Elder Oak Stake

The Elder Oak Stake is a very powerful object and the only physical weapon on Earth with the capability to permanently kill an Primordial vampire. By appearance, it resembles a pale wooden stake. When Gaea augmented a stake with the protective magic of the Gilbert Ring, it had metal "veins" enveloping it around from the base.

The stake comes from an ancient Elder Oak Tree during the time of the genesis of the vampire race. Originally abundant, the last known stake was made indestructible by Gaea Mikaelson with the Grayson Ring so that it could be used indefinitely.

Being the source of the Primordial vampires' immortality, it was imbued with the power to destroy them permanently when driven through the heart. The process begins, first, by dissection of said Primordial vampire before both the primordial vampire and the stake would burst into violent flames, reducing them to nothing but ash or charred remains. It is possible if the flames were to be expunged before they could consume the body of the Original vampire, then the Primordial vampire's body can be spared, as seen with Klaus.

History
After realizing that the [Elder Oak Tree|tree]] that gave them life could also be used as a weapon to kill them, the Mikaelson family burned the tree to the ground. Before they did so, however, Ragnar carved a stake out of this wood just in case he would need to kill a member or members of his family, and after his wife's murder, he decided to kill Klaus with it. Ragnar usually kept it on his person but also had hidden it when necessary, to avoid being staked himself. He then showed it to Damian. Ragnar carved it with the intention that if it would be needed in the future for some reason, he would have it. After his wife's death, his intent changed to use it, and kill Klaus. Ragnar and Damon allied and he entrusted Damon with the stake, but in a strange turn of events, Ragnar was killed with his stake by Klaus and it burnt to ashes along with his body. This was thought to have been the last remaining piece of Elder Oak, however, saplings of the tree remained and new stakes were made from the wood.

Season Three
In Homecoming, Ragnar told Damian of a weapon that can kill Klaus and showed him the White Oak Stake. Mikael passed the weapon onto Damon, as he wasn't invited in the Richards Mansion. Damon attempted killing of Klaus while Ragnar distracted him. However, due to Jason's intervention, Klaus used the weapon on Ragnar. The stake burnt down along with Mikael.

All hope was lost as they thought that there was no way to kill Klaus, but in Break On Through, Damon found out through Sage and Rebekah that a sapling of the original White Oak Tree was planted back in the same place and was cut down and used to make the Wickery Bridge. Rebekah burnt down the wood with Sage - Sage didn't want Finn to die as she learned all the Original vampires would die if one of them were to die. It turned out that some of the wood from the bridge was also made into a Wickery Bridge sign; Damon Salvatore told Stefan that they have weapons that can be used to kill Klaus.

In The Murder of One, Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Elena, and Matt all took wooden stakes carved by Alaric, Stefan, and Damon, and tried to use them to kill Klaus. Klaus eventually got almost all of them, save for three, and burnt them. Stefan tried to use one but fails. Klaus then burns the other. The final stake was then hidden by Alaric.

In Heart of Darkness, the stake's location was only known to Alaric's dark side, which frustrated the Salvatores and the Original vampires. It was only under a death-thread that, Alaric, taken over by his darker persona, gave the stake to Esther.

In Do Not Go Gentle, Esther magically bonded the Gilbert Ring with the last white oak stake, to make it the ultimate weapon.

The stake won't burn when it kills an Original vampire. She wanted Alaric to use it to kill the rest of her children and wipe all vampires off of the face of the planet. She turned Alaric into a new enhanced Original vampire but before he completed the transition, he impaled Esther with it when she tried to kill Jeremy and Matt, killing the witch. Once he completed the transition to a vampire, he was fully taken over by his dark-side. He held the white oak stake and began his crusade against vampires.

In Before Sunset, Alaric attacked Rebekah at the high school where, with the combined efforts of her and Caroline, they succeeded in stabbing Alaric with the stake. Unlike unlike the Original vampires, Alaric didn't share their weakness and survived the stabbing. He used the stake when he was attacked by Klaus and nearly killed him with it before Elena interfered.

In The Departed, Alaric showed the stake to Jeremy, trying to convince him that he could use the stake to kill the Primordial vampires and cause the extinction of vampires. When plotting against Alaric, Eli said that the stake is a real threat and that if Alaric could be disarmed, they stand a chance against him. Alaric used the stake when he was hunting down Klaus' desiccated body and stabbed him, setting him ablaze and seemingly killing him. Alaric closed the coffin before the fire fully destroyed Klaus, unknowingly putting the fire out. Alaric wielded the weapon in his fight with Damon before his death, giving Damon possession of the stake once Alaric was gone.

Season Four
In Growing Pains, Damon tried to kill Rebekah with the white oak stake because she killed Elena. However, Rebekah easily overpowers Damon but gets shot by the council. Damon then fled with the stake.

In The Rager, Elena attempted to use the white oak stake on Rebekah but was convinced not to by Stefan, knowing that the stake would kill countless vampires along with Rebekah.

In After School Special, Caroline carried the stake while looking for Rebekah after she had been undaggered by April. However, Rebekah disarmed Caroline and took the stake for herself, taking Stefan and Elena hostage as well. However, shortly after, Kol stealthily took the stake from Rebekah, showing her that her defenses were down and she was not ready for the threat the possibly immortal witch, Silas, would pose. He then left with the stake in his grasp.

In Catch Me If You Can, during an argument where Rebekah drew one of the white oak ash daggers on Kol, he countered by pulling out the white oak stake and threatened to kill her if she got in his way of stopping Silas. Klaus interfered in the spat and Kol fled with the stake.

In A View to a Kill, Kol still had possession of the white oak stake, keeping it close in a pocket on the inside of his jacket. He tried to cut off Jeremy's arms and kill Elena, but during the fight, Kol was taken by surprise and Elena managed to grab the stake from his jacket. She tossed it to Jeremy who then stabbed Kol, setting him ablaze, and killing the original. Jeremy then took the stake from Kol's charred body and took ownership of the indestructible weapon.

In Into the Wild, Elena tries to kill Rebekah with the white oak stake before Rebekah pushes her back. Later, Elena gives it back to Rebekah as a peace offering.

In Because the Night, Silas reveals to Klaus that he has the stake, having gleaned its location from Rebekah's mind. After Klaus refuses Silas' attempt at a deal, Silas jabs it into Klaus' back, though not his heart, and breaks off the tip, leaving Klaus screaming in agony.

In American Gothic, Klaus deduces that Silas never broke off the tip of the stake in him, but that Silas made Klaus think he did through an illusion. He never had the stake.

In Pictures of You, Rebekah gave the stake to Elijah, who gave it to Klaus.

Season One
In Le Grand Guignol, Klaus revealed that he had been keeping the stake inside of a statue inside of the compound, retrieving it so he could kill Rebekah after he had found out about her betrayal in the early 20th century. He wielded it as he tracked her down to the cemetery.

In Farewell to Storyville, Klaus attempted to use it on Rebekah but was repeatedly halted by Elijah who wielded Papa Tunde's blade, a weapon not fatal but very painful for a Primordial vampire.

During the skirmish, Elijah managed to retrieve the Elder oak stake from Klaus temporarily, having both of the weapons for himself. However, the feud ended when Klaus let Rebekah live.

In From a Cradle to a Grave, Ragnar was resurrected and retrieved the Elder oak stake, ready to use it on Klaus. Before he got a chance to use it, however, he was stopped by Davina due to her magic tether she had put on him.

Season Two
In Alive and Kicking, Ragnar still had possession of the stake and when he was summoned by Davina to defend her from werewolves, he kept the stake tucked in his pants as he slaughtered them. When confronted by his son, Elijah, he drew the stake and attacked him, managing to pierce him with the tip of it before being forced to leave by Davina.

In Live and Let Die, Mikael and Davina hid in her family's cabin from Klaus, who now knew of Mikael's resurrection. Kol, whose spirit had been brought back from The Other Side before it's collapse, was put into the body of a witch named Kaleb by his mother. He had been sent to find the stake. Wooing Davina with his new persona, Kol managed to get into the cabin and found the stake in one of the drawers, but before he could take it, he was confronted by Mikael, who did not recognize his son in his new body. When Klaus arrived, Kol used magic to deactivate the Bracelet of Obedience, which freed Mikael from the control Davina had put on him. Mikael attacked Klaus with the stake in a vicious attempt to finally kill him and nearly managed to do so before being stabbed with Papa Tunde's blade in a blindsided attack from Klaus. As Klaus could not overpower Mikael, much like he did when he killed Mikael for the first time, he stabbed Mikael from his blindside. Klaus took possession of the stake from his incapacitated father.

In Red Door, shortly after defeating Mikael, Klaus turned over the stake to Camille to ensure that he would not kill Mikael permanently with it. However, Mikael had recovered from the fight from pulling out Papa Tunde's Blade, the only Original vampire able to do so, and abducted Camille, taking possession of the stake again. Klaus tracked him down and fought him. Klaus had gained the upper hand as Mikael was still weakened from Tunde's blade and werewolf venom, but he managed to stab him with the stake after Klaus was forced to save Camille from Mikael throwing Tunde's blade at her using Klaus' blindsiding tactics against him. It neutralized Klaus as a normal stake would for the other Original vampires, but didn't set him fatally ablaze like it was supposed to. Davina and Kol were magically blocking the stake's power so it wouldn't kill Klaus. Mikael found them and interrupted their spell, hoping that it would make the stake work again. Camille, though, had already removed the stake from Klaus' body, saving him. In the confusion, Davina managed to steal the stake for herself.

In Chasing the Devil's Tail, Esther again ordered Kol to get her that stake as soon as possible. As he grew closer to Davina, he eyed the stake, contemplating taking it from her. However, he was abducted by Marcel who also took the stake, giving it back to Klaus.

In The Map of Moments, Kol requested that Klaus loan him the stake so he could earn Esther's trust. Klaus did so on the promise that Kol would return it. Kol gave it to Esther who then planned on using it on Rebekah's body once she transferred her spirit to Camille's body, thereby killing her whole bloodline. However, it was an elaborate trick and when it was through, Kol returned the stake to Klaus as promised.

In Night Has A Thousand Eyes, Mikael is killed by Klaus to get Viking ash, knowing this, Mikael allows himself to be killed as there is likely no time to find more elsewhere. He apologizes to his daughter and in his dying moments, reaches for Klaus before falling and burning up.

In Ashes to Ashes, Freya suggests using the stake to kill a daggered Klaus to kill Dahlia as they were still linked. Marcel objects, saying that he and all vampires in Klaus' sireline will also die. Freya finds the stake using a locator spell and is about to use it when Klaus wakes up and stops her. Dahlia obtains the stake and threatens to use it on Klaus, who is saved by Marcel. When the Original vampires confront Dahlia as she is about to kill Freya, she destroyed the stake and turned it into dust to incapacitate and attempt to kill the Original vampires.

Season Five
In The Tale of Two Wolves, Klaus reveals he has one last white oak stake which he intends to have Caroline Forbes use to kill him after he absorbs The Hollow. Klaus explains to Caroline that the stake, which he calls the last remaining white oak stake in existence, came into his possession decades before and he planned to destroy it, but the weight of immortality had been heavier then. Later, after absorbing The Hollow, Klaus prepares to stake himself.

In When The Saints Go Marching In, Hope stops Klaus from staking himself, and Klaus is ultimately convinced to give his loved ones a proper goodbye before he dies. When the time comes, Elijah breaks the stake in half and reveals that he intends to die alongside Klaus. After saying their goodbyes, Klaus and Elijah stake each other, killing The Hollow as well.