|“||The Brotherhood of the Five was a group of highly skilled vampire hunters.||”|
— Klaus, about The Five
The Brotherhood of the Five, or simply The Five for short, are a five member group, hence the name, of supernaturally gifted Vampire Hunters, which is a term used, by Niklaus, to collectively describe them. They were created by a dying witch (who was a descendant of the very powerful witch Qetsiyah), who wanted them to fulfill Qetsiyah's wish, which is to cure and kill the very first immortal, Silas. Their means of accomplishing this task is via the tattoos on their bodies called the Hunter's Mark. The marks served a variety of purposes and lead to Silas and his means of destruction - the Cure for Immortality. As The Five are vampire hunters, and their main target is the immortal Silas, it can be said they hunt immortals, as both types of immortal species, (Vampires/Immortal), are susceptible to the Hunter's Curse.
The Brotherhood of the Five originated in 1110 AD and were all killed by Klaus in 1114 AD. Even after the death of the original five hunters, the Hunter's Curse still existed due to the presence of Potential Hunters in each age. After Silas was killed by Stefan, their main objective was indirectly completed. It is unknown if there would be any more Potentials now that their main mission is complete, or how they would be identified now that the Hunter's Mark is gone forever after opening the Tomb of Silas.
Qetsiyah herself refers to them, and all of their counterparts over the centuries, simply as "Hunters".
12th Century Edit
In the early 1110's, a Dying witch gathered together five men, presumably warriors, led by Alexander, and cast a spell to bind them together towards a single common goal: the destruction of all the vampires. The spell, which was bound by the witch's dying breath, gave them superhuman strength and speed which allowed them to overcome vampires; although they were not as strong as them; and an intense desire to kill vampires which would compel them to kill a vampire when they saw one. However, the witch gave them something more: a tattoo which would later come to be known as the Hunter's Mark which spread all across their right arm and torso, which acted as a map and led to the what Alexander called 'the ultimate weapon' that would ensure the destruction of the vampires: a cure for vampirism. The map could only be deciphered by using their swords, which was engraved with the symbol of their brotherhood.
With these new talents and their new goal in mind, Alexander and his brothers set out on a bloody campaign across Italy to seek out and destroy the vampires. As they crossed several towns, they captured and killed hundreds of vampires, ruthlessly massacring them at the pyre by exposing them to sunlight. As they did so, they spread their message that the demons lived amongst the human population, with invigorating speeches at market stands.
In 1114, as the Norman conquest swept through the south of Italy, the Five became aware of the family of the original vampires, who had arrived in Europe and had been turning people as they went. As their tale spread, the Five realized that the Originals could not be destroyed as ordinary vampires could be. It is presumably because of this that they had a witch create daggers which could neutralize them if they were bound to the ashes of the White Oak Tree.
The Originals had also heard of the Five and encountered them as they traveled southern Italy. Although Elijah Mikaelson, the eldest of the Originals, believed that these hunters could pose a threat, his siblings did not believe they were that dangerous and the only female Original, Rebekah, even begun a romantic relationship with Alexander. Elijah nevertheless attempted to grow closer to the hunters by pretending to be a nobleman who had taken up the crusade to destroy the vampires in order to learn more about them. It was then that Alexander revealed what they were after and how they intended to accomplish it.However, despite Elijah's caution, the Originals had underestimated the Five. One night, Alexander revealed to an unsuspecting Rebekah that he knew she was a vampire by daggering her, rendering her neutralized. That night, Alexander and his brothers invited Elijah and his three remaining siblings, Finn, Kol and Niklaus, to a 'slumber party' and they daggered the four remaining Originals, apparently ending their threat. However, they were unaware that Niklaus was not actually a pureblood vampire: he was a hybrid, half-vampire and half-werewolf. Given his werewolf side, the daggers had no effect on him. Niklaus slaughtered the Five before releasing his siblings, ending the Five's crusade and making any map to the Cure lost because the tattoos vanished with their deaths.
After the death of The Five, a new aspect of the witch's spell was revealed: the Hunter's Curse. This was a fail-safe that guaranteed the killer of a hunter die, as well as to try and increase their odds of survival, so they could complete their mission to cure and kill Silas. Niklaus, who killed all of the Original Members of the Brotherhood of the Five, began to suffer from severe hallucinations which took several forms all of which convinced Niklaus to kill himself. However, as he was indestructible, he was unable to do so when he tried.
However, The Five had not been destroyed as everyone believed. Another effect of the spell was that Potential Hunters could eventually take up the mantle of their fallen brothers and carry on their quest. When a hunter is killed, the Hunter's Mark appears on another and he begins to feel the changes that come with being a hunter. It took a total of 52 years, 4 months and 9 days, after Niklaus killed the Original Five Hunters, for all of The Five to be replaced. This also broke the Hunter's Curse and released Niklaus from the hallucinations, which presumably happened the instant the last of the Potential Hunters killed his first vampire.
From that moment on, there has, at every point in time, been only five hunters in existence, mostly unaware of one another and even of what their purpose was. However, the more vampires they killed, the more their mark (which was now invisible to all but other hunters/potentials) grew. Many believed that this meant they would need to complete their mark to discover what they were meant to do.
A soldier named Connor Jordan was serving in Iraq when he met one of The Five and was the only one to see his mark, marking him as a potential hunter. He learned of his intense desire to kill vampires and the fact that he was likely to also be a hunter. A few years later, the mark appeared on Connor's arm and he began his own crusade to kill vampires, using a vast array of weapons and his military experience to kill as many vampires as possible.
After using Jeremy's blood to rise up, Silas left his tomb, leaving his mask behind. When Galen woke up from his being knocked unconscious, he found the mask and put in his bag, annoyed to have failed his mission to kill Silas. Jeremy's body was taken home by his sister while Damon and Rebekah remained on the island, something Galen took full advantage of. He tried to attack Damon again, using his crossbow to shoot an arrow at him but Damon used Rebekah as a shield before Vaughn fired another shot which Damon caught. The hunter grabbed his bag and fled but Damon caught up. After a brief struggle with Galen trying to use his knife against Damon, he was again knocked out, this time taken hostage by Damon and tied up with his own ropes. Rebekah and Damon interrogated him and learned that Katherine was the one who had found Galen and orchestrated the whole endeavor to get the cure. Galen, still bound, had Rebekah go through his bag to show her Silas' mask as proof that he had awakened and that they were all doomed if they couldn't cure and kill him.
When Bonnie Bennett brings down the wall to the Other Side, the ghosts of the Five reappear with Rebekah and Matt being surrounded by three members of the Five: Alexander, Connor Jordan, and Galen Vaughn. The Five intend to reclaim their supernatural destiny by finding both Silas and the cure, and using it to kill him once and for all.
They split up, each trying different methods to get what they wanted. Alexander captured Rebekah and Matt, pressing them for information by holding Matt hostage with an explosive. Rebekah managed to free Matt and set off the explosive, blowing up herself and Alexander but knowing she'd survive the blast. Connor threatened residents of Mystic Falls who were eating at the Mystic Grill along with Elena but the ghost of Alaric Saltzman stopped him from hurting anyone. Vaughn managed to get the cure from Damon Salvatore and had Damon lead him to where Silas was supposedly being kept but was simply being stalled. When he discovered this, he shot Damon with werewolf soaked bullets before Alaric arrived and broke his neck, tossing him off the cliff. The ghosts of the vampire hunters were all presumably sent back to The Other Side when Bonnie re-sealed the veil.
- Alexander: He was one of the five original members. He had the symbol on his sword.
- 4 Original Members: Along with Alexander, they lived in the 12th century.
Between the 12th century and the 21st centuryEdit
- Unnamed Hunters in late 12th Century: Niklaus says: "For 52 years, 4 months, 9 days. I was tormented in my dreams, my every waking moment. Eventually it just stopped." This reveals that five other hunters (as Klaus had killed five of them) appeared and stopped the curse that Niklaus had for half a century.
- Connor's friend from Iraq : A man who told Connor since he can see the mark, he's a potential hunter. The two served in Iraq together. Connor lost track of him, and suddenly he got the tattoo, implying his friend had died.
- Connor Jordan: After receiving the tattoo, Connor had an incredible urge to kill vampires and became quite skilled at it, using stealth tactics to his advantage. He was sent to Mystic Falls by Professor Atticus Shane, where after his failed attempt to clean out the town of monsters, he was killed by Elena.
- Jeremy Gilbert: After a hard day, Connor ended up being killed by Elena and his mark was passed on to Jeremy. Jeremy also developed the hunter instincts but thanks to his friends, had some limited control over them. He began training and became a tool for vampires who were interested in the cure. He was forced to train and grow his mark though it did not complete until he staked the Original, Kol. In Down the Rabbit Hole, Jeremy was killed by the awakening Silas. But is later resurrected by Bonnie in Graduation.
- Galen Vaughn: He is a member of The Five who doesn't mind being on top of the food chain and knows a lot about Damon but doesn't understand how strongly Damon feels for Elena. Unlike Connor, Galen knows all about The Five and their true mission of killing Silas, accepting his duty to complete it.
Potential Hunters refer to those who can become part of the Five once a current member dies. Pre-requisites to become a Potential are currently unknown. However, they are identified by their ability to see the Hunter's Mark on the bodies of any current Hunter. Potentials obtain the Mark themselves when an active member of the Five dies and will become "awakened" after they commit their first Vampiric entity kill. It is unknown if females even get chosen as Potentials.
- Rebekah Mikaelson - She was in love with Alexander. They lived in Italy during the 12th century, where Elijah, Niklaus, Finn, Kol, and the other members of the Five were together without suspecting each other for a short time. One night, Alexander and Rebekah had an important conversation about the mark, the daggers, and future. Sadly, Alexander neutralizes Rebekah, along with her brothers, Elijah, Finn, Kol, leaving only Niklaus to fight against the vampire hunters. Finally, Rebekah was the only one who knew the cure and how to decipher the Hunter's Mark.
- Tyler Lockwood - He is a hybrid that was attacked by Connor after the initial greeting, which revealed his vampire nature due to the vervain in the glove of the hunter. Connor decides to kill Tyler, even risk his stay in the town, when he decides to shoot him at the memorial of Pastor Young.
- Elena Gilbert - She is a new vampire, which suffers from lack of blood, causing Connor to suspect her. During Memorial, Connor doesn't know if she is a vampire, or only if she is going through hard times. Eventually, Elena kills Connor to protect Jeremy from hunters and because of her sire bond to Damon.
- Damon Salvatore - Damon tries to kill Connor after he shoots Tyler at the church. Connor shoots Damon and tries to stake him, but hears Stefan close by and flees.
- Nate - He was one of Klaus' hybrids who watched over Connor until Klaus came back from Italy, Connor breaks free and decapitates Nate with a chain.
- Dean - He was one of Klaus' hybrids and Hayley's close friend. Dean obeys Niklaus' orders to help Stefan, and to prevent the Connor's death. He is killed by Connor.
- Chris - He was a hybrid that managed to overcome the sire bond. He was killed by Jeremy in order to become a full member of The Five, and save Elena from the Hunter's Curse.
- Kol Mikaelson - Kol was a powerful Original vampire created in the new world. Kol wanted to avoid at all costs that Silas was found and released. During this time, he destroyed many beings to prevent the return of Silas and unleash hell on earth. Finally, Kol was destroyed by Jeremy.
- Silas - Silas is the Brotherhood's main target to hunt and kill. Galen Vaughn was the member who came the closest to try and kill Silas in his tomb by feeding him blood to wake him. However, Katherine knocked him out before he could shove the Cure down his throat and kill him.
Unlike the normal vampire hunters, the potential hunters of the brotherhood get a great force, and the mass of the muscle increased, this makes them very muscular and strong, agile, and dangerous. However, the strength does not compare to that of a vampire, but it is enough to have a significant fight against a vampire. Even Klaus, an Original, acknowledged on their prowess as hunters.
The original members have this large muscle mass, eventually, Connor demonstrates this attribute, and finally Jeremy in the episode "My Brother’s Keeper".
Powers and AbilitiesEditAs supernaturally gifted hunters, members of the Brotherhood of the Five possess and are endowed with peak-human physical abilities, such as strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and endurance. Klaus once hinted that they are highly skilled in vampire hunting. In addition, they possess hunters mark, which tells them the story of and is a map that leads to Silas, and a Hunters Curse, which is a curse placed on any vampire or hybrid that kills a member of the five and will eventually leads that vampire or hybrid to kill themselves, unless another Hunter is awoken.
- Hunter's Mark - This symbol is related to the vampire hunters. This mark, revealed by Rebekah, is a map which leads to where a supposed Cure to vampirism lies. In the first generation of the Five, the mark is visible to all. In the second generation, only a potential hunter or another member of the Five can see the mark/symbol if it is not completed. In the episode The Five, Connor reveals to Jeremy that every time he kills a vampire/hybrid the mark/tattoo expands to reveal a map that will help release Silas and lead to the cure for vampirism; this is later demonstrated/shown in the episode. The mark reveals the spell that breaks the seal protecting the cure, as well as tells the story of Silas, the original immortal, and Qetsiyah, the witch who made him immortal. Galen's Mark fully completed itself on its own once fellow Brotherhood member Jeremy Gilbert had completed his own mark by killing Kol and every vampire made from his blood line. The mark however vanished from Galen's arm once Jeremy's mark was used to find the entombed Silas.
- Hunter's Curse - When a Hunter who is a member of The Five is killed by a vampire, the vampire will be struck and consumed by horrifying hallucinations that are meant to drive the vampire in question to kill himself/herself and will eventually convince the vampire to kill themselves. The only way to undo/alleviate the curse is if or for another potential hunter that was awakened by the death of the hunter in question to kill their first vampiric creature (whether a vampire or a hybrid) and activates their Hunter's Mark.
- Maximum Brain Capacity - Members of The Five can access 100% of their brain capacity, gaining extended knowledge and usage of the brain. They are able to process information in ways they could never have imagined or understood before. They can remember things they have forgotten, replicate knowledge, and become completely competent and aware of the situations they're in.
- Peak Human Accuracy - Members of The Five are capable of achieving small and distant targets. Their brain is hardwired for advanced precision superior to even gold-metaled archers. It's near impossible for them to miss their target.
- Peak Human Agility - Their agility is of a superior standard, even among gold-metaled-winning athletes and highly trained professionals in athletics.
- Peak Human Durability - Members of The Five have tougher skin and denser bones and muscles then the average person.
- Peak Human Endurance - Members of The Five can endure more physical stress than the average person. They can tolerate large amounts of physical pain such as being shot, stabbed repeatedly, burned with high heat, and beatings that an ordinary person couldn't endure. They can remain calm through stressful and painful situations, can tolerate extreme hunger, unbearable thirst and the strong urge to sleep.
- Peak Human Equilibrium - Their balance is at the peak of human perfection, allowing them to perform feats that not even trained Olympic gymnasts could accomplish, like doing a hand stand on the edge of a building or cliff without worrying about falling.
- Peak Human Regeneration - Their natural healing capabilities are at the highest levels of human potential. Their white blood cells fight off infections, diseases and disorders. Viruses like HIV/AIDS would be gone in days. Additionally, their healing time would be very short: cuts/wounds would be healed in minutes and broken bones healed in hours.
- Peak Human Reflexes - Their reflexes are at the peak of human potential and perfection; this means that their reaction time is superior to those of above average humans and are near superhuman. They can dodge offensive attacks, evade strikes from beings with super speed and dodge multiple gunfire with ease, thought not fast enough to contend with The Originals.
- Peak Human Sensory System - The Five's five senses are pushed at the highest limits of human perfection. They are capable of seeing further and clearer, acutely touching ink on a page, hearing small & distant sounds, having an animal like sense of smell and tasting more accurately then normal humans.
- Peak Human Strength - A vampire hunter who is a member of the Brotherhood of the Five has superior strength to that of a human, but not to the same level as older vampires or even ones who are less than one year into their vampire life; however, they can still hold themselves in a fight. That said, they can put up a serious challenge, as both Vaughn and Connor were able to rival Damon's strength (a powerful, nearly 200 hundred year old vampire) with the former subduing him by wrestling and snapping his neck. It is unknown if they are stronger than werewolves, however they are not as strong as werewolves in wolf form, and unlikely to beat them in human form. While no threat to the Originals, members of the Five are strong enough to combat against Silas. Jeremy was strong enough to fight Elena.
- Peak Human Speed - Members of the Brotherhood have peak-human speed and reflexes, though it is unknown if they are superhuman. Connor Jordan displayed enhanced speed and reflexes, at one point saying; "I'm faster than the average hunter." while he was caught by Damon and Klaus. As a member of The Five, it is assumed that Jeremy too gained these abilities. This is demonstrated in 'O' Come, All Ye Faithful' when he moves very quickly to try and stake Elena. This is also seen when Vaughn tackles Damon, appearing almost from thin air.
- Peak Human Stamina - Members of the Brotherhood often experience bursts of energy. This is not largely controllable and often just occurs as a burst of energy within a Hunter, but they can run for dozens of miles and not lose breath and can physically exert themselves at peak capacity for several hours without resting before showing signs of fatigue.
- Peak Human Combat - Hunters of the Five are naturally gifted in various areas of combat and can even take down unskilled super humans.
- Compulsion Resistant/Immunity - Upon activation, Hunters will be unaffected by vampire, Hybrid, or even Original compulsion techniques. They're also immune to all of Silas' psychic powers and according to Liv, Traveler possession.
- Ability to Sense Silas - Members of the Brotherhood can sense Silas physically where their Hunter's Marks were located when making physical contact with him, as a chilling sensation, as the main goal of their destiny is to hunt and kill Silas.
- Hunter Instinct - When awakened, a hunter becomes filled with a supernatural urge to kill vampires. The more vampires a hunter kills, the stronger the urge becomes. This urge is purely instinctual, and forces a hunter to try to kill a vampire even if he or she does not want to.
- Mortality - Despite their enhanced strength and stamina, hunters are still human and can be injured and killed in the same ways.
Tools and WeaponsEdit
- It can be assumed that all members have the mark on their instruments, and possibly in their right arms (as Connor).
- The Five, including Alexander, had tattoos that were visible to anyone. They were believed to be extinct until Jeremy Gilbert saw the tattoo on Connor's arm.
- They are the original owners of the White Oak Ash Daggers and lost possession of them when they used them for the first time and failed to neutralize Niklaus. Klaus then killed them and revived all his siblings but Finn.
- Ironically, The Five are opposed of the Original Siblings.
- Professor Shane seems to be linked to The Five. He sent Connor to Mystic Falls in the first place and has something that goes with the tattoo.
- If a hunter is killed by that which it hunts, the person will be cursed to walk the earth in torment until a new hunter is awakened and the legacy is passed on.
- It is implied that the Five reformed around fifty-two years after Klaus murdered the originals members, as the hallucinations only end when the prey in question dies, or new potentials replace the old members, and Klaus' hallucinations ended approximately fifty-two years after he killed the Original Brotherhood.
- During exposure of Atticus Shane about the history of the first immortal, it can identify the hunter's tattoo in one of the presentations. This implies that the tattoo and the first immortal are related. This is later confirmed when Shane shows that the mark tells the story of Silas and Qetsiyah, as well as show the spell that will break the seal guarding both the cure and Silas; furthermore, Galen states that the Brotherhood was created with the goal of curing Silas and killing him.
- In the episode Stand By Me, it is confirmed that the Five are supernatural beings; after Jeremy is killed, his Gilbert Ring does not revive him, as it has no effect on supernatural beings.
- As confirmed in the episode The Walking Dead, all known members of the Five are all dead. Galen Vaughn, the last known member after Jeremy's death, appears as a ghost, proving he died.
- Jeremy is Resurrected by Bonnie in Graduation.
- According to Shane finding at least one is once in a life time is next to impossible.
- With the Hunter's Mark being used to open Silas' Tomb and disappearing from the Hunter's bodies, it is unknown if any more Potentials can be chosen, or how they will know the are Potentials without the Mark.
- It has been shown that members of the Five have equal or greater strength to Silas himself and are immune to his psychic abilities, as Jeremy could fight him on even terms and even restrain him. A possible explanation for this is because they were created destroy him, making them equal to him and immune to his mental abilities.
- The Five typically made traps that would kill their prey even if they were about to be killed themselves.
- The Hunter's Curse was a fail safe for a Hunter being killed by it's prey to ensure that their prey would kill themselves and take them down with the Hunter. The Curse was also a way to scare vampires from killing a Hunter of the Five, so they had a better chance to survive and possibly get to Silas to kill him.
- It is possible that the Five's legacy ended with Silas' death, as their purpose was to locate and kill Silas.
- Ironically the Five's main mission was completed by a vampire, the very creatures they hunt.
- It was confirmed spirit magic was used in the creation of the five as Jeremy was taken into the anti spirit magic perimeter and lost the supernatural urge to kill vampires until he had left the perimeter.
- The Five receive an unnamed mention in The Originals episode, Chasing the Devil's Tail. Kol mentions a group of hunters that forged the daggers and since The Five were seen with them in the flashbacks they are presumably the ones who created them while the witches who spelled them are still unknown.