Main characters
Elena Gilbert: Elena Gilbert is a popular and beautiful 17-year-old girl from the town of Fells Church. There are repeated references in the series that state that she looks like an "angel". Physically, Elena is described as having eyes the color of lapis lazuli (a deep, dark blue) with gold flecks in them; this is meant to be a parallel to the lapis lazuli rings that vampires must wear to stay alive in the sunlight. In some scenes, her eyes are mentioned as having some violet in them as well, as when she wears her violet-colored homecoming dress which then "brings out the violet in her eyes." Elena's hair is long and straight, and a soft gold, described as being a few shades lighter than Katherine's, while her eyebrows and lashes are a darker blonde. Her skin is very fair and almost translucent, sometimes described as being like a magnolia flower, or like porcelain, and doesn't tan easily. She's fairly slim, about average for a teenage girl, and very pretty. Elena is taller than Katherine by "a good handspan." Her parents died, in a fatal car accident, when she was younger and she is raised by her Aunt Judith. She has a younger sister named Margaret. Over the course of the series, Elena transforms from an 'Ice Queen' or 'Ice Princess' to a more compassionate and open-minded person. Elena is best friends with Bonnie McCullough and Meredith Sulez. Bonnie comments in Elena's diary when she first died that Elena was far from perfect and while she was never an angel, she died a good person. Elena breaks up with Matt Honeycutt around when school starts, feeling he has become more to her than one of her disposable boyfriends; she loves him like a friend or brother. Elena is good at leading and initiating action but can be overly aggressive. Elena's life changes forever when she meets a mysterious, handsome new student at Robert E. Lee high school named Stefan Salvatore. Elena is madly in love with Stefan although she does recognize that she also has feelings for Damon, Stefan's elder brother. Stefan initially attempts to ignore Elena in the beginning. He makes comparisons between her and his former vampire girlfriend, Katherine, though he realizes that beneath the looks, Katherine and Elena are very different people. Her school reputation is important to her, so she makes up a fake boyfriend to hide the fact Stefan has rejected her advances. She dies several times, changing from human to vampire (after she gets enough blood from both Salvatore brothers, where her killer, Katherine, thought she only got blood from one boy) to spirit (after an unknown power brings her back). In The Return: Nightfall she comes back perfectly normal albeit with supernatural powers intact, making her blood irresistible to all beings. Elena has an incredibly strong romance with Stefan Salvatore, which is the basis of the series, though in the later books she starts to fall for Damon too.
Stefan Salvatore: Stefan is the "good" vampire brother. He is the younger brother of Damon Salvatore. Stefan is approximately 500 years old but physically, he has the appearance of that of a 17 year old boy. Stefan is portrayed as very classically handsome and pale with wavy dark hair, fine classic features and piercing "deep oak" green eyes, which have also been compared to that of emeralds. He is not imposingly tall (but was once considered to be tall during his time as a human) but he is taller than his brother, Damon. Stefan and Damon are said to look somewhat "similar" to one another. Stefan tends to wear expensive clothing, usually black in colour. Part of this is because he was once a member of the Italian nobility and his tutor taught him to dress as befitted as his position. However, he has been spotted on several occasions wearing T-shirts (mostly form-fitting or snug) and jeans (most of the time, faded), and he shows an odd penchant for wearing sweaters. Personality-wise, much of Stefan's personality is influenced by the guilt and self-hatred he feels over his vampiric nature and the circumstances surrounding his "death." Readers have often called him mopey, moody, angsty and brooding. However, while Stefan does have a tendency to blame himself for things, which leads to periods of intense depression, he is also very kind, compassionate, empathetic, romantic, responsible, chivalrous, and brave. He has strong morals and values and a strict code of ethics, probably influenced by his tutor and Catholic upbringing. Growing up in Florence, Italy, Stefan comes across as reclusive, although his brother does admit that he has friends. According to Damon, Stefan spends his time "among books and paintings," and has never had to face reality because of his sheltered life. He seems to be quite naive, and a bit of a romantic at heart where Katherine (and later Elena) are concerned. Following Katherine's "suicide" and his transformation into a vampire, Stefan spends the next 500 years consumed with guilt. He refuses to drink human blood under any circumstances and chooses to live in the shadows. Upon his arrival to Fell's Church, he attempts to blend in with the other high school students at Robert E. Lee High School. Yet, his reserved nature keeps him from making friends easily until Matt Honeycutt - the high school quarterback - comes along. Matt can sense that Stefan is incredibly lonely. Though Stefan is usually very kind and gentle, he has a bit of a temper (especially whenever his brother Damon is involved). When he gets angry, he shows violent tendencies and he can lose control. Damon describes him as 'selfish' and at times, he does seem self-absorbed in his own problems. However, whenever the town or his friends are in danger, Stefan will rush over to try to help. He has a strong sense of duty, responsibility and loyalty. He has also been shown to be willing to sacrifice himself in order to save the people he cares about. Finally, Stefan's personality is not all doom and gloom. He displays a wicked sense of humor on several occasions and when he's around his friends, he relaxes and lets his guard down. Sometimes he even smiles. Stefan is the weaker brother because he chooses not to survive on and drink human blood. He lives off of animal blood, which lessens his powers, although he often shares blood with Elena. One of his powers include being able to read at increased speed. Stefan's code of ethics forbid him from drinking human blood. He also believes it's wrong to use his powers against those who are weaker than him and he does so only sparingly (though he seems to have no problem with getting Damon to use his powers on others). His decision to live off the blood of animals makes his Power weaker than other vampires. Yet, he does have superhuman strength and agility and he can influence people's minds (mind compulsion). In "The Struggle", Stefan breaks his promise to himself and drinks human blood. This gives him the power to change into an animal form and he transforms into a hawk. He is deeply in love with Elena Gilbert and is willing to do everything and anything he can to protect her, even if it means killing his older brother, Damon, who was never close to him, even as a human. He also has problems trusting him, though Stefan blames himself for killing his brother and completing his transformation into a vampire. He comes from a noble family, was his father's favourite son and always acts like a gentleman. He and Matt become very close and best friends during "The Awakening". Stefan admires Matt because of his goodness, even though he is still in love with Elena.
