The Original Vampires, or simply The Originals for short, are a group of extremely powerful vampires that are known for being the first of their bloodlines and the first generation of vampires, making them the oldest vampires in the world. Their name is a term used to describe a progenitor in a vampire bloodline. The term was initially introduced when Rose revealed their existence to Elena, Stefan and Damon, and primarily refers to the Mikaelson Family, but has since expanded after Esther used the spell to turn Alaric into a vampire and Elena referred to him as an "Original", lacking another term to refer to the type of vampire Alaric became.