The Originals family tree: A complete guide to the first family of vampires

The Originals had us all on a hook with their enemity, which was first seen in The Vampire Diaries in the small town of Mystic Falls, all the way to their betrayal, and unbreakable family bond shown in a spin-off made solely for them.

Ever found yourself being interested about the Mikaelson family tree and how Vampirism started? This guide goes into the roots of the first ever vampires, born in ancient Norway. From Klaus’s to Rebekah, we are diving deep into the legacy of the Original Vampires.

Get ready to learn about the family that started it all, with every twist and turn of their immortal lives laid bare.

The Originals family tree:

1) Mikael: The Iron-Fisted Patriarch

Coming in at the number one position, we have daddy Mikaelson. Mikael, the Viking warrior turned Original vampire, is the backbone of the Mikaelson family.

As a landowner in 10th-century Norway, he was a father to Freya, Finn, Elijah, Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik, and a stepfather to Klaus. His love for his family drove him to extremes after Henrik’s death due to a werewolf. After the loss of his son, Mikael convinced his wife, Esther, who was a powerful witch at the time, to cast a spell and transform their children into immortals, and this is how Mikael’s decision led to the Original vampire family coming into existence.

Mikael Mikaelson in TVD Season 3, Episode 3. (Image Via Netflix)

His strength as a vampire was truly unmatched, but his heart? His heart was cold too, especially towards his stepson Klaus, whom he hated because Klaus was not his true blood. Mikael’s rage also led him to kill Klaus’s biological father and his werewolf clan, which eventually sparked a long never never-ending enemity between the vampires and werewolves.

Also known as “The Destroyer,” he hunted Klaus mercilessly, wielding a white oak stake, i.e., the only stake that could put an Original to death. His white oak streak and his inability to forgive Klaus made him a feared father figure, even among his own blood-related children.

The Originals and their story wouldn’t exist without Mikael’s desperate want and need to protect his family, but his harsh ways left scars that never healed.

2) Esther: The witch who wove immortality

Esther, the Original witch, was the maker and creator of the Mikaelson family’s eternal life. Married to Mikael, she was a mother to Freya, Finn, Elijah, Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik, and she gave birth to Klaus through an illicit affair.

Esther Mikaelson in TVD. S 3, Ep 14 (Image Via Netflix)

Her want and need for children led her to agree upon a deal with her sister Dahlia, where she traded her firstborn daughter, Freya, for fertility. When Henrik died, Esther’s grief and Mikael's anger led her to cast a spell to create The Originals, using Tatia’s blood and the white oak tree’s magic.

Unlike her family, who turned into Vampires, she remained a witch, unable to transform into a vampire. Her spell, however, came with costs: The sunlight burned her children, and a herb known as vervain weakened them, and a white oak tree piercing through their skin would be their doom.

Esther’s love for her family twisted into regret, and she later cursed Klaus to suppress his werewolf genes, believing that hybrids would be the ones to upset the true balance of nature. When she was killed by Klaus, she was also eventually resurrected, and with this came plotting to destroy her vampire children.

3) Freya: The first and lost daughter

Freya, the firstborn girlchild of Mikael and Esther, is the Mikaelson sibling whose story began with heartbreak. Traded to her aunt Dahlia for Esther’s fertility, Freya was assumed to be dead from plague, a lie to hidden to only hide her fate.

Growing up under Dahlia’s control, she practiced her witchcraft and slowly became a powerful force. When she reunited with her family in The Originals, her resilience was the one that shone the most. Unlike her siblings, Freya never became an Original vampire, but remained a witch just like her mother.

However, unlike the others, Freya was loyal. Her absence during the family’s transformation into The Originals left a void, but her return during The Originals brought hope. Freya’s strength lies in her magic and her will to protect her siblings, especially after losing so much time with them.

4) Finn: The reluctant vampire and mama's favourite boy

Finn, the secondborn of Mikael and Esther, was a man of quiet honor who was caught up in living out his days with a life. In his late 20s, when he was turned along with the others, he hated his vampire self, unlike his siblings who relished in their skins.

Finn Mikaelson in TVD. S 3, Ep 14 (Image Via Netflix)

Finn's moral compass made him an outlier among The Originals, ashamed of the bloodlust that defined their kind. Daggered by Klaus for nearly 900 years, Finn woke up to a world he could hardly recognize.

His love for Sage, a vampire he created, was yet another glimpse of his softer side. Finn’s calm demeanor hid a deep self-loathing, believing that it was vampirism that corrupted his soul. His attempts to live honorably often clashed with his family’s and especially Klaus's chaos, and this eventually led to his death by a white oak stake stabbed inside him by Matt Donovan.

Finn’s story in The Originals and The Vampire Diaries is a tale of a man trapped by immortality, yearning for peace. His brief moments of freedom highlight the cost of eternal life.

5) Elijah: The noble Mikaelson and a man of his word

Elijah, the third-born Mikaelson, is also the moral anchor of The Originals. Turned into a vampire in his 20s, his honor and compassion are what truly defined him until the very end of his life.

His blind love for his brother Klaus was tested time and time again and especially when he believed Klaus had discarded their daggered siblings. Elijah’s search for justice led him to Mystic Falls, where he allied with Damon and Stefan, along with the rest of the Mystic Falls gang, to plot against Klaus, only to be betrayed and daggered again by Klaus.

His noble nature was then again seen in New Orleans with The Originals, where he was seen protecting his niece Hope, and tried to rebuild his family and their relationship. Elijah’s death, consenting to Klaus’s sacrifice to defeat The Hollow, was a devastating end to his story.

Known for his dapper and handsome suits and calm behaviour, he was the one glue holding The Originals together. His loyalty, even when betrayed, made him a fan favorite among many.

6) Niklaus: The hybrid king and the big bad wolf

Klaus, the infamous hybrid of The Originals, is a whirlwind of charm and chaos. Born to Esther and a werewolf father named Ansel, he was Mikael’s stepson, a truth that led to them sharing a bond filled with nothing but toxicity.

His transformation into a vampire and werewolf hybrid during The Vampire Diaries made him the most feared Original, if not the most feared supernatural creature. Klaus’s reckless spirit and his never-ending thirst for power and control drove him to break his curse, using Elena’s doppelganger blood in a ritual and sacrifice.

His vendettas, like hunting Katerina Petrova (aka Katherine Pierce) for centuries, showed his ruthlessness to the max. Yet, in New Orleans, fatherhood to Hope is what slowly softened him, revealing a heart that was capable of love.

Klaus’s constant anger and daggering of his siblings, especially Rebekah and Kol, strained his family ties, but his “always and forever” and family vows are what endured and stayed with him by the end of the day.

His death, with Elijah, to save Hope, cemented his redemption from The Vampire Diaries to The Originals. Klaus’s story in TO and TVD is a wild ride of betrayal and loyalty, but regardless, he was a fan favourite Original to many fans.

Kol: The Wildcard Witch

Kol, the fifth Mikaelson child, is The Originals’ second-to-last baby with a witch’s soul. Unlike his siblings, he was the only child who truly embraced and practiced his witchy heritage before transforming into a vampire. He was the one who studied magic that spread across centuries.

Kol was cocky, and yet his charming nature hid a deep craving and longing for family acceptance and love. Daggered time and time again by Klaus, Kol’s resentment and anger fueled his enmity with the Mystic Falls gang.

His death by Jeremy’s white oak stake was a blow, but his resurrection as a witch, Kaleb, eventually gave him new life. Kol’s love for Davina in The Originals is what played on his softer side, though his recklessness and his anger never seemed to fade away.

His story in The Originals is a rollercoaster of defiance and redemption, also making him a fan favorite.

Rebekah: The Fierce Romantic

Rebekah, the only female Original vampire, is a true firecracker of heart and defiance. The sixth and last Mikaelson child, all she craved was love and freedom, friendship and true acceptance.

Her love life, from Marcel to Stefan to Matt, defined her as a person, and when you look deeper into her soul, she only puts up a facade of being evil and bad. Once again, daggered multiple times for going against the whims and fancies of Klaus, she never once lost her spark.

In New Orleans, she protected Hope, showing her loyalty towards her family. Rebekah’s growth from being vengeful to slowly being a compassionate vampire is what made her a standout in The Originals as compared to her other siblings.

The Originals and their family tree is nothing but a tangled web of love, loss, grief, and loyalty for all of eternity. From Mikael’s steadfast will to Rebekah’s heart longing for love and acceptance, each Mikaelson family member shaped the vampire world we know and love today.

Their story, filled with betrayal and redemption, is what still keeps us hooked every time we decide to binge-watch The Vampire Diaries and The Originals.

Along with the Salvatores, The Originals are also a family that reminds us that family, even when cursed, is worth fighting for until the very end.