Who was Elena Gilbert’s real mother in The Vampire Diaries? Details explored 

Elena Gilbert's existence in The Vampire Diaries is way more complicated than it seems. She is presumed to be the daughter of Grayson and Miranda Gilbert during season one, but real life makes things a thousandfold more complicated and intricate. The series takes a dark turn before finally learning who her true mother is and gaining a better insight into the supernatural events that unfold in Mystic Falls.

This information alters the way Elena views herself and others. By placing Elena's history into the foreground of the central conflicts via the timestamping of vampire history, The Vampire Diaries makes Isobel Flemming (Mia Kirshner) Elena's actual mother.

Below is a fact-filled deconstruction of Elena's actual mother, supported by short episode identification.

---

Elena Gilbert's actual mother: Isobel Flemming

Elena's biological mother in The Vampire Diaries is Isobel Flemming, previously Isobel Marsh. This is affirmed in Season 1, Episode 15, 'A Few Good Men,' where Isobel, previously missing, is discovered to be the biological mother of Elena by Alaric Saltzman. Isobel got pregnant during high school and gave birth to Elena a short while later.

Elena was adopted by Grayson and Miranda Gilbert. Grayson, Elena's biological uncle, was with whom she grew up in Mystic Falls. Elena had always thought they were her adopted parents, without knowing that there had actually been an Isobel.

---

Adoption and early life

The adoption fact regarding Elena is alluded to during Season 1, Episode 11, 'Bloodlines', and finally confirmed four episodes later in 'A Few Good Men.' She was adopted by the Gilberts and had no relation to Isobel, and there is no reference on the show that Isobel lived with Elena.

Isobel's vampire transformation during Season 1, Episode 21, 'Isobel,' it is shown that Isobel actively sought out Damon Salvatore and requested that he turn her into a vampire. She was curious about the supernatural world and not for the reasons of causing personal suffering. She underwent this, and how she responded to Elena when they finally met.

---

Relationship with Alaric Saltzman and the first mother-daughter meeting

Isobel had wed Alaric Saltzman before her vampiric transformation, so both of them were wealthier. Her wedding and unexplained disappearance are also documented in Season 1, Episode 16, 'There Goes the Neighborhood'. Alaric is psychologically unstable upon her return to what she has done, and Isobel is cold-hearted and believes things are of her own purpose.

Isobel and Elena only encounter each other for the first time in Season 1, Episode 21. No tearful reunion. Isobel's got more pressing matters on her agenda to deal with, such as David's investigation into the supernatural Gilbert Device.

---

Episode timeline: Elena Gilbert's mother storyline

Episode timeline: Elena Gilbert's mother storyline

---

Significance of Isobel's backstory in the series

The Vampire Diaries' reveal of Elena's true mother is greater than a hidden parent; it is the common thread between her past and supernatural war that runs through Mystic Falls.

Isobel's vampirism ties Elena to the likes of Damon Salvatore and Katherine Pierce and complicates her past, causing wars in the future. By holding back on the revelations across many episodes, TVD makes a compelling television series, as well as setting up each subsequent revelation as the next turn of the story.

---

Thus, Isobel Flemming, née Isobel Marsh's existence is revealed in Season 1, created by dramatic scenes, and justified by vampirism and marrying Alaric Saltzman.

For the sake of acknowledging that it is a needed element of the series' narrative, connecting back to Elena's history and supernatural events at the core of The Vampire Diaries.

Also read: Wait, The Vampire Diaries is a comfort show now? Fans say yes and the RT score agrees