| “ | No one hurts my family and lives. No one. | ” |
— Elijah in Fruit of the Poisoned Tree
| ||
Elijah Mikaelson (Elder Futhark: ᛖᛚᛇᚨᚺ ᛗᛁᚲᚨᛖᛚᛋᛟᚾ) was the deuteragonist of The Originals. He was formerly a major recurring character in The Vampire Diaries, serving initially as an antagonistin the second season and eventually becoming a supporting character and protagonist in the third season and fourth seasons. Elijah was an Original Vampire.
Elijah was the third child and second son of Mikael and Esther. He was the younger brother of Freya Mikaelson and Finn Mikaelson, and the older brother of Kol Mikaelson, Rebekah Mikaelson and Henrik Mikaelson. Elijah was also the older half-brother of Niklaus Mikaelson, and the uncle of an Unnamed Nephew, and Adyelya Mikaelson, Klaus' daughter with Katherine Pierce.
Throughout his long life, Elijah had several romantic relationships. In the early 11th century, Elijah and Klaus were both in love with a Petrova Doppelgänger named Tatia. Elijah accidentally killed Tatia after he became a vampire and was traumatized and horrified by the violence of his actions towards her. Elijah's mother, told him to seal the event behind a "red door" and to clean himself up. As long as he was clean, nothing of what happened behind the red door could hurt him. As such, this became Elijah's defense mechanism to cope with the horrors of his vampirism for the next thousand years.
In the 15th century, Elijah was romantically involved with another Petrova Doppelgänger, a young girl from Bulgaria, named Katerina Petrova. During this time, Klaus also showed a vague interest in Katerina as well, being sweat and kind to her, though this is mostly in part due to his plan to sacrifice her. In the 19th century, Elijah was romantically involved with a witch named Céleste Dubois, whose death was later caused by his half-brother Klaus. In the 21st century, Elijah rekindled his relationship with Katerina Petrova aka Katherine Pierce, before ending as he can no longer trust her and find the true Katerine beneath the facade of "Katherine Pierce." Elijah effectively ends their relations and leaves to once again go help Klaus in Mystic Falls. However, soon afterwards in New Orleans, Elijah is once against confronted with his feelings for Katerina, after learning that she is carrying the unborn child of his brother, Klaus, and promises to protect her and the baby. Elijah respectively keeps his distance from Katherine when she marries Markos; in this time, he develops a tentative relationship with Hayley Marshall.
In the second season of The Originals, he and Klaus continued to work in a combined effort to stop Esther, Finn and a resurrected Mikael, while struggling with reawakened sins from his past. He also took Gia, one of Marcel's vampires as his protégé, and eventually began a romantic relationship with her until Klaus killed her.
In the third season, he made it his mission to prevent a prophecy depicting his family's downfall from coming to pass, even taking on his first sired vampire to do it. However, unknowingly, Elijah completed the prophecy himself, by killing Marcel Gerard. After the latter came back to life as the Beast from the prophecy, he bit Elijah and his younger brother Kol, knowing his bite would kill them both. He then banished the Mikaelsons from New Orleans. However, unknown to Marcel, Elijah's older sister Freya linked him and all their siblings to Klaus's life force, giving Katherine time to find cures for them all.
In the fourth season, the Hollow used the magic from Elijah's sireline to resurrect herself. Before his death, Freya was able to transfer his soul into a pendant. Elijah was later on restored to his body. However, every vampire in his sireline remained dead.
Elijah is a member of the Mikaelson Family and the Helland Family, a powerful bloodline of witches.
Early History[]
Mystic Falls, The Middle Ages, 10th Century[]
Elijah Mikaelson is the third-born of Mikael and Esther's children, born in an area of the New World that would come to be known as Mystic Falls. Elijah's parents fled from Europe, with his older brother, Finn, and a few others after the supposed death of his older sister, Freya, from the plague while Esther was pregnant with Elijah. His mother lied to him, his father and the rest of the Mikaelson Family. His older sister was actually taken by his aunt. Elijah was the first of their children to be born in the New World, followed by three brothers, Klaus, Kol and Henrik, and a sister, Rebekah.
The loss of his first born had hardened Mikael and he proved to be a very strict father, who was feared by all his children. Elijah had a close relationship with his mother, who once mentioned to him that, when she was pregnant with him, she would have Freya sing to him. This was one of the few times Esther ever spoke of her lost daughter. In addition, Elijah was very close to his siblings, with the exception of Finn, who had never recovered from losing Freya and never taken to his new siblings as a result. Elijah was closest to Niklaus and Rebekah, and his younger brother would often carve figurines and statuettes for his brother and sister.
However, while Mikael was hard on all his children, he was hardest on Niklaus, whom he saw as weak. Once, when Elijah took his younger brother hunting and complimented him on the improvement of his aim (despite the fact that Niklaus had missed his target), Mikael arrived and started beating Niklaus to 'strengthen' him, threatening Elijah with violence if he tried to intervene. He carried guilt for the rest of his life for not stopping their father's beatings against his brother. Once, Mikael beat Niklaus to near death in a rage and only stopped when both Elijah and Rebekah tried to stop him. That night, Rebekah tried to kill Mikael as he slept to end his abuse of Niklaus but Elijah stopped her and considered killing his father himself. Ultimately, he didn't.
They lived among the werewolves for about twenty years and during the full moon, the humans would simply hide in the underground caves while the werewolves turned. During Elijah's early life, Elijah and Niklaus both fell in love with a woman named Tatia who lived in their village. All the villagers wanted to be her suitors including Klaus and Elijah, both of them during their time with her, argued with each other and fought each other because they both wanted her for themselves. Tatia chose Elijah to be her next husband when the time came.
One morning after a full moon, Klaus came out of the woods, holding his dead little brother Henrik in his arms. Elijah came running to join his mother as she grieved Henrik's death.
To ensure that the rest of her family would survive, Esther used a spell to make her children immortal. Mikael gave his children wine laced with Tatia's blood. Then he stabbed Elijah and his siblings through their hearts and made them drink human blood. After becoming a vampire, Elijah, along with his family, made sure that the White Oak Tree, their one true weakness, would be destroyed. However, nature retaliated against them and, for every strength, there was a weakness, none stronger than the desire for what had made them immortal: human blood. They had become the very first vampire's.
Shortly after becoming a vampire, one night when Niklaus made his first human kill, it triggered his werewolf side. Klaus went on a rampage in wolf form. When he awoke the following morning he was tended to by Elijah unbeknownst to them Tatia had followed them to see what happened. Seeing all the carnage created by Klaus she ran from them in fear and was pursued by Elijah. She had tripped and fell while trying to flee and cut her hand. The blood made Elijah lose control and attack her. She tried to defend herself but was no match and was killed. Elijah brought her corpse to a shocked Esther hoping that she could save her. Esther used the rest of her blood as part of the spell used to bind Klaus' werewolf side, which resulted in Klaus' werewolf gene being dormant. Mikael also made Elijah help him in tying up Klaus so that his mother could do the spell. Elijah suppressed the memory of how Tatia actually died believing he had compelled not killed her in the woods and that Esther killed her when performing the hybrid curse.
Then one night, his mother was killed by "Mikael". After burying their mother, Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah promised that they would never turn their backs on each other and that they would stick together as one, always and forever.
}}
Southern France[]
Elijah ran from Mikael with his siblings, fleeing to Europe where they fed along the countryside. However, Elijah stressed regulation and rules, taking up the duties of the eldest due to Finn's pessimistic view of their immortal lives. Before they had learned compulsion to help cover their tracks, Elijah made sure that they always disposed of the bodies they fed on and killed whoever knew the truth about them. He also made sure that they stood together and didn't separate, reminding his siblings of their vows.
One day, they killed noblemen in a caravan and Rebekah proposed that they steal their fine clothing and take up their identities so they could live in a nearby castle. Elijah reminded her that they were in a foreign land with customs far different than they knew. When they discovered a survivor in the attack, a servant of the castle named Lucien, Elijah urged his siblings to kill him before he could make their presence known, possibly bringing Mikael to them. However, when Niklaus called for a vote, only Elijah and Kol voted kill him, with Kol only doing it to appease his own bloodlust rather than necessity like Elijah. With Niklaus' vote, they let Lucien live on the condition that he'd help them pose as nobles and bring them to the castle. Lucien taught them manners so they wouldn't be caught when presented to Count de Martel. When they met the count, Elijah managed to convince the noble of their legitimacy and they pulled off their ruse, being welcomed into his court.
Later that year, Elijah and his siblings had managed to comfortably integrate themselves into noble society. They participated in activities of the count's court, including ax throwing competitions, and their secret remained unnoticed. However, after Lucien was taken to the dungeons for supposedly having an affair with the count's daughter, Aurora de Martel, Elijah and Klaus intended to rescue him from his punishment. However, Tristan de Martel| was the one punishing Lucien, torturing him, and reminded Elijah and Klaus that as the count's son, he had a right to give punishment in whatever way he wished. When they persisted, he revealed that he knew what they were, as a survivor of one of Kol's feedings had told him about what they really were. He threatened to expose them as monsters to the entire land. Not wanting to risk the news spreading to Mikael, Elijah and Klaus stepped down and watched while Tristan scarred Lucien. After Klaus had discovered that his blood healed Lucien before Lucien was killed by a guard, Elijah comforted his brother when they prepared to burn his body. However, Lucien awoke from death, eventually transitioning into a vampire.
One night, Finn told his siblings that word had spread among the villagers of their presence. They decided it was time to run from the castle, in fear that Mikael would be coming. While they prepared to depart, Aurora, who had been turned into a vampire and had had a romance with Klaus, begged Elijah to let her come with them. Elijah refused, saying that she wasn't their blood. Aurora, furious, told him that she knew things that even Elijah and the other siblings didn't know about Klaus. When Elijah demanded the truth, he learned compulsion, which forced her to tell him what she knew. Aurora told him that Klaus had killed Esther and put the blame on Mikael, lying to all of his siblings. Elijah was enraged by the truth and compelled Aurora to see Klaus for the monster that he was, which soon after led to her rejecting Klaus when he tried to take her with them. Elijah never told Klaus about his involvement in the end of the affair, as he had suppressed the memory behind the "red door" in his mind, as he tried to tell Klaus the truth by stating how when Esther broke Elijah's "red door," the memory came back.
Some time later, Elijah turned Tristan into the first sired vampire of his line and then compelled him, Lucien Castle, and Aurora to think that they were Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah so they can act as a decoy to lure their father away from them. After that, Elijah and his four siblings left France. A while after that the five Mikaelsons settled in Tuscany, Italy.
}}
Italy[]
Elijah was in Italy along with his siblings Rebekah and Klaus, where he worried that Klaus and Kol's violent behavior was spreading word of the Original vampires and drawing too much attention. They came across a vampire hunter named Alexander who was part of a group called the Brotherhood of the Five, where he publicly executed vampires in presentations on how to kill the "demons". Their sister, however, had fallen in love with Alexander so Elijah and Klaus took advantage of the affair as an opportunity to get closer to the hunter and find out his secrets. One day, the siblings were invited to a party at Alexander's home where they were ambushed and neutralized for the first time by White Oak Ash Daggers. Klaus was unaffected by the dagger thanks to his werewolf lineage and undaggered Elijah and the rest of his siblings except Finn.
1200s[]
Elijah founded the ancient vampire society, The Strix, together with his lover Aya Al-Rashid, after he turned her. They founded The Strix in hopes of bringing like-minded individuals together to create a new, better world. However, not long after, his father found him, started destroying the society he had built, and Elijah was forced to flee with siblings. Elijah had to abandon The Strix to save his family from Mikael but asked Aya to come with him. She refused, staying behind while Elijah fled and Mikael slaughtered The Strix members. By the time Elijah returned, it was too late; Tristan de Martel -together with Aya- took control over the organization. Aya never forgave Elijah for abandoning the group and The Strix were slowly corrupted by Tristan into a more savage, ego-maniacal force than Elijah had ever intended it to be.
1359[]
According to [Elijah's Journal, he had begun noticing Rebekah and Klaus losing their humanity. However, Elijah hoped as their older brother he could lead them down the right path to reclaiming their humanity and carry on the family legacy. But he believed if he fails, their family legacy would fall in ruins.
England, 1492[]
In England, Elijah and Klaus were noblemen in the late 15th century. In the year 1492 Elijah met Katerina Petrova, who was the Doppelgänger of Tatia and moments later, showed her to his younger brother Niklaus. Katerina was the key to breaking Klaus' Hybrid through sacrifice. While Elijah was helping Klaus achieve his goal, he started to fall in love with Katerina. And one day, Elijah saw Katerina bored, he took her outside to have fun and then they sat at a bench and talked about love. Elijah confessed to her that he didn't believe in love, but Katerina didn't believe him, saying that without love, they wouldn't have a reason to live at all. Klaus then came and interrupted, taking Katerina with him and away from Elijah. Elijah then tried to persuade Klaus to spare her life, but Klaus told him not to bother and that the ritual would go on as planned. On the night of the full moon, Katerina took the moonstone and fled with the help of Trevor. Klaus assumed Elijah helped her because of their discussion the night before about sparing her life. Elijah promised him that he would find her and Klaus responded with a promise of his own; if he did not find Katerina, he would be killed. Elijah attempted to track down Katerina, but failed.
Copenhagen, Denmark, 1500s[]
Elijah lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, along with Klaus and Rebekah.
Cádiz, Spain, 1700s[]
In 1702, Kol's violence in Cádiz, Spain drew too much attention and brought Mikael, straight to the family, burning the country in his wake. While the flames drew closer, Elijah and Klaus searched for Kol while Rebekah brought the daggered Finn onboard a ship to flee from Europe. They found him in a tavern where he drank and feasted on humans carelessly. Despite their warnings of Mikael's arrival, he refused to flee. When Klaus and Elijah insisted, Kol attempted to resist them but was subdued by Elijah as Klaus pulled out one of the white oak ash daggers and successfully daggered and neutralized Kol.
1713[]
In 1713, having fled Europe from Mikael, Elijah, along with Klaus and Rebekah, and their two daggered brothers, sailed across the world, through the Mississippi River and arrived in the French colony of Louisiana, off the shores of a town they have named New Orleans, 300 years from the present. Upon arriving off the coast of New Orleans, they slaughtered all the men who boarded their ship, but left one alive to question and carry their luggage, including the two coffins of their neutralized brothers, Kol and Finn.
1820[]
In 1820, Elijah, Klaus and Rebekah were living in New Orleans at the Governor's mansion and paid him in gold to keep quiet about the existence of Vampire's. One day the Governor threw a party for the Mikaelsons. Rebekah went upstairs with the Governor's son who she wanted to turn. Elijah was seen kissing a women and having fun when Rebekah came to him with the Governor's son and asked Elijah if she could turn him, to which Elijah suggested it would be an unwise move to turn the Governor's son into a vampire.
Klaus told her no and told her that if she turned every boy she fell in love with, the humans would cease to exist. The boy then argued with Klaus and he threw him down the stairs while Elijah tried to stop it. While the siblings were going to attend the Governor's son funeral, Klaus saw a boy being whipped and threw an apple at the man and made him stop whipping the boy. Klaus then came to the boy, named him Marcellus and brought him to the family, Elijah saw this and told his sister: "Perhaps there is hope for our brother after all".
Later in 1820 Elijah is seen visiting the Witch, Celeste, who is seen taking a bath and is looking at Elijah, he likes the view of her. He's seeing it as perfection. Celeste then mentions that his brother, Niklaus, is again up to no good. He's challenging the gentry to duels as though they have any chance of a fair fight. They talk about Niklaus and kiss before Elijah goes to meet his brother.
Klaus is seen challenging a man in a duel in which Klaus is left standing as the victor and the other man is shot to the head. Elijah then becomes a little worried and asks him if it is not enough that he has slaughtered dozens in past several weeks, and explains that words of a city littered with bodies will surely travel the oceans and asks him if he wants to bring their father upon them. Klaus tells Elijah to relax because he has sent rumors that the bodies are result of the witches seeking blood sacrifices for their rituals. Elijah is shocked by this and asks Klaus if he has forgotten that Celeste is one of those witches that he recklessly pointed his finger at. Klaus then asks, who Celeste even is.
Elijah then gives him a meaningful look and Klaus remembers that Celeste is the witch Elijah has been knocking around with. Elijah takes a revolver and shoots Klaus, who groans in pain. Klaus sees that Elijah cares about Celeste and warns him that they're rounding up the town's witches as they speak. Elijah then began to look for Celeste and found her lying in the bathtub, dead. Elijah touches her, lays his forehead on hers. He screams and blames himself for her death.
1821[]
In the year 1821, Elijah had grown close to Klaus' ward, Marcellus, encouraging and teaching him. The growing bond between Marcellus and Elijah made Klaus extremely jealous since he had been hoping to be Marcellus' mentor. Angrily declaring that he needed someone to spend time with, Klaus revealed to Elijah that he had undaggered their younger brother, Kol. Elijah was shocked and horrified by his youngest brother's awakening, rushing down to the coffins to find that Kol had already killed a number of people. Elijah could only grudgingly watch things play out as Klaus and Kol joyfully spread violence throughout the city, even slaughtering an entire tenement building for fun. Elijah tried to remind them that it was careless and destructive behavior that had cost them homes in the past.
Later, Elijah found Kol tormenting Marcellus, feeding him vampire blood and threatening to turn him, believing in his own twisted mind that it was what Elijah and Klaus wanted. Elijah defended Marcellus from Kol's sadism, grabbing his brother by the neck, only being stopped by Klaus who proceeded to dagger Kol again, recognizing that he was too wild. Elijah later confessed to Kol's daggered body that though he didn't like the daggerings, it was for the best since Kol was a bad influence on Klaus. He also admitted that he'd have to isolate himself from Marcellus to allow Klaus to grow closer to the boy since it would make him a better person. Elijah solemnly sacrificed a close and friendly relationship with Marcellus for Klaus' benefit, treating Marcellus with indifference from that point on.
1887[]
In the year 1887, 52 years after being daggered by Klaus, Rebekah had finally been undaggered by him. Elijah had helped her reintegrate herself into New Orleans' society and they went to the opera house together. It was a moment that only Elijah and Rebekah shared together.
}}
1914[]
In the year 1914, Elijah attended his family's Christmas party with his siblings. During the party, Klaus gave a toast to the party-goers, revealing that he knew of betrayal planned by their brother Kol, who had been conspiring with witches against him. Elijah, seemingly having also been informed of his younger brother's treachery, stopped Kol as he tried to flee, holding him down while Klaus daggered him.
1919[]
In the year 1919, Elijah is seen in a meeting room, meeting with members from the Guerrera Family, a family of thieves and butchers according to Klaus, who says that is noting compared to what they turn into on a full moon. Elijah told them that Mayor O'Connell was a little late but they should continue with business without him. Elijah assured them that they didn't need to be scared of Klaus as he made a promise they would be safe and Klaus told them his brother always keeps his word. Then a Witch appeared, Elijah told him it was a private meeting. But he said it was a meeting between kings and claimed he was also a king. He presents himself as Alphonz Bellatunde Delgallo (Papa Tunde) and that he now speaks for the witches of the French Quarter. He tells them the witches should get their fair share and leaves with a gift to Elijah and Klaus, the Mayor's head.
Later, when Marcel returns home from World War I, he's greeted by both Elijah and Klaus. Klaus tells Marcel, "The prodigal son has finally learned to hold his liquor." Marcel tells him being in the army does that to you. Elijah tells him it's good to have him back, and tells him that Niklaus was beside himself in Marcel's absence. Klaus then tells him that he and Elijah have had a little argument that Marcel might help with a rouge witch who wants a piece of the city they built. Klaus considered to kill him but Elijah meant that negotiation is their best recourse, as Elijah knows how fast news can travel, but also the very horrors of war itself. Klaus reveals that he invited the witch and Elijah told Marcel he could choose what they should do after he saw the witch. Elijah tried to negotiate with him but after all his sacrifices Elijah decided to meet with him in a private room. However Klaus appeared instead as Elijah only comes when they deal and Klaus comes when the deal is closed.
Later that year, Elijah is seen by both Rebekah and Genevieve, Rebekah asks if she is interested in Elijah but she confirms she is interested in Klaus, Rebekah then begins to talk of her older brother, Kol, who is also a bad boy and she would like him to. At the bar Elijah meets with Clara Summerlin who was possessed by Céleste Dubois at that time. She had spilled her drink and Elijah gives her his tissue and leaves her with a smile.
Six months later in 1919 Elijah and Klaus are seen with a Werewolf named Lana, who's the Werewolf Queen of the Crescent Wolf Clan. Klaus talked of how werewolves, vampires, witches and dirty-cops are happy as clams and drunk as stoats. They're celebrating to the new era-collaboration in the face of prohibition. Klaus told him they did it, Elijah said he helped build the city but it was all because of Klaus. Elijah and Klaus sat and drink, until they saw Marcel and Rebekah to come, Klaus knew they were a pair, but Elijah told him not to cause trouble. And to his surprise Klaus allowed them to be together and sat with Elijah minutes later.
The next day Elijah enters Klaus' room and sees Lana and jokes of him sleeping with an enemy who is now their ally, Klaus tells Elijah they got tickets to The Opera House and asked him to tell Rebekah to bring Marcel with her. Elijah then left them. When Elijah was getting ready for The Opera, his father Mikael visited him and told Elijah he saw the "Le Grand Guignol" piece in Venice. Elijah is shocked seeing his father, Mikael assured him though, he only wished to talk. Elijah told him that he has hunted them for centuries and laid waste to half of Europe and wants to talk? Mikael corrected him that he only hunted Klaus and never his true children, he tells him he's his blood and he's proud to call him a son. Mikael then asks Elijah for his help to kill Klaus. Elijah attacked his father in rage, only to be thrown against the wall. Elijah tells his father that if he thinks he would betray Klaus for his own father, then he's a fool without equal. Mikael tells him that he'll forgive his sentimental affections for his brother, but says that Klaus is an abomination and that they must be erased from existence. Mikael then showed him the White Oak Stake, Elijah tried to stop him but Mikael forced him against the wall and told him, that either he stands with him or falls with Klaus and after Elijah chose Klaus, Mikael staked Elijah with a normal wooden stake.
After Elijah woke up again he rushed to The Opera House and saw Mikael at the stage, as he was feeding from Marcel, Elijah urged his siblings to flee the scene. Mikael then burned down The Opera House and continued to hunt his children. Elijah, Klaus and Rebekah were only a few blocks away. Elijah told Klaus and Rebekah to flee while he delayed his father for a brief time. Klaus and Rebekah then left New Orleans, leaving their older brother behind.
Rostock Germany, 1933[]
Elijah arrived in Rostock Germany, and reunited with Klaus after not seeing him for thirteen years. Elijah came with warning to Klaus that word of his presence in Germany and spread and rumours of Mikael were spreading across Europe. Elijah explained that numerous massacres of werewolf packs had been happening nearby, but Klaus thought the purging was too systematic for Mikael. Elijah worried that Rebekah might be involved but Klaus assured him that she was still in Chicago, with a young vampire, Stefan Salvatore. Klaus deduced that the slaughters were conducted by August Müller, a fascist vampire artist, that Klaus had a particular dislike for. August admitting to the murders, seeing it as a thinning of inferior scourges. Elijah initially quelled Klaus' rage but then pinned August to the wall, warning him not to continue since he was a runt in comparison to him. Elijah spared August, not wanting to expose his brother, worried that it would draw Mikael to them.
They came across one of the werewolf massacres and Elijah told Klaus that Klaus didn't have to be the savior of the wolves, and reassured him that he accepted and loved that side of him, despite their mother's infidelity. The two argued about Elijah's inaction until Klaus brought up that he was considering daggering Elijah and stacking him on top of Rebekah, revealing that she was already daggered, and the letters Elijah had been receiving from her were really from Klaus. Elijah was disheartened that his brother hadn't changed, and Klaus told him to go back to where he came from, and that if he ever heard rumors of Mikae's approach again, to just let him come. A short time later, Elijah met August's "daughter", Antoinette Sienna, and the two shared their mutual frustrations with their families. He told her that he compelled workers at the railway to help anyone who wants to leave Germany and she took his offer, giving her a chance to escape from her hateful father. Klaus eventually killed August, sparing the rest of his family, Greta, Antoinette, and Roman Sienna.
}}Throughout The Vampire Diaries[]
Throughout The Originals[]
Throughout Legacies[]
Personality[]
Physical Appearance[]
Elijah is a handsome man who stands about 5'11" in height, and has a thin but muscular body. He has short brown hair which appeared to have darkened slightly in the fourth season, with hazel brown eyes. His facial features are angular - high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and a straight nose. Despite being centuries old, he appears to be 23 or 24 years old. He is older than his half brother Niklaus, but is younger than his brother Finn and his sister Freya, making him the third oldest sibling of the family. Elijah is similar to his younger brother Kol in facial features, but resembles all of his siblings in a more general way.
Elijah in the present day is consistently well-dressed. His wardrobe typically consists of a dress jacket, dress shoes, dress pants, shirt and sometimes a tie. This continues his trend of dressing well throughout the centuries. As a human, he wore more simplistic clothing, along with the other males in his family. But ever since he and his family journeyed to Europe, it seems he upgraded his attire to clothing indicative of a nobleman. Elijah has also worn different hairstyles in keeping with the times. It was revealed that Esther placed in his mind the idea of remaining clean and forgetting about his victims to save him from the guilt of it.
Powers and Abilities[]
Weaknesses[]
Relationships[]
Niklaus Mikaelson[]
"We have fought together for centuries, and once again, to break you enemy, you broke your family."
- Elijah to Klaus in Ashes to Ashes.
Klaus is Elijah's maternal younger half-brother and his closest brother. When they were humans, they both had fun together by battles with swords, much to their father's disapproval. However, their relationship became estranged when they both fell in love with the same woman Tatia. After their mother died, Elijah and Klaus made a pact with Rebekah that they would stick together as one, always and forever. In the year 1114, they came across a vampire hunter named Alexander and the Brotherhood of the Five. Alexander and his brothers neutralized four original vampires, but were released (except Finn) by Klaus. In 1492, they met a woman named Katerina Petrova, the first doppelgänger of Tatia. Klaus planned to sacrifice her, while Elijah started to have feelings for her. After Katerina's escape, the relationship between Elijah and Klaus was broken for a while. During 2010, Elijah was helping Elena Gilbert and the Salvatore brothers to kill Klaus, while Klaus was preparing to break his curse. After the curse was broken, Elijah met with his half-brother and was about to kill him when Klaus revealed their family was safe and only he knew where they were. Klaus daggered Elijah once they arrived at Alaric's apartment, but eventually Elijah was un-daggered by Damon Salvatore. Later, Elijah had undaggered all of their remaining siblings, but when they were about to leave Klaus for good, their mother appeared. Elijah tried to figure out his mother's motives and once he did, Elijah, Klaus and Kol confronted their mother and their brother, Finn. Elijah left Mystic Falls, while Klaus attempted to locate their lost brother Finn. Later, Elijah came back to bargain with Elena for Klaus' body. After Klaus "died", Elijah left again. Once Elijah had possession of the cure, he met with his half-brother again. He later handed his half-brother the White Oak Stake, asking him to spare Katerina, but Klaus refused. However, in a shocking turn of events, Klaus ends up sparing Katherine's life after discovering she is pregnant with his unborn child. Elijah has began to repair his relationship with his younger half-brother and believes he will find Klaus' redemption through his daughter Katherine, Elijah's niece.
Unfortunately, Elijah's relationship with Klaus takes a turn for the worst, though it was not a very healthy one to begin with due to actions made constantly by Klaus, when Elijah chose to believe Tyler's lies over Klaus, that he is (supposedly) aware that his child's blood can make hybrids, and he plans to use his child's blood once she is born to make an army of hybrids, to take over New Orleans. He falsely accused Klaus of only caring about his unborn child, so he can use her to sire more hybrids, unfortunately, he finds out the hard way that he was wrong, and unintentionally damages his relationship with Klaus. Though Elijah was well within reason to believe so. Elijah repairs his relationship with Klaus when he apologizes to him for accusing him of only caring about his unborn child so he can used her to sire more hybrids, despite the fact that their relationship is now repaired, Elijah is barely on speaking terms with Klaus.
Unfortunately, their relationship becomes worse than ever, when Elijah daggered Klaus and allowed Katherine to try and take Adyelya away from him. In retaliation Klaus kills his girlfriend Gia, and daggered him with Papa Tunde's Blade, their relationship becomes estranged/broken after this, as they both want nothing to do with each other any more.
They reconcile by the end of the third season.
Rebekah Mikaelson[]
Katerina Petrova[]
"We've all done bad things. No more than me or Klaus. It's just... most people die before the list gets truly long and awful. But... do not, for one second, compare yourself to Klaus. Ever."
- Katherine to Elijah in Bloodletting.
Main Article: Elijah and Katherine.
In 1492, Elijah met a woman named Katerina Petrova who was the first doppelgänger of Tatia. Elijah and Katerina got to know each other before he introduced her to his younger brother Niklaus. Klaus wanted her to be sacrificed, but Elijah had started to have feelings for her. When Katerina escaped, Elijah felt betrayed by her and started hunting her down, but was mislead the other way thanks to a vampire named Trevor. 500 years later, Elijah finds her stuck inside the vampire tomb and compelled her to stay. Almost a year later, Katerina contacts Elijah and asks him to help her find the cure. During their search for the Cure, their friendship grows to be very strong and eventually they fall deeply in love, therefore beginning a sexual relationship. After Elijah discovered that Katerina killed Jeremy Gilbert, he got mad at her lies. Elijah says that he doesn't know who she really is. Katerina then met with him again and handed him the cure, telling him she loves him and she wanted him to trust her, as she is trusting him, instead of returning to Klaus' side to have a life searching for his brother's redemption which doesn't exist. He doesn't say anything except goodbye, and leaves, after kissing her on the forehead. However, the two are reunited in the episode The Originals/Pilot/Always and Forever when Klaus goes to New Orleans, and Elijah follows him, and it is revealed that she is carrying Klaus' child.
Season 1: The relationship between Elijah and Katherine rekindles once Elijah was made aware of Katherine's pregnancy with his brother's child. Elijah makes a promise to Katherine that he'll always protect her, and affirms that now that she is pregnant with Klaus' child and his, they can not be together. A few days later, Katherine is snooping through Elijah's personal journals, curious to learn about all the years he has spent alive. When Klaus asks what it is about his brother that inspires admiration, Katherine responds that Elijah was kind to her. Once Elijah and Katherine are reunited, she slaps him and tells him not to make promises he can't keep. The day after when the witches are trying to kill her baby, Elijah tries to do everything he can to undo it and kills the witches who were responsible. Once Katherine disappeared, Elijah and Klaus thought Marcel had kidnapped her, and they then confronted about it. Elijah finally found Katherine and she tells him about her hybrid baby and what it can do (making hybrids). Elijah confront his brother about Katherine had told him.
Season 2: After Katherine and Klaus had to give up Adyelya to protect her, Elijah and Katherine become estranged, especially as she is no longer a human and is now a witch/vampire hybrid, and she has also turned off her emotions to deal with the pain. Katherine is upset and angry about Adyelya leaving and takes some of her angry out on him. In Rebirth, Katherine kills Francesca as a reaction for almost killing her baby. Elijah tries to comfort her, but Katherine starts screaming at him, saying that ever since she turned into a hybrid she felt extremely different, and that he has also treaded her as such, just like Elijah did before when Katherine was a vampire; that he is always holding her up against the likes of Elena. In the next couple of episodes, Elijah tries to help Katherine through her transformation and how she grieves with losing her child. In Red Door, Elijah has a dream about a brunette girl running away from him. Elijah has blood all over himself and he looks like he wants to feed. When the brunette girl turns around you see that it's Katherine who is trying to run away from him. Elijah then feeds on Katherine, who is obviously not a hybrid. In the episodes after this, Katherine worries about Elijah and his mental state. In The Map of Moments, Katherine and Elijah finally sleep together after Katherine tells Elijah that she's is going to marry Markos in order to take control of the Travelers, in order to unite them to her and the Trinity Coven; she also plans to help Hayley unite the wolves, and take control of the French Quarter coven by becoming Regent of all Nine coven of New Orleans. Katherine says that she doesn't love Markos, but can't be involved with Elijah and be married to him. Elijah tells Katherine to marry Markos, but then pulls her close and starts to kiss her. In the next episode, Gonna Set Your Flag On Fire, their is a lot of sexual tension with Elijah and Katherine since it's the day after they had sex. In I Love You, Goodbye, it's the day of Katherine and Markos' wedding day. Elijah wants to tell Katherine that he loves her; however, Katherine tells him not to, considering that it's her wedding and all.
It is clear they feel an attraction towards each other; however due to other factors, Elijah and Klaus do not act upon them.
Adyelya Mikaelson[]
"It was more than a fantasy - it was our hope, our faith, our redemption. It was our family's last hope, and now she is gone."
- Elijah on losing Adyelya in From a Cradle to a Grave.
Adyelya is Elijah's niece, and he loves her very much. Even before Adyelya was ready to be birthed, he was the first person to accept the baby. In Always and Forever, he is the one that wanted the baby to be alive and tried to convince Klaus to accept the child. He has sworn to protect her and love her. They have a strong relationship and he wants nothing more then to let her be safe. That is why he agreed to send her away to live with Rebekah until New Orleans is safe for her to return.
Other Relationships[]
Name[]
- Elijah from the Hebrew אֱלִיָּהוּ (eliyyahu) meaning "YAWEH is my God". It's the name of a Prophet who was carried to the heavens in a chariot of fire. It was a popular name during the middle ages.
- Mikaelson is Scandinavian and means "Son of Mikael".
Quotes[]
Tropes[]
Trivia[]
- Nearly all of his girlfriends were killed or nearly killed by Klaus.
- Klaus tried to kill Katerina (She later becomes pregnant with his child).
- Klaus indirectly caused Céleste's death.
- Klaus killed Gia.
- Elijah is the only member besides Mikael and Kol of the Mikaelson Family that has pushed Klaus' buttons without fearing the consequences.
- The only thing Elijah truly fears is his father Mikael, from his fear of his father growing up, a trait all of his siblings possessed. Despite other creatures being created to kill the Originals such as Alaric, Lucien, and Marcel, Mikael remains the only person to truly terrify Elijah.
- Elijah was the oldest remaining Original since the death of Mikael and his older brother Finn, and the oldest immortal being in the world since the deaths of Silas and Amara. Although his human age is never stated, it appears that he was turned when he was in his mid to late twenties.
- With Freya still alive and not dead as it was believed, Elijah is now the second oldest being in the world and the oldest immortal.
- Elijah is the first Original to appear in Season Two of The Vampire Diaries, with Klaus being the second.
- He is the second vampire shown compelling Elena and the first Original vampire to be neutralized by Elena.
- Elijah is the first Original vampire to be seen compelling other vampires (Slater and Katherine).
- Elijah does not appear in the books, but his appearance seems to be modeled after the Klaus of the books.
- Elijah seems to often favour extracting his enemies' hearts when dispatching them. He's performed this feat with ease numerous times on-screen, including when he killed Thierry Vanchure and the hybrid Daniel Warren, along with many unnamed vampires, werewolves, and witches. Elijah even attempted to kill Klaus this way during the breaking of his hybrid curse. Often, he pulls out a handkerchief to wipe his hands after.
- Elijah presents himself to everyone under the guise of an historian by the name of Elijah Smith. This mirrors Damon in the novels when he presents himself to Elena's family as Damon Smith.
- Elijah is absent for only three of the fifteen episodes between his first appearance (Rose) and his last appearance (As I Lay Dying) of Season 2.
- Nadia follows the same pattern in Season One of The Originals.
- Elijah, Rebekah and Klaus are the only characters known to have met Tatia and her two Doppelgängers as humans.
- Elijah is one of only ten recurring characters to appear in more than 10 episodes during their inaugural season. The others being Anna, who appeared in 11 episodes during Season One, Rebekah who appeared in 17 episodes during Season Three, Atticus Shane who appeared in 11 episodes during Season Four; Nadia Petrova who appeared in 12 episodes in Seas One (TO), Wes Maxfield and Enzo who appeared in 12 episodes each in Season Five; Josette Laughlin and Malachai Parker who appeared in 17 and 16 episodes respectively in Season Sixand Rayna Cruz who appeared in 13 episodes in Season Seven.
- Elijah was the first member of the Original Family to make their first appearance in a present day episode.
- Elijah has been neutralized 3 times in Season 2, once in Season 3, once in a flashback and once in The Originals.
- By Alaric Saltzman in The Dinner Party.
- By Elena Gilbert in The Dinner Party.
- By Niklaus Mikaelson in As I Lay Dying.
- By Alaric Saltzman (via Kol) in All My Children.
- By one of the Brotherhood of the Five in The Five.
- By Niklaus Mikaelson in Always and Forever
- Elijah and Alaric are the characters who have died most on the show. Elijah has died 6 times on the show and Alaric has died 8 times on the show.
- Both Elijah and Rebekah have been given an episode when they are just neutralized.
- Just like Elijah was neutralized 4 times in Season 2, so was Rebekah in Season 3.
- Elijah was sarcastically called "my favourite Original" by Damon in Bringing Out The Dead.
- Among of all the Originals, Elijah can be considered the most moral and honourable, though his sense of what's right and wrong is slightly twisted, as shown when he compelled Slater to stake himself in 2x10 or killed the hybrid in 3x12. He is later shown to be second to Finn in this regard.
- Elijah and his half-brother Klaus both loved Tatia just like the Salvatore brothers loved her doppelgängers - Katherine Pierce and now Elena Gilbert.
- In addition, Elijah and his half-brother are also in love with Katherine just like Damon and Stefan.
- Elijah is always seen wearing different suits on the show in almost every episode he's in.
- Despite being a recurring character in Season 2 and Season 3, Elijah had more screen time than any regular in the episodes Klaus and All My Children.
- Elijah has met/interacted with every one of the main characters except for Tyler Lockwood, but he did mention him when he thought the hybrid had died in The Departed.
- Despite the fact that most people call Katherine with the Anglo version of her name, Klaus, Elijah, Rose, Trevor and Nadia are the only ones who refer to or call her by her original name Katerina.
- He has only referred to her as Katherine once, and that was in American Gothic.
- Elijah is the first Original to be invited into the Gilbert House, followed by Kol and Klaus.
- Like Klaus, Elijah didn't want Rebekah to take the Cure.
- Elijah believes Klaus and Katherine's child is the key to reuniting his family.
- It appears, as seen in Tangled Up In Blue, that Elijah has been keeping journals over the centuries.
- It also appears, as seen in Tangled Up In Blue, that Elijah is musical, as there is a violin and a piano in his house.
- In Sinners and Saints, after he has fully awakened, Elijah repairs Tim's violin.
- It is Elijah who returns Jane-Anne Deveraux's body to the witches.
- Elijah, like his younger brother Kol, is believed to be famous amongst the witches around the world.
- Though Klaus admitted he would never bite Rebekah-as he preferred using the dagger on her-, he seemed to have no problem biting Elijah.
- Elijah is the first Original to be bitten by a hybrid and the second to be affected by the venom of a werewolf/hybrid.
- In The River in Reverse, Elijah finally showed his vampire eyes, although briefly.
- All the women who Elijah loved, were supernaturals (Tatia - doppelgänger, Katerina Petrova - doppelgänger/vampire/ Traveler witch/witch-vampire hybrid, Céleste Dubois - witch.
- Elijah also has a brief relationship with Gia - vampire and Hayley - a werewolf-vampire hybrid, though he was not in love with either of them.
- In Long Way Back From Hell, Elijah stabs Klaus to save Rebekah from Klaus' wrath.
- In Le Grand Guignol, he shows his distaste for his father Mikael, to his face.
- In Le Grand Guignol, he steals Celeste from the werewolf interrogation along with the "potion" needed to end the curse.
- In Le Grand Guignol, Elijah chooses to give Katherine the "cure" when faced with Celeste's ultimatum. He knows that as Hayley has betrayed her, it is her decision as to what to do with the "potion" needed to Cure the curse.
- In Le Grand Guignol, Elijah shows his full vampire face.
- In Moon Over Bourbon Street, Elijah brings all the factions together and they sign a peace treaty; however, the treaty was only a ruse, as the human representative was not truly human, and the witch representative was given a mission by her superiors to kill Adyelya Mikaelson
- In The Battle of New Orleans, Elijah single handedly killed half of Marcel's army with no effort before a sneak attack from two werewolf bites knocked him unconscious.
- It was originally believed that Elijah was the eldest of the Original Vampire siblings; however, it is now known to be Finn, making Elijah the second oldest sibling, and the third oldest Original Vampire.
- Elijah's status as co-king of the New Orleans vampires, and leader of the faction are now defunct, due to the werewolves' massacre, and the other factions turning on the vampires.
- This changes briefly when Katherine takes control of the French Quarter witches and ascends to Regent of all Nine covens of New Orleans.
- Elijah has taken up a position as a mentor for Marcel's new army.
- Elijah claims to be a devoted feminist.
- Katherine has called him out on this, nothing that she doesn't need or appreciate to take control of her in order to protect her.
- In Brotherhood of the Damned, Elijah tells Cami that he met Sigmund Freud.
- Elijah is the only person to have kissed all 3 Petrova Doppelgängers (Tatia, Katherine and Elena).
- In Fruit of the Poisoned Tree, Elijah tells Agnes that no one harmed his family and lived. Yet, despite saying that, Elijah did nothing to avenge the deaths of his brothers Finn and Kol at the hands of Matt Donovan, Jeremy Gilbert, and Elena Gilbert, respectively.
- While in TVD he hated Klaus for "killing" his siblings, in TO, it is shown that not only did he help Klaus do it but was content to leave Kol and Finn daggered, and also despite his claims of family bonds, he clearly favors Klaus and Rebekah above the others.
- It is possible that Elijah was a witch before becoming an Original Vampire and just never tapped into his power, as Esther was a witch. Furthermore, he is identified as human.
- Tristan is the first vampire of his sireline.
- He is the first vampire who accessed the power of compulsion. His first compulsion was also a vampire. Ironically enough, he was the first to be shown with the ability to compel another vampire.
- He compelled Aurora to see Klaus as the wretched, deceitful monster that he truly is after he finds out from Aurora that Klaus killed his mother.
- In 11th century Elijah also compelled Lucien to believe that he was Niklaus, Aurora to believe that she was Rebekah, and Tristan as Elijah then he told them to run.
- Elijah daggers Rebekah in Savior as per Rebekah's wish so that the family part of the prophecy is over and he can trust Freya, Katherine and Klaus again.
- Rebekah wished it so that she can't hurt anyone of the people she cared about because of the madness the dagger caused.