew too powerful. One attempt involved a witch descended from the powerful Qetsiyah who created an order of five magically-enhanced vampire hunters called the Brotherhood of the Five to hunt down and destroy the vampires and the immortals on Earth. They began hunting vampires in Italy during the early 12th century as the Normans conquered southern Europe. However, they attempted to defeat the Originals with White Oak Ash Daggers created by the witch who empowered them, not knowing that Klaus' werewolf heritage made him immune to weapons made of silver.

This allowed Klaus to kill all of the hunters and undagger all of his siblings, with the exception of Finn, who he hated for his self-loathing attitude toward vampirism. However, the spell that empowered the hunters did not die with them—instead, several new hunters emerged during the following centuries with the same powers and dedication of the first. Several freelance (and often ordinary human) Vampire Hunters also began to appear as a result of the vampires' amoral actions, and various weapons were created to use against them, such as stake-shooting guns and vervain grenades, as technology began to improve throughout the ages.

At some point, the initial conflict between the vampires and the werewolves emerged once again when the vampires discovered that a bite from a transformed werewolf was fatal to them. Determined to protect themselves, the vampires declared war on the werewolves and drove them to near extinction. Several packs survived but, by the early 2000s, most vampires believed that werewolves were merely a myth.

### Physiology

Blood is the main component of a vampire's diet, be it human, animal or vampire blood. According to Rebekah, the reason why vampires crave blood more than anything else was due to the immortality spell used by Esther to create the Original Vampires, which used the blood of a doppelgänger as the catalyst in the process that made her husband and children immortal, transitioning the Mikaelsons into their new lives as Originals. It was later explained by Atticus Shane that human blood is the key to immortality, which is why vampires, along with the first Immortals Silas and Amara, need to drink it to maintain their eternal life. If a vampire fails to regularly drink blood, their body will become severely weakened, and will ultimately desiccate into mummification until they are able to get blood into their system.

Blood (especially human blood) does not only satisfy a vampire's thirst, but it also heightens their supernatural abilities, making them stronger, faster, and able to heal much more quickly than they would after not eating for a significant period of time. The longer a vampire abstains from blood, the more likely the vampire will become feral until they are eventually unable to resist feeding on whomever they come upon. In many cases, a vampire who has been starved for a long period and is risking desiccation will eventually become so overwhelmed with hunger that the lose all sense of their humanity and rationality altogether and finally give into their bloodlust. It has been demonstrated that vampire blood, just as with human and animal blood, can be used to revive a vampire who has been desiccated (even if they ordinarily do not partake in the consumption of vampire blood), and it can also help a badly injured vampire heal more quickly if human or animal blood is not available. However, human blood is most compatible with a vampire's dietary needs, and because of this, the majority of vampires rely on it as their sole food source. Despite their main food source being referred to as "human blood," this term also extends to the blood of both witches and werewolves who are in their human form, as their blood seems to be functionally identical to that of regular humans.

Due to their acute senses, a vampire can detect whether or not a human has recently consumed alcohol or drugs, because their blood tastes unclean and can leave a vampire with a chemical aftertaste. This also extends to vervain as well, as vampires who feed on a human who regularly ingests vervain will be burned and weakened upon contact with their blood, which can often be used to the human's advantage. Due to a vampire's amplified senses and feelings, their hunger cravings are much stronger and harder to control than the mundane hunger for food that they felt when they were humans, and this hunger will often be connected to and amplified by powerful emotions.

Vampires are magically preserved in the physical state that they were in when they died, therefore making a vampire's body a freshly dead corpse, though it is reanimated and protected from decay with dark magic. Vampire's bodies remain in the exact same state as they were just prior to their deaths as humans (aside from the injuries or effects of most illnesses that caused their death) from an anatomical standpoint, except when it comes to their supernaturally-enhanced abilities and the addition of the vampire's true face. Their true face is a slightly transformed version of their human face, which includes red, blood-shot sclera with protruding veins around the eyes, as well as elongated fangs. The bite of a vampire is so powerful that it can sever the limbs of both animals and humans, as vampires are known for having extremely sharp and strong teeth.

Similarly, a vampire has human-like physiology, and their bodies continue to function normally as long as they have a steady diet of human blood; for example, their heart still beats to pump the blood they've consumed through their system to maintain their vitality. Because of this, vampires can eat human food, though it doesn't sustain their life or provide any nutrition like blood does, and their digestive system will continue to process it and produce wastes just as a healthy human does. Regardless, many vampires continue to eat regular food for several reasons, including out of human habit, to maintain human appearances in order to prevent their exposure, and to help sublimate their eternal hunger for blood and thereby keep their bloodlust at a manageable level.

Vampires can also become intoxicated by drugs such as alcohol and marijuana just as humans can, although they do have much higher tolerances due to their accelerated healing, which rapidly regenerates the cells damaged by these drugs which causes the sensation of being drunk or high. In fact, most vampires frequently drink alcohol throughout the day to help them deal with their perpetual hunger, much in the way that some vampires eat human food to help curb their cravings.

Vampires are immune to the majority of human diseases and illnesses. One exception of this rule is cancer, though vampires cannot actually develop it—they have to have had the cancer prior to being turned, as vampire blood cannot cure it in humans. These aforementioned vampires continue to have cancer even after their transition is complete, as cancer cells rapidly regenerate in the presence of vampire blood due to the cells being functionally immortal; normal human cells have "suicide buttons" that allow them to die once their organelles have worn out, but cancer cells have no such button, and vampire blood only serves to accelerate the regeneration of cancer cells. The only known substances that can have a serious negative effect on vampires are vervain and werewolf venom.

The mystical effect of vampirism is the only thing that keeps vampires and their bodies alive. If vampirism is removed through the Cure to immortality, the body will return to the state of a healthy alive adult so long as the cure remains in their blood. However, once a vampire is reverted to being a human after ingesting the cure, the cure will remain in their bloodstream, allowing any other vampire who wants to be cured to do so by feeding on the cured vampire's blood to nearly full consumption. When Silas fed on Katherine's cure-laced blood, he returned to his previous status as a witch, but it caused a side-effect to be discovered—should the cure leave the veins of a cured vampire, their bodies will rapidly begin to age to catch up with the time they spent as vampires. This usually poses no problem in vampires who were turned young and/or have only been vampires for several years, but in the case of Katherine, her body began to grow old so rapidly to compensate for her 538 years of life that she ultimately died of a heart attack due to advanced age within weeks.

Conversely, if vampirism is stripped away by the Magic Purification Spell, it will physically revert the body to the final state it was in before awakening in transition, leaving it a corpse with the physical damage or illness of whatever it was that originally killed them; e.g: drowning, slit throat, snapped neck, tuberculosis, etc. The only exception to this was Alaric Saltzman, who was successfully transformed from an Enhanced Original vampire into a human as a result of his serious, but not absolutely fatal, injury being instantly treated by Dr. Josette Laughlin. The only remaining cure for immortality currently resides in Elena Gilbert's blood, as the other copy of the cure was destroyed along with the 1903 Prison World after the Gemini Coven was murdered. Similarly, since the Travelers have more or less become extinct, it is unlikely that a magic purification spell could be performed again, making the chances of being cured this way nearly impossible.

While vampires are sterile and cannot have biological children (with the exception of the hybrid Klaus), certain spells can transport a fetus or fetuses from a human's body into a vampire's. This was demonstrated by the Gemini Coven, whose livelihood was dependent on the existence of twins to continue the coven, and who had a spell to magically transport fetuses from a pregnant mother whose life is in danger into another womb. Joshua Parker and his fellow coven members used this spell to transfer the twin fetuses from the dying Josette Laughlin into the vampire Caroline Forbes' womb to make sure the coven would survive on without them. Since a vampire who consumes a steady diet of blood can also consume human food and has the same physiology as a normal human, Caroline was able to deliver the twins with the help of the Heretics' and Bonnie's magical assistance. Additionally, her vampirism actually makes it more likely that the twins will survive, since they are functionally immortal and are much harder to kill than humans.

However, it has also been discovered that, since vampires were created by magic, which also gave them their powers, their vampirism can be absorbed by certain rare witches of the Gemini Coven called siphoners. When the twins Caroline was carrying was near term, Lizzie and Josie began to siphon her vampirism, causing her skin to desiccate and putting her at risk of death by losing her vampirism. Siphoners can also draw on vampires for more power for spells, and, since they exist as a loophole in the rules of Nature, they can also be transformed into witch-vampire hybrids while maintaining their powers of Siphoning; even more, they are able to practice magic as though they were a full witch since they can draw on their own vampirism as a source of magical power.

### Nature

Vampires have the capacity to be extremely feral, predatory creatures, and can be more beast-like and savage than their human appearance suggests. They growl, hiss, snarl, and curl their lips back when provoked, baring their fangs as a sign of aggression when faced by a threat.

Despite their nature, vampires are also capable of human emotions, such as compassion, love, and self-control. However, it's in a vampire's nature to be violent, and no matter what their morality or kindness, they will almost always resort to such acts if it's necessary for their survival. While vampires typically maintain their human personalities after their transformations (though magnified by the magical properties of vampirism), they are usually dehumanized to some degree, and due to both the violent tensions between witches, werewolves, and vampires (along with the in-fighting within the vampire community itself), violence, tragedy, and death of the aforementioned groups and humans caught in the crossfire seem to follow vampires wherever they go, even despite their best efforts to avoid it. Many (though not all) vampires are inherently selfish and consider other beings, especially humans, to be inferior to themselves, as they see themselves as the top of the proverbial food chain. Even the most compassionate of their kind will often resort to cruelty and torture if it means protecting themselves and their loved ones from danger.

For example, Stefan Salvatore, despite his generally kind and compassionate attitude, has been shown to be unafraid of killing when the situation calls for it, though he makes it a point not to harm or kill humans unless absolutely necessary. Similarly, Caroline Forbes, while saving Stefan and his brother Damon from her mother and her police force, ended up slaughtering two of her deputies in an animalistic and stealthy manner and was completely calm and unfazed afterward; this contrasted greatly with her reaction after she had accidentally killed a carnival worker out of hunger just hours after she had completed her transition, which upset her so much that she began to sob and insisted she was a monster. This suggests the longer one spends as a vampire, the more tolerant of violence and murder they become.

Additionally, over the course of their millennium of life, Elijah and Rebekah have also become somewhat dehumanized after spending so much time as the most powerful beings on earth, even despite their generally kind and gentle nature; their penchant for the "snatch, eat, erase" method of feeding and their dedication to avoiding unnecessarily large demonstrations of violence and cruelty if at all possible is typically more out of their desire to protect themselves from exposure than a desire to not harm others. In recent years, both Elijah and Rebekah have mellowed out, and are not as quick to harm or kill out of anger, they still are known for being ruthless against their enemies or anyone who tries to harm their family and friends, and have shown no discomfort in torturing others to get the answers or results they need.

However, vampires experience sensations and feelings much more intensely than humans, and as a result, they have a much more difficult time controlling their emotions, all of which are tied to their hunger in some way. Whenever a vampire is overwhelmed by powerful feelings (such as extreme hunger, fear, anger, happiness, love, etc.) their faces become pale, and blood rushes into the veins surrounding their eyes, darkening them tremendously. Their canine teeth will lengthen into fangs, giving them a more predatory look to scare off or threaten their prey and to aid them in feeding on humans and animals. This intensification of emotions experienced by vampires also extends to their personalities as well, both the good and the bad aspects of it. For example, Elena and Stefan were both compassionate and kind as humans, which amplified these traits to the point of being self-sacrificing as vampires; conversely, Vicki Donovan, who was a troubled teenage girl with addictions to drugs, carried these personality traits into her vampire life as well, making her subject to violent mood swings and making it even harder for her to resist her cravings for human blood until she had to be killed to save Elena and Jeremy from being killed.

Due to their intensely emotional nature, it is not uncommon for vampires wishing to maintain self-control to document their lives after their transition in journals. Though they have consistently shown considerable powers in recollection of specific memories and dates, vampires still need to peruse their journals in order to reflect on their feelings and other minute details during certain events. Another function of the vampire nature is the ability to "turn off" their humanity in order to make it easier for them to emotionally deal with feeding on (and occasionally even killing) humans to maintain their immortality.

Vampires who have used this coping mechanism, such as Elena, Damon, Stefan, Caroline and Enzo, have described the process as "flicking a switch," which essentially numbs their emotions and disables their ability to be empathetic, allowing them to shut out painful feelings such as guilt, grief, and sadness and turning off the part of them that makes them ashamed of their actions. Vampires with their humanity turned off often think of themselves as purely rational and logical and are not ruled by their emotions. They also have no problem feeding indiscriminately on whomever they please, either using mind compulsion to make the humans forget the experience or killing them outright with no shame or remorse.

### Society and Culture

From their portrayal so far on the shows, it seems that many vampires are nomads of sorts who periodically move around from place to place to make sure their immortality and lack of aging do not lead to their exposure as vampires to the general public. Some of them appear to attempt to take on identities within the human world and exist alongside humans (such as Stefan Salvatore, who used to take on a new identity, location, and career every thirty years) while others instead appear to enjoy living among humans mostly anonymously (such as Damon Salvatore, Lily Salvatore, the Heretics, and the Mikaelsons throughout the majority of their lives) without making human attachments and then choosing to travel to new places for a change in scenery whenever the urge strikes them.

While the world does not appear to have an official rule-based vampire government (neither in an international level nor a national level), at least one place, the American city of New Orleans, Louisiana, has had a thriving permanent community of vampires throughout most of the 20th century and into the early 21st century. For most of the community's existence, it was been ruled by Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson from the 18th to early 20th centuries; then, after they were forced to flee with their sister Rebekah after the arrival of their father, Mikael, the control of the vampires was taken by Marcel Gerard, who proclaimed himself to be the king of the city. Upon gaining leadership of the community, Marcel created many rules that he strongly enforces within the borders of New Orleans, which includes the following: vampires can only feed on tourists (though feeding on consenting locals seems to be allowed as long as they're willing to keep the secret or can be compelled to do so); and all vampires are responsible for keeping the number of vampire-related killings of humans to a minimum so as to not negatively affect tourism rates, which thereby affects their food supply and the city's general prosperity.

The number one rule of the community, however, is that vampires are forbidden from killing any of their own kind, and vampires who have violated this rule have faced strict punishment, such one hundred years of solitary confinement and starvation in the Garden prison or even death. The only known vampires to avoid punishment for such a crime are the Originals, who are far too powerful for any vampire in the community to force them to abide by the laws. Marcel's original community was eventually destroyed by the various wars that took place in the city in 2012, leaving only Marcel, Joshua Rosza and Elijah the only surviving true vampires (not including the hybrids, Klaus and Hayley Marshall).

For the next year after the decimation of their community, the vampires moved to another neighborhood of New Orleans across the river from the French Quarter called Algiers, where they began to rebuild their vampire army by turning select individuals who proved themselves as having what it took to "move up a notch on the food chain." In 2013, control of the French Quarter was once again returned to Marcel Gerard and his vampires, who have returned to the neighborhood to begin to regain the power they once held throughout the city while maintaining tenuous truces with both the Crescent werewolves and the French Quarter Coven. Upon Marcel's transformation into an "upgraded" Original vampire also known as the Beast, he has regained full control of the city's supernatural population after putting Klaus in a torturous coma with Papa Tunde's Blade, biting Elijah and Kol, and poisoning Freya, forcing them to be put in a magical slumber and Chambre de Chasse to avoid death until Hayley can find cures for them, as well as a cure for Rebekah's curse. This effectively evicted the Mikaelsons from New Orleans, leaving Marcel with no one even close to his level of power to go against his rule.

As previously stated, there is no international vampire government, or even a vampire government within specific nations. However, there have been vampire societies over the thousand years or so that the species has existed. The most well-known among them being The Strix, a congregation of the most ancient and powerful vampires the world has ever known, which was originally founded by Elijah, who sought to seek out vampires with the time, resources, and inclination to enrich the world with the powers they possess. However, Elijah was eventually forced to abandon the organization, as he was dismayed by the realization that he had gathered a large group of "narcissistic and sociopathic" vampires who were only concerned with gaining power, status, and wealth with which they could use to further their own agendas. After Elijah's departure, Tristan de Martel became the leader of the organization, and, with the exception of Marcel Gerard, every vampire initiated into the society belongs to either Elijah or Rebekah's sireline. Tristan was then overthrown in 2013 and replaced by Aya and Marcel in turn.

Age is a powerful status symbol in the global vampire community. One such reason for this is because the amount of history the vampire has experienced gives them a great deal of knowledge, which translates to certain bragging rights in the community, especially when the elder vampires interact with the younger vampires, werewolves, witches, and in-the-know humans they encounter. There are many examples of extremely old vampires whose age and history have gained them respect and status, including (but not limited to) the following: the vampire Shen Min was the torture consultant to Genghis Khan prior to becoming a vampire around the turn of the 12th century; Elijah and Klaus were close friends with Sigmund Freud and Ferdinand Magellan, among other famous historical figures; Klaus compelled the artist Edgar Degas to mentor him in art; Rebekah was hinted to be the creator of the legendary vampire Casquette Girls in Louisiana in the 1800s; Marcel was a member of the Brotherhood of the Damned (the name for the 369th regiment in the American Army in World War I), whom he turned into vampires in order to defeat the Germans trying to overpower their line; the Heretics, Lillian Salvatore, and Julian attended the funeral of Queen Victoria; Damon served in the Confederate Army in the American Civil War, and Stefan and Enzo served in the American and British Armies, respectively, during World War II.

However, the main reason why age is a status symbol in the vampire community is because a vampire's age directly correlates to how physically powerful they are. As a vampire ages, their supernatural physical and mental abilities become even stronger and more advanced as well. For example, because "The Trinity" were the first three vampires sired by the Originals, and around a year after they themselves were turned-- Lucien Castle, Aurora de Martel, and Tristan de Martel, making them over a thousand years old. They are much more powerful than any other regular vampire because of their age. Only the Originals and their modified version outmatch the Trinity in raw power. While attitude, training, and catching an older vampire off-guard can occasionally compensate for another vampire's young age in a fight (such as Elena Gilbert nearly besting Katherine Pierce in battle), an older vampire will nearly always win in a fight against a younger vampire.

According to Stefan and Damon, the sharing of blood between vampires is considered an intimate act and is not typically taken lightly, though it is not always this way; for example, Klaus and Elijah have been shown feeding their own blood to their siblings and vampire friends to heal them after they have been seriously incapacitated by injury or desiccation. Between romantic partners, however, this is an incredibly intimate act that denotes the love between the two vampires, as well as the trust they share.

### Powers and Abilities

The supernatural forces that sustain vampires also endow them with superhuman physical abilities as well as powers of mind control. Their physical abilities such as strength, speed, agility, durability, healing and senses all grow stronger with age and experience.

* **Super Strength:** Vampires are noticeably much stronger than Supernatural Hunters, immortals and humans and slowly grow stronger as they grow older. Even new vampires who are still in transition can toss an average-size, fully-grown human across a room with great speed and force. Their other feats include single-handedly lifting grown men high off the ground by the throat and snapping their necks, cutting off a person's head with their bare hands, and ripping out internal organs such as hearts with little to no effort. Their strength is also more powerful than that of werewolves in their human form and, depending on the age of the vampire, can be equal to that of Evolved werewolves. Their strength allows them to jump higher and further than any natural creature. Vampires who feed on humans are stronger than those who feed on animal blood. In *Fifty Shades of Grayson*, Damon, a 173 year old vampire, was seen smashing his hand continuously into a stone wall, causing a large portion to chip off. However, young vampires may have difficulties while dealing with truly heavy objects, such as when Caroline, who had been a vampire for roughly three years at this point, couldn't move a large safe by herself in *The Cell* and asked for Stefan's help, though this could be because the safe was taller and wider than Caroline was, making it more difficult for her to wrap her arms around it to lift it. Although noted that a vampire's strength enhances with age, it can also be noted that the emotional status of the vampire takes a toll on the strength. For example, Caroline was able to fight on par with Damon after only being recently turned, this was according to her, because she was "angrier." This happened again in a fight between the newly-turned Elena and the 500+ year old Katerina Petrova, since Elena was both furiously enraged for her role in her brother, Jeremy's death and managed to catch Katherine off-guard in the fight.

* **Super Speed:** Vampires are much faster than various other human and supernatural beings such as supernatural hunters, immortals, and werewolves in human form. Vampires can accelerate their movements to cover short distances in an instant, usually faster than the human eye can see. When running across long distances, they appear as vibrating blurs of motion allowing them to appear or vanish quickly and quietly. Their reflexes and dexterity are similarly heightened, allowing them to catch certain projectiles such as arrows and thrown stakes in the air with ease.

* **Super Agility:** Vampires possess super-human agility, such that they can react quickly, jump very high, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion. For example, Stefan picked up Elena and jumped high enough to propel both of them to the top of a Ferris wheel at a carnival. Similarly, Elena jumped from the ground up onto the roof of a two-story school, and she also jumped down into a ravine that was hundreds of feet deep, landing on her feet with no injuries whatsoever.

* **Super Senses:** Vampires have extremely keen senses of hearing, sight, smell, and taste that far exceed those of humans and werewolves. They can hear whispered conversations, even ones in far of buildings and on phones, though most vampires typically learn how to tune out most ambient noises when it's not necessary to hear them—Josh, a newborn vampire, explained that vampires can turn their enhanced hearing off, which explains why they can occasionally miss auditory warnings, such as the footsteps of approaching enemies, when they're paying attention to other things. Vampires can also smell blood from several meters away, and see in total darkness. Their senses of taste are also enhanced as well, allowing them to detect the presence of drugs, alcohol, or vervain in someone's blood.
* **Super Durability:** Vampires can take a great amount of physical damage without being slowed down. Even vampires who have been shot with wooden bullets, which have a weakening effect on vampires, have been seen to continue fighting so long as they were not shot in the heart or the head. Vampires still react to physical force in a human manner, particularly young vampires, who will occasionally be affected even by human-strength-level force. Vampires can also still be stunned and dazed by strikes and trauma, though their tolerance for it will increase as they get older.
* **Healing Factor:** Vampires recover tissue from any form of physical damage to their bodies within seconds to minutes, though they still feel the pain of a wound before it heals. Vampires can snap their bones back into place after they have been broken and have been seen to fully recover from gunshots, stab wounds, and torso impalement very quickly, so long as they had consumed a regular diet of human blood prior to the injury. Those vampires who feed on animals will still heal much faster than a human, but their injuries, especially severe ones, will take much longer to heal than a vampire who feeds on human blood. The only injury a vampire can sustain that cannot be healed on its own or by consuming more blood is a werewolf bite, which requires Klaus' or Hope's blood or a very rare scientifically-created serum to cure. Also, a vampire's enhanced healing is limited to physical damage to their bodies—many forms of magical damage (such as the damage caused by The Phoenix Sword) and psychological damage are beyond its capability. Vampires cannot grow back body parts, though they can reattach the severed limb with some effort, as evidenced when Bonnie cut off Enzo's hand to use it to get into the basement of the Armory and Alex reattached it while he was passed out.
* **Immortality:** A vampire stops aging once turned. Upon their transformation, vampires become immune to all conventional illness, diseases, viruses and infections. While vampires who were cancer-free as humans will be immune to cancer after they are turned, those humans who were turned while they had cancer will not only still have it as a vampire, but their newly-enhanced healing factor will accelerate the progression of the cancer cells over two-fold, nearly always causing the cancer-stricken vampire to kill themselves to end their suffering.
* **Enhanced Emotions:** Vampires experience emotions more powerfully than humans. Emotions like love, joy, and happiness are magnified for vampires, allowing them to live life more intensely. This ability allows vampires to feel emotions at their peak regardless of their age. Conversely, sadness, depression, guilt, fear and anger are also amplified, causing many vampires to become so overwhelmed that they "turn off" their humanity. Turning off their humanity allows them to block out their more negative emotions, such as fear and guilt, allowing them to feed and kill without remorse, go against any opponent without fear, and relieve themselves of painful feelings such as grief, loss, depression, and shame. A vampire without their emotions is far more calculating and direct than one who keeps them on. However, the vampire can become a remorseless killer, and are almost unrecognizable from the person they truly are, as blocking out negative emotions also causes their positive emotions to become dulled or nonexistent as well. Vampires are capable of turning their humanity back on and bringing back their emotions, but it is difficult as a result of the fact that they will be bombarded with all of their repressed emotions in addition to the guilt of anything they did without their humanity with enhanced intensity. This ability fades with time and vampires who are over 500 years old have said that they have lost the ability to turn off their humanity altogether. After time and practice, the overwhelming sensations of heightened emotions fade as the vampire learns to overcome their emotions without turning off their humanity all together.

* **Mind Compulsion:** Vampires have the ability to influence and control thoughts, emotions, and behavior and can alter or erase memories. There is a sort of hierarchy as to how this ability works and have a weaker form than that of Original vampires and can only compel humans and cannot compel other supernatural beings..
* **Sire Bond:** Although rare among them, sire bonds can be formed when a human is turned with the blood of the vampire for whom they had strong romantic feelings before they were turned. Those vampires with a sire bond are supernaturally loyal to their sires to the point that they will go out of their way to do whatever their sire asks them to do, even if they don't actually want to do it. However, this bond doesn't affect how they truly feel about their sire, it only affects their behavior.

* **Telepathy:** Vampires have a limited form of telepathy that allows them to easily enter the minds of humans, and with more effort, the minds of other supernatural beings. Other ways to weaken a vampire to use telepathy on them are to starve them or drain them of blood, inject them with vervain, or expose them to werewolf venom. It is one of the hardest abilities to master, and because of this, it is usually the last of the mind-control-related abilities a vampire learns after becoming proficient in mind compulsion. Normally, this ability works through tactile contact, usually by the vampire placing the palms of his or her hands on the temples of the vampire whose mind they want to enter. The vampire then closes their eyes and focuses on the information they wish to seek, allowing them to sort through their victims' memories until they see what they're looking for. However, Damon and Elijah have been shown to mentally communicate with others from a short distance without tactile contact in order to send distress calls and mental images during emergency situations. Like their physical attributes, a vampire's mental strength increases with age, making it difficult for a vampire to invade the mind of an ancient vampire or even that of the Originals.
	+ **Dream Manipulation:** Vampires can also use their power of telepathy to control dreams and the subconscious. This is an aspect of telepathy that is much easier to learn, and with it, a vampire has the ability to produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares and lucid dreaming, distort people's perception of reality and trap someone in their dreams. Vampires can manipulate and enter the subconscious of other vampires and even an Original vampire if they are vulnerable enough. However, this is a learned skill that requires practice to achieve.
	+ **Illusions:** Vampires have the power to trick the minds of other younger vampires into seeing or feeling things that aren't actually happening, such as when Lexi made Stefan believe he had been starved of blood for years.
* **True Face:** A vampire's true face is the appearance they are hiding under their normal human face. When a vampire's true face is revealed, the sclera of their eyes turns blood-red, dark veins appear under their eyes as the blood pumps forcefully through them, and their canine teeth extend into razor-sharp fangs. On some occasions, a vampire's fang teeth can include both their canines and their lateral incisors, in the case of Katherine, Elena, Isobel, and Lexi, or both their canines and their premolars, such as in Klaus, Lucien, Damon, and Tyler's case. A vampire's true face can be revealed whenever they wish, but it will appear against their will whenever they are aroused by the scent of blood, or are feeling intense emotions such as fear, anger, lust, sadness, etc. A vampire's fangs are extremely sharp which gives them the ability to tear into almost any substance and tear off limbs. A vampire's true face will appear for the first time either while they drink human blood for the first time or shortly afterward. With the fangs come the darkened veins under the eyes as well.

### Weaknesses

If vampires are killed by a wooden object stabbed through their heart, their body desiccates into a gray color, and their vampiric veins thicken and protrude from their skin. Vampires can build up a tolerance to some weaknesses, such as vervain, allowing them to protect themselves from compulsion by an Original and to help lessen the likelihood that it will seriously incapacitate them when used by enemies. However, it will still burn them upon contact, but if ingested, it will not weaken them as much if they take small amounts over time to increase their immunity.

* **Animal Blood:** Animal blood, while somewhat satisfying a vampire's hunger and sustaining their undead life, will make the vampire considerably weaker than they would be if they had drank human blood, causing their physical abilities to be inferior to a human-blood-consuming vampire, making them heal much more slowly, and making their compulsion less effective.
* **Broken Neck:** Breaking a vampire's neck will not kill them, but it will render in a death-like state for varying amounts of time, depending on the diet and age of the person in question. The Enhanced Original vampire Alaric once snapped Damon's neck, though he recovered quickly due to the fact that he is an older vampire.

* **The Cure:** If a vampire takes the cure, they will revert back to being mortal again. Once taken, the cure prevents vampire blood from having any effect on them, as it will not heal their wounds, and, if the vampire dies with vampire blood in their system, they will remain dead and not awaken as a vampire in transition. Additionally, their blood becomes the Cure once they've ingested it, making them a target to any vampire who wants to cure themselves. If the Cure-laced blood should be drained from a cured vampire, that vampire would begin to rapidly age to compensate for the years they spent as an undead, un-aging vampire. In the case of older vampires, this can cause them to age so quickly that they die in weeks or months if the Cure has been drained from their body. This was demonstrated when Silas drank the cure-laced blood of Katerina Petrova, causing her body to begin to rapidly age to compensate for her 538 years of life, 521 of which were spent as a vampire. This was proven to be because of losing the cure in her blood, as she had spent four months as a newly-returned human before Silas consumed her blood, after which point she began developing gray hair and losing teeth within a day. She then began to develop wrinkles, bad eyesight, exercise intolerance, and other symptoms of aging that worsened over the course of several weeks until she finally had a heart attack and her body died a day later.
* **Decapitation:** Dismembering or manually removing the head of a vampire will result in an instant and permanent death.
* **Desiccation:** Vampires who abstain from blood for extended amounts of time will eventually desiccate and mummify. Witches can use magic to desiccate a vampire, and Wes Maxfield also developed a serum that would cause desiccation in a vampire if they were not given an antidote within a short matter of time.
* **Fire:** Vampires are highly flammable and sensitive to fire, and will quickly burn and die from it if the flames are not extinguished in time. This quality has been proven to be useful in disposing of the remains of a dead vampire without any physical evidence. However, in some cases, vampires have used this vulnerability to their advantage, such as when Elijah and Elena removed their daylight rings and exposed their hands to sunlight near an open gas leak, causing explosions and fireballs to incapacitate or kill their enemies and dampening the flames before they can do harm to themselves.
* **Heart Extraction:** Removing the heart of a vampire will result in permanent death.
* **Invitation:** Vampires cannot enter a home without an invitation by the owner. An invitation can be granted long-distance and even by someone who hasn't lived in the house in years. For example, Josette Laughlin invited Stefan into her parents' home despite the fact that she had not been there in nearly twenty years.
* **Magic:** Vampires are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical objects such as the Gilbert Device and dark objects. A Siphoner can also siphon the magic from a vampire to fuel their spells. Witches have been seen to use magic to cause agonizing pain by inducing aneurysms in their brain or muscle spasms, telekinetically ripping out their hearts or snapping their necks, magically increasing their hunger for blood to unbearable levels, setting them ablaze with a single thought, and desiccating them to the point of mummification.
* **Physical Trauma:** Minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds, and broken bones will cause pain and also slow them down. However, this is momentary as they will heal completely so long as they haven't been weakened by other means such as vervain or werewolf bites.
* **Poison:** There are various poisons invented by people, such as Dr. Wes Maxfield and Aya, that are capable of incapacitating or desiccating a vampire when administered. Klaus also used a poison to kill Tim that not even vampire blood could cure.

* **Sunlight:** Sunlight and UV rays burn vampires on contact, and prolonged exposure will cause them to burst into flames and die. However, this weakness can be mitigated by the use of a lapis lazuli stone enchanted with a specific protection spell by a witch for a particular vampire, which is usually affixed to jewelry, though it requires the vampire to wear the stone at all times.
* **Vampire Bloodline:** If an Original vampire dies, all vampires descended from their bloodline will slowly perish as well. Members of Klaus' bloodline were unlinked from him; thus they were spared upon his death unlike Finn, Kol, and Elijah's sirelines.

* **Vervain:** Exposure to or ingestion of vervain causes a vampire to become severely feverish and weak to the point that it can even hinder their healing abilities as well. Also, physical contact with vervain will burn a vampire's skin. Vampires cannot compel anyone who has ingested vervain or has it on their person. Many vampires drink small amounts of diluted vervain to protect themselves from Original vampires' compulsion and to reduce its effects when used against them by enemies.

* **Werewolf Venom:** The bite of a werewolf, which involves injecting toxic venom into the wound, is extremely lethal to vampires. It will cause them to hallucinate, grow severely weak, and go rabid until it kills them. Klaus' or Hope's blood is the only surefire way to cure the bite, though one of the doctors allied with the Travelers managed to come up with a cure for the enhanced Ripper compound, which contained small amounts of werewolf venom. Lucien Castle also possessed a scientifically-created serum that, when injected into a werewolf bite wound, would cure the vampire of the venom's effects and allow them to heal the wound. Vampires suffering from the bite seem to always hallucinate either significant moments from their past, significant people in their lives, or specific actions of the vampire that they feel guilty or ashamed about.
	+ **Advanced Werewolf Venom:** Lucien Castle invented an advanced strain of venom derived from the seven werewolf bloodlines with no known cure. The venom is infused in the bite of an Upgraded Original vampire. Similarly, it is fatal to that of a werewolf or hybrid bite, although working twice as fast and more painfully. It is so potent that not even the blood of Klaus or Hope Mikaelson can cure it, nor will the blood of the Upgraded Original vampire.
* **Wood:** Wounding a vampire with a wooden weapon, such as wooden bullets, will incapacitate them and it will take longer for them to heal their injuries than if the wounds were caused by any other substance. Stabbing a vampire through the heart with a wooden stake or shooting them with wooden bullets will result in instantaneous and permanent death.
* **White Oak Ash Daggers:** It is said that if a vampire daggers an Original vampire, they will die while the Original vampire is neutralized. This, however, has never been proven.
* **Cancer:** A unique weakness that rarely occurs under specific circumstances. Although vampires cannot develop diseases and illnesses, such as cancer, if a human has active cancer and is turned into a vampire, the effects of the cancer will increase. The regenerative properties of vampire blood will cause cancer cells to sporadically replicate, and exceed normal stages of the condition. This was first proven when Caroline fed a terminal cancer patient vampire blood to test if it could cure cancer. When Jo ran tests on the patient after he was turned into a vampire, she referred to his tumors as "stage 10."

### Former Weaknesses

* **Doppelgänger Blood Magic:** This spell was cast by the Travelers in 2012. The spell is designed to use the combined blood of the last remaining doppelgängers of each line to unravel and reverse any non-traditional form of magic, and as such, it strips away the magic that makes humans into vampires and returns them to the last state the vampire was in before awakening in transition, killing the vampire. This effect could be achieved by feeding the combined blood to a vampire, or by casting the spell in a large group. The spell was broken when the spell's magic was absorbed by Kai Parker.
* **The Phoenix Sword:** The phoenix stone, when attached to the sword with which it is paired, has the power to kill the body of a vampire and trap their soul in a prison within the stone. This prison has been described as a hell dimension where time has no meaning and where the vampire souls inside it are emotionally tortured with horrifying images such as being forced to kill their loved ones. Though the souls inside can be released with a spell cast on the stone, it requires the vampire's original body for it to be successful. If it is placed in the wrong body, the vampire spirit will experience amnesia, confusion, and an insatiable hunger for blood that will turn them feral. In one case, when the soul of a vampire inside the stone was placed in a human body with the spell, the human's body rejected the soul and eventually deteriorated until both the vampire soul and the body died for good. The blade was destroyed by Nora and Mary Louise.

### Myths

* **Garlic:** The vampire's supposed repulsion towards garlic may have been a fabricated lie, similar to how werewolves are not actually immune to silver. This myth was presumably started to hide the fact that vampires are actually vulnerable to vervain.
* **Holy Items:** The myth that vampires could be harmed using holy artifacts like crosses, blessed ground, and holy water may have circulated from the belief that they are unholy creatures originating from Hell and in league with the Devil.
* **Mirrors:** The myth that vampires did not cast a reflection may have come from the belief that vampires had no souls.
* **Shapeshifting:** The origin of the myth that vampires had the power to morph into a bat, wolf, rat, or a cloud of mist is unknown. It may be the result of a mistake of perception between vampires and werewolves. Or it may even be related to Silas, who has the ability to cast psychic illusions to appear as anyone he chooses.
* **Soulless:** The belief that vampires are soulless beings may have stemmed from their ability to shut down their humanity, causing them to block out their emotions and behave without remorse or regret, giving off the impression that they have no conscience and by extension, lack a soul.
* **Death:** Contrary to popular belief, vampires have beating hearts and they cannot function without oxygen. They will, however, be forced to revive after suffocation or oxygen deprivation but will only die again if the circumstances of their revival are less than favorable.

### Vampire Hunter

A **Vampire Hunter** is a person that hunts vampires or hybrids usually with the intention of permanently destroying them. Not to be confused with Supernatural Hunters such as the Brotherhood of the Five or Rayna Cruz, normal vampire hunters often keep themselves physically and mentally strong in order to be able to seek out and face their opponents.

They often use special weapons, surprise or stealth tactics in order to be able to overpower their much stronger opponents. Hunters' crusades against vampires go almost as far back as vampirism itself.

### History

#### Mikael, the Original Vampire Hunter

Ever since there were vampires there have been vampire hunters around to hunt and kill them. The first of these was Mikael, although an Original Vampire himself and having had a hand in creating vampires, he did not expect the bloodlust and thus resolved to hunt and kill vampires (especially his hybrid stepson, Niklaus). It is worth noting that he also drank the blood of vampires rather than human or animal blood. Mikael was relentless in his quest of killing Klaus, chasing him down for centuries, having salvaged a branch from the white oak tree, the only weapon that could kill Klaus. Unfortunately, despite how powerful and well-trained he was, Klaus managed to evade him and Mikael only ever got so far as killing his stepson's horse before being killed by Klaus with his own weapon in *Homecoming*. He was resurrected by Davina Claire in *From a Cradle to a Grave*, this time wielding the indestructible white oak stake. Mikael was killed by Klaus a second time in order to procure Viking ash.

#### The Brotherhood of The Five

2000 years ago, the ancient witch, Silas, was turned immortal, but after scorning the witch, Qetsiyah, she buried him with the cure for vampirism, hoping that he'd take it and die, forever trapped on the Other Side, she had created as a purgatory for supernatural beings. However, Silas refused and let himself desiccate underground with the cure still in his hands. Qetsiyah's descendants, vengeful, swore that they'd find, cure, and kill Silas.

In 1111, one of Qetsiyah's descendants, a dying witch, infused five young men with tattoos, known as Hunter's Marks that spread across their bodies. These marks served as the means of finding Silas as the mission for these hunters was to get to Silas, shove the cure down his throat, then kill him, fulfilling Qetsiyah's wish. These hunters, who became known as the Brotherhood of the Five, gained supernatural enhancements that would aid them in their hunt for vampires including heightened reflexes and peak human strength. Despite the infamy of the Original vampires that began to spread in Italy, these hunters remained efficient. They would catch vampires and show them on display in gruesome public executions. They came into contact with the Originals but were prepared, having received daggers from a witch that were capable of neutralizing the Originals. A member of The Five, Alexander, seduced one of the Originals, Rebekah, and daggered her. The four other hunters ambushed the remaining Originals, neutralizing them all. It seemed certain victory for The Five but they weren't aware that the daggers wouldn't work on Klaus, due to his werewolf side. Klaus rescued the other Originals, slaughtering each of the members of The Five.

#### A Town of Hunters

In 1864, the Founding Families of Mystic Falls spearheaded by the Lockwoods became an organized group of vampire hunters after a large group of vampires moved into their town (among them Katherine). Although searching for them more or less passively at first (by for example selling vervain elixirs) they later chose to take direct action in the form of a plan that would eradicate all vampires in their town. They decided to search out all vampires using Johnathan Gilbert's compass (created for him by Emily Bennett) and then locked them all up in a church and set fire to it. Unbeknownst to them the vampires were protected by Emily Bennett and would later be freed by Damon Salvatore, in addition to this Katherine eluded capture with the help of George Lockwood. The founding families also documented these events and wrote them down in the founding family journals, these journals would be passed on through the centuries to their descendants and contained key information about the vampires, the Gilbert Journals being the most extensive. In addition they also set up dozens of events to make sure their newly created Founder's Council could gather in secret to discuss vampire business.

The founding families then remained a silent guardian in the following centuries until in the late 2000's the Salvatores returned to town after which they once again sprang into action by first assembling the Gilbert compass and then actively attempting to seek out and kill the vampires in town. They also attempted to obtain vervain from Zach Salvatore but instead started getting it from Damon Salvatore in his ploy to gain their trust. They, under John Gilbert's lead, later managed to incapacitate and destroy most of the tomb vampires through usage of the device at the founders celebration by burning them in the Gilbert building. After Mayor Richard Lockwood's death, they came under the control of Damon Salvatore who had successfully infiltrated them. They once again took action against the vampires in Mystic Falls under the command of Elizabeth Forbes by attempting to kill Damon and Stefan Salvatore in *Kill or Be Killed*. They eventually however retreated more and more to the background and became much less effective due to the heavy infiltration by vampires and vampire sympathizers. After Alaric became an Enhanced Original vampire however he managed to get them back on their feet and informed them of the existence of werewolves, hybrids and originals. He then used them to find out about Elena's accident and used them to track down Damon, Rebekah and Klaus.

#### Alaric Saltzman's Vendetta

After the disappearance of his wife, Alaric Saltzman also became a vampire hunter and was led to Mystic Falls in search of the vampire who supposedly killed his wife, this vampire was later revealed to be Damon Salvatore. After killing Logan Fell and tracking down and attacking Damon he was killed but then revived by his ring. He later helped clear out the tomb vampire's house along with Damon. He eventually became a good friend to Damon and although he continued killing vampires he also protected some of them. After being killed by Damon a second time he joined the founders council and temporarily stopped protecting vampires until he was apologized to by Damon (although this may all have been due to the darkness starting to grab hold of him as well). He also took on the job of training Elena in how to defend herself against vampires. When the darkness starting grabbing hold of him he actively started seeking out and killing founders council members who he saw as sympathizers and eventually plotted to use the white oak stakes to kill all originals. This mission came closer to reality when Esther turned him into an Enhanced Original and gave him an indestructible white oak stake thus making him into the perfect vampire hunter. As enhanced original he managed to stake Niklaus Mikaelson but before he could manage to complete his mission was killed due to Elena's death at the hands of Rebekah. He however swore to Jeremy that he would continue to watch over him from the Other Side.

In *Growing Pains*, the council (now called the town's council after the expulsion of the founding families from it) sprung into action lead by Pastor Young. They managed to capture several vampires including Stefan, Elena and Rebekah before they were defeated in part due to Damon's actions and the vampires escaped. Pastor Young then for an unknown reason invited what is understood to be the entire town council to his farmhouse and blew them all up thus effectively ending the town council's reign but presumably setting the stage for a greater entity.

#### Return of The Five

In *Memorial*, Pastor Young the vampire hunter Connor Jordan arrived in town and attempted to take care of the town's vampire element. Although he managed to reveal Tyler as a supernatural being and managed to wound him through a surprise attack and the use of vervain gloves, he did not manage to kill him. Later at the memorial he used April Young in an attempt to bait a vampire into coming after her blood so that he could kill them using a stake firing sniper rifle.

Once again he was stopped by Tyler when Connor used his only chance to attempt to kill him (however due to Tyler's hybrid status he did not die). Later in the episode the markings on Connor's arm were seen by Jeremy even though they could not be perceived by anyone else. In *The Rager*, Jordan aside from going a step further in attempting to find and kill all vampires through the use of werewolf venom extracted from Tyler Lockwood, also attempted to recruit Jeremy Gilbert on the basis that only a potential hunter could see his tattoo. His plan to poison the kegs at Rebekah's party caused Rebekah to hallucinate heavily and almost caused the death of Elena Gilbert before she was healed by Klaus' blood. His attempt to recruit Jeremy ended in Jeremy leading him to a trap set by Damon and Klaus and seemingly his death. In reality however he was protected from the blast by Klaus and later taken back to his trailer under Klaus' supervision. Klaus then told him about his markings having some connection to a group called The Five, something that Connor Jordan seemed surprised to learn and Klaus seemed interested in.

### Skills and Abilities

Although most vampire hunters lack any supernatural abilities, barring supernatural hunters, they do require a number of skills in order to effectively combat their enemies.

* Vampire hunters often have good knowledge of historical records, history, the supernatural world and potentially a good knowledge of supernatural beings (although potentially only regular vampires) along with their weaknesses and strengths. Most of them are also very good at finding people and research.
* Vampire hunters are often skilled hand-to-hand combatants and keep themselves physically strong and in shape. Some of them are also skilled with weaponry such as guns and knives.
* Many vampire hunters also greatly prepare themselves for their confrontations. They may be using specialized weapons that they've designed themselves, such as stake launchers, stakes and vervain grenades and often ingest vervain or have it on them at all times thus resisting compulsion and incapacitating any vampire stupid enough to feed on them. Some of them also have certain artifacts such as the Gilbert Rings or the Vampire Compass at their disposal, which help them in their task.
* Some vampire hunters also possess certain supernatural or borderline supernatural abilities. Mikael had all the powers of an Original vampire, George Lockwood was a werewolf, Alaric Saltzman became an Enhanced Original giving him powers that surpassed other Originals and Bill Forbes had the ability to naturally resist compulsion through some unknown form of advanced mental conditioning. Members of the Brotherhood of the Five are granted supernatural enhancements to aid them in their hunts; heightened agility, strength, and the ability to naturally resist compulsion. If a member of The Five is killed by that which it hunts, the vampire responsible will suffer the Hunter's Curse, where the hunter with haunt the vampire to the point of insanity.

## Wendigo

Wendigos are a species of man-eating shapeshifter. According to research done by Stiles Stilinski, Native American folklore states that if a person eats human flesh, they would turn into a creature who not only had an insatiable hunger for it, but who also needed it to live. Wendigos survive from eating human flesh and blood, and their constant urge to consume it is unmatched and very difficult to control. When they become hungry, they will feed on the nearest potential victim, as evidenced in Muted, when Sean Walcott was unable to go longer than a full day without succumbing to his hunger and feeding on a Sheriff's deputy. Wendigos are incredibly strong and are able to overpower humans and even Werewolves with ease.

Sean Walcott and his family were the first Wendigos to appear, and both the Walcott Family and the Wendigo species were first introduced in Season 4's Muted, when it was revealed they were all on the Deadpool hit-list. They kept a large freezer hidden within the walls of their house which contained dozens and dozens of dead bodies, though it is unknown whether they were outright killing people for sustenance, or if the Walcotts were simply scavengers who obtained bodies a different way, such as stealing them from a morgue or mortuary. It seems that Wendigos only eat human flesh, as Sean was seen refusing human food while hospitalized at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. Patrick Clark was another Wendigo introduced late in Season 4 who was an escaped inmate of Eichen House; he broke out at some point during the Deadpool and captured a girl named Calissa before Alan Deaton caught him and sent him back.

In Season 5, Wendigos were referenced again when it was revealed that Donovan Donati was turned into a Chimera by the Dread Doctors, who was part-Wendigo and part-Lamprey.

### Appearance

Wendigos appear to be human for the most part but when they shift, they grow multiple rows of sharp fangs from their upper and lower jaws, their eyes glow bright white, and they also make a strange hissing sound when they feel threatened. It has not been revealed whether or not this is the full extent of their shapeshifting ability or if there is more to it.

### Personality

Personality wise, there is not much known about Wendigos. They feed on people regardless of whether or not they are innocent; if this creature becomes hungry enough, it will feed on anyone. A Wendigo's personality seem to change under certain circumstances—for example, when Sean Walcott was the only remaining member of his family left and he was forced to fight The Mute, he ran for help instead of fighting. However, when a similar situation occurred at the hospital when he was extremely hungry, he engaged in a fight with the True Alpha Scott McCall, and even instigated the situation by attacking his mother Melissa, who was Sean's nurse. This suggests that different circumstances get different reactions out of Wendigos, but regardless, they remain extremely dangerous creatures and appear to be more likely to kill than other shapeshifters as a result of the human flesh they require to survive.

*These vicious supernatural creatures were an unwelcome discovery among the native people of the new world. They are known to have an uncontrollable appetite for human flesh which leads them to kill despite any better judgment they might possess.*

*Sneaky creatures, Wendigos can maintain a human appearance while hiding multiple fanged teeth (similar to Kanimas) behind their lips. However, when in their true form, Wendigos’ eyes shimmer with a white glow.*

*While there may be a tactical strike known to kill these supernatural cannibals among the tribes who have been most affected by Wendigos, it is yet unknown to us.*

*A Wendigo is strong enough to not only fight an Alpha Werewolf, but to possibly win such a fight.*

### Powers and Abilities

* **Super Strength:** Wendigos possess a level of super strength that is seemingly level with an Alpha Werewolf. However, the only instance of a Wendigo overpowering an Alpha was when Scott, the Alpha in question, was distracted by attempting to save his mother. Before this moment, Scott had the upper-hand against Sean, whose only notably burst of strength was kicking Scott flying into a wall using his feet after being backed into a corner. It is also worth noting that this fight occurred immediately after Sean had just consumed an exceptional amount of fresh human tissue, which may have augmented Sean's strength somewhat. According to the Bestiary, the Wendigo is supposedly capable of defeating an Alpha Werewolf in a fight. However, both instances seen so far appear to indicate that this is not always the case, since Alan Deaton, a human without enhanced strength, was easily able to subdue Patrick.
* **Shapeshifting:** Wendigos possess the ability to partially shapeshift certain features on their body, such as making their entire eyes glow white, or transforming their teeth into sharp, multi-rowed fangs.

### Weaknesses

* **Mortality:** Unlike most supernatural creatures, Wendigos do not seem to possess an accelerated regenerative healing ability. This was revealed when Sean Walcott was killed from being stabbed in the back with a tomahawk in one strike.
* **Hunger**: Wendigos are forced to feed on human flesh or they will die. If they go too long without eating they become slaves to their hunger and will feed on whomever is closest to them, putting them at risk of exposing their supernatural identity.
* **Mountain Ash**: Most supernatural creatures can be stopped with a mountain ash barrier. Wendigos have been imprisoned in the closed unit of Eichen House, which uses mountain ash to weaken the supernatural patients there and prevent them from easily escaping.

## Werecoyote

The Werecoyote is a species of human-animal hybrid that is distantly related to the Werewolf. It is unknown if they can gain power from being in a pack or if an Alpha can draw upon more power with a Werecoyote in its pack; however, an Alpha's roar has the exact same effect on a Werecoyote as it does on a Werewolf, forcing the shapeshifter in question to transform or allowing them to fight through pain and other weaknesses to order to shift. Additionally, the Werecoyote shares the same kind of family classification as Werewolves as well, due to the fact that mundane coyotes and wolves are both canine creatures. Werecoyotes have the power to shift their features into that of a coyote, with pointed ears, furry sideburns, glowing eyes, fangs, and claws, and at least some Werecoyotes, such as Malia Tate, can fully-shift their bodies into that of a true coyote.

Malia was the first Werecoyote to be introduced. In Season 3B, it was revealed that Malia had been trapped in her coyote form for eight years and had lived in the Beacon Hills Preserve as a forest animal the entire time until Scott McCall used his Alpha roar to force her to return to her human form. After she had begun to adjust to human life again, Malia later joined the McCall Pack as its first and only Werecoyote, allowing her packmates to help her how to actively and consciously use her powers rather than relying purely on instinct. Though it took some time to achieve, Malia has recently learned to full-shift into a coyote at will.

In Season 5, Theo Raeken was revealed to be a Werewolf/Werecoyote Chimera, and as such, possessed many abilities of a Werecoyote, including the ability to full-shift (though it is unclear how Theo, as an unnatural creature, acquired this ability). Malia's mother Corinne, an assassin better known by the code-name the Desert Wolf (which is another term for "coyote") was also confirmed to be a Werecoyote as well, though she was greatly weakened after Malia somehow absorbed a portion of her powers during childbirth. Now that Malia has stolen Corinne's remaining powers in Season 5's Apotheosis, Corinne is now presumably a regular human, leaving Malia as the only full-blooded Werecoyote on the series until the second half of Season 6, when a Beacon Hills High School student, Edgar, was revealed to be a golden-eyed Werecoyote living under the guise of being an ordinary human. He also revealed that his entire family is made up of Werecoyotes as well, indicating that Werecoyotes may not be as rare as initially believed.

### Abilities

Werecoyotes possess abilities that are nearly identical to those possessed by Werewolves.

* **Super Strength:** Werecoyotes possess superhuman strength that allow them to do things such as break chains and locks, punch through walls, lift fallen trees and throw grown men across a room with ease. Even Werecoyotes who have passed down a portion of their power to their offspring are notably stronger than normal humans. Born Werecoyotes have been shown to need to initially activate this ability on a conscious level before it becomes a default setting, as shown when Malia, after returning to her human form following eight years of living as a coyote, needed to concentrate to break the lock on the door to Stiles Stilinski's "quiet room" when the two were in Eichen House. After becoming acquainted with her powers in her human-coyote form, Malia's super strength is active at all times.
* **Super Speed:** Werecoyotes can run much faster than even the most athletic humans. They are also capable of running on all fours in both human and in coyote form. Malia was shown running so fast through the woods after catching the scent of blood one night that Chris Argent, a highly skilled marksman, had to use a great deal of concentration to keep his rifle sights on her.
* **Super Agility/Reflexes:** Werecoyotes possess supernaturally enhanced agility and reflexes that allow them to move quickly, jump, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion. This includes leaping very high in the air and across large distances, jumping down from several stories high and landing lightly on their feet, and performing a multitude of acrobatic and gymnastic feats such as flips, handsprings, and spinning kicks. This also extends to their reflexes as well, allowing them to perceive and catch projectiles such as balls or arrows before they can be hit and instantly dodging oncoming strikes during battle.
* **Super Durability:** Werecoyotes can take a great amount of physical damage without being slowed down. They are much more durable to blunt force trauma than regular humans, allowing them to be thrown through walls and fall from tall heights with only minor injuries. This durability also enhances their stamina to superhuman-levels, allowing them to endure and fight much longer than a normal human would be able to accomplish even when seriously injured.
* **Super Senses**: Werecoyotes, like their coyote counterparts, have extremely sensitive senses of sight, hearing, and smell. They can see in the dark and across large distances, track scents for up to several miles while also interpreting the chemosignals that indicate identity and emotional states, and can hear whispered conversations from outside of buildings with ease. These abilities help Werecoyotes fight at night, hear approaching enemies, and locating missing people by scent. A coyote's glowing eyes can also be used to see mystical or supernatural phenomenon that cannot be perceived by human eyes, such as the Nemeton while it is hidden or a Kitsune's aura.
* **Accelerated Healing:** Werecoyotes possess extraordinarily enhanced healing factors that allow them to heal from most mild to moderate wounds within moments. Throughout the series, Werecoyotes have been shown to heal from gunshots; stab wounds through the chest, abdomen, and extremities; and broken arms, legs, and spines. They are also immune to all human illnesses and conditions such as colds, cancer, epilepsy, asthma, etc., and cannot get high on drugs or drunk on alcohol because they heal the damage caused by the toxins too quickly. The only known substances that Werecoyotes are not immune to is wolfsbane and the modified canine distemper virus that was specifically designed to kill Werewolves and Werecoyotes. They are also vulnerable to the paralytic effects of kanima venom, though they will recover from their paralysis from it much faster than a regular human would.
	+ **Longevity**: Because a Werecoyote's rapid cellular regeneration prevents them from contracting any human illnesses or conditions while also replacing aging cells at a constant rate, Werecoyotes have enhanced longevity and a decelerated rate of aging, allowing them to live much longer and healthier than normal humans. It is unknown what the average life expectancy of a werecreature is, but the oldest known werecreature is an Alpha Werewolf named Satomi Ito, who is over 110 years old; this indicates that Werecoyotes and their Werewolf cousins have the potential to live well into their 100s as long as they are not killed.
* **Shapeshifting:** Werecoyotes have the ability to transform their features into those of a coyote, which involves glowing eyes (which can either be gold in the case of a Werecoyote who has not killed innocent humans, or blue in the case of someone who has), fangs, claws, a ridged brow, and large sideburns. With practice, Werecoyotes can learn how to only transform a few features as needed, such as only extending their claws to cut something, their fangs to bite something, or simply making their eyes glow to enhance their eyesight or identify themselves as supernatural creatures.
	+ **Advanced Shapeshifting:** Malia Tate has been capable of fully shapeshifting into a true coyote since she was nine years of age, though it wasn't until recently that she was able to consciously control it. It is unknown if this ability is something all Werecoyotes are capable of doing upon activating their powers, if it is a learned skill that any Werecoyote has the potential to achieve, or if it is a genetic trait that only some Werecoyotes possess; since the ability to fully shapeshift into an animal form seems to be common in the Hale family, and it was revealed that Malia is the daughter of Peter Hale, it is possible that she gained this ability from her paternal heritage. In Season 6, Malia is shown to have full control of her full coyote-shift.
* **Pain Absorption**: Werecoyotes, like Werewolves, possess the ability to absorb pain from other living beings through tactile contact. They typically do this through putting their hands on the arm or affected body part of the being in pain and drawing the pain into themselves, which manifests as a darkening of the veins in the Werecoyote's hands that travels up their arms and into their chest, neck, and sometimes even their face, depending on how much pain is absorbed. Malia has used this power to siphon the pain experienced by Corey Bryant after he was burned by Jordan Parrish's hellhound fire, and also used it to absorb the pain experienced by her biological father Peter Hale after he was burned following his trip through the portal between the real world and the Phantom Train Station.
* **Animal Instincts**: Werecoyotes possess the same animal instincts as their coyote counterparts, causing them to instinctively think and behave like a coyote would. This includes being territorial over their living environment, determining whether to fight or flee from danger, and being aroused by the scent of blood after a kill. Malia has especially developed animal instincts compared to her shapeshifter peers, and its unknown if this due to Malia being a born creature, a side-effect of living as a coyote for eight years, something all Werecoyotes possess, or if it is a combination of these factors.

### Weaknesses

* **Mountain Ash**: Werecoyotes, like the majority of supernatural species in the show, cannot cross barriers made of mountain ash or rowan wood, nor can they touch or manipulate the wood or its ash in a non-barrier form. This makes them vulnerable to being trapped within a ring of mountain ash, or being prevented from entering an area that has been warded with it.
* **Wolfsbane:** Werecoyotes can be weakened or killed by exposure to wolfsbane, depending on the species and the method of exposure. Blue wolfsbane (also known as Nordic Blue Monkshood) is an extremely potent strain that will poison and kill a werecreature, while purple wolfsbane causes intense and terrifying hallucinations, and yellow wolfsbane acts as a non-lethal sedative.
* **Full Moon:** Though being a werecreature is considered a gift in the supernatural world due to the increased speed, stamina, and healing that it provides, it also comes with a price, which is that the Werewolf, Werecoyote, or werejaguar is beholden to the phases of the moon. During a full moon, werecreatures without training will become overcome with a rabid anger that will cause them to attack any living creature they come upon, which is why they all must learn control to avoid exposure and harm to innocent civilians. The full moon will make a Werecoyote stronger, but it will also make them more rabid and chaotic, which makes them easy targets for supernatural hunters. With adequate training, a Werecoyote can learn to remain in their human form and mind through the full moon, but under the right circumstances, even the most well-disciplined Werecoyote can lose control.
* **Lunar Eclipse**: During the phase of a lunar eclipse where the moon is completely covered in the earth's umbral shadow, a Werecoyote or other werecreature will lose all of their powers, including their super strength, accelerated healing, and shapeshifting abilities, essentially making them human for that time period and thus vulnerable to anyone seeking to take advantage of this weakness and harm or kill them.
* **Electricity:** Werecoyotes can be weakened or killed by exposure to electricity, depending on the level of voltage used. Lower voltages will disable their healing abilities and prevent them from transforming, while higher voltages can severely slow or even stop their heart completely. For this reason, electricity, typically in the form of cattle-prod tasers reaching up to 800,000 volts to account for the Werecoyote's superhuman durability, are one of the most common weapons hunters use against their prey.
* **Letharia Vulpina**: As a canine Werecreature, Werecoyotes, like Werewolves, can be weakened by exposure to *letharia vulpina*, otherwise known as "wolf lichen" because of its toxic effects toward the canine species. However, unlike their mundance counterparts, *letharia vulpina* is not fatal toward Werecoyotes.
* **Modified Canine Distemper Virus**: One of the assassins in the Deadpool, The Chemist, created a modified version of the canine distemper virus, changing it so that it could also sicken both humans (albeit temporarily) and any canine shapeshifter, such as Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and Kitsune (in their cases, potentially killing them). Malia, a Werecoyote, was exposed to the virus and nearly died from it after beginning to bleed black blood from her nose, mouth, and ears, and after losing her vision completely. Malia was also the one who became the sickest in their shortest amount of time out of herself, the Werewolf Scott McCall and the Thunder Kitsune Kira Yukimura. There are several possibilities why this was the case, such as: the fact that she was only a Beta-level shapeshifter while Scott, as an Alpha, had an extra spark of power to help him recover, and Kira, as a Kitsune, is a spirit-based shapeshifter who was affected differently by the virus; or the fact that she is a born Werecoyote, whereas Scott was born a human and Kira has human heritage on her father's side. Regardless, consuming wild purple reishi mushrooms are known to both cure a the virus after it has been contracted and prevent those who ingest it prior to exposure from being infected in the first place; inhaling the dust of the jar of wild purple reishi in the Hale Vault cured Malia of the virus, including the side effects such as her blindness.
* **Loud Noises**: Werecoyotes, as supernatural creatures with heightened senses of hearing, are vulnerable to sounds at certain frequencies. For example, the Argent Hunters are known for using ultrasonic emitters that produce an extremely high-pitched noise that only animals and people with supernaturally enhanced senses can hear. Conversely, there are also certain subsonic, low-pitched sounds that can be used against Werecreatures as well, as a group of Deadpool assassins used in *Perishable*. Sounds at this low frequency have been shown to cause Werecoyotes to become incredibly disoriented, woozy, nauseous, and unable to control their bodies, to the point that others have mistaken them for being drunk. In this state, they are unable to defend themselves due to the sounds making them weak and unable to stand, walk, talk, or see clearly.

## Werejaguar

Werejaguars, also known as the Nagual, are a species of shape-shifters that were introduced during Season 4  of MTV's Teen Wolf. The lore behind the Werejaguar is based on the Aztec legend of Tezcatlipoca, a god who has a strong connection to jaguars. Kate Argent was the first Werejaguar seen in the series. Hayden Romero was a part-Werejaguar Chimera prior to being bitten and turned into a Werewolf by Scott McCall, but demonstrated very few Werejaguar abilities.

Due to there only being one true Werejaguar in the series, there is very little known about the species' mythology. The most notable characteristic of the Werejaguar is their connection to the Berserker species; Kate Argent and has the ability to both control Berserkers and create them, and during Hayden's brief time as a part-Werejaguar Chimera, she was able to sense the location and current status of Noah Patrick, a part-Berserker Chimera. Because of these abilities, there's is clearly some kind of established connection between Werejaguars and Berserkers.

So far in the series, the only Werejaguar who have appeared were turned or made, with Kate Argent being deeply scratched by then-Alpha Werewolf Peter Hale, and with Hayden Romero being scientifically transformed into a part-Werejaguar Chimera by the Dread Doctors. They have yet to be introduced in the series, though it was implied by Braeden that there are more Werejaguars in Mexico in the area around La Iglesia, a church built over the ruins of an Aztec temple to Tezcatlipoca, who is said to be the Werejaguar god. It is also unknown if Werejaguars can turn humans into more of their kind, due in part to the mystery as to whether they have a hierarchy within their species like Werewolves do, with Alphas being the only ones who can turn humans into Werewolves or other shapeshifters through a bite or scratch.

### Physical Appearance

When shifted, a Werejaguar's eyes will glow green, a color that has yet to be seen on any other species; it is unclear if the color of their eyes is due to genetics, symbolism or possibly a third unknown reason. A Werejaguar's fangs are much shorter than those of a Werewolf but seem to be used to the same effect. Werejaguars have been known to partially shift on occasion, like their Werewolf and Werecoyote counterparts, as evidenced by when Kate has only flashed her green Werejaguar eyes or has only extended her teeth and fingernails into fangs and claws. When a Werejaguar completely shapeshifts, their skin changes from its normal color to a bluish-purple tone with black jaguar-esque spots. Though Kate is usually fully-clothed when she shifts, it has been shown that the skin on her face, neck, chest, shoulders, and arms change color, indicating that the skin on the rest of her body may transform as well.

### Berserker Connection

Werejaguars have a unique but currently unspecified connection with Berserkers. The former Huntress turned Werejaguar, Kate Argent, who is also known by the nicknames "La Loba" or "The Bone Woman," was not only able to control the Berserkers, but she was able to create them as well, as evidenced when she turned Scott McCall, a True Alpha Werewolf, into a Berserker, though this transformation was temporary.

Shortly after Kate completed her transformation into a Werejaguar, she was drawn to the Temple of Tezcatlipoca (the patron god of the Nahual people and Werejaguars in general), which was located under a Mexican church called La Iglesia, where she discovered two Berserkers waiting for her. Although she did not understand why, the Berserkers quickly demonstrated that they obeyed her every command, as shown when the beasts retreated from a fight with the McCall Pack when she roared at them. These Berserkers then began acting as her bodyguards and helped her survive while she was on the run from the Calavera family of hunters.

It was unknown if this connection was a Werejaguar trait or something specific to Kate until Season 5B's *The Last Chimera*, when it was revealed by Theo Raeken that Hayden Romero, who was then a part-Werejaguar, part-Werewolf Chimera, had a connection with Noah Patrick, a part-Berserker Chimera. Through this connection, Hayden was able to sense that Noah had been in their vicinity recently, and could also sense that he was close to death. It was implied by Theo that the Dread Doctors informed him that Werejaguars have a special connection to Berserkers.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Super Strength:** Werejaguars possess incredible superhuman strength, to the point that they appear to be on par with Alpha Werewolves. This was demonstrated during Kate Argent's battle against the True Alpha Scott McCall, who she managed to defeat, although her Berserker weakened him first and helped her through the duration of the fight and she had the element of surprise. It's also possible Scott was not trying to hurt her, as he still possessed great love for Allison and Chris.
* **Super Speed:** Werejaguars possess superhuman speed that allows them to run faster than even the most athletic human beings. Veteran Hunter Chris Argent admitted that he was having difficulty tracking his sister Kate and her Berserkers, who he said were too fast for him to follow.
* **Super Agility/Reflexes**: Werejaguars possess superhuman agility, allowing them to jump extremely high and far in a single bound and perform various gymnastic and acrobatic feats. Kate demonstrated this enhanced agility when she jumped through the wall of windows in Derek's loft, which was at least a dozen floors from the ground, indicating that she could jump extremely high and far without tiring her out before her battle with Scott and Kira. This agility also extends to a Werejaguar's reflexes, allowing them to easily dodge attacks and projectiles such as arrows and bullets before they can be hit.
* **Super Durability**: Werejaguars, while being vulnerable to open wounds like slashes and punctures, are extremely durable to blunt force trauma, allowing them to endure severe blows with only minor injury. Kate jumped through a wall of plate-glass windows without being slowed down. Additionally, even open wounds such as being shot with various bullets doesn't seem to slow Werejaguars down, though it can anger them enough to force them to transform against their will.
* **Super Senses:** Like their jaguar counterparts, Werejaguars possess extremely sensitive and acute senses of sight, hearing, and smell. With their enhanced sight, they can see much farther than normal humans and have perfect eyesight in the dark, as well as being able to see supernatural phenomenon that cannot be perceived by human eyes, such as a Kitsune's aura or the Nemeton while it is hiding itself. With their enhanced sense of smell, Werejaguars can track scents for up to several miles, so long as they are not covered up by stronger scents like chemicals or washed away by the rain, and they can also interpret individual human scents, allowing them to discern the personal identity and emotional state through chemosignals. A Werejaguar's enhanced hearing can allow them to hear extremely quiet sounds that would ordinarily not be picked up by human ears, such as whispered conversations from several yards away. These senses, while working together, can help a Werejaguar significantly in battle, aiding them in fighting at night, hearing the footsteps of approaching enemies before they can get close, and locating missing people by scent.
* **Accelerated Healing**: Like their fellow Werecreatures, Wolves and Coyotes, Werejaguars have immensely accelerated cellular regeneration, allowing them to heal from mild to moderate wounds within moments. Werejaguars' healing seems to be even more rapid than the average shapeshifter, as Kate Argent has not only shown that she can be shot multiple times without being slowed down, but her healing ability was so advanced that it actually resurrected her after she was killed by Peter Hale; he clawed her so deeply when ripping out her throat that she was transformed into a Werejaguar, and her healing ability, enhanced by the impending full moon, brought Kate back to life so she could complete her transformation. Additionally, this enhanced healing ability gives Werejaguars an immunity to human illnesses and conditions, and prevents them from becoming drunk on alcohol or high on drugs due to their bodies healing the damage too quickly for the effects to be felt.
	+ **Longevity**: Because of a Werejaguar's enhanced healing ability that replaces aging and damaged cells at a constant rate, they, along with their fellow shapeshifters, possess an incredibly expanded lifespan. It is unknown how old a Werejaguar can live, but the oldest known Werecreature, the Alpha Werewolf Satomi Ito, is 110+ years old while maintaining the appearance of a woman in her mid-late 50s to early 60s, indicating that a Werecreature could possibly live decades longer than even that. This also allows a Werejaguar and their fellow animal shapeshifters to maintain their youthful appearance for a longer period of time.
* **Shapeshifting:** Werejaguars by definition are shapeshifters, allowing them to transform their physical features into ones that resemble their jaguar counterparts. When a Werejaguar shifts, their eyes glow green, their teeth and fingernails extend into fangs and claws, and their skin changes from its usual shade to a dark bluish-purple with darker spots. This transformation can be a conscious or unconscious act. While a Werejaguar can shift on command, they can also involuntarily shift as well if they do not have control over their transformations, especially during periods of extreme emotions such as anger or fear, or during a full moon.
	+ **Glowing Eyes**: Werejaguars possess eyes that glow jade-green, which presumably allows them to generate brightness and see in the dark clearly.
	+ **Claw Retraction**: Werejaguars possess claws that are long and extremely sharp, which are strong enough to tear a person apart. This was demonstrated by Kate Argent when she lost control of her transformation and mauled a gas station attendant to death after he walked into the restroom in which she had locked herself.
		- **Memory Manipulation** **(Possibly)**: Werejaguars, like their Werewolf and Werecoyote counterparts, are possibly able to manipulate a person's memories through the use of their claws, which are inserted into the base of the neck of their target, creating a connection between the two.
			* **Memory Reading (Possibly)**: If they are able to manipulate memories, they would also be able to read the memories of others**.**
			* **Memory Implantation (Possibly)**: If they are able to manipulate memories, they would also be able to implant memories into the minds of others, which can either be the memories of others, or false memories manufactured by them.
			* **Memory Suppression (Possibly)**: If they are able to manipulate memories, they would able to suppress the memories of others.
			* **Memory Erasure (Possibly)**: If they are able to manipulate memories, they would be able to completely erase the memories of others.
	+ **Fang Retraction**: Werejaguars possess retractable fangs that are similar to their human teeth, only sharper and longer, that can harm others.
	+ **Skin Color Shifting**: Werejaguars can change their own skin color from its usual shade to a dark bluish-purple with black jaguar-esque spots.
* **Jaguar Instincts**: As an animalistic shapeshifter, Werejaguars possess the same animal instincts as their jaguar counterparts, giving then intuitive instincts as to how a real jaguar would behave. Since jaguars are predators, Werejaguars can presumably assert dominance over lesser creatures such as dogs, cats, and deer, just like Werewolves and Werecoyotes, and share a jaguar's hunting, predatory and solitary instincts.
* **Magic**: Werejaguars can utilize supernatural forces, usually through rituals, in order to achieve any effect they desire.
	+ **Ritual Magic**: The only known Werejaguar, Kate Argent, demonstrated the ability to perform certain magical or mystical rituals to defy the laws of the human world. Both of the rituals she performed required Kate to transport her victims to the Temple of Tezcatlipoca. It is unknown if this is a power that all Werejaguars possess.
		- **Ritual Manipulation**: Werejaguars can create, modify and manipulate rituals of any kind.
		- **Age Manipulation**: Werejaguars can manipulate the age of organisms and possibly non-living objects. Her first ritual was one involving wolfsbane. His de-aged form only possessed the knowledge, memory and skills of his younger self, so he didn't remember any of his packmates, could not control himself on full moons, didn't remember that the Hale House Fire had happened, and thus also didn't remember that it was Kate who caused the fire. It was later revealed that Kate had performed this ritual to turn Derek back to an age where he still trusted her so she could manipulate him into giving her the Triskelion Medallion, which she believed to be a truly mystical talisman that could give her control over her Werejaguar transformations.
			* **Age Shifting**: Through this ritual, Kate was able to that temporarily de-aged Derek Hale from being an adult man in his mid-20s to his 16-year-old self.
		- **Berserker Conversion**: Through rituals, Werejaguars can convert people (including supernatural beings) into a Berserker. The second ritual Kate performed also involved wolfsbane and a special room in La Iglesia, where she used a bear skull to turn Scott McCall into a Berserker.
			* **Power Granting**: Through converting people into Berserkers, they can give them the powers of these creatures.

### Weaknesses

* **Mountain Ash**: Since Werejaguars are supernatural creatures, they are vulnerable to rowan, both in its wood form and its incinerated form known as mountain ash. As a result, not only can they not touch or handle it, but they can also be barred from entering an area that has been warded with an unbroken circle of it, and can also be trapped within a circle in the same way.
* **Wolfsbane**: Yellow wolfsbane seemed to weaken Kate Argent when nothing else would, but it didn't have as extreme of an effect as it had on Werewolves and Werecoyotes. This could possibly be because jaguars are a feline species, not a canine species like the aforementioned shapeshifters, making them less vulnerable to the herb. It is unknown what effects, if any, other forms of wolfsbane, such as the blue and purple varieties, would have on Werejaguars.
* **Full Moon**: Werejaguars, like Werewolves and Werecoyotes, are beholden to the full moon, as it is the source of their powers. During a full moon, a Werejaguar's powers will be enhanced to even stronger levels, but also come with a cost of enhanced agitation, aggression, and bloodlust that they will need to learn to control to prevent exposing their supernatural identity to humans and Hunters. Werejaguars without training will be overcome with such rage and aggression that they will be compelled to attack any living creature they cross who crosses their path. This was evidenced by Kate Argent, whose control over her transformations was tenuous at best, and who inadvertently killed a gas station attendant after he heard her roaring in discomfort while trying not to shift and forced his way into the restroom where she was hiding.
* **Intense Emotions**: Like their Werewolf and Werecoyote counterparts, Werejaguars' transformations can be triggered by increased heart rates, which means that intense emotions such as anger, fear, stress, or lust can cause them to transform if they do not learn how to control their pulse. While pain usually helps shapeshifters remain human instead of transforming, it can have the opposite effect if the pain causes the shapeshifter to become angry, as evidenced by the Werejaguar Kate Argent when she was shot by a hunter while trying to interrogate them on the identity of The Benefactor. Shapeshifters who are impulsive and reckless also have difficulty controlling their emotions and their transformations, which was demonstrated by Kate when it took her much longer to learn to control her Werejaguar transformations than other shapeshifters like Scott McCall or Isaac Lahey, who learned to control their Werewolf shifts by their second or third full moon.
* **Lunar Eclipse**: Since Werewolves and Werecoyotes, who are beholden to the moon just like Werejaguars, lose their powers during the phase in a lunar eclipse when the moon is in the Earth's umbral shadow, it can be assumed that Werejaguars will also lose their powers during this lunar phase as well.
* **Electricity** (possibly): Electricity is a weakness that seems to be shared by most animalistic shapeshifters, such as Werewolves and Werecoyotes, indicating that it could be a Werejaguar weakness as well. This seems to be implied when Araya Calavera had a taser wand while preparing to battle Kate Argent, but since a Werejaguar has yet to be electrocuted, it is unknown if this is truly a Werejaguar's weakness or not.

## WereWolves Type A

Werewolves are the predominant supernatural species in the Teen Wolf universe, and they were the first supernatural creature to be introduced in the series. They are shapeshifters who have the ability to transform from an ordinary human appearance to a partially-lupine form that includes glowing eyes (which are either gold, blue, or red depending on rank or other factors) pointed ears, mutton chops, claws and fangs, and a ridged brow. In rare cases, Werewolves can also have such advanced shapeshifting abilities that they can actually turn into a real wolf, or can transform into a large, monstrous, bipedal wolf-man.

Along with shapeshifting, all Werewolves possess superior strength, speed, agility, healing, and senses, among other powers.

In the supernatural community, being a Werewolf is considered a gift, but it is a gift that has a cost—because a Werewolf's powers are derived from the moon, the full moon will cause their abilities and emotions to be so heightened that many lose control of themselves, which can cause death and destruction if not handled properly. For this reason, all newly turned Werewolves need to be trained in order to resist the urges that the moon forces upon them, which will allow them to remain in their human form unless it's absolutely necessary to change. ("Wolf Moon"), ("Frenemy")

There are several known ways to become a Werewolf. The two most common ones are being a born a Werewolf or to be bitten by an Alpha Werewolf. In incredibly-rare occasions, the claws of an Alpha can turn a human into a Werewolf if they scratch the human recipient deep enough, though it is considered less effective than the Bite. Myths have also stated that drinking rainwater from the pawprint of a wolf can change a human into a lycanthrope. However, these methods are not guaranteed to be successful; children of Werewolves have been known to be born completely human, and in many cases, the Bite has actually killed their human recipients rather than transformed them into Werewolves. Also, in one known case, a daughter of a Werewolf, Malia Tate, inherited her mother's Werecoyote heritage rather than that of her father, and in other cases, several former humans who were turned by an Alpha Werewolf have become other kinds of shapeshifters, such as a Kanima in Jackson Whittemore's case and a Werejaguar in the case of Kate Argent.

A Werewolf is strongest when in a pack with one Alpha (who is the leader of the pack) and at least three Beta Werewolves total, which constitutes a basic pack; in most cases, there is usually a defined hierarchy within the pack. ("Ice Pick") The Alpha draws power from their Betas, and vice-versa, which makes them stronger, more mature and more effective in battle. Werewolves without a pack are known as Omegas, who are generally regarded as weaker and easier to defeat and/or kill than their Beta and Alpha peers, who have packs to back them up, though this is not always the case; an Omega could be the sole surviving member of a pack that was decimated, a former Alpha who has been abandoned by his Betas or a Beta abandoned or kicked out of their former pack, or, in the rarest of cases, are lone wolves purely by choice. ("Omega")

There are enough Werewolves in existence that the community even has its own culture, which includes legends and folk tales passed down through the generations, mystical rituals for certain events, and societal protocols for how to deal with intense situations, such as how to respond to the death of one of their fellow packmates.

### History

Little is known about the genesis of the Werewolf species, though Gerard Argent has claimed that the first Werewolf was supposedly Lycaon from Greek mythology, along with his fifty sons. According to the legend, Gerard told Scott McCall and Allison Argent, Lycaon, who was among the Greeks who worshiped the Titans rather than the Gods of Olympus, invited Zeus to a feast at his home, where he attempted to trick him into eating human flesh. Zeus was so enraged by this prank that he cursed Lycaon and his sons by turning them into wolves. From there, Lycaon and his sons sought out the Druids, as they were rumored to have a gift for shapeshifting and Lycaon hoped that they could help them undo the curse.

Though the Druids were unable to remove the curse, they were able to help Lycaon and his sons shift back and forth from human form to Werewolf form. Due to their assistance, some Druids elected to work with Werewolf packs, helping them maintain their humanity and guiding them through their lives as lycanthropes, which led them to become called Emissaries. It is unknown if this legend is actually true or if it is simply a work of fiction, but regardless, Druid Emissaries continue to act as advisers to Alphas and their packs in real life to this day, though in most cases, only the Alpha knows who the Emissary is. *("Visionary")* Those who are known to be or have formerly been Emissaries to Werewolf packs are Alan Deaton (formerly the Emissary to the Hale Pack and the current Emissary to the McCall Pack), Marin Morrell Deucalion's original pack and then the Alpha Pack, and Jennifer Blake (Kali's original pack).

In the mid-18th century, the most famous and monstrous Werewolf in history, the Beast of Gevaudan, began to ravage France, reportedly killing anywhere from 100 to 500 people before it was finally slayed by a human villager, Marie-Jeanne Valet, who eventually became the progenitor of the Argent line of Werewolf Hunters. *("Maid of Gévaudan")*

One of the most well-known Werewolf families is the Hale family, whose bloodline is known to go back several centuries. *("117")* Their most notable Alpha was Talia Hale, who possessed the rare ability to shapeshift into a true wolf, a trait that was also inherited by her eldest daughter Laura (who had inherited her Alpha spark upon Talia's death) and her only son Derek (who managed to evolve to full-shift despite only being a Beta at the time). *("Visionary")*, *("Second Chance at First Line")*, *("Smoke and Mirrors")*

### Culture

There is a relatively strong culture among the international community of Werewolves, particularly those who are born into the species, which, for most, includes the belief that their lycanthropy binds them all together as a family. For this reason, peaceful packs often see each other as siblings, regardless of their blood ties, and older, more experienced Werewolves tend to take it upon themselves to protect and teach those who are recently turned how to adapt to their new lives; for example, Derek Hale told Scott McCall that they were now brothers after Scott had been bitten by Peter Hale *("Wolf Moon")*, and Scott repeated the sentiment to Liam Dunbar after Scott had inadvertently given him the Bite. *("The Benefactor")* In a similar vein, the sight of the dozens of Werewolves from Satomi Ito's pack who had been killed by a modified form of canine distemper brought the typically unemotional Derek to tears out of sadness for the loss of so many fellow Werewolves.

Despite the camaraderie between Werewolves of all bloodlines, they are still a predatory species, and battles among and within packs for either political or territorial reasons are not uncommon; this was evidenced by the conflict between the Alpha Pack and the allied Hale and McCall Packs in which the Alphas attempted to convince Derek and Scott to join them. *("Unleashed")*, *("The Girl Who Knew Too Much")* However, alliances between packs to fend off a common enemy is also a frequent occurrence, particularly when it involves Werewolf Hunters.

For example, the Hale Pack, Deucalion's original pack, Ennis' original pack, and Kali's original pack all gathered in Beacon Hills to determine how they would react to the Argent Hunter family going after the Werewolves in the region in the early 2000s. *("Visionary")* Because of the threat the Werewolves face from the Werewolf Hunters, all Werewolves are trained to know what to do if they are confronted by Hunters—fight their way out, hide somewhere away from the rest of the pack so as to not lure the hunters to their den, and heal. This puts enormous pressure on the individuals in the Werewolf community to do everything possible to learn control over their transformations so they don't risk exposing themselves to the human population and Hunters alike.

There are several rituals used by Werewolves that are unique to their species that can be used for various effects. One is a memory manipulation ritual that is typically only performed by Alphas, due to the amount of control and experience necessary to do it without paralyzing or killing the person whose memories are being accessed. To perform the ritual, the Alpha (or, in some rare cases, an especially experienced Beta or a part-Werewolf Chimera) stabs the back of the target's neck with their claws, piercing their spinal cord and making a metaphysical connection to their minds.

In most cases, this ritual is used to search through a person's memories and see specific events so that the Werewolf performing the ritual can experience a particular memory through the target's eyes, especially in cases where the target has been through a trauma and cannot reliably recall what happened on their own, or when their true memories have been mystically manipulated in some way (as in the case with Isaac Lahey after he had been attacked by Deucalion and Kali *("Chaos Rising")*). This can also work in the reverse, as well, with the Werewolf performing the ritual to share their own memories with the target, such as when Peter Hale shared his memories of the Hale House Fire with Scott. *("Co-Captain")*

However, some especially skilled Alphas can also use this ability to suppress or entirely remove memories, such as when Talia removed her brother Peter's memories of his daughter Malia Tate's existence *("Letharia Vulpina")*, or when Talia removed the memories of the Nemeton's location in both Derek and Peter to ensure they would not return to the powerful tree. *("Alpha Pact")* Because of the amount of risk involved, this ritual, regardless of their intent, is usually performed on supernatural creatures with healing abilities who can recover from the damage much more quickly than regular humans. However, the ritual has, on several occasions, been done to Banshees, though in Lydia Martin's case, this caused her to become temporarily catatonic, since the person who performed it on her was an inexperienced Chimera who did not perform the ritual correctly. *("Status Asthmaticus")*

Another ritual, which, unlike the previous ritual, can only be performed by Alphas, is one that can transfer their Alpha "spark" to a dying Beta in order to heal them, at the cost of their own Alpha powers. When performed, the Alpha absorbs the Beta's pain to the point that the ill Beta absorbs the Alpha's extra spark of power, allowing them to enhance their preexisting healing factor to a high enough level that they can overcome their illness or injury. This ritual has only been demonstrated once in the series, when Derek gave up his Alpha powers to heal his younger sister Cora from the mistletoe poisoning inflicted upon her by Jennifer Blake. *("Alpha Pact")* It is possible this ritual can also be used to voluntarily transfer Alpha power to another Beta in a method similar to a king or queen abdicating a throne, though this has yet to be confirmed in canon.

Finally, there is one last ritual that can allow a Werewolf to communicate with the spirit of a deceased Werewolf, though this is a risky ritual that is not commonly done. To do this, a Werewolf needs the claws of the deceased Werewolf in question, along with another Werewolf who is willing to push the claws into their cuticles to act as the conduit. The assisting Werewolf will then pierce the back of the other Werewolf's neck with the claws of the deceased in a modified form of the memory-sharing ritual, which will mystically form a connection with the deceased's spirit inside the main Werewolf's mind. Derek Hale performed this ritual with Peter Hale's assistance and Talia Hale's claws, which allowed him to talk to his mother, who informed him that the Hales not only lived in Beacon Hills, but they protected it. *("Galvanize")*

### Full Moons

Because a Werewolf gains their power from the moon, full moons (and especially on supermoons, when the full moon is even closer to the Earth than it normally is) are when they are at their strongest. However, this also means that their animal instincts and heightened aggression are at their peak as well, which makes them much more likely to lose control and harm or kill someone by accident. This makes Werewolves vulnerable to exposure and also makes it easier for them to be captured or killed by Hunters, which is why Hunters do the majority of their hunting on full moons when Werewolves are most likely to make a mistake. Due to this risk, most werewolves are trained to control themselves on a full moon, typically by using an "anchor" to help them remain connected to their humanity.

An anchor can be a person, a relationship with a person, an emotion, an object, a mantra, or even just a Werewolf's own sense of self. For example, Scott McCall's anchor was his relationship with Allison Argent until several months after they broke up, when his anchor became his own willpower; Derek and Peter Hale's anchors involve focusing on their anger, rage, and hate; Isaac Lahey's anchor is the memory of his father before he became abusive; and Liam Dunbar focuses on not transforming by distracting himself with music on his iPod, though his friendship with Mason Hewitt has also been shown to help him regain control.

Werewolf packs may also have their own methods of training their Betas to maintain control over their lycanthropy. For example, Talia Hale used a sacred object to the Hale family, a Triskelion medallion, in combination with the mantra "Alpha, Beta, Omega" as a tool to help her daughter Laura gain control, and attempted to use it for Derek as well, with little success in the latter case. Similarly, Satomi Ito's pack recites a Buddhist mantra to help them stay human-- "Three things cannot long be hidden: the sun, the moon, the truth." To them, the meaning of "the truth" is the fact that Werewolves themselves are inherently violent creatures, and they must remember this truth in order to keep themselves under control to prevent unnecessary violence against others.

Until Werewolves gain full control of their transformations on full moons using their anchors, they are typically restrained in some way to prevent them from running wild and attacking people. Ideally, this involves locking the wolf in a secured room, like a boiler room, which has a strong enough construction to withstand the Werewolf's heightened strength, which has been even more enhanced by the moon's effects. Another method involves tying them up with large amounts of heavy chains, though this is still not always strong enough to keep a full-moon-crazed Werewolf at bay and is not ideal for long-term use.

Werewolves who already had anger issues prior to being turned, such as Liam (who was diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder before he was bitten by Scott) can often have a much harder time learning to control their shifts than the majority of Werewolves because a Werewolf's anger is already heightened to begin with, and it is usually the trigger for an involuntary transformation. As a result, Liam took around eight months to finally learn control over his shifting on full moons as a result of his pre-existing anger issues, while other shapeshifters such as Scott, Isaac, and Malia only needed two or three full moons to finally get a handle on it.

Supermoons, or full moons that are especially close to the Earth, only make Werewolves even stronger and more bloodthirsty and aggressive than on normal full moons; they can feel the effects strongly even during the day when exposure to moonlight is at a minimum, increasing the amount of time during this moon phase that a Werewolf must work to resist the moon's influence.

Conversely, a lunar eclipse will suppress a Werewolf's powers for the duration of time when the moon is in the earth's umbral shadow, which usually lasts between ten and twenty minutes. During this time, a Werewolf will essentially be human, making them vulnerable to Hunters or anyone else who may try to take advantage of their lack of powers. Jennifer Blake, also known as the Darach, attempted to use a lunar eclipse to kill Deucalion, a self-proclaimed Demon Wolf who ordinarily was far too strong for even her immense powers to defeat.

### Werewolf Packs and Hierarchy

#### Alpha's

Alphas are physically the strongest of the Werewolf species and are typically the leaders of their respective packs. Alphas are distinguishable by their glowing crimson-red eyes, and their abilities are exponentially greater than those of most Betas and Omegas; not only do they possess immense individual power, but they also draw on the shapeshifters in their packs as well, giving them additional strength with every Beta they turn or have joined their pack. In addition, there are many different kinds of Alphas who take various forms, which are outlined below and sourced from the Argent Bestiary (released at 2014's San Diego Comic-Con and with the Season 4 DVD set). Werewolves can gain the rank of Alpha in several different ways, including by inheritance, by killing another Alpha and stealing their powers (which is one of the most common methods), or, in extremely rare cases, by ascending due to the sheer force of will. It has also been implied that it is possible for Werewolves to be voluntarily given someone else's Alpha powers as well, though how this is done has yet to be revealed.

Alphas are the only Werewolves who can turn a human into a Werewolf via a bite or a deep scratch, and they also have the ability to use their Alpha Roar to force Betas and Omegas into submission or motivate them; for example, Scott used his roar to allow Isaac to remove a trap on his foot ("More Bad Than Good") and a second time to help Liam resist the electric shocks of the Eichen House orderlies ("Amplification"). The injuries they inflict on lower-ranking Werewolves take much longer to heal than a normal wound would because of the additional power they possess.

Shapeshifting-wise, an Alpha can either assume the form of what is a typical description of a lycanthrope—a large bipedal wolf with human-like qualities—or, in rare cases, the actual form of a wolf. However, the latter is not always limited to Alphas or even real Werewolves; for example, Derek Hale evolved to full-shift into a wolf despite being a Beta in Smoke and Mirrors, and Theo Raeken, the Dread Doctors' first Chimera, was able to full-shift into a wolf due to the combination of his Werewolf and Werecoyote genes despite not even being truly supernatural.

#### Beta's

Beta Werewolves are Werewolves who belong to a pack and who are one rank below an Alpha Werewolf. Betas are usually loyal to their Alphas and to each other, and will defer to their Alpha's judgment in most cases, though there have been instances when a Beta has risen to the occasion and defied their Alphas' orders, sometimes even going so far as killing their Alpha due to lack of confidence in their leadership or out of thirst for power. Beta Werewolves possess the same supernatural abilities and physical characteristics of the average Werewolf, including a pronounced brow, pointed ears, sideburns, fangs, and claws. However, Beta Werewolves' eyes can be either one of two colors: gold, or blue. Betas with blue eyes are believed to be Werewolves who have taken an innocent human life, whereas Betas with gold eyes have not. The strength level of Betas' powers can vary as well, with some Betas, such as Liam Dunbar, who has intermittent explosive disorder, being much more physically strong than their peers due to channeling their anger into augmenting their raw strength.

#### Omega

Omega Werewolves, also known as "lone wolves," are Werewolves who do not belong to a pack. There are many reasons why a Werewolf may not have a pack, such as being kicked out or abandoned by their former pack, being the sole survivor of a pack who had been killed by Hunters or other supernaturals, or, in rare cases, having chosen solitude over the security of a pack. Because Werewolves are naturally drawn to be in packs due to the additional power they gain from it, Omega werewolves are known to be the weakest and are extremely vulnerable to Hunters and other creatures. In some rare instances, such as with Ethan and Aiden, Omegas will technically run with a pack without fully being a Beta within it; Ethan once described their status in their first pack as being "the bitches", as in the wolves who are the last to eat and who are always at the mercy of the Betas and Alphas above them. ("The Girl Who Knew Too Much") However, aside from being nomadic and solitary creatures, Omegas are physically indistinguishable from Beta Werewolves—they will still have either gold or blue eyes (and, on rare occasions, Alpha red) and will have the same general Werewolf form as any other lycanthrope. Since an Omega is a lone wolf, any Alpha without a pack could technically be considered an "Omega" but would certainly be more powerful due to their additional Alpha "spark".

#### Demon Wolf

Sebastien Valet, who was in fact the the Beast of Gevaudan, referred to himself as a Demon Wolf, claiming that drinking rainwater from a wolf's paw print in the woods of what is now Montreal, Canada is what gave him his powers. Whether the term is accurate or not is irrelevant, as the Beast itself has demonstrated that even in the past, it was not a typical Werewolf in the least. The sole similarity Sebastien had to regular Werewolves was the ability to partially shapeshift their features into that of a lycanthrope, in his case, with glowing blue eyes (indicating he has taken innocent human life), retractable fangs and claws, along with the physical powers of super strength, speed, agility/reflexes, durability, and accelerated healing. He also implied that he was immortal and unable to be killed with conventional weapons, though this may solely be because he originated in the 18th century when weaponry was not as sophisticated. It was later revealed that there was at least one object that could kill him-- a pike whose steel tip was mixed with wolfsbane and mountain ash before it was forged with the blood of his sister, Marie-Jeanne Valet under the light of a full moon. ("Apotheosis")

Otherwise, his shapeshifting abilities are completely unique; instead of transforming his body into a partially or fully lupine form, he summons shadows from the earth and wraps them around himself until he has grown into a nine-feet-tall, enormous, muscular beast-like wolf with red veins protruding from his skin and bone-like spikes coming from his elbows and knuckles. When his spirit was resurrected by the Dread Doctors, it was put into the body of a genetic Chimera named Mason Hewitt, who then gained all of the abilities that Sebastien previously possessed and was slowly subsumed by Sebastien until his body literally transformed to resemble Sebastien's original visage. However, since energy and life force cannot be totally destroyed, Mason lived on inside of him and was ultimately rescued by the McCall Pack, specifically Lydia Martin, who used her Banshee scream to shout Mason's name and force Sebastien out of Mason's body. Deucalion, an Augmented Alpha, has often been referred to as "The Demon Wolf," but this is merely a nickname, whereas Sebastien as the Beast of Gevaudan was apparently a literal demon-wolf.

### Powers and Abilities

A Werewolf possesses a number of physical and passive powers, and the strength of their individual powers are generally based on their rank, though it can also be influenced by other factors. In terms of the Werewolf hierarchy, Alphas are the strongest, followed by Betas, and then Omegas at the weakest end of the spectrum. An Alpha Werewolf also typically possesses additional powers not seen in the lower ranks.

* **Super Strength:** Werewolves possess superhuman levels of strength that allow them to break through chains and deadbolt locks, punch through brick and marble walls, and throw grown men across a room with ease. Werewolves have been seen using their strength to snap a person's neck with one hand, flipping overturned vehicles back on their wheels, and bending rebar with their bare hands to use as weapons.
* **Super Speed:** Werewolves can run much faster than even the most athletic human beings, being able to keep up with vehicles such as motorcycles that are driving at top speeds. They can also run on all fours (hands and feet) in both human and in Werewolf form.
* **Super Agility/Reflexes:** Werewolves possess supernaturally enhanced agility and reflexes that allow them to leap very high and across large distances, jump from several stories up and land lightly on their feet, and perform a multitude of acrobatic, gymnastic and martial feats such as flips, handsprings, and spinning kicks. They can also process moving objects much better than humans can, allowing them to catch projectiles in mid-air and dodge speeding bullets before they can be hit. Their use of this power is usually instinctive, and newly turned Werewolves have been seen performing impressive gymnastic routines with no training.
* **Super Durability:** Though Werewolves can still sustain open wounds like any other creature, they are much more durable to blunt force trauma than the regular human, allowing them to be thrown through walls and fall from tall heights without fatal injury. They can also endure a great deal more physical damage for a much longer period of time than an ordinary human, as Werewolves have been known to fight through dozens of gunshot wounds, stab wounds, burns, and broken bones that would normally incapacitate a regular person.
* **Super Senses:** Werewolves, like their wolf counterparts, have extremely sensitive senses of sight, hearing, and smell. They can see in total darkness and across large distances with great clarity, track scents for up to several miles and can hear whispered conversations across great distances and from outside of buildings with ease. Using their sense of smell in particular they can interpret the chemosignals that indicate identity and emotional states, a skill that, with practice, can be developed to the point of a supernatural sense of empathy; it has also been revealed that Werewolves can even sense sexual desire through scent. These abilities help Werewolves fight at night, hear approaching enemies, and locate missing people by scent. A Werewolf's glowing eyes can also be used to see mystical or supernatural phenomenon that cannot be perceived by human eyes, such as a Nemeton, or a Kitsune's aura.
* **Accelerated Healing:** Werewolves possess an extraordinarily enhanced healing factor that allows them to heal from most mild to moderate wounds within moments. They have been shown to heal quickly from gunshots, stab wounds through the chest, abdomen and extremities, and broken arms, legs, and spines, though most cannot heal from a broken neck; while varying among different ranks of Werewolves, broken bones can usually heal instantly after they've been reset, and depending on the severity, stab wounds and gunshots can usually resolve themselves in minutes to hours based on how deep the wounds are and whether or not vital organs were damaged in the process. Werewolves are also immune to the majority of human illnesses and conditions such as colds, cancer, epilepsy, asthma, etc. For this reason, they cannot get high on drugs or drunk on alcohol—because the "high" is technically caused by the substance inflicting some kind of damage on the body, the Werewolf can heal this damage faster than the effects can be felt. The only toxic substances that Werewolves are not immune to are wolfsbane, mistletoe and the modified canine distemper virus that was specifically designed to kill supernatural creatures. They are also vulnerable to the paralytic effects of Kanima venom, though, with concentration, their accelerated healing ability will allow them to process through the toxin and overcome its effects much more quickly than a normal human.
	+ **Longevity**: Because a Werewolf's rapid cellular healing prevents them from contracting any human illness or condition and replaces aging cells at a constant rate, Werewolves have a tremendously extended lifespan. It is unknown what the average life expectancy of a Werewolf is, but the oldest known Werewolf is Satomi Ito, an Alpha Werewolf who is over 110 years old and who maintains the physical appearance of a woman in her late 50s to early 60s. As a result, it can be assumed that Werewolves could potentially survive decades into their 100s so long as they are not injured or killed first.
* **Shapeshifting:** Werewolves have the ability to shape their features into that of a partially lupine form, which involves glowing eyes, fangs, claws, a ridged brow, pointed ears and large sideburns. With practice, Werewolves can learn how to only transform a few selective features as needed, such as only extending their claws to cut something, their fangs to bite something, or simply making their eyes glow to enhance their eyesight or display their supernatural nature.
	+ **Advanced Shapeshifting:** Some Werewolves, typically Alphas (though occasionally Betas and Omegas as well), can shapeshift into more animalistic forms, such as transforming into a full wolf, or into a more bestial humanoid form.
* **Pain Absorption:** Werewolves have the ability to absorb pain from animals, humans, and other creatures through tactile contact. This is usually done by touching the person who is in pain, or the injured body part and drawing the pain into themselves, which manifests as the Werewolf's veins darkening as their body processes it. Initially, a Werewolf can only essentially "take the edge off" of a person's pain level, but with practice, they can eventually learn to take it completely.
* **Memory Manipulation Ritual:** All Werewolves technically have the ability to perform a memory-sharing ritual, but it is most commonly performed by Alphas due to the level of control and practice required to avoid harm or death towards the target. By sticking their claws into the back of a person's neck, they can view the person's memories, share their own memories with the target, or even suppress or remove memories entirely.
* **Animal Instincts:** Werewolves are apex predators, and, as such, they can assert dominance over other animals such as dogs, cats and deer. They can use this ability to force them to be quiet or leave the area, or to stand down if they are acting aggressively. As a result, these animals can often be frightened by the presence of Werewolves. They also have natural animal instincts that allow them to think as true animals do, though some Werewolves are more in-tune with these instincts than others.

#### Unique Alpha powers

* **Merging:** Alpha twins have shown the ability to merge into one Super-Wolf. However, this ability was unique to the twins themselves as no other Alpha has this ability.
* **Healing:** Alpha Werewolves can perform a ritual to heal others, but at the cost of losing the spark of power that makes them Alphas to begin with, demoting them back to Beta or Omega status.
* **Power Granting:** Alphas have the ability to turn regular humans into Werewolves by biting them (or, in some rare cases, by scratching them very deeply with their claws). However, this transformation is not always successful, and depending on the condition of the human, there is a risk that they could die instead of becoming a Werewolf. It is also possible that an Alpha bite or scratch can cause a human to turn into a different kind of creature, such as a Kanima or Werejaguar.
* **Alpha Roar:** Alphas have the ability to roar so powerfully that they can scare away weaker creatures and force Betas and Omegas to submit, to transform into their Werewolf forms, or to return to their human forms. This roar can also empower the members of their pack, allowing them to fight through torture, serious injuries, or other painful experiences enough to access their powers, which are often weakened or inaccessible when the Werewolf is in extreme pain. This was demonstrated when Scott's roar allowed Isaac to transform enough to break the coyote trap on his ankle, *("More Bad Than Good")* and allowed Liam to fight through the taser he was being injured with to defeat the Eichen House orderlies attacking him. *("Amplification")*
* **Healing Disruption:** Alphas possess a mystical energy that causes injuries they inflict on lower-ranking supernatural creatures with accelerated healing abilities to take much longer to heal than a normal wound would.

### Weaknesses

While incredibly powerful, Werewolves possess a number of weaknesses which can be exploited by hunters, humans and other creatures.

* **Wolfsbane:** Wolfsbane, also known as aconite, is an extremely toxic herb for Werewolves, though different strains have different effects. Most forms of wolfsbane will kill a Werewolf if the infection it causes reaches their heart, though there are ways of expelling the herb from their bodies, such as ingesting ashes of the strain in question, literally burning the wolfsbane-infected wound, or surgically excising the vapor from their chests.
* **Electricity:** Werewolves are incredibly vulnerable to electricity, which, for unknown reasons, seems to interfere with the nature of their abilities. For this reason, Hunters have been known to use cattle-prod tasers to incapacitate wolves in order to capture them, and will hook them up to car batteries with electrical wires in order to torture them. Lower voltages will simply prevent a wolf from transforming or healing, while higher voltages can easily knock out or even kill a Werewolf.
* **Letharia Vulpina:** *Letharia Vulpina*, a species of lichen known as "wolf lichen," is a neon-green moss that has been used for centuries to poison wolves, foxes, and coyotes by mixing it in with their food. Though this lichen does not appear to be fatal to Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and Kitsune, it does seem to weaken them considerably for several days until it wears off.
* **Modified Canine Distemper Virus:** An assassin in the Deadpool named The Chemist invented a modified version of the canine distemper virus that can weaken and kill Werewolves. Those who are exposed to this virus will begin to sweat before slowly losing control over their transformations, either because they can't transform into a Werewolf or because they can't transform back from the Werewolf form into their human one. It then starts to cause them to begin bleeding black blood from their noses, ears, mouths, and nail-beds, and to develop darkened veins around their eyes, mouth, and temples. From there, the Werewolf is then stricken completely blind, after which point they will only have minutes to live. Fortunately, it has been discovered that ingesting wild purple reishi mushrooms are both a cure and a vaccine for this virus.
* **Full Moon:** Though being a Werewolf is considered a gift in the supernatural community due to the increased strength, speed, durability, and stamina, and healing abilities that it provides, it also comes with a price, which is that the Werewolf becomes extremely feral, bloodthirsty, and easy to anger on the full moon, when they are at the height of their power. For this reason, Werewolves must be trained to control themselves on full moons in order to prevent harm and exposure to bystanders and to avoid the wrath of the Werewolf Hunters who patrol wooded areas during the nights of the full moon for just such a loss of control.
* **Intense Emotions:** The transformation into a wolf can be easily triggered by intense emotions such as anger, fear, stress, or any other sensation that increases the heart rate, which, especially for newly bitten Werewolves, puts them at risk of losing control and can result in harm to innocent civilians, exposure to the human world, and can also put the Werewolf at risk of being killed by a Hunter as punishment for anything they did while transformed.
* **Loud Noises**: Because of a Werewolf's very heightened sense of hearing, they can be incapacitated by noises at extremely loud decibels, as well as sounds at ultrasonic and subsonic frequencies. Examples of the former cases would be a Banshee's scream *("The Girl Who Knew Too Much")* or microphone feedback *("A Credible Threat")*, and examples of the latter would be the ultra-sonic emitters used by the Argent Hunters to disorient and lure a Werewolf into a trap *("Chaos Rising")*, or the subsonic music used by the Deadpool assassins that made Liam, Malia, and Scott behave as though they were drunk. *("Perishable")*
* **Lunar Eclipse:** During the phase of a lunar eclipse where the moon is completely covered by the Earth's umbral shadow, Werewolves will be cut off from the source of their powers and will be subsequently reverted the state of a normal human for the duration. Though this phase typically only lasts ten to twenty minutes, it is still a very vulnerable period for Werewolves, which makes it an excellent opportunity for hunters and less-powerful supernatural creatures to attack, as a Werewolf will be unable to access their enhanced strength, shapeshifting, and healing abilities.
* **Mountain Ash**: Rowan wood, or the ashes that result from burning it (known as mountain ash), are effective barriers against the supernatural, including Werewolves. If a building is surrounded by rowan or mountain ash in an unbroken circle, a Werewolf will be unable to enter it, nor will they be able to leave it if they are in the building when the circle was created. For this reason, many Druids, Banshees, Chimeras, and other humans who are "in the know" and can safely handle mountain ash use it in order to protect themselves or to create traps for Werewolves and other supernatural creatures.

## Werewolf Type B

**Werewolves** (also called **Lycanthropes**, **Loup Garou**, **Rougarou**, **Beasts**, or even just **Wolves** for short) are a supernatural shapeshifting species of individuals who unwillingly transform into large, fearsome, and extremely hostile wolves on the night of the full moon. They were created by the witch Inadu as revenge against her tribe for killing her. Even in their human form, werewolves possess superhuman physical prowess, though not to the same level as a vampire, and their abilities are not as powerful compared to those they possess on the full moon while transformed. These creatures are the most dangerous enemies of vampires due to their venomous bite, which is lethal to them. Werewolves are also hardwired to kill vampires on sight in their wolf form, though they still hunt human prey whenever there are no vampires to kill.

### Triggering The Werewolf Gene

Lycanthropy is an inherited genetic condition due to a curse, and a person can only be a werewolf if they are born to at least one werewolf parent; they cannot be turned by a bite or scratch. Furthermore, the werewolf gene must be "triggered" by taking the life of a living person or supernatural being, such as another werewolf. This can either be intentionally or by accident, in order to gain access to their enhanced physical abilities, though this comes at the cost of transforming into a wolf during every full moon. Untriggered werewolves, however, can kill vampires without activating their curse.

Because difficult-to-control anger and aggression are common personality traits in even those werewolves who have not activated their lycanthropy, the likelihood of them losing control of their rage and inadvertently triggering their werewolf gene by accidentally killing someone is quite high; it is even speculated that the anger and aggression inherent in werewolves is intended to increase the likelihood that a werewolf will activate their lycanthropy. However, it is possible for an untriggered werewolf to go their entire life without killing; in fact, this happens frequently enough that in some cases, a family's lycanthrope heritage will be kept a secret that will ultimately die with an ancestor, causing the knowledge of their heritage to be lost and remain unknown for generations that follow until a member takes a life and unintentionally triggers their curse; this has happened at least twice in the Lockwood Family's history.

After the gene is triggered, the werewolf's eyes will turn black and gold, and their latent powers (such as increased strength and accelerated healing) will activate instantly; from then on, they will be cursed to painfully transform into a wolf on the night of every full moon (although there are unique circumstances that will prevent a werewolf from having to turn, such as pregnancy (in the case of females), being an Evolved Werewolf, or possessing a Moonlight Amulet). A werewolf who has yet to trigger his or her curse only exhibits one characteristic of lycanthropy: increased aggression and anger on a general basis, which can become overwhelming fits of violent rage leading up to and during the nights of the full moon. Also, until their werewolf genes are activated, untriggered werewolves can be compelled by vampires just like any human, as proven when Damon Salvatore was easily able to compel away Tyler Lockwood's memories of seeing Vicki Donovan "vamped-out" before Tyler had triggered his werewolf gene. After the gene is triggered, however, they become immune to vampire mind control.

### History

#### 500 A.D.

In *Voodoo in My Blood*, the origins of the Werewolf Curse and Werewolves were revealed. A powerful witch, that was known as "the Hollow", cursed the members of her tribe that were responsible for her murder and created the Seven Werewolf Bloodlines. The Hollow was hunted by wolves, and was killed on the night of a full moon. These circumstances would cause future werewolves to have to take a human life to activate the werewolf gene, forcing the species to have to painfully shapeshift on the night of a full moon into the very animals that hunted Inadu down.

#### The Middle Ages

Werewolves actively populated the New World during the early Middle Ages during the time that Viking invasions began in Europe. Many villages across the land were highly populated by werewolves and they lived along side one another in villages. They also lived alongside humans, although to protect their human and untriggered loved ones, the wolves made sure that they had access to natural means of protection during the time that they were changed. One of the most notable locations of a werewolf village was in what is now present-day Mystic Falls. Beneath the area was a series of tunnels that provided protection for the humans while the werewolves were turned on the full moon. One clear rule of the village was that the humans were forbidden from being around the wolves while they were transformed for their own safety, as the majority of werewolves are unable to control themselves when transformed and could easily maim or kill any non-werewolf species in their vicinity.

A notable event in the history of the werewolves comes with the arrival of inhabitants of the "Old World," where a plague had been devastating the population. The newcomers included Mikael, his wife Esther, and Esther's witch mentor and friend, Ayana, as well as Esther and Mikael's young sons Finn and Elijah. Having lost their first-born daughter Freya, the sister of Finn and Elijah, in Europe, Mikael and Esther wanted to be able to raise a family in a place free from illness, and Ayana eventually led them to the New World where they could live in peace. The villagers accepted the new family and they became an integral part of the village life, with Ayana acting as the local healer and the conduit to the Spirits. Mikael and Esther, desperate to rebuild their family after the loss of Freya, eventually conceived and gave birth to Niklaus, Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik, who followed their eldest brother Finn and second-eldest brother Elijah.

However, when Henrik and Klaus broke their village's rule one full moon night and went to watch the wolves turn, Henrik was accidentally attacked and killed by the turned wolves. Determined to not lose any more family, but also not wanting to move away again, Mikael convinced Esther to tap into Dark Magic to perform a modified version of the witch Qetsiyah's Immortality Spell in order to turn Mikael and their children into nearly-invulnerable beings. Once turned, Mikael and their children gained enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, and healing superior to the werewolves that would ensure their protection from their supernatural neighbors, and their new species eventually became known as the Original vampires. However, the ritual had unexpected side effects, and the newly-turned family's lust for blood eventually led them to inadvertently shatter the peace of their village, as their lack of control over their newborn vampire hunger led to them being unable to resist feeding on the innocent inhabitants of the town.

Shortly after being turned into a vampire, Klaus made his first human kill, which resulted in Esther's darkest secret coming to light; Klaus was not Mikael's son, but instead was the product of an affair Esther had with the Alpha of their village's werewolf pack, Ansel. Killing a human activated Klaus' werewolf gene, which turned him into the world's first werewolf-vampire hybrid. Furious at his wife's betrayal, Mikael slaughtered Ansel - whose pack was also responsible for Henrik's death - along with half of the remaining werewolves in their village, igniting the war that still exists to this day between the werewolves and the vampires. However, enough of Ansel's family survived the attack to continue the bloodline, which still exists into the 21st century.

#### Genocide

After Mikael decimated the werewolf community in the northeast Atlantic region of the New World, and after Esther died at Niklaus' hands out of rage at her betrayal, the Mikaelson siblings returned to the "Old World" and began traveling from country to country as they followed the Normans, feeding on the locals and turning new vampires as they went. The war between vampires and werewolves came to a head at some point in the centuries afterward, when the vampires discovered that the bite of a werewolf was lethal to their kind. This spurred the vampires to preemptively commit mass murders of werewolves to protect themselves from death at their hands. As a result, the werewolves were driven to near-extinction by these massacres, and vampires who were turned in the period of time following this Werewolf Genocide began to believe that werewolves were nothing more than a myth or legend.

In reality, many werewolves had survived the genocide, keeping their supernatural identities a secret as they began to reorganize themselves into packs in order to help them evade the vampires. These packs, which varied in size from one dozen members to upwards of a hundred, also helped give the werewolves a support system to assist them through their very painful transformations each month during the full moon.

Even still, the mass killings of werewolves has continued on into the modern day, beginning with Niklaus Mikaelson's attempt to create an army of werewolf-vampire hybrids using his blood and the blood of the human doppelgänger, Elena Gilbert, which caused the deaths of dozens of werewolves who then transitioned into werewolf-vampire hybrids themselves. Additionally, a large population of werewolves continues to live in the area surrounding New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Due to the tensions that exist between the witches, the werewolves, the vampires, and the humans, the werewolf community continues to experience a significant death rate as a result of the infighting between factions.

### Physiology

#### Food

Like normal humans, werewolves can eat human food if they wish. However, because they turn into ferocious beasts during the full moon, they are carnivores. When in wolf form, they can feed on human or vampire body parts and organs, but they are not required to ingest them in order to prolong their existence, like vampires, must do with blood. There are no known consequences from abstaining from human or vampire flesh while in werewolf form. It seems that most werewolves do not get to feed on humanoid flesh, because most tend to lock themselves up during the full moon, or are scared or distracted away from their victim before they can eat them.

Werewolves have not been seen to attack each other in human or lupine form, but have been known to hunt both human and vampire prey while transformed under the full moon. Jules, for example, was seen to be horrified when she woke up to find she'd slaughtered a group of campers after she had attacked Rose the previous evening. Unstable hybrids also have the urge to attack vampires regardless of what form they are in, as witnessed in *The Hybrid* when a werewolf, Ray Sutton, instinctively attacked the vampire Damon Salvatore instead of pursuing its first choice, Elena Gilbert.

#### Appearance

Werewolves in their wolf form are quite similar to natural wolves, although unlike natural wolves, werewolves have glowing yellow or orange eyes, wicked fangs, a larger size, and a much more feral and predatory appearance. They can also be distinguished from regular wolves by their displays of supernatural strength, blurred speed, and size which is comparable to fully grown humans. The fur color of wolf forms differs from one to the other (e.g., Tyler Lockwood's fur color is dark brown, Mason Lockwood's is white and grey, Jules' is light brown with a hint of white, and Hayley's is tan and brown). Werewolves appear the same as any other human the rest of the month, aside from their enhanced abilities of speed, strength, and healing.

#### Werewolf Transformation

A werewolf will only transform into a wolf under a full moon. The first transformation is quite slow, and the person is subjected to at least five or six hours of intense, bone-breaking pain before the actual transformation. After the first transformation, the experience does not last nearly as long, but it is still painful and something many werewolves come to dread. Klaus mentions that embracing the transformation rather than fighting it as most werewolves do, would make the process faster. Hope Mikaelson, who was on her first transformation followed this advice and her transformation was considerably faster, taking only moments instead of hours. It is unknown if this is due to her unique nature or possible for any werewolf that accepts the transformation rather than fights them.

During the transformation, the body of the person is twisted in an unnatural manner as bones reshape and shift to form a wolf's skeleton, causing the person immense physical and psychological pain. Later, the werewolf grows excessive body hair and becomes feral. Their irises turn golden-yellow, their sclera turns black, and their teeth elongate into canines before they finally transform into their wolf shape. A werewolf returns to their human form after a few hours, sometimes sooner, sometimes later. After the first transformation, the werewolf will experience muscle aches.

Older werewolves can control themselves to some extent on the night of the full moon, but many find it necessary to dose themselves with wolfsbane to weaken them before they lock themselves up in chains to prevent hurting anyone while they're transformed. The Crescent werewolves have seemed to gain much more control over their actions in wolf form than typical werewolves, most likely, as a result, spending all of their time in wolf form while they were cursed by Céleste Dubois. Werewolves also feel everything more sharply in their animal form, especially familial ties. Ansel, for example, would wake up from his transformation closer to his son's village after each full moon. Since he was brought back to life he would wake further from Klaus and New Orleans, drawn to his granddaughter, despite not even knowing she was alive. This shows familial ties in their werewolf form prioritizes the younger generation over the old.

### Psychological Characteristics

Werewolves are known to be aggressive, strong and fast, even in human form. Tyler Lockwood often had trouble controlling his temper, especially leading up to and during the full moon. Those with the werewolf curse still latent can exhibit some supernatural traits which can be triggered by aggression, along with unusual physical strength for the person's given size and age, but they cannot fully transform, and they also have a tendency to black out when they become overwhelmed in fits of rage. Werewolves seem to have a strong sense of duty and loyalty to protect their own and feel a responsibility to help their fellow werewolves whenever they can.

Werewolves have a higher body temperature than humans. When Tyler first activates his curse, he states that his skin feels as if it's on fire. Once a werewolf has triggered their gene, their eyes turn gold (the eyes of a wolf) while enraged, as Mason's eyes did when he stopped the fight between Tyler and Carter (*Brave New World*), or when feeling threatened, such as when Hayley's eyes turned yellow while she was defending herself against a group of witches. Activating the curse is also painful, as werewolves have been seen to double over in pain before their eyes change for the first time.

While some werewolves prefer to keep to themselves and keep their beastly natures hidden, most seem to aggregate themselves into packs and residing in areas isolated from general human society so they can run free on the full moons without fear of hurting or killing anyone.

In 1864, George Lockwood attacked several humans and killed them, leaving horrific wounds on the corpses that were so severe that it looked worse than a typical vampire attack. This became evident when Henry told Katherine that the wounds were "worse than anything he had ever seen before." Despite this, and with the cooperation of Katherine Pierce, who was running from the Originals, George was able to convince the Mystic Falls Founder's Council that vampires were responsible, which leads to their round up. It is unknown if George continued his attacks afterward, or if he adapted to his nature.

#### Code of Loyalty

Werewolves are very similar to witches when it comes to their own kind. Unlike vampires, werewolves have an unwavering sense of loyalty, and will often bond with other werewolves they meet. They form packs and work with each other as sort of an extended family. The bond of loyalty between werewolves is so strong that while changed under full moons, the only beings they do not attack are other werewolves (regardless of whether or not they have activated their werewolf gene). This code does seem to extend to Klaus' hybrids, as well. It's possible that another reason why Klaus' hybrids were so loyal, aside for the Sire Bond between them, was because of their werewolf heritage.

#### La Luna Sanguinis

According to Finn, the werewolves had a ritual a thousand years ago by which, on a blood moon, they would hunt and purposefully trigger their curse by killing a human, willingly enduring the pain of their transformations in exchange for the strength they gained as warriors. This ritual was meant to be a rite of passage, where young werewolves embraced their nature rather than shying away from it; this is in stark contrast to many modern-day werewolves, who do whatever they can to avoid triggering their curses and having to deal with the pain of their monthly transformations.

#### Lunar Psychosis

According to Emma Tig, lunar psychosis is a very rare occurrence among werewolves in which the werewolf's mind is in flux, trapped between their wolf and human state. When a werewolf is affected by this, they have a harder time bridging the gap between the two states and to access their memories as they normally would. This only happens after a premature reversion from wolf to human, when something causes the body to shift back before the full moon is over, typically something caused by extreme trauma. Given that a werewolf prematurely returned to their human state, left unattended, there is a danger that they could revert back to their wolf form. In order for a werewolf to overcome the issue, their mind needs to be surrounded by all the things that are familiar to them so that it can connect them to their humanity, and not their lycanthropy.

Given the Crescent Wolf Pack's ability to control their turns at will, they had access to both sides of their minds and developed an elixir to access the division between the two sides. According to Hope, the elixir is a family recipe stemming from Hayley's side of the Crescent Pack and has a copy of the recipe in her possession. The instructions for the elixir are as follows:

1. Heat deep cast-iron pot or cauldron over open flame. Test heat by sprinkling water over pot; water should evaporate before touching the metal.
2. Muddle Valerian Root with sea water in cauldron, simmer until reduced.
3. Submerge silver in reduction at a ratio of 2:1, keeping only pleasant thoughts in your mind. Stir well, allow silver to fully oxidize. If you see corrosion, you've gone too far.
4. After peeling protective wax coating from eye of newt, you have approximately one minute before corneal membrane begins to shrivel. Using granite mortar and pestle, pulpify eye of newt and gradually add to elixir being careful not to splash the pot. Do **not** use marble mortar and pestle or the corneas **will** ferment!
5. Gently stir elixir twice clockwise and thrice counterclockwise, repeated for three minutes, with intense focus and calm demeanor. When all bubbles are cleared from the surface, elixir is ready for consumption.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Super Strength:** Werewolves possess supernatural strength that makes them far stronger than immortals, Supernatural Hunters, and humans, such as when Tyler pulled the door off his locker or when Diego ripped apart a bully. There have been several occasions to suggest that untriggered werewolves possess more strength than any average humans, which would indicate some form of enhanced strength even before the activation of their curse. However, werewolves in their human form are not as strong as a vampire and have even been shown to be far weaker on several occasions. They've also shown to be strong enough to at least defend themselves, such as when Mason punched Damon across the room or when Hayley pinned Diego up against a wall. When they are in their wolf form, their powers amplify to a degree that excels of the non-Original vampires, making them more powerful than non-Original vampires. In wolf form, a werewolf can overpower and kill any non-original vampire with ease, and are strong enough to overpower an Original vampire in small groups. Such examples in wolf form include: when Mason tackled and overpowered at the time newly-turned vampire Caroline; when Tyler overpowered Damon, a vampire over 170 years old; when Jules tackled and bit Rose, a 560-year-old vampire; or when four werewolves took down Rebekah, an Original vampire.
* **Super Speed:** Werewolves are much faster than humans and some other supernatural beings. They possess this ability both in and out of transformation, with an animalistic quickness. For example, while in human form, Rafael Waithe scaled up and down the side of a building in under twenty-seconds. Another example, Mason, while transformed was able to easily hunt down Caroline and Stefan in the woods, despite their vampire-enhanced speed. Some werewolves are shown to become nearly a blur like their vampire enemies; others have not.

* **Super Agility:** Werewolves possess superhuman agility. In both human and wolf form, they have demonstrated that they can move, jump very high, climb, flip, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion. They can also jump down from incredible heights with almost gravity-defying grace.
* **Super Durability:** Werewolves can take far more trauma than humans without nearly as much discomfort or injury, however, not as much as vampires. They can also exert themselves for longer periods without tiring.
* **Healing Factor:** Werewolves possess superhuman regenerative abilities, meaning that if they are physically injured, their bodies will heal rapidly. Like vampires, werewolves can heal from the most grievous of injuries, even in human form, albeit more slowly in comparison to vampires. However, unlike vampires, when a werewolf's neck is broken, they stay dead.
* **Super Senses:** Werewolves have extremely keen and heightened senses of smell, sight, taste, hearing, and touch that exceed their wolf counterparts and that of regular canines. With this, experienced werewolves such as Jules could sniff out vampires - something vampires themselves are incapable of - and Tyler could taste vervain placed in his coffee, which would otherwise be impossible since coffee's intense flavor typically masks the taste of the herb. Untriggered werewolves are also gifted with more sensitive hearing such as when Tyler Lockwood was able to hear the Gilbert Device. When Jules first met Caroline in *Daddy Issues*, she knew Caroline was lying about Tyler's whereabouts, revealing it was another "wolf trick". This ability wasn’t expanded upon until *This is What It Takes*, when Hope reveals that Pinky was lying when his heart began to race.
* **Lycanthrope Enhancement:** Werewolves are able to make their eyes glow when angry or threatened, but only for a short amount of time. When a werewolf is furious or forced to defend themselves, their anger increases all their power and abilities for a short period of time, which allows them to access some of the power of their wolf form to give them an edge.
* **Shapeshifting**/**Transformation Control:** During a full moon, they will unwillingly transform from their human form and into their wolf form. However, if a female werewolf is pregnant, they will not turn for nine months as the transformation would kill the baby.

* **Werewolf Bite:** A werewolf's venom is extremely lethal to non-original vampires. While an Original vampire cannot die from the venom, they are not wholly immune to the effects of the bite. For non-Original vampires, the venom acts as an poison of sorts that will enter the bloodstream and deliver the toxin throughout the body, producing discomfort and weakness, developing uncontrollable hunger that progresses to delusions, hallucinations, rabid rage, and dementia, culminating in death. Original vampires undergo the same effects, but do not die and will eventually fully recover.
* **Full Moon:** A werewolf's strength, speed, agility, and all their powers are enhanced to their peak during a full moon.
* **Immunity to Silver:** Werewolves are immune to magic bonded to silver. Weapons made of silver might wound them, but the wound still heals at supernatural rates and will not be fatal to them.

### Weaknesses

* **Wolfsbane:** When ingested, wolfsbane causes a werewolf to become severely weak and feverish. Also, If a werewolf's skin is exposed to wolfsbane, it will burn them.
* **Mortality:** In most situations, minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds, and broken bones will cause a werewolf pain and slow them down until they heal. However, they still share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings and can perish from extreme trauma (e.g. suffocation, extreme blood loss, a broken neck, decapitation, fire, heart extraction, etc.). They can also die from old age.
* **Magic:** Werewolves are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical objects such as the Starling Necklace, Gilbert Device, and dark objects. Multiple spells have been performed by witches against werewolves to cause several effects against them, such as slowing down or speeding up a werewolf's transformation during a full moon, telekinetically ripping a heart from a werewolf's chest, or cursing a pack of werewolves to be trapped in their wolf form at all times except for a few short hours during the full moon when they return to their human forms.

### Former Weaknesses

* **Doppelgänger Blood Magic:** If blood from the last pair of doppelgängers is used in the Magic Purification Spell, all activated werewolves revert back to being a mortal with an untriggered wolf gene like Tyler. Kai absorbed the magic purification spell and as such, it no longer exists.

### Myths

* **Silver:** Contrary to popular belief, werewolves are not weakened by or allergic to silver, as Mason explained after Damon stabbed him with a silver knife. Mason guessed that the myth was probably started by werewolves. Silver actually has the opposite effect – when a werewolf is wounded by silver, it heals. This is why Klaus can't be neutralized by the white oak daggers.
* **Wolfsbane:** Several myths have surrounded the use of this herb and its relation to and effects upon werewolves, including the myth that wolfsbane supposedly either causes or cures lycanthropy. These myths are false.

## Werewolf(type B)-Vampire Hybrids

### Creation

To become a werewolf-vampire hybrid, a werewolf must have either Klaus or Hope's Blood in their system before they are killed so they can awaken a short time later in transition. Because no regular vampire has ever attempted to use their own blood to turn a werewolf into a hybrid, it is likely that such an attempt would be unsuccessful. After a werewolf dies with Klaus' blood in their system, their transformation will be successful only if the wolf completes their transition by drinking the blood of a human Petrova doppelgänger. If a werewolf is turned with Hope's blood, her blood can also be used to complete their transition as well, just as a doppelgänger's blood would. So far, all hybrids have been created by Klaus; with the exception of Dwayne, Hayley, and Henry Benoit, who were created with Hope's blood. After Elena was turned into a vampire, her blood became useless to Klaus and he could no longer create more hybrids.

If a newborn hybrid feeds on regular human blood to officially complete their transition, the hybrid will become unstable, causing them to bleed from the eyes, become rabid, and eventually die in pain. This result was demonstrated during Klaus' first attempt to turn werewolves into hybrids in The Hybrid after he sired Paige's Pack. However, it is unclear why that happens. After being sired, they all began to experience unbearable pain and profuse bleeding from their facial orifices until they either killed each other, were mercy-killed by Klaus, or dying of failed transitions combined with exsanguination.

### Powers and Abilities

Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids have the powers and abilities of both werewolves and non-Original vampires, both physically enhanced powers and abilities of mind compulsion. These hybrids will grow stronger with age due to their vampirism and will also increase in strength when enraged, due to their werewolf side. Their strength will also increase during a full moon.

* **Super Strength:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids are stronger than werewolves, Evolved werewolves, non-Original vampires, Supernatural Hunters, immortals and humans. Due to their vampire side, they also get stronger with age. The full moon will boost their strength and aggression. Older non-Original vampires may be stronger and more challenging for many newborn non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids. However, fighting a non-Original vampire closer to their age range, the hybrid will win. Ray Sutton, a dying, unsuccessful hybrid, was very strong and nearly killed Damon, a non-Original vampire more than 170 years old until Stefan saved him. Such hybrids are even capable of putting up a fight against non-Original vampires well above their age range such as when Tyler gained the upper hand and bit Nadia, a 500-year-old non-Original vampire. Nadia did, however, manage to overpower Tyler eventually and escape, implying that she had equal or slightly superior strength. Julian, while possessing Tyler's body, was able to fend off both Caroline and Stefan and even managed to kill the latter through heart extraction.
* **Super Speed:** A non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid's intensified quickness, agility, reflexes, and endurance makes them faster than many other human and supernatural beings. They can use this ability in either human or werewolf form. As with strength, hybrids get faster with time, while the full moon or being in wolf form will make them even faster. Tyler was particularly fast, fast enough to surprise Klaus and stake him.

* **Super Agility:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids possess much more superhuman stamina, flexibility, reflexes, agility, and dexterity than many humans and supernatural beings. They can move, jump, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion.

* **Super Senses:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids have extremely keen senses of hearing, sight, touch, and smell that exceed those of other supernatural beings and humans. As hybrids, their senses are superior to the individual species, making their ability extremely effective. Tyler has used his super senses on multiple occasions, such as when he overheard Katherine in Elena's body say that Caroline slept with Klaus or when he was able to hear Nadia compelling Matt. A prime example of this ability is in "Home"; after Tyler is resurrected, he tells Caroline that it felt different, because he was no longer a hybrid.
* **Super Durability:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids can bear a lot of trauma. They also hardly ever get tired or fatigued and can take far more trauma than other supernatural beings and humans, without much discomfort or injury. Stakes and arrows cannot kill them when they are struck in the heart, they merely become unconscious. They are able to resist the bullets created by the Brotherhood better than non-Original vampires; Tyler even states to Stefan that he would be dead if he was a normal vampire
* **Enhanced Healing Factor:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids have superior healing capabilities and can recover from most injuries much quicker and more effectively than their individual species. This renders them practically invincible to anything but fatal wounds that can seriously impair their healing capabilities, such as decapitation or heart extraction.. They also seem to heal much more quickly when exposed to vervain, wolfsbane, or wood. Human blood has also been known to make the healing process faster.
* **Immortality:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids stop aging the moment they transition. They become immune to all conventional diseases, toxins, poisons, viruses, illness, infections, and injuries.
* **Day Walking:** Due to their werewolf heritage, non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids are immune to the lethal effects that UV rays and sunlight have on non-Original vampires and Original vampires. This allows them to walk in daylight without the use of a daylight ring.
* **Emotional Control:** Due to their vampire heritage, non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids are able to exert certain control over their own emotions, such that they can turn off their humanity.
* **Enhanced Emotions:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids experience emotions more powerfully than humans and non-Original vampires. Particularly due to their werewolf heritage, they are more prone to emotions of anger, rage, aggression, and violence. However, emotions such as love, joy, and happiness are also intensified for them as well, allowing them to live life more intensely. This ability allows them to feel emotions at their peak regardless of their age.

* **Lycanthrope Enhancement:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids are capable of using their werewolf features to further supplement their powers and abilities. They can grow claws from their nails and werewolf fangs from their teeth even when they are still in their human forms. When Klaus possessed Tyler's body, he demonstrated that their claws are sharp enough to penetrate their own very durable skin. They can also display both sets of vampire and werewolf fangs. Their eyes also change into those of their werewolf form, presumably granting them better eyesight. Due to their werewolf heritage, their strength and speed are heightened further during a full moon and at its peak in their werewolf forms.
* **Mind Compulsion:** A non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid can compel the minds of humans. They cannot, however, compel other supernatural beings.

* **Shapeshifting**/**Transformation Control:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids have the ability to transform into their werewolf forms at will. Most of them avoid transforming at all due to the pain it causes. They have complete awareness, but they still, however, have no control of their actions in werewolf form. They can also perform partial transformations, manifesting single features of their werewolf forms, such as displaying their werewolf eyes, teeth or claws. Elijah informs Klaus that he remained a werewolf for two full days, much longer than a normal werewolf.
* **Sire Bond:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids become sired to the source of their creation. Those turned by Klaus had a deep sense of gratitude and commitment to him, causing them to obey his every command. They are, however, capable of breaking a sire bond if they transform into their werewolf forms an excess, repeatedly, i.e. 100 times in a row. Transforming as such causes them to no longer feel pain from transforming into a werewolf and they no longer feel a sense of gratitude, commitment or loyalty to their creator thereby breaking the sire bond.
* **Telepathy:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids have the ability, albeit a weak variant, to enter the minds of others as long as theirs is stronger than them. Normally, this ability works in a tactile fashion and requires physical contact in order for it to work successfully. Hayley has shared her memories with others. Like their physical attributes, their mental strength increases with age.
	+ **Dream Manipulation:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids can control dreams and subconscious. They can produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares, or lucid dreaming. Other effects of this ability are the distortion of reality and trapped in dreams.
	+ **Illusions:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids have the power to trick the minds of others into seeing and feeling things that aren't actually happening.
* **Werewolf Bite:** Due to their werewolf heritage, non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids have venom which is fatal to non-Original vampires. It is assumed they are immune to werewolf venom. Their venom also seems to take effect much faster than a normal werewolf's venom.
* **Immunity to Silver:** Due to their werewolf heritage, magic bound to silver doesn't affect non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids. Weapons made of silver might wound them, but the wound heals at super-normal rates than regular wounds.

### Weakness

* **Broken Neck:** Breaking a non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid's neck will result in their temporary death, though they will revive a short time later.
* **The Cure:** If a non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid takes the cure, they will revert back to being a werewolf again. Once taken, the cure prevents them from being immortal again, causing the body to reject vampire blood.
* **Decapitation:** Dismembering or removing the head of a non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid will result in instant death.
* **Desiccation:** Being completely drained of blood or the heart-stopping will cause a non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid to desiccate due to their vampire side, losing most of its strength and any ability to move. This process can be replicated artificially by magic.
* **Heart Extraction:** Removing a non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid's heart will result in instant death.
* **Hybrid Bloodline:** If Klaus dies, then all the non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids he created will die along with them. This, however, has been broken due to the sireline unlinking spell cast upon him.

* **Invitation:** Due to their vampire heritage, non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids are unable to enter a home without an invitation.
* **Magic:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical and dark objects.
* **Physical Trauma:** Minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds, and broken bones will cause a non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid pain and also slow them down. However, this is momentary as they will heal completely within seconds. It seems physical trauma can give them pain and weaken them anywhere on the body (i.e. eye gouging, drowning, etc.).
* **Poison:** There are various poisons invented by Dr. Wes Maxfield and Aya, to name a few, that are capable of incapacitating or desiccating a vampire when administered. Klaus also used a poison to kill Tim that not even vampire blood could cure. It is unknown what effect, if any, any of these poisons would have if ingested by a non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrid.
* **Vervain:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids are affected by vervain and they can't compel anyone on vervain.
* **Wolfsbane:** Non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids are affected by wolfsbane like their werewolf counterparts.
* **Wood:** Wounding non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids with a wooden weapon such as wooden bullets will incapacitate for a shorter time than a non-Original vampire.

#### Former Weaknesses

* **Doppelgänger Blood Magic:** If blood from the last pair of doppelgängers is used in the Magic Purification Spell, all non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids will have their vampire powers stripped from them little by little and then they will be brought back to the last stage of their werewolf life; death. They will then relive the way they died when they went into transition to the point where they die again. Kai absorbed the magic purification barrier and it's gone now.

## Witch

**Witches** are supernatural beings who are born with the power to affect change by magical means, known as witchcraft. While many witches are the self-proclaimed "Keepers of the Balance," other witches have been known to work against the Balance and use their power for personal gain.

### History

The origin of witches, and by extension witchcraft, remains unknown, however, witches have existed for many centuries passing down their knowledge and skills through generations of family lines. Contrary to popular belief, witches do not receive their powers from demons, nor do they worship the Devil. Instead, witches consider themselves "the Servants of Nature," as they make it their duty to maintain balance within the world.

### Witchcraft

Witchcraft is the practice of magic. However, before a witch has come into their power, they're considered "untapped", and their magic is considered pure. Prior to tapping into their magic they are, for all intents and purposes, "human", and before the destruction of the Other Side, would have passed on to their destined afterlife. After awakening their power, witchcraft can encompass many different types of activities including astrology, divination, spell casting, and spirit communication. It includes the practices of many cultures, nations, and religions as well as many books and writings dating back to ancient times. Depending upon the individual, some witches practice their power by certain belief systems, such as Shamanism, Voodoo, Wicca, or any number of other magical practices from countries and cultures all around the world. Although the majority of traditional witches are commonly portrayed as being kind and selfless humans who use their powers to maintain balance within the world, some witches are not and go directly against the Balance of Nature by practicing their powers for dark and sinister or selfish deeds. A few darker witches go so far as to subvert the very laws that govern Nature.

### The Balance of Nature

The Balance of Nature is a spiritual belief system based around the observance of the Earth and reverence of Mother Nature. The goal of many witches is to honor the design of Nature and to maintain balance within the natural world. The Balance of Nature is intimately tied to one's spiritual relationship with the Earth, and the idea that all living things are considered sacred, as they are all different aspects of nature. Contemporary witches often use ceremonies, rituals, or shamanic practices to attune themselves with the natural rhythms of Nature in their efforts to obtain guidance and knowledge from wiser known witches called "the Spirits" or from their ancestors. However, according to Gloria, who referred to herself as an "old-school voodoo" practitioner, not all witches follow this belief system and have free will to choose how they practice their power.

### Classification

While witches, in general, are numerous throughout the world and thrive in various cultures, they're often referred to by other names. Though these cultures are not elaborated upon, they include "Strega" of Italy; "Aje" of the Yoruba people of Nigeria, West Africa; "Häxa" of Sweden, as well as Latvian (of Latvia), Santería (of Morocco), and Obi (or Obeah of Nigeria) witches.

Witches with special abilities or gifts can further distinguish them; those being siphoners, Travelers, Seers, pyromancers, and muses. Siphoners, or siphon witches, are few in number and born without the ability to generate their own magic but they possess a rare power that allows them to siphon magic from external sources through touch. Traveler witches were cursed a millennia ago and forced to become nomadic or face destruction while developing their own brand of magic. Seers and Oracles are witches specializing in the practice of divination, typically without the aid of spells. Oracles, when they change the outcome of their visions, they change and become a Fury, which grants them a connection to the minds of gods. Pyromancers, of unknown origins but found mostly in East Asia, are another unique and rare type of fire-breathing witch; however, only a couple dozen are said to remain. Muses are another unique witch with the special power of inspiration and born under extremely rare circumstances; i.e. the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter.

### Powers and Abilities

Witches can achieve a variety of powers or abilities through their use of witchcraft and spell casting; however, age, experience, knowledge, or power can limit the capabilities of one witch to that of another.

* **Spell Casting:** One of the defining characteristics of a witch is their ability to cast spells; a "spell" being a word, a verse or incantation, ritual action, or any combination of these to carry out a magical action. On rare occasions such actions can be performed without the use of a verbal spell.
* **Channeling:** The power to invoke extra forms of energy by focusing on external forces.
* **Potion Brewing:** The power to brew and concoct potions, remedies, and elixirs that have supernatural properties with varying effects.
* **Telekinesis:** The power to move objects and persons through mental influence.
* **Pain Infliction:** The power to create excruciating migraines or aneurysms through supernatural means.
* **Elemental Control**: The power to control and manipulate the elements of air, earth, fire, and water.
* **Divination:** The power to divine future, past, and present events based on extrasensory perception.
	+ **Clairvoyance:** The power to divine future, past or present events through instinctive knowledge.
	+ **Intuition:** The power to divine future, past or present events through the use of instinctive knowledge.
	+ **Premonitions:** The power to divine future, past or present events through the observation and study of dreams.
	+ **Psychometry:** The power to divine future, past or present events through contact with or proximity to a certain object or person.
* **Projection:** The power to separate from one's body and project the mind to another location or to instantaneously travel from one point to another.
* **Transmogrification:** The unique power to alter the physical structure of objects living or dead, changing their form through spells.
* **Telepathy:** The power that allows witches to access the minds of others through spells.
* **Possession:** The power to jump one's spirit into the body of another, taking control of said host body through spells.
* **Illusions:** The power to alter the senses of others to perceive a false reality through spells.
* **Dream Manipulation:** The power to control people's dreams through spells.
* **Resurrection:** The power to bring someone or one's self back from the dead through spells.

### Weaknesses

* **Disbelief:** The act of denying or disbelieving in one's potential could cause a witch to inadvertently suppress their magical power.
* **Distraction:** Denying a witch from concentrating or giving full attention to their spells, may render them ineffective. Since most spells are spoken verbally and take time to take effect, witches are vulnerable to attack before their completion. Additionally, certain spells require items, tools, and or special events during casting, therefore they can't be invoked on a mere whim.
* **Emotions:** A witch's magic is subject to the influence of their emotional state and may fluctuate according to them, especially when untrained. According to Sheila Bennett, strong emotions such as worry and anger can fuel a witch's power while emotions such as fear may prevent a witch from properly accessing them.
* **Herbs:** Ingestion of certain herbs can cause a witch to lose consciousness and prevent them from using magic for an undetermined amount of time. The Lobelia flower prevents concentration and, therefore, the practice of magic and can be used to temporarily weaken a witch.
* **Huntress' Blood:** The supernatural huntress' blood can suppress all magic of a witch when consumed, as well as prevent magic from working on said witch, as seen when the Armory could not perform a locator spell on Bonnie Bennett. Prolonged ingestion is toxic and ultimately leads to the death of the witch. Once black scabs start appearing on their body, the infected witch has less than a week of life. There is no known cure to combat this disease.
* **Witchcraft:** Witches are still susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical and dark objects. A siphoner can siphon the magic from a witch and prolonged exposure is said to lead to death.
* **Mortality:** Despite their mystical attributes, witches are still human and share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, decapitation, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, snapped neck, etc.). However, witches can temporarily get around this weakness through the use of protection spells.
* **Overexertion:** The excessive use of magic can lead to disorientation, nose bleeds, unconsciousness, and if taken to the extreme, death.
* **Nature:** It is said that Nature will always find a balance when witchcraft is performed, thus spells will always have loopholes. This means, among other things, that no being can be truly immortal.
* **Mystic Falls Founders Bell:** An indestructible bell that amplifies the effects of the Staff of Arcadius when combined with the Maxwell Striker. When struck, it produces a high frequency that has some minor effects on witches and siphoners, giving them painful headaches. Apart from this, it does not affect their ability to perform magic and cast spells.

### Tools

* **Amulets:** An object that is used to protect its wearer from harm.
* **Athames:** A ceremonial dagger with a double-edged blade that is commonly used to direct energy.
* **Candles:** A block of solid wax with an embedded wick that is commonly lit to amplify a witch's spell.
* **Cauldrons:** A large metal pot that is commonly used to hold the ingredients for elixirs and potions.
* **Grimoires:** A family journal is documented with magical recipes, rituals, and spells. Grimoires can also be used as a Talisman to represent a witch.
* **Herbs:** Various flora used as ingredients to be incorporated into spells as binding agents.
* **Stones:** Various minerals and ores used to boost or bind a witch's spell.
* **Symbols:** Seals drawn or written used as physical representations of spells.
* **Talismans:** Objects that can be used to magnify a witch's power and/or represent them supernaturally.

## Witch-Vampire Hybrid

Hybrids are a cross-breed of two or more different supernatural species. The term is commonly used to describe a werewolf turned into a vampire due to the fact that they were the first supernatural hybrid to be introduced in the series. However, since the werewolf-vampire hybrid's creation, there have been other hybrids, such as siphoner turned witch-vampire hybrids, werewolf-witch hybrids, and, in the unique case of Hope Mikaelson, a witch-werewolf-vampire tribrid.

Hybrids possess both the strengths and some of the weaknesses of their parent races, along with powerful attributes unique to themselves alone due to their combined heritage. For werewolf-vampire hybrids, this includes day walking and being able to transform into a wolf without the Full Moon's influence. For siphoner-vampire hybrids, they retain their ability to siphon magic and their own vampirism as a power source for their use in witchcraft; as they did not possess their own magic as siphoners; this is a skill that makes them powerful.

### Creation

The hybridization of witches and vampires is impossible. Witches are servants of Nature while vampires are aberrations of Nature. When a witch transitions into a vampire, they lose their connection to Nature and are unable to practice magic. However, a subsection of aberrant witches, known as siphoners, are unique to this. Siphoners have no magic of their own, yet possess the ability to siphon magic from others. When they are turned into a vampire, the siphoner witch retains their ability to siphon magic and, as a vampire, access to siphon from themselves to cast spells. Lillian Salvatore found and befriended a group of siphoners that were cast out from their coven, the Gemini Coven. Eventually she turned them into siphoner witch-vampire hybrids. Her "family" became known as Heretics.

### Powers

The hybridization of a witch and a vampire has long been impossible. However, a subsection of aberrant witches with no power of their own, yet the ability to siphon magic from others, known as siphoners, are unique to this rule. When turned into a vampire, the siphoner witch retains their ability to siphon magic and, as a vampire, access to siphon from themselves to cast spells. A group known as the Heretics consisted of these hybrids.

* **Siphoning:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids possess the rare ability to absorb magic, in many forms, from another source.
* **Spell Casting:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids, after having absorbed magic, possess the ability to cast spells like any witch.

* **Telekinesis:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids, after having absorbed magic, possess the ability to move objects and people with the mind like any witch.
* **Pain Infliction:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids, after having absorbed magic, possess the ability to inflict excruciating migraines like any witch.
* **Pyrokinesis:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids, after having absorbed magic, possess the ability to create and control fire like any witch.
* **Divination:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids, after having absorbed magic, possess the ability to divine future, past, and present events based on extrasensory perception like any witch.
* **Super Strength:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids have the same strength as that of non-Original vampires and are noticeably much stronger than Supernatural Hunters, immortals and humans and slowly grow stronger with time. They always have the advantage of superior strength in direct combat with a human. Their other feats include single-handedly lifting grown men high off the ground by the throat and snapping their necks, cutting off a person's head with their bare hands, and ripping out internal organs such as hearts with little to no effort. Their strength is also more powerful than werewolves and Evolved werewolves in human form. Their strength allows them to jump higher and further than any natural creature.
* **Super Speed:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids possess the same speed as non-Original vampires; able to accelerate their movements to cover short distances in an instant, faster than the human eye can see. When running across long distances, they appear as vibrating blurs of motion. Their reflexes are similarly heightened. Like their strength, their speed increases with age.
* **Super Agility:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids possess superhuman agility. They have shown that they can move, jump very high, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion. They can jump with their super speed too. These abilities increase with age.
* **Super Senses:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids possess extremely keen senses of hearing, sight and smell that far exceed those of humans and werewolves.
* **Super Durability:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids can take a great amount of physical damage without being slowed down. Even vampires who have been shot with wooden bullets have been seen to continue fighting, as long as they were not shot in the heart, or the head. As they get older they become more powerful.
* **Healing Factor:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids possess the ability to recover tissue from any form of physical damage to their bodies in seconds, but still feel the pain of a wound before it heals. Vampires can snap their bones back into place after being broken and have been seen to fully recover from gunshots, stab wounds, and torso impalement.
* **Immortality:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids stop aging once turned. Upon their transformation, they become immune to all conventional illness, diseases, viruses and infections, though the exception is cancer, which can only be exacerbated by vampirism.

* **Day Walking:** Due to their siphoner heritage, non-Original witch-vampire hybrids are immune to the lethal effects that UV rays and sunlight have on non-Original vampires and Original vampires. Allowing them to walk in daylight without the use of a daylight ring.
* **Enhanced Emotions:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids experience emotions more powerfully than humans. Emotions like love, joy, and happiness are magnified for vampires, allowing them to live life more intensely.
* **Emotional Control:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids have the supernatural ability to remove or dull their emotions by "turning off" their humanity which is directly connected to their emotions. Doing so allows them to block out their more negative emotions, such as fear and guilt, allowing them to feed and kill without remorse.

* **Mind Compulsion:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids have the ability to influence and control thoughts, emotions, and behavior and can alter or erase memories.
* **Sire Bond:** Although rare among them, sire bonds can be formed when a human is turned with the blood of the vampire whom they had strong human feelings for.
* **Telepathy:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids have the ability, albeit a weak variant, to enter the minds of others as long as theirs is stronger than them. Normally, this ability works in a tactile fashion and the vampire requires physical contact in order for it to work successfully. Like their physical attributes, their mental strength increases with age.
	+ **Dream Manipulation:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids can control dreams and subconscious. They can produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares or lucid dreaming. Other effects of this ability is the distortion of reality and trapping people in their dreams.
	+ **Illusions:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids have the power to trick the minds of others into seeing/feeling things that aren't actually happening.

* **True Face:** A non-Original witch-vampire hybrid's true face is the appearance they are hiding under their normal human face. When their true face is revealed, the sclera of their eyes turns blood-red, dark veins appear under their eyes as the blood pumps forcefully through them, and their canine teeth extend into razor-sharp fangs. Their true face can be revealed whenever they wish, but it will appear against their will whenever they are aroused by the scent of blood, or are feeling intense emotions such as anger, lust, sadness, etc. Their fangs are extremely sharp which gives them the ability to tear into almost any substance (including and especially flesh) and tear off limbs. Their true face will appear for the first time, either while they drink human blood for the first time or shortly afterward. With the fangs come the darkened veins under the eyes as well.

### Weakness

* **Broken Neck:** Breaking a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid's neck will result in temporary death, though they will revive a short time later.
* **The Cure:** If a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid takes the cure, they will revert back to being a witch again. Once taken, the cure prevents them from being immortal again, causing the body to reject vampire blood.
* **Decapitation:** Dismembering or removing the head of a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid will result in instant death.
* **Desiccation:** Being completely drained of blood or the heart-stopping will cause a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid to desiccate due to their vampire side, losing most of their strength and any ability to move. This process can be replicated artificially by magic.
* **Distraction:** Denying a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid from concentrating or giving full attention to their spells, may render them ineffective.
* **Emotions:** A non-Original witch-vampire hybrid's magic is subject to the influence of their emotional state and may fluctuate according to them when untrained. According to Sheila Bennett, strong emotions such as worry and anger can fuel a witch's power while emotions such as fear may prevent a witch from properly accessing their powers. This may be made more intense due to a vampire's heightened emotions.
* **Heart Extraction:** Removing a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid's heart will result in instant death.
* **Herbs:** Ingestion of certain herbs can cause loss of consciousness and prevent them from using magic for an undetermined amount of time. The Lobelia flower prevents concentration and the practice of magic and by witches can be used to weaken a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid as one would weaken a vampire with vervain.
	+ **Vervain:** Due to their vampire aspect, vervain causes a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid to become severely weak and feverish with exposure to or ingestion. Also, If a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid's skin is exposed to vervain, it will burn them. Furthermore, they can't compel anyone on vervain.

* **Huntress' Blood:** Consumption of a supernatural huntress' blood will cause a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid to lose their ability to use magic. Prolong exposure poisons them, leading them to get sick. When scabs begin to appear on their body, it eventually leads to death. According to Alex and Rayna Cruz, Rayna's blood can't be reversed for anything and all the attempts to make a cure were unsuccessful.
* **Hybrid Bloodline:** If an Original vampire dies, then all the non-Original witch-vampire hybrids they created will die along with them.
* **Invitation:** Due to their vampire heritage, non-Original witch-vampire hybrids are unable to enter a home without an invitation.
* **Magic:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical and dark objects.
* **Overexertion:** If too much power is siphoned from a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid's blood at a time, they may begin to desiccate and ultimately die. Overtaxing themselves can also lead them to experience physical symptoms, such as nosebleeds.
* **Physical Contact:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids need physical contact with their source in order to siphon from them.
* **Physical Trauma:** Minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds, and broken bones will cause a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid pain and also slow them down. However, this is momentary as they will heal completely within seconds. It seems physical trauma can hurt them anywhere on the body (i.e. eye gouging, drowning, etc.).
* **Poison:** There are various poisons invented by Dr. Wes Maxfield and Aya, to name a few, that are capable of incapacitating or desiccating a vampire when administered. Klaus also used a poison to kill Tim that not even vampire blood could cure. It is unknown what effect, if any, any of these poisons would have if ingested by a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid.
* **Werewolf Bite:** Non-Original witch-vampire hybrids are still susceptible to the bite of a werewolf. However, they are able to siphon the magic from the venom, disabling its effects.
* **Wood:** Stakes can harm and kill a non-Original witch-vampire hybrid.
* **Cancer:** Although vampires cannot catch diseases and illnesses such as cancer, if a human has active cancer and is turned into a vampire, the effects of cancer will increase. The regenerative properties of vampire blood will speed up the replication of cancer cells and exceed normal stages of the condition. The effects on non-Original witch-vampire hybrids would most likely be affected the same way as non-Original vampires.

#### Former Weaknesses

* **Doppelgänger Blood Magic:** If blood from the last pair of doppelgängers is used in the Magic Purification Spell, all non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids will have their vampire powers stripped from them little by little and then they will be brought back to the last stage of their werewolf life; death. They will then relive the way they died when they went into transition to the point where they die again. Kai absorbed the magic purification barrier and it's gone now.

## Witch-Werewolf Hybrid

Hybrids are a cross-breed of two or more different supernatural species. The term is commonly used to describe a werewolf turned into a vampire due to the fact that they were the first supernatural hybrid to be introduced in the series. However, since the werewolf-vampire hybrid's creation, there have been other hybrids, such as siphoner turned witch-vampire hybrids, werewolf-witch hybrids, and, in the unique case of Hope Mikaelson, a witch-werewolf-vampire tribrid.

Hybrids possess both the strengths and some of the weaknesses of their parent races, along with powerful attributes unique to themselves alone due to their combined heritage. For werewolf-vampire hybrids, this includes day walking and being able to transform into a wolf without the Full Moon's influence. For siphoner-vampire hybrids, they retain their ability to siphon magic and their own vampirism as a power source for their use in witchcraft; as they did not possess their own magic as siphoners; this is a skill that makes them powerful.

### Powers

Niklaus Mikaelson and Vivianne Lescheres are the only two known witch-werewolf hybrids, though Klaus was untapped prior to becoming an Original vampire, and later the Original hybrid.

* **Channeling:** Witch-werewolf hybrids have the power to invoke extra forms of energy by focusing on external forces.
* **Potion Brewing:** Witch-werewolf hybrids have the power to brew and concoct potions, remedies, and elixirs that have supernatural properties.
* **Spell Casting:** Witch-werewolf hybrids have the power to change and control events through the use of incantations and more.
* **Divination:** Witch-werewolf hybrids have the power to divine future, past, and present events based on extrasensory perception.
* **Super Strength:** Witch-werewolf hybrids have the same strength as werewolves and are noticeably much stronger than Supernatural Hunters, immortals and humans, though to a lesser degree than vampires. When they are in their wolf forms, their powers amplify to a degree that exceeds that of the non-Original vampires and can overpower and kill them with ease.
* **Super Speed:** Witch-werewolf hybrids possess the same speed as werewolves; they possess this ability both in and out of transformation with an animalistic quickness; however, the power is faster at night than in the day, due to the moon's presence, and their speed increases greatly when the werewolf is transformed during the full moon. In wolf form, however, while under the influence of the full moon, they can use their speed to swiftly chase down their choice of prey.
* **Super Durability:** Witch-werewolf hybrids can take more trauma than humans without nearly as much discomfort or injury, however, not as much as vampires. They can also exert themselves for longer periods without tiring.
* **Healing Factor:** Witch-werewolf hybrids possess superhuman regenerative abilities, meaning that if they are physically injured, their bodies will heal rapidly. They can heal from many non-fatal injuries, even in human form, albeit more slowly in comparison to vampires.
* **Super Senses:** Witch-werewolf hybrids have the extremely keen and supernatural heightened senses of smell, sight, taste, hearing and touch inherent in all canines.
* **Lycanthrope Enhancement:** Witch-werewolf hybrids are able to make their eyes glow when angry or threatened, but only for a short amount of time. When furious or forced to defend themselves, their anger increases all their power and abilities for a short period of time, which allows them to access some of their powers to give them an edge.
* **Shapeshifting**/**Transformation Control:** During a full moon, they will unwillingly transform from their human forms and into their wolf forms. However, if a female witch-werewolf hybrid is pregnant, they will not turn for nine months as the transformation would kill the baby.
* **Werewolf Bite:** A witch-werewolf hybrid's venom is extremely lethal to non-Original vampires. While an Original vampire cannot die from the venom, they are not wholly immune to the effects of the venom. For non-Original vampires, the venom acts as a poison of sorts that will enter the bloodstream and deliver the toxin throughout the body, producing discomfort and weakness. All vampires who are bitten will ultimately develop uncontrollable hunger that progresses to delusions, hallucinations, rabid rage, and dementia, then finally death.
* **Full Moon:** A witch-werewolf hybrid's strength, speed, agility, and all their powers are enhanced to their peak during a full moon.
* **Immunity to Silver:** Witch-werewolf hybrids are immune to magic bonded to silver. Weapons made of silver might wound them, though non-fatal wounds will still heal at supernatural rates.

### Weaknesses

* **Blood Loss:** If a witch-werewolf hybrid is severely wounded and bleeds out before they can heal, they can die.
* **Broken Neck:** Breaking a witch-werewolf hybrid's neck will result in instant death.
* **Decapitation:** Decapitation will result in instant death for a witch-werewolf hybrid.
* **Disbelief:** The act of denying or disbelieving in one's potential could cause a witch-werewolf hybrid to inadvertently suppress their magical power.
* **Distraction:** Denying a witch-werewolf from concentrating or giving full attention to their spells, may render them ineffective.
* **Emotions:** A witch-werewolf hybrid's magic is subject to the influence of their emotional state and may fluctuate according to them when untrained. According to Sheila Bennett, strong emotions such as worry and anger can fuel a witch's power while emotions such as fear may prevent a witch from properly accessing their powers.
* **Fire:** Fire can presumably kill a witch-werewolf hybrid. It can also hurt them.
* **Heart Extraction:** Ripping a witch-werewolf hybrid's heart out will result in instant death.
* **Herbs:** Ingestion of certain herbs can cause a witch-werewolf hybrid to lose consciousness and prevent them from using magic for an undetermined amount of time. The Lobelia flower prevents concentration and the practice of magic and can be used to weaken a witch-werewolf hybrid as one would weaken a vampire with vervain.
	+ **Wolfsbane:** Due to their werewolf aspect wolfsbane causes a witch-werewolf hybrid to become severely weak and feverish when ingested. Also, If a Witch-werewolf hybrid's skin is exposed to wolfsbane, it will burn them.
* **Huntress' Blood:** Consumption of a supernatural huntress' blood will cause a witch to lose their ability to use magic. Prolonged exposure poisons them, leading them to get sick. When scabs begin to appear on their body, it eventually leads to death. According to Alex and Rayna Cruz, Rayna's blood can't be reversed for anything and all the attempts to make a cure were unsuccessful. It is unknown what effect Rayna's blood has on witch-werewolf hybrids.
* **Magic:** Witch-werewolf hybrids are susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical and dark objects. A siphoner can siphon the magic from a witch-werewolf.
* **Mortality:** Witch-werewolf hybrids can die of old age and share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. suffocation).
* **Overexertion:** The excessive use of magic could lead to disorientation, nose bleeds, unconsciousness, and if taken to the extreme, death.
* **Physical Trauma:** Minor physical injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds, and broken bones will cause a witch-werewolf hybrid pain and will also slow them down. However, this is only temporary, as they will be able to heal from most minor physical injuries.

#### Former Weaknesses

* **Doppelgänger Blood Magic:** If blood from the last pair of doppelgängers is used in the Magic Purification Spell, all non-Original werewolf-vampire hybrids will have their vampire powers stripped from them little by little and then they will be brought back to the last stage of their werewolf life; death. They will then relive the way they died when they went into transition to the point where they die again. Kai absorbed the magic purification barrier and it's gone now.

# Symbols

Symbols are written, carved, or stamped icons that are used to signify something; this may be a family, a pack, a species, an object, or a concept. Most Werewolf packs have a symbol, which they use as tattoos to identify their allegiance or as messages to other packs regarding their territory. Some Hunter families of supernatural creatures also have their own symbols, which they use to mark their ammunition.

Many of the symbols used in the series are said to be Druidic in nature, sometimes in order to identify certain materials or rituals that they use in their work. Symbols are also used as part of supernatural tradition as well; for example, the spiral is a symbol that is used to signify revenge or vengeance in Werewolf culture.

There are a multitude of symbols used in the Teen Wolf series, some of which have meanings that were never explored.

## Ouroboros

The ouroboros is a symbol used by the Dread Doctors, which they used to adorn the entrances to their various laboratories in Beacon Hills, California and in Russia. The name is Greek and literally translates to "tail swallower," an apt translation given the fact that the symbol is of a snake or serpent swallowing its own tail. Its origins are in Egypt, where it was a symbol of the sun and its travel around the Earth, and in Gnosticism, it signifies eternity, making it an excellent symbol for the Dread Doctors' use, as their studies led them to obtain a form of immortality; there is also such thing as a double ouroboros, where there are two snakes swallowing each other's tails forming the infinity symbol.

The ouroboros is also a symbol that was used in alchemy. It was said to represent the "spirit" of Mercury and the theme of continuous renewal, as the snake itself is a symbol of resurrection due to its cycle of shedding its skin. The ouroboros also stands for the cycle of life and death. The symbol appears in other cultures as well as those mentioned above, such as in the Norse myth of Jormungandr, the serpent that coiled itself around the roots of Yggdrasil, the World tree, and Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec serpent god.[1]

The ouroboros was first seen by Alan Deaton and his guide, Vadim when they were exploring an old nuclear reactor site in hopes of learning more about the Dread Doctors. Upon seeing an ouroboros on the wall outside of the entrance to the Dread Doctors' Russian laboratory, the two realized they were in the right place and discussed the legends and myths surrounding them. ("Ouroboros") The symbol was then seen again in the Underground Tunnels on a wall outside of the secret entrance to the Dread Doctors' Beacon Hills operating theater, both when Scott McCall, Malia Tate, and Mason Hewitt were searching for Liam Dunbar and Hayden Romero following their capture by the Dread Doctors, as well as several weeks later, when Scott and Liam were searching for the laboratory again; the first search yielded no results, but the second was successful. ("Ouroboros"), ("The Sword and the Spirit")

## Spiral

The spiral is one of the world's most ancient symbols, with spiral-like carvings found in stone works dating all the way back to roughly 12,000 years ago in cultures all over the world: this includes decorative objects in Mezine, Ukraine; monuments in County Meath, Ireland; petroglyphs in Guanajuato, Mexico; roof tiles in ancient Chang'an, China; and the Nazca Lines in the coastal desert of Peru.[2] In Werewolf culture in the Teen Wolf, the spiral is the symbol for revenge, and it is carved or scrawled, typically in public places, as a message to those who have wronged them that they will be seeking their vengeance.

It was first seen when then-Alpha Werewolf Peter Hale drew it in the fog of Scott McCall's car's window as a clue to why he was going on his killing spree—as revenge against those involved in the Hale House Fire that killed the majority of his family. ("Heart Monitor") The spiral was seen again when Scott showed Derek Hale a photo of a deer found in the Beacon Hills Preserve, which had been killed and had a spiral burned into its fur by Peter in order to draw Derek's sister Laura Hale back to town, giving him the opportunity to kill his niece and steal her Alpha power. ("Code Breaker")

In flashbacks to the early 2000s, the Alpha Werewolf Ennis was shown carving the spiral into the corrugated metal wall of the Abandoned Distillery with his claws as a message to the Argent Family of Hunters that he intended to get his revenge, and the spiral was drawn once again in the fog-covered window of Derek's loft in the present day by Peter Hale to illustrate that losing a member of one's pack to death is comparable to losing a limb. ("Visionary")

The spiral was drawn by Beta Werewolf and Derek Hale's younger sister Cora Hale after she had sneaked into Beacon Hills High School and she drew a spiral with her claws in the window of the door of Coach Finstock's office to lure Aiden Steiner, who was making out with his new girlfriend Lydia Martin in the office, into the boys locker room to kill him in revenge for his involvement in the deaths of her friends and Derek's Betas Vernon Boyd and Erica Reyes but she was bested and nearly killed. ("The Girl Who Knew Too Much")

The spiral was drawn for the last time by Peter Hale in the floor of his room during his imprisonment in Eichen House, implying that he planned to get revenge on the McCall Pack for locking him in there, until the lockdown caused by the McCall Pack members while rescuing Lydia Martin from the facility made the power go out and gave Peter the chance to escape from there. However, once he made it to his car in Derek's loft, he was captured by the newly arrived Ghost Riders. ("Radio Silence")

Interestingly enough, though the spiral is a Werewolf symbol, and Werewolves are moon-oriented creatures, the spiral is often interpreted to be a solar symbol. It is believed to be a symbol of creation and growth due to the fact that it is fundamental to nature, as evidenced by snails, seashells, whirlpools, hurricanes, tornadoes, and spinning galaxies, all of which are natural representations of the symbol. Most cultures are in agreement that the spiral represents cycles, such as nature's seasons and the life cycle of birth, growth, and death.[3]

## Bank Symbol

According to Stiles Stilinski, the logo of the First National Bank is a Celtic Druid symbol, but an exact representation of this symbol in Celtic symbology does not seem to exist. The closest approximation of this symbol is known as the Nestorian Cross; it is also known as the Assyrian Cross due to its association with the Assyrian Church of the East, though this is a cross that has been found across the world in places such as Khanbaliq (now Beijing), China, and in India. Crosses such as these with arms of equal length tend to have associations with typical groups of four, such as the four classical elements, the four seasons, or the four cardinal directions.[4]

The symbol also bears some resemblance to the Celtic cross, a cross used by the ancient Celtic people dating as far back as 7,000 years ago. Though its origin remains a mystery, it is believed that the cross was an early symbol used to represent the Gallic sun god Taranis. The cross then became the symbol of the Celtic Christian Church after the majority of the Celtic people converted to Christianity. Just like the spiral, the Celtic cross is a solar symbol.[5]

The bank symbol was first seen when Braeden, a mercenary hired by Marin Morrell to save Isaac Lahey, used her fingers to bruise half of the symbol on Allison Argent and Lydia Martin's respective forearms by squeezing them tightly. Though Allison and Lydia were confused by this at first, they eventually put it together (literally) when they saw that their bruises were mirror images of each other and formed the symbol used as the logo for First National Bank. Shortly afterward, the symbol was seen printed on the floor of the bank vault where Vernon Boyd and Cora Hale were being held hostage by the Alpha Pack ("Tattoo"), ("Chaos Rising") After Alan Deaton was captured by the Darach Jennifer Blake and was suspended by the ceiling of the bank vault by his wrists, Sheriff Stilinski was ultimately able to find and save him when he saw the same symbol printed on the label of one of the jars in his animal clinic. ("Currents")

## Cernunnos

Alan Deaton and Marin Morrell, both of whom are Druid Emissaries, have been seen either wearing or possessing pendants of Cernunnos, also known as the Horned God, one of the two gods of the Wiccan religion and the consort of the Triple Goddess; in this aspect, the Horned God represents the sun, while his consort represents the moon. Cernunnos is a mysterious horned deity who was worshiped by ancient Celts during the Iron Age up until 1st century AD, making it an appropriate deity for present-day Druids to worship.

However, very little information about him exists—all that is known is his appearance is usually depicted as a man with deer antlers sitting in a meditative pose. Cernunnos is associated with animals (most frequently deer), fertility, and nature. Cernunnos also as associations with other gods and legendary figures in Celtic and Britannic mythology, such as Derg Corra, known as the Man in the Tree, Fionn (also known as Finn MacCuill, which, interestingly enough, is a Gaelic variation of the name McCall), and Herne the Hunter, among others. An equivalent to Cernunnos in Roman mythology is often said to be Mercury, and Cernunnos' symbol's visage is also believed to have influenced the commonly-accepted appearance of the Christian Devil.[6]

It has been seen in the series on two occasions; the first was when Alan Deaton used a small coin with Cernunnos depicted on it to demonstrate how Derek Hale, Scott McCall, Isaac Lahey, and Stiles Stilinski would catch the Kanima and the Kanima Master by surrounding a warehouse with Mountain Ash. ("Raving") It was then seen again in the form of a pendant necklace worn by Marin Morrell when she was confronted by the Alpha Pack, accompanied by Scott McCall. ("Alpha Pact")

## Five-Fold Knot

The five-fold knot is a symbol used by Druids in several aspects of their lives. It was first seen on one of the roots of the Nemeton when Gerard and Chris Argent were looking for hidden Werewolves in the Nemeton's root cellar. Chris explained that this symbol marked the Nemeton as the symbolic World Tree for the Beacon Hills Druids, making it sacred and powerful to them. ("Visionary")

The five-fold knot was seen again in Chris' study, where it was carved into the top of his desk and used as an illustration of the five-fold sacrifice ritual being performed by the Darach Jennifer Blake. Each of the knots represented a trio of humans who were sacrificed to bestow supernatural powers upon her: virgins (enhanced glamouring and seduction), warriors (superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes), healers (accelerated healing of herself and others), philosophers (superhuman knowledge and strategy), and guardians (presumably durability or invulnerability). A crude sketch of the five-fold knot was also drawn by Lydia Martin on the chalkboard of one of the philosopher sacrifices while she was in a Banshee fugue state. ("The Girl Who Knew Too Much")

In real life, the four outer knots of the five-fold knot represents the common four aspects in Celtic associations, with the center knot serving as the so-called "fifth element" of these associations:

Numbers: One, two, three, four, five

Cardinal Directions: East, South, West, North, Center

Classical Elements: Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Spirit/Aether

Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Transit [7]

All in all, the five-fold knot is meant to represent balance in nature, which, according to Marin Morrell, is the main mission of a Druid. ("Echo House")

## Ogham

On the many jars and cans of herbs and other magical implements in Alan Deaton's office at the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic are symbols written in the Celtic Oracular Alphabet known as Ogham. This alphabet dates back to the fourth century and is named after the ancient Celtic god of knowledge and communication, Ogmos, whose Greek counterpart is Hermes. This alphabet consists of twenty letters, each of which correspond to one of the sacred trees to Druids and which have their own theme or meaning. These letters are often used as a means of divination by modern-day Druids and other Neopagans in a manner similar to Norse rune-stones.

The main letter of the Ogham alphabet shown in the series is Luís (pronounced loo-weesh), which is a vertical line with two shorter horizontal lines extending from the middle of the right side. Luís was shown as the label on a jar of Mountain Ash in Alan Deaton's office, a very appropriate choice, as the letter represents the Rowan tree, and Mountain Ash is made from burning Rowan wood. ("Raving"), ("Dreamcatchers") Luís is also used to represent the concepts of protection and of instinctual knowledge.[8]

## Celtic Knot

The Celtic Knot was shown on a jar in Deaton's office which contained a brown powder. ("Unleashed") While it is primarily known as a Celtic symbol, similar symbols also exist in Chinese and Norse culture as well. Despite the symbol being well-known and recognized throughout the word in Celtic symbol guides, the true meaning of the Celtic Knot remains unknown due to the lack of historical documentation in Celtic culture; what little is known is that the symbol does not appear to mean "love," "loyalty," or "sisterhood," which are commonly attributed definitions. However, the continuous looping of the knot with no identifiable end seems to indicate an association with the concept of eternity and the interconnection of life.[9]

## Shield Knot

The Shield Knot is a very ancient symbol among many cultures that seems to have a universal meaning of protection and warding. In Mesopotamia, the symbol was meant to represent the invocation of the gods of the four corners of the earth in protective spells, while in the mystic Jewish practice of Kabbalah, it was used in prayers and spells to invoke the four Archangels. Celtic and Norse cultures also used it as symbolic protection in their respective cultures, and Christianity also incorporated it into their belief system, referring to it as the St. Hans Cross in honor of John the Baptist in the bible.[10] Another more intricate form of this knot was also seen on another jar in Deaton's office. ("Unleashed")

## Awen

The Awen, while not a genuine symbol in the ancient Druid practice, still has association with a number of modern groups. In Gaelic, awen means "inspiration" or "essence," both in terms of artistic inspiration as well as spiritual enlightenment. The three rays in the symbol are a representation of the harmony of opposites, with the left and right rays representing masculine and feminine energy and the middle ray representing the balance between the two.[11] Incidentally, the Awen symbol resembles three claw gashes, making it an interesting symbol to be used by a Druid Emissary of a pack of Werewolves and other shapeshifters such as the McCall Pack. This symbol was seen on the label of one of Deaton's jars of herbs and other materials at the animal clinic. ("Unleashed")

## Sun Wheel

Another symbol on the jars in Deaton's office is the Sun Wheel, a symbol in ancient Druidic tradition that typically involves a circle with six or eight spokes inside of it. It is also known as the Wheel of Taranis, the Celtic god of the sun and thunder, and represents the solar calendar; the spokes mark the position of the sun at the equinoxes and the solstices, and the solar cross and Celtic cross are both known to be adaptations of this symbol.[12]

## Triquetra

The Triquetra is a symbol made of one unbroken line that forms three interlocked vesica pisces. Though it is commonly associated with triple goddesses such as the Fates, the Norns, and the Morrigan, there is nothing known that confirms this belief. The symbol has connections to Wicca, several pagan cultures, as well as Christianity, and appears to universally refer to various trinities: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Christianity; the earth, sky, and sea; the Mother, Maiden, and Crone; or the mind, body, and soul. This symbol may or may not include a circle enclosing the tripartite aspect; the presence of this circle is typically used to emphasize the unity aspect of the trinity. This symbol was not only seen on a label in one of the jars in Deaton's office, but was also seen being drawn by a pseudoscientist under the employ of Lorraine Martin in her lake house during her attempts to understand her Banshee powers of predicting death. Interestingly enough, the symbol is often used to represent the Morrígan, a Celtic battle goddess (and sometimes referred to as a triple goddess) who is associated with Banshees and wolves. ("Riddled"), ("Monstrous") [13]

## Fleur-de-lis

The fleur-de-lis is a stylized lily that is the symbol of the Argent Family of Hunters. It has been incorporated into an endless number of European coats of arms and flags throughout history, but it has historically been associated with the French monarchy in particular, which makes it an excellent symbol for a family like the Argents, whose origins are in the French aristocracy. The image was used in Christian religious art in the Middle Ages, which led to its association with the Virgin Mary to symbolize purity, chastity, female virtue and spirituality; this makes it an interesting choice for the Argent family, which boasts a matriarchal leadership.[14] This concept of purity was not solely with regards to sexuality, but also in terms of converting to Christianity, as demonstrated during the baptism of Clovis, King of the Franks, in the late 5th/early 6th century. The symbol's three petals makes it another icon that refers to the Holy Trinity or trios in general, similar to the Triquetra.[15]

The fleur-de-lis was first shown to be the symbol for the Argent Family when Derek Hale found several shell casings on the ground in the Beacon Hills Preserve and brought them to Chris Argent, who identified them as belonging to his believed-to-be deceased sister, Kate Argent. They were also shown to be stamped or brushed onto their ammunition when Chris helped his daughter, Allison Argent, forge a silver arrowhead stamped with a fleur-de-lis as a testament to the Hunter Code and as a symbol of her "graduation" from Hunter training. ("Insatiable") After Allison's death, Chris stopped stamping his bullets with the symbol, but his father Gerard Argent continued to do so. ("Raw Talent")

## Skull

The skull is a symbol of the uppermost part of the human skeleton and is the symbol of the Calavera Family of Hunters. The skull is most commonly used to symbolize death and mortality, particularly in the Calaveras' home county of Mexico, where skulls and skeletons are an integral part of the celebration of El Día de los Muertos ("the Day of the Dead"). Interestingly enough, the word calavera also means "skull" in Spanish.[16]

The skull was first shown to be connected to the Calavera Family after Derek Hale went missing; when Scott McCall, concerned by Derek's lack of communication, went to Derek's loft to see if he was there, he found dozens of bullet casings with the skull etched into them, which Alan Deaton identified as being the Calavera's symbol. The family also prints skulls on tarot-esque cards, which are then used as tickets to the club located in their compound. ("The Dark Moon")

## Alpha Pack Symbol

The symbol of the Alpha Pack of Werewolves is what appears to be a triskelion, only instead of three spirals, the symbol has three angular lines in a somewhat triangular shape which bears a resemblance to two different but common symbols.

## Trinacria

The Trinacria, also known as the triarca or trincaria, which means "triangular" and is a three-legged design used as the symbol of the island of Sicily. The original symbol literally has three human legs which are bent at the knee and which branch out from the center, which depicts the head of a Gorgon. The Gorgon represents the protection of the Greek goddess Athena, whose Roman equivalent is Minerva and who is the patron goddess of Sicily.[17]

The Alpha Pack's symbol was first seen on the front door of the Hale House ruins, which then-Alpha Derek Hale, his uncle Peter Hale, and his Beta Isaac Lahey found after the defeat of Gerard Argent and the salvation of the Kanima-Werewolf hybrid Jackson Whittemore. Peter correctly interpreted the appearance of this symbol to mean that the Alpha Pack had heard of Derek's ascension to Alpha status and that his legacy as a Hale (particularly as the son of world-renowned Alpha Talia Hale) had attracted the pack's attention to the extent of wanting to recruit him. ("Master Plan") The symbol would be seen again later on the windows of Derek's loft, this time as a message to warn him that Kali would be coming to give him an ultimatum—he could kill all of his Betas and join them, or he and the rest of his pack would be killed. ("Currents")

## Circumpunct

The circumpunct, also known as a "circle inside a circle" or a "circle-dot," is the symbol of the McCall Pack. This symbol, like the spiral, is one of mankind's most ancient glyphs and is significant in many ancient religions and traditions. Like many of the symbols discussed on this page, the circumpunct is a solar symbol whose round shape with the circle inside of it is meant to represent the sun. In Gnosticism, it symbolizes the most primal aspect of God, with the larger circle representing the "all-encompassing power and infinite limitlessness of God," while the dot inside represented humanity's place within God.[18]

To the Greek Pythagoreans, it represented the monad, or the point of the beginning of creation and thus eternity. The symbol represents the sun to those who study astrology and astronomy, and it stands for gold to those who studied alchemy. In Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, this symbol represented both the sun and the sun god, Ra, whereas in Chinese oracular script, it both represents the sun and a single day in the calendar year.

This symbol seems to have a similar meaning across many of these cultures: the sun, which gives the Earth its life, is represented by the dot in the middle of the symbol, while the greater universe is represented by the larger circle around it. In Freemasonry, the dot represents universal consciousness, the inner line of the circle is universal intelligence, and the outer line of the circle is universal force.[19]

The circumpunct also has similarities with other symbols as well, such as the nazar, a circle-dot-shaped amulet that is used by the Turkish people to ward against the "evil eye." In Christianity, the symbol has also been used to represent the Archangel Michael, who is also associated with the sun.[20]

The symbol was first seen as a tattoo that Scott McCall got around his left bicep; he explained that it was a symbol he often drew with his fingers, but that the symbolism of the tattoo itself was as a reward for giving Allison Argent, his ex-girlfriend, space following their break-up and the death of her mother, Victoria Argent. The tattoo faded shortly after it was completed due to Scott's Werewolf healing ability, forcing him to have it burned into his skin and scarred into his muscles with a blow torch by Derek Hale, another Werewolf who went through a similar process to get his triskele tattoo. ("Tattoo")

It was later shown to have become the pack symbol shortly after Scott's death at Theo Raeken's hands and his subsequent resurrection, as Theo and his new "Beta," Hayden Romero, found that Scott had carved the symbol into the corrugated metal wall of the Railway Depot as a warning to him that he would reunite and rebuild his pack. ("The Last Chimera") The circumpunct was then drawn again into the dirt floor of the Underground Tunnels by Scott and his best friend Stiles Stilinski in order to symbolize their reconciliation and their vow to reunite their pack at all costs. ("Damnatio Memoriae")

## Horned God

The Horned God, also described by Scott McCall as "a circle with a crescent on top," is the symbol of the pack known as The Primal. The symbol is significant in the Wiccan faith and is said to represent the "masculine polarity of the universe." It also believed to represent the archetypal horned Shaman, which explains its association with the ancient gods of the hunt and vegetation; these gods include the Greek gods Dionysus and Pan, the Greek satyr, the Celtic god Cernunnos (whose own symbol is used frequently by Druids), the legendary British figure known as Herne the Hunter, and the Egyptian god Ammon, among many others. Unlike many of the symbols discussed thus far, which are known as solar symbols, the crescent on the top of this symbol makes the Horned God a lunar symbol; as such, it is the symbol of the goddess Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt. With this in mind, the symbol is very appropriate for a pack of Werewolves driven by their primal urges that is composed of all men, with the exception of their Alpha, Mrs. Finch, and her daughter, Quinn.[21]

The symbol of the Horned God represents masculinity in the Wiccan religion's duotheistic system of worship, as the Horned God is the consort of the female Triple Goddess of the Moon or another Mother Goddess. This god is associated with hunting, the life cycle, nature, sexuality, and the wilderness, which again makes it an appropriate choice to symbolize The Primal pack. The Horned God is also a dualistic god on his own, representing two-fold aspects such as bright and dark, day and night, summer and winter, etc., which is symbolized by his two horns created by the points of the crescent.

The pack symbol was first mentioned in a conversation between Scott McCall and Malia Tate, where they brought up The Primal in hopes that they may be able to join them in their fight against the Anuk-ite; Scott described their pack symbol as looking like a circle with a crescent moon on top after Malia explained that the pack had cut everything that made them human out of their lives. The pack symbol was later seen at The Primal's Lair, where the corpses of the dead pack members (including one that looked as though it had been flayed) all had the symbol tattooed on their arms or chests; in the case of the flayed corpse, the symbol was shown burned into the muscle of her arm, demonstrating the severity of the burns necessary to keep a tattoo visible on a Werewolf. ("Werewolves of London") Mrs. Finch was later shown to have the same tattoo burned onto her right deltoid when Scott attempted to coax her into shifting to trigger her healing process following her battle with the half of the Anuk-ite that had taken the shape of her deceased daughter. ("Genotype")

## Stacked Rocks

The stacked rocks symbol, or symbol of ovals of descending size stacked upon one another, is the symbol of Satomi Ito's Werewolf pack. It is based on the Buddhist practice of stacking rocks, which seems to have several associations with the pack, including the Buddhist religious beliefs of everyone in the pack, the pack's policy against unnecessary violence, and their dedication to maintaining calmness and control over their transformations in their every day lives. Their symbol is of four ovals that decrease in size as they move upward.

The ritual of stacking rocks is a meditative Buddhist yogic practice that requires patience, focus, and calmness to perform correctly, traits that are all important in helping a Werewolf maintain control over their shapeshifting powers; this appears to be a new take on Satomi's original method of maintaining calmness, as she was originally known for playing the Eastern Asian strategy game Go in her early Werewolf life to keep her identity hidden from the military during her time in the Oak Creek internment camp through World War II. ("The Fox and the Wolf")

On their own, stones or rocks symbolize eternity and truth due to the fact that they can endure centuries of the elements while remaining largely unchanged. Humans throughout time have stacked stones for a number of reasons, including as monuments to their deities, as gravestones for deceased loved ones, as trail markers (particularly to symbolize those people who have come before and to assure oneself that they are on the correct path), and to direct oneself to certain stars or constellations.[22] They have also been said to represent one's priorities in day-to-day life (stacking stones from largest to smallest) and how one navigates complex situations.[23]

The concept of stacking stones was first mentioned by Lorilee Rohr as being a Buddhist practice taught to her and her packmates by her Alpha, Satomi Ito; when Lorilee's brother, Brett Talbot, was poisoned, injured, and fighting for his life, he stacked stones as a cairn, or trail marker, to help give Lorilee the clue she needed to find where he had gone to hide and heal. ("After Images") However, it was not known that Satomi's pack symbol was of stacked stones until Theo Raeken noticed the symbol had been tattooed onto the forearms of two of Satomi's Betas, Jiang and Tierney. ("Pressure Test") The symbol was then seen again in Argent Arms International's trophy room, where Gerard Argent had flayed the skin off of Tierney's forearm and placed it in an acrylic mount specifically to act as both a lure and as psychological torture for Scott McCall and Malia Tate, who were trying to rescue the two Betas. ("Triggers")

## Triskelion

The triskelion, also known as the triskele or triple spiral, is a Celtic symbol used by the Hale Family to signify their Werewolf pack. The name comes from the Greek triskeles, which means "three legs." The symbol has a close association with the triquetra, another Celtic symbol used to represent trinities. The triskelion is a solar symbol that signifies motion of action, cycles, progress, revolution, etc.; this can include representations such as pregnancy (with each spiral representing a trimester, or three-month period of time, equaling the nine month length of a human pregnancy) and reincarnation (as the symbol is drawn with one continuous line to represent the movement of time).[24]

It is a common element in the art of the Celtic people and is carved into the neolithic Newgrange tomb in Ireland. Like many tripartite symbols, the triskelion represents common trio concepts such as: earth, water and sky (the Celtic concept of the domains of material existence); mother, maiden, crone; mother, father, child; life, death, rebirth; past, present, future; mind, body, soul; creation, preservation, destruction; etc. It is also believed to represent the three Celtic worlds: the spiritual world, the present world, and the celestial world, as well as the new moon, the half moon, and the full moon, an interesting association for a family of Werewolves.[25]

In the Hale Family and Hale Pack, the symbol is said to mean "Alpha, Beta, Omega," which is used to remind them that, as Werewolves, they can always rise to one rank or fall to another, with Betas becoming Alphas by killing one (or, in rare cases, rising from their own force of will as True Alphas) and Alphas sacrificing their powers to become Betas or Omegas. The symbol was first seen on Derek Hale, who had the symbol tattooed in black ink on his back between his shoulder blades. ("The Tell") It was then seen carved into the top of a trunk Derek had of chains and other restraints in order to keep his new Betas Isaac Lahey, Vernon Boyd, and Erica Reyes contained in the Railway Depot on their first full moon; it was then that Derek explained to them the meaning of the symbol to his family and to Werewolves in general. ("Party Guessed")

The symbol has also been seen on other Hale Family artifacts, such as the Triskelion Urn, a box made of wood from the Nemeton by Alan Deaton that contained Talia Hale's claws and had the symbol carved onto its lid, and the Triskelion Medallion, a large bronze coin with the symbol stamped into it, which Talia used to train new Betas by giving it to them to use as a focus when using the mantra "Alpha, Beta, Omega" to maintain control on full moons. ("More Bad Than Good"), ("117")

## Double-Face

The double-face symbol, also called the two-face symbol, represents the Anuk-ite, an ancient indigenous American shapeshifter who is made up of two beings. According to Alan Deaton, a Druid, the Anuk-ite represents duality, and often has one beautiful face and one hideous face; after the creature escaped the Wild Hunt, its duality was due to one half being a human and the other half a Werewolf. When the two halves are merged to become one, the symbol comes to represent disharmony, as the Anuk-ite takes the subtle fears of otherwise peaceful beings and amplifies it, turning their good will into paranoia, anger, violent, discord, and hate.

The double-face symbol is most often associated with Janus, the ancient Roman god of beginnings, endings, gateways, doorways, passages, transition, time, making him what is known as a liminal god. Janus is typically depicted as having two faces, as one of his gifts was seeing time and his two faces were used to see both the past and the future. Janus' similarity with the Anuk-ite is interesting, as his status as the god of beginnings and endings, he was involved in both war and peace, just as the Anuk-ite sought to start war in order to cause and feed on the resulting fear that comes from conflict.[26]

The symbol was first seen on a large piece of stone that was broken from the wall of the Hellhound Halwyn's cell in Eichen House; after learning that a creature who was both inducing fear and becoming empowered by it was released from the Wild Hunt's Phantom Train Station, Alan Deaton visited the cell to get some answers, nearly dying from the strength of the fear aura that had been left there by the Anuk-ite. However, Deaton was only able to see half of the symbol, which was unintelligible until Corey Bryant was able to use his power of Adaptive Camouflage and its related enhanced sense of sight to see the other half, drawing it onto the stone so that Deaton and Mason Hewitt could see it for themselves. The double-faced symbol is what led Deaton to realize that they were dealing with the Anuk-ite. ("Pressure Test")

## Jiko

Jiko, which can also be referred to as onore, is a symbol in the Japanese kanji language used by Oni and Kitsune. According to Katashi, a Japanese man and survivor of an Oni attack, the symbol means "self" or "oneself" and is used by these creatures to symbolize that a person is themselves, or, rather, that they are not possessed by spiritual creatures.

The symbol was first seen branded on Isaac Lahey's neck, right behind his left ear, by an Oni who had tested him to make sure he was not possessed by the Void Kitsune known as the Nogitsune being pursued by the Oni's summoner, Noshiko Yukimura (although this was not known at the time). After showing up at Derek Hale's loft during a party being thrown by Danny Mahealani and Ethan Steiner, Ethan, his twin brother Aiden, Derek, and Lydia Martin were all scanned and branded behind their left ears with the same symbol. ("Illuminated") The following day, the Oni arrived at the McCall House and, though they put up a fight, the Oni ultimately scanned and branded Scott McCall and Kira Yukimura with the symbol.

The last person to be scanned and branded with the symbol was Stiles Stilinski; the first time it was attempted, the Nogitsune, who was possessing him, awakened, took control of his body, and used it to kill three of the Oni by pulling out the firefly that animated it. ("Silverfinger") The second attempt successfully occurred after the Nogitsune was exorcised from Stiles' body using a modification of the mind manipulation ritual performed by Scott McCall, confirming that the Nogitsune had left his body for good. ("Insatiable")

In addition to being used by Oni to mark those who have been confirmed to not be possessed by dark spirits, the symbol was also used by Noshiko Yukimura in 1943 when she carved it into the stone wall behind which she buried the body of her lover, Corporal Rhys, who was briefly possessed by the Nogitsune; she later explained that she used this symbol as a sort of grave marker to signified that Rhys died as himself and not as a monster like the Nogitsune. ("Echo House"), ("De-Void") The symbol also made appearances in Stiles' dreams and hallucinations while he was possessed by the Nogitsune, possibly due to his mind trying to communicate to himself about what was really happening. ("Riddled")

# Things to Use Against the Supernatural

## Camera Flash

Camera Flash reveals the eyes or body of a supernatural being.

Camera Flash triggers the trigger the eyes of a shape-shifter and the aura of a kitsune. For shape-shifters, this is considered a weakness because if someone takes photos of you with the camera flash on they will realize your eyes and be exposed. For Kitsunes, this is a weakness due to the fact that it will reveal the aura of a kitsune if they haven't learned to hide it.

## Electricity

Electricity is known as a set of natural phenomena caused by the presence of electrical charge, which is recognized as an aspect of electromagnetism. It can manifest naturally in the form of lightning and can be harnessed as a source of power for electronics or as a weapon for humans against other humans, as well as supernatural shapeshifters such as Werewolves, who are especially vulnerable to its effects.

Additionally, some creatures (such as Thunder and Celestial Kitsune or Chimeras such as Josh Diaz) have the supernatural power of electrokinesis or electromagnetokinesis and, as such, can manipulate electricity or electromagnetic energy through sheer force of will, such as by siphoning it from a power source or by creating it from their own energy; a byproduct of this ability is an immunity to the side effects of being electrocuted, as they can simply absorb the electrical energy through their body harmlessly.

### Effect on Supernatural Creatures

Electricity can either kill, paralyze or simply prevent transformations of Werewolves and their shapeshifting cousins, such as Werecoyotes, depending on how many volts are being used. As a result, Hunters will use weapons that utilize electricity, such as taser wands and/or guns, or will hook up their captured shapeshifters to car batteries in order to torture them for information through electrocution. ("Formality"), ("Raving"), ("Master Plan"), ("More Bad Than Good"), ("The Dark Moon")

The lower range of voltage will prevent transformations and halt their accelerated healing process, while higher voltages disable their superhuman strength and can even kill them at the highest levels. ("Master Plan") It is unknown if other shapeshifters, such as Werejaguars, Wendigos, and Berserkers, have this vulnerability to electricity as well. It appears that at least some Chimeras are vulnerable to electricity, as Tracy Stewart, a Werewolf-Kanima Chimera, was adversely affected to the electromagnetic energy produced by fellow Chimera Josh Diaz. ("Damnatio Memoriae")

Augmented Alpha Werewolves are capable of resisting the depowering effects of electricity better than Betas and Omegas as well as regular Alphas due to their especially enhanced durability, as Kali recovered much faster than Vernon Boyd and Derek Hale after the latter's apartment was turned into an electric trap. ("Currents") It is possible for an Alpha of incredible willpower to overcome this vulnerability as well, as Scott McCall, a True Alpha, was able to break through the electrified shackles put on him by the Calavera Family of Hunters despite the power being turned up as far as it can go, a level that should have disabled his superhuman strength ("The Dark Moon"); he demonstrated this ability again during a battle against guards armed with high-powered taser wands at Eichen House when he saw his Beta, Liam Dunbar, being viciously attacked and fought through the electrical currents in order to overpower his opponents. ("Amplification")

Other supernatural creatures are immune to electricity, such as Kitsune, and certain types of Kitsune can even absorb, create, release, and otherwise manipulate electricity (a power known as Electrokinesis) as well, such as Thunder Kitsune like Kira Yukimura, who can control both electricity and foxfire and use it defensively and offensively, and Celestial Kitsune like Noshiko Yukimura, who at the very least can generate sparks of foxfire from their fingertips. ("Galvanize"), ("Riddled") Josh Diaz, a Chimera made up of two unknown supernatural species, is also immune to electricity and electromagnetic energy, and can control these forces, though he must absorb electricity or electromagnetic energy from a source, such as a car battery or generator, before he can produce it himself, a limitation that Kitsune don't seem to possess. ("Required Reading") After Theo Raeken killed Josh, he inherited his powers to control electromagneticism so that he could put on the Dread Doctor Mask, but he ultimately lost this power during his time imprisoned underground. ("The Beast of Beacon Hills"), ("Ghosted")

The Dread Doctors were also able to control electromagnetic forces to an extent, though, like the Chimeras, this power was gained through unnatural means instead of supernatural ones. ("Creatures of the Night"), ("A Novel Approach"), ("The Beast of Beacon Hills") The Ghost Riders also had a very limited form of this power through Atmokinesis, giving them the ability to summon lightning and ride it to get wherever they need to go. ("Creatures of the Night"), ("Memory Lost"), ("Sundowning")

Additionally, humans, lacking the supernatural durability and accelerated healing factor of shapeshifters, are also quite vulnerable to the effects of electricity themselves. For example, both Stiles Stilinski and Malia Tate were immediately incapacitated after Oliver electrocuted him with the taser he had stolen from head orderly Brunski, indicating that while humans lack a shapeshifter's ability to quickly recover from such attacks, they are still as susceptible to the effects as a supernatural being. ("Echo House")

## Modified Canine Distemper Virus

The Modified Canine Distemper Virus is a genetically altered form of the canine distemper virus, which was created by The Chemist, an assassin who modified the virus for two purposes—one, to temporarily sicken humans exposed to the virus, and two, to kill any canine shapeshifter who was infected, including Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and Kitsune. There were two main instances in which the weaponized virus was used to intentionally kill others. The first was the "test run," which seemingly involved exposing Satomi Ito's Werewolf Pack, killing all but maybe seven or eight of the members and collecting several million dollars in Deadpool bounties. The second was when The Chemist used this virus at Beacon Hills High School while the junior class took the PSATs, as he intended to collect the $35 million in the Deadpool hit-list bounties by killing Scott McCall ($25 million), Kira Yukimura ($6 million), and Malia Tate ($4 million); this event drew the attention of the Centers of Disease Control, who quarantined the school for almost twenty-four hours until the infected students began to recover.

The symptoms of the virus seems to vary based on species. Humans seemed to develop weakness and dizzy spells accompanied with a rash that varied between blotchy, red, and swollen skin to large patches of blister-like pustules that resembled those that characterize smallpox. Their complexion turned very pale with dark shadows appearing under their eyes. Werewolves and Werecoyotes seemed to be affected by the virus in similar ways. First, they developed a fever, then they began shifting uncontrollably-- fangs, claws, and sometimes full transformations. From there, the disease progressed to bleeding black blood from their eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and nailbeds, followed by severe weakness and loss of control over their muscles, and finally, they lost their sight, which indicated that they were only minutes from death.

Satomi Ito's Beta, Reed Schall, entered the last stage of the virus just prior to being examined by Alan Deaton.

Kitsune, who are a spiritual type of canine shapeshifter, were affected by the disease in a different way, suggesting that their similarity to werecreatures made them an unintended target of the virus. While they did not experience the weakness or bleeding that the aforementioned creatures who were infected went through, they began to have neurological issues that affected their hand-eye coordination; for example, Kira Yukimura was unable to fill in the dots on her exam sheet, instead thinking she was doing so but really making new circles in the margins. However, like Werewolves and Werecoyotes, Kitsune also began experiencing blindness just before the disease became fatal. The rank of the infected creature seemed to affect how the virus progressed, with the Beta Werecoyote Malia Tate succumbing to the more serious symptoms much more quickly than the True Alpha Werewolf Scott McCall, who lost his sight in human form but who was still able to see with his Werewolf eyes.

The Chemist, the creator of the weaponized canine distemper virus, consumes wild purple reishi mushroom tea to inoculate himself against his own disease.

While Alan Deaton and Melissa McCall were performing an autopsy on Reed Schall, Satomi Ito's Beta Werewolf, they began to wonder how some members of Satomi's Pack, such as Satomi herself, were not infected by the virus, while others were afflicted and subsequently killed by it. After some discussion, it was soon realized that wild purple reishi mushrooms, which Satomi made into a tea that she drank frequently, was both a vaccine and a cure for the disease. Fortunately, there was a jar of dried reishi mushrooms in the Beacon Hills Hale Vault, where Kira, Malia and Scott quarantined themselves upon learning they were infected, as Malia was unable to retract her claws, and Scott's fangs were extending and retracting uncontrollably. Once the three inhaled the powdered mushrooms, they were quickly cured of the virus. For the humans who were infected, they all began to get better after a certain number of hours, suggesting that there may have been a type of suicide chain in the cells to destroy themselves after a set period of time.

It is unknown how Satomi's Pack was exposed to the virus, but The Chemist infected the students (and one single teacher, Bobby Finstock) by lacing the ink pad used to press thumbprints to verify one's identity for the standardized test, easily introducing the disease into the bodies of every student there to take the PSATs.

## Mountain Ash

**Mountain Ash**, also known as *Sorbus americana*, is a form of ash created by burning the wood from a Mountain Ash tree, which possesses the ability to protect against the supernatural by preventing them from coming into contact with it. It was first introduced in Season 1, when it was revealed that the Druid Emissary Alan Deaton had lined his entire animal clinic with both the wood and the ash to prevent any supernatural clients from doing harm inside, and it has played a significant role in the series ever since. In real world mythology, the wood is often referred to as Rowan and supposedly has the ability to scare off evil beings. In addition to the animal clinic, Eichen House, the McCall House, and the boathouse in the Martin family lake house are all lined with Mountain Ash as well; the former prevents its supernatural inmates from escaping, whereas the latter two are to protect those inside the house from supernatural threats, particularly those who are human.

### Effects

Its typically used by Druids to not only ward a space against supernatural creatures or create a trap to capture them, but can seemingly also modify behavior as well, according to Alan Deaton; this may explain how he protected himself from Peter Hale's attack on him in Code Breaker and how he forced Kali to shift back into human form in Frayed.

Mountain Ash seems to be mystically drawn to itself, allowing any human (including those who utilize supernatural forces such as Druids and Banshees) or unnatural creature (such as Chimeras) to create perfectly formed barriers by throwing the ash into the air; Melissa McCall and Lydia Martin each completed barriers in the McCall House and Martin Lake House, respectively, when they threw the ash and allowed it to fill the gaps in their already-lined homes, while both Marin Morrell and Jennifer Blake created perfect circles of Mountain Ash around them by willing it in a circle and throwing the ash in the air.

When used correctly, Mountain Ash can form an almost impenetrable barrier that no supernatural creature can cross—a Mountain Ash barrier will create a force-field of blue light if touched by a supernatural being, and making contact with actual rowan wood will zap the supernatural as if they have been electrocuted. However, there have been a small number of instances in which a supernatural creature was able to break a barrier, thus allowing them access to the space around it.

In Lunar Ellipse, at the old distillery, the potential True Alpha Scott McCall was able to forcibly dispel the barrier set up by Jennifer using sheer willpower, a feat believed to be impossible; Scott himself has implied that the rush of power from becoming an Alpha from sheer force of will combined with the relatively thin barrier of ash and the life-or-death situation he was in allowed him to do this, and he has yet to replicate this feat since. Another example is Jordan Parrish, who is possessed by the Hellhound, Cerberus, and whose flames are powerful enough to literally burn the mystical aspect of Mountain Ash out of the barriers. In addition to these examples, the Oni have demonstrated an ability to break through Mountain Ash barriers, though it takes time for them to find weak spots that they can exploit, and the Ghost Riders can bypass the effects of Mountain Ash by teleporting in and out of the space within barriers through their power of Atmokinesis.

Strangely enough, Mountain Ash has been shown to have no effect on Chimeras due to their non-supernatural status. They can cross it, hold it, and use it with absolutely no problem, just as normal humans can. In Dreamcatchers, Tracy Stewart, a Werewolf-Kanima Chimera, was able to cross it as if it wasn't even there. Later on, the Werewolf-Werecoyote Chimera, Theo Raeken, was able to hold it and then use it against Scott McCall. Banshees are another being with supernatural powers who can wield Mountain Ash like any other human, as Banshees are technically just human women who channel supernatural forces and use them without being controlled by them as shapeshifters are.

# Other

## Nemeton

The Nemeton is a significant location in Beacon Hills that has had a major role in Season 3 and Season 5 of Teen Wolf. It was originally an ancient tree in a grove in the Beacon Hills Nature Preserve that was chosen to be the consecrated sacred meeting place for the Druids who lived in the town. They built a root cellar in the ground below the tree and painted a five-fold knot at the base of the roots to indicate that it symbolized the world tree. It was believed that any harm that came to the Nemeton would cause the surrounding towns and villages to suffer from plagues, strife, and other kinds of natural disasters.

The Nemeton contains powerful magic that is only vaguely understood, and it gains its power from ritual sacrifices that occur at the tree or on the telluric currents that run through it. The wood of the Nemeton has been used to create powerful objects, such as the Triskelion Urn that contained Talia Hale's claws. At some point, the tree was cut down by an unknown person, but the stump still retained a small spark of power, which increased in strength when a virgin sacrifice was inadvertently performed at the roots in the early 2000s. It has since been reawakened by the surrogate sacrifice ritual performed by Scott McCall, Allison Argent, and Stiles Stilinski in 2011. In 2012, it became the place where the vessel of the Hellhound, Jordan Parrish, brought the bodies of the dead Chimeras in order to protect the secret of the supernatural.

In 2013, it was revealed that there are seven Nemetons around the world, with the Beacon Hills Nemeton acting as the sacred Druid meeting place in North America. The locations of four of the Nemetons were revealed to be in Toulouse (France), Brasilia (Brazil), Danzao (China), and Łagów (Poland). The remaining Nemetons on the map found in Gerard Argent's armory appear to be in Greenland and somewhere in the region of Egypt or Sudan. Gerard Argent, Tamora Monroe, and their Hunter army intended to travel to each of the Nemetons as part of their goal to commit the genocide of all supernatural creatures, believing that since their targets are unconsciously drawn to Nemetons, they could attack at the centers of the various supernatural communities and more easily achieve their goal.

### History

According to Chris Argent, a Nemeton is a sacred space used by Druids for various rituals. In the flashbacks in Visionary that took place in the early 2000s, he explained to his father, Gerard Argent, that Druids picked a large, older tree in a grove to represent the center of the world. Many believed that cutting or harming the "world tree" would bring severe problems like fires, plagues, strife, and “death and destruction of all kinds” to surrounding villages.

In 1943, a Kitsune named Noshiko Yukimura fled the riot and massacre at Oak Creek Internment Camp after having defeated the Nogitsune and forced it to return to its fly form. She put the fly in a jar and buried it within the roots of the full-grown Nemeton, imprisoning it for nearly seventy years. ("The Fox and the Wolf")

At some point between 1943 and the early 2000s, the tree was cut down by an unknown person, diminishing its power considerably, though it did retain a tiny spark of power, which the Darach and former Emissary Jennifer Blake once described as "a glowing ember in a dying fire." ("The Overlooked")

Either before or shortly after this happened, the Druid Emissary to the Hale Pack, Alan Deaton, harvested some of the wood to create a box to contain powerful objects and carved a triskelion, the symbol of the pack, into the lid. ("The Divine Move")

In the early 2000s, then fifteen-year-old Derek Hale was forced to mercy-kill his girlfriend Paige Krasikeva after she rejected the Bite given to her by an Alpha Werewolf named Ennis. However, he had taken her to the root cellar under the Nemeton, not knowing its true purpose, and when he killed her there, he unknowingly performed a virgin sacrifice that gave the Nemeton another spark of power. ("Visionary")

Some months later, the Alpha Deucalion killed all of his own Betas to subsume their power and become a corrupted form of an Alpha known as the Demon Wolf. He then decided to start the Alpha Pack, a pack of Alphas who had also killed their own Betas to absorb their power, and recruited fellow Alphas Kali and Ennis to join him. Kali did as she was told and killed her Betas before brutally mauling her Druid Emissary, Jennifer Blake. However, she loved Jennifer enough that instead of giving the killing blow, she simply left Jennifer in the woods to succumb to her wounds naturally, believing that it would be a more peaceful death. Jennifer, whose face, neck, and chest had been mutilated beyond recognition, crawled toward the stump of the Nemeton and used the spark of power gained from Paige's sacrifice to hang onto life just long enough to be found by Sheriff Stilinski and his deputies, who took her to the hospital. ("The Overlooked")

From then on, Jennifer decided to get her revenge on Kali and the Alpha Pack by performing a ritual based on a five-fold knot design (by sacrificing trios of virgins, warriors, healers, philosophers, and guardians in order to gain powers associated with each group) and by manipulating the telluric currents in Beacon Hills to eventually re-power the Nemeton, giving her the power to take down the Alphas once and for all. ("The Girl Who Knew Too Much")

After Jennifer took Noah Stilinski, Melissa McCall, and Chris Argent to act as her final guardian sacrifices, their children Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall, and Allison Argent became desperate to find them and sought out Alan Deaton for help. Deaton explained that he knew of a ritual that could help them, but that it was dangerous, in part because doing so would give power back to the Nemeton, returning it to its status as a beacon that would draw supernatural creatures to it like a magnet. Despite the risks, they went through with the ritual anyway, which involved the three performing a surrogate sacrifice for their parents by drowning themselves in ice baths, which returned the Nemeton to as close to its full power as it could get in its mutilated condition. During the time that the three were dead, they all received flashbacks to the first time they had run into the Nemeton in the woods without even realizing it, giving them the knowledge they needed to find it and save their parents, who were being kept in the root cellar there. ("Alpha Pact"), ("Lunar Ellipse")

Several weeks later, someone (presumably Noshiko Yukimura) pulled out a newly appeared twig growing from the Nemeton's stump, which caused fireflies to be released from the crack in the stump and form several Oni. ("Galvanize")

When it was revealed that Noshiko was connected to the Oni, Scott McCall and Kira Yukimura went to her for answers, and Noshiko explained that that the ritual performed by Scott, Stiles, and Allison to find the Nemeton also released the Nogitsune she had imprisoned there. ("The Fox and the Wolf")

The Nemeton became significant again in Season 5, when Jordan Parrish admitted to Lydia Martin that he had been having dreams about an ancient tree stump in the nature preserve, where he would bring dead bodies and lay them on the stump before setting them ablaze with his yet-undefined pyrokinetic abilities. After hearing his story, Lydia realized that the Nemeton drew Parrish to Beacon Hills as a result of his yet-unknown supernatural identity. At the end of the episode, he stole the body of one of the Chimeras, Lucas, and brought him to the Nemeton in a trance-like state. ("Condition Terminal")

Parrish then spent the rest of the first half of Season 5 bringing the dead bodies of nearly a dozen Chimeras to the Nemeton, including Tracy Stewart, Josh Diaz, the redheaded Chimera found dead at the McCall House, Beth, Corey, and Hayden Romero. Finally, during the supermoon, Theo Raeken brought a large syringe of the green serum concocted by the Dread Doctors to the Nemeton, where he used the serum to resurrect Tracy, Hayden, Corey, and Josh. Afterward, he declared them his new pack, and self-proclaimed himself to be their new Alpha. ("Status Asthmaticus")

After it was revealed that Parrish was acting as the current vessel for the power of the Hellhound, a guardian of supernatural places such as the Nemeton, Lydia, Chris Argent and Gerard Argent cooled his body to dangerously low levels so they could communicate with the Hellhound itself. It explained that it was reborn into Parrish's body the moment that Scott, Allison, and Stiles temporarily died during the surrogate sacrifice ritual, and it was implied that it was the Nemeton's newly gained spark of power that drew the now-possessed Parrish to Beacon Hills. ("A Credible Threat")

### Characteristics

The Nemeton remains a mystical presence in the Teen Wolf universe. According to Gabriel Valack, it is a supernatural force that the members of the McCall Pack barely understand. However, what is known is that it is a sacred meeting place for Druids to gather and perform their rituals. It also has supernatural power of its own, though the full range of what it can do remains a mystery. It acts as a beacon that draws supernatural creatures toward it, and at the height of its power, it acted as a prison for the Nogitsune. It also appears to act as a portal of some kind, as the Oni were summoned from within it using their firefly forms. It also is likely connected to the telluric currents, as Jennifer Blake was manipulating the currents to augment her Darach powers in her fight against the Alpha Pack, and the Nemeton appears to be located at the site of the most powerful convergence of telluric currents in Beacon Hills, suggesting that it may feed the Nemeton's power. Presumably, the other six Nemetons in the world exist on similarly powerful telluric current convergences.

The Nemeton gets the majority of its power from human sacrifices, which can take many different forms. The first known sacrifice to the Nemeton was Derek Hale's accidental virgin sacrifice when he mercy-killed Paige Krasikeva at the roots of the Nemeton. Jennifer Blake subsequently sacrificed twelve people to the Nemeton in four groups of three: virgins (Heather, a lifeguard, and Emily), warriors (Kyle, the high school band teacher, and Adrian Harris), healers (Dr. Hilyard and two other physicians from Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital), and philosophers (Tara Graeme, Mr. Westover, and the recital pianist). Finally, Scott McCall, Allison Argent, and Stiles Stilinski committed suicide by drowning in an ice bath so they would act as surrogate sacrifices so their parents wouldn't be killed in their place; it was this trio of guardian sacrifices that fully charged the Nemeton to the point it is at today.

It has been implied that whoever cut the Nemeton down is what caused all of the strife and supernatural chaos that has occurred in Beacon Hills over the years. It was also suggested in The Last Chimera that the Nemeton has to want to be found, which is why the members of the McCall Pack have constantly struggled to locate it in the vast nature preserve even after having remembered been there in the past; this seems to indicate that the Nemeton possesses the power to cloak itself, which would also imply that the Nemeton has some kind of consciousness. However, those with supernaturally-enhanced sight can still locate it with their glowing eyes, as shown when Liam Dunbar helped Mason Hewitt find the Nemeton by using his golden Werewolf eyes.

## Rift

A Rift is a portal between worlds that acts as an entrance or an exit from one dimension to another. As of yet, the only rifts seen have connected the "real world" to the Wild Hunt's pocket dimension, known colloquially as the Phantom Train Station. The Ghost Riders of the Wild Hunt and their Hellhounds seem to be the only beings who can safely travel through these rifts without harm; humans will be incinerated by the mystical energy that makes up the rifts, while supernatural creatures with accelerated healing abilities will survive with 3rd degree burns, though these burns can be healed using the nine herbs to counteract nine supernatural venoms. The damaging effects of these portals also extend to inanimate objects as well, as Malia Tate shoved a steel bar into the rift in the tunnels, which was completely melted upon contact with it.

### Appearance

The rifts that have been shown so far are free-floating portals that are roughly a meter in diameter and roughly half a meter from the ground, which ripple in the air with the same greenish-blue energy that makes up the Ghost Riders' weapons; in fact, it is possible that the guns and whips used by the Ghost Riders create temporary mini-rifts with which to transport their captives to the Phantom Train Station before they disappear. When activated, they can glow very brightly as they open themselves, as evidenced when Sheriff Stilinski, Scott McCall, Malia Tate, and Lydia Martin briefly opened rifts through triggering their memories of Stiles Stilinski.

### Function

Rifts act as gateways to other worlds or dimensions, although so far, they have only been used to travel back and forth from the living world to the Phantom Train Station; whether or not rifts can be used to go to other places as well remains a mystery at this time. The Wild Hunt seems to be able to control these rifts to their pocket dimension, such as opening them at will and determining who can or cannot pass through them safely. Anyone who attempts to pass through a portal without assistance or permission from a Ghost Rider or a Hellhound will be burned alive, though beings with accelerated healing abilities can survive the journey, as proven when Peter Hale managed to make it through. However, human beings such as Trent or Grenadier Abel will be incinerated upon making contact with the rift. Hellhounds can open the rift for others to pass through safely, as Jordan Parrish/Cerberus did for Garrett Douglas, and it has been implied that someone who has had a loved one captured and erased by the Wild Hunt who manages to trigger powerful repressed memories about the captive can also open a rift.

### Opening a Rift

There are several ways to open a rift to what has been dubbed the Phantom Train Station, though only certain people or factors are needed to do so. The Ghost Riders and Hellhounds can open and pass through the rifts; the former does so at will, while Hellhounds can manually open rifts so that non-members of the Wild Hunt can enter.

A rift can also be opened by memories of an erased captive of the Wild Hunt being triggered, as Sheriff Stilinski, Scott McCall, Malia Tate, and Lydia Martin's memories of Stiles Stilinski briefly opened rifts in the Stilinski House and the Argent Bunker.

Hitchhikers such as Peter Hale, who jumped on the back of a Ghost Rider's horse to escape from the Phantom Train Station, will typically be incinerated upon passing through it, indicating that they such control over a rift that they can selectively open a rift for certain individuals to pass through without harm while others cannot. It also appears that, when the Ghost Riders use their guns and whips to erase people from reality and send them to the Phantom Train Station, they seem to be creating small open rifts that disappear as soon as the captive has safely made it to their destination.