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Elena (Tellerup, 2012)
Elena Gilbert
Biographical information
Born
Turned
Died
Marital status
  • In a relationship
Alias
Physical description
Species
  • Human (Originally/Currently)
  • Vampire (Formerly)
  • Spirit (Formerly)
  • Guardian (Formerly)
Gender
  • Female
Height
  • 5'4 - 5'6
Hair colour
  • Light Blonde
Eye colour
  • Dark Blue
Skin colour
  • Fair
Family information
Family members
Affiliation
Turned by
Loyalty
.
"Elena had been like a force of nature: take her or leave her for the passionate, cynical, idealistic,self-centered, generous-to-a-fault, girl that had been her mortal self. A wild tropical storm in rising in a millpond. An orchid in a field of daisies; a gryphon in a herd of sheep. Elena had never been like anyone but herself. And she had absolutely gloried in the moment when she could drop all her defenses and submit entirely to the fate of the quarry caught by the hunter—because the hunter had been her heart's desire, and because in all other things he was her slave, to cherish or spurn or destroy as she pleased."
—Description[src]

Elena Gilbert (b. August 1974) was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert and the older sister of Margaret Gilbert. Since her parents' death when she was fourteen, she was raised by her aunt Judith. Elena was supposed to have died in the car crash to become a Guardian but it failed.

In 1991, Elena sacrificed herself to defeat Katarina and with help from the spirits of Fell's Church sent Klaus to Judgement. The Celestial Court sent her back as a Guardian once Klaus was dealt with. Elena, Stefan and Damon worked together to defeat Shinichi, Misao, and Inari. A deal with the Celestial Court led to these supernatural events being effectively erased, aside from in the group's memories.

Elena had a romantic relationship Stefan Salvatore until he erased her memories of him, after the reset, and replaced himself with his brother Damon. She currently attends Dalcrest College.

Biography

Early life

Elena was born in August 1974 as the oldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert. She was raised in the Gilbert house in Fell's Church, Virginia with her younger sister Margaret and her parents' until their deaths in 1988.[3] Her aunt Judith and her aunt's fiancée Robert became her and little Margaret's legal guardians after the incident.

Elena, Bonnie, Meredith, and Caroline have been friends since kindergarten and would later talk about how they had planned their lives out since meeting there.[4]

In the fifth grade Elena and Caroline had tried to sneak cigarettes and nearly choked themselves.[5]

Physical Description

Meredith Sulez: "Well, your hair is two shades lighter from the sun...but where's your tan? I thought you were living it up on the French Riviera."
Elena Gilbert: "You know I never tan."
Meredith Sulez and Elena on Elena's skin and hair after her trip to Paris[src]

Elena was described as being average height, with pale blonde hair and eyes the color of lapis lazuli with gold flecks in them. Her skin was fair, alabaster in color with a rosy hue. She is slender but has curves with long legs.[6]

When she became a vampire her hair turned lighter.[7]

Personality and Traits

"Elena Gilbert, cool and blond and slender, the fashion trendsetter, the high school senior, the girl every boy wanted and every girl wanted to be."
—Elena Gilbert[src]

Elena is cool, confident, sociable, approachable and popular. She doesn't conform to what other people think she should be like.[8] Elena is manipulative, being able to twist people to her bidding with ease, especially boys for her own amusement.[9][10] Her manipulative traits are a genetic trait of the Guardians.[11] She is highly selfish[12] and vain.[13] Since meeting Stefan she wanted to become worthy of his love.[14] After her first death Elena became a more selfless person, sacrificing herself not only for Stefan and Damon but to also protect Fell's Church from Katherine.[15] Elena felt that Fell's Church was hers to protect.[16]

Elena is a very determined person and when she wants someone or something she will stop at nothing in order have it.[17] She is a planner, making sure to always have plans A, B, and C ready. [18][19]Elena is a very stubborn person, the only person to rival her is Stefan. [20]

Relationships

Family

Stefan Salvatore

Damon Salvatore

Bonnie McCullough

Meredith Sulez

Matt Honeycutt

Caroline Forbes

Etymology

  • Elena is an Italian name meaning Shining light or bright one.
  • Gilbert is Germanic in origin meaning bright pledge.

Behind the scenes

In the television adaptation, Elena is a brunette and has brown eyes. Her parents died over the summer instead of years prior. She's not a Guardian as well. She has a younger teen brother/cousin named Jeremy instead of a sister.

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. In Chapter 1 of The Return: Shadow Souls, which takes place in August, Elena says that she is eighteen years old. Based on Chapter 1 of Dark Reunion, Elena's birthday had not occurred between December 13, 1991 and June 21, 1992, nor was her birthday mentioned in The Return: Nightfall to have been the week after. Therefore, she must have been born in August. Additionally, Elena stated in Chapter 13 of The Struggle that she would turn eighteen the following summer.
  2. Elena Gilbert: I was born here in Fell's Church. (The Awakening - Chapter 1)
  3. Margaret had only been one at the time of the crash. (The Awakening - Chapter 4)
  4. The Return: Nightfall
  5. This is my same old bedroom, with the scorch mark on the floorboards where Caroline and I tried to sneak cigarettes in 5th grade and nearly choked ourselves. (The Awakening - Chapter 1)
  6. Matt & Elena: First Date
  7. Her hair was true gold again, not the perilous white-gold it had become when Stefan had unintentionally turned her into a vampire. (The Return: Nightfall - Chapter 4)
  8. The Fury
  9. Matt: You twist people around your little finger, and I don't think you even know you're doing it. (The Awakening - Chapter 6)
  10. Most boys, Elena reflected, were like puppies. Adorable in their place, but expendable. (The Awakening - Chapter 2)
  11. Ryannen: Our genes have honed us to be the best at managing powerful, irrational demons, who don't respond to traditional strength but require on-the-spot recalculation. (The Return: Midnight - Chapter 41)
  12. Matt: You only want everybody and everything revolving around Elena Gilbert. You only want everything you don't have. (The Awakening - Chapter 6)
  13. In that instant, Elena was aware that she was beautiful. It wasn't just the dress, or the way her hair was done. She was beautiful in herself: slender, imperial, a thing made of silk and inner fire. (The Awakening -Chapter 6)
  14. I want-oh, this is going to sound completely stupid, but I want to be worthy of Stefan. (The Awakening - Chapter 10)
  15. The Fury
  16. The Return: Nightfall
  17. Matt & Elena: First Date
  18. The Return: Nightfall
  19. The Return: Shadow Souls
  20. The Struggle
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