The CW’s The Vampire Diaries is filled with immortals, but the afterlife plays a role throughout the series as a lonely realm for everyone but witches, who can see each other on the Other Side. Their non-magical supernatural counterparts are essentially trapped, with no one there in the Other Side with them, alone in purgatory. As there has never been a clear explanation for this divide, it’s fair to question why this is the case. There must be a reason why witches are the only ones spared of this torment in The Vampire Diaries.
Most cultures have some understanding of life after death, and this is true for the people of Mystic Falls, too. When a supernatural in The Vampire Diaries dies, their soul moves to a purgatory-like realm referred to as the Other Side. All the characters in TVD encounter this realm in one form or another, primarily with death or magical intervention. However, it seems as if the only one able to interact with the other dead is Bonnie, one of the few witches in modern Mystic Falls. This can be seen frequently in the show, as she communicates with her departed Grams, including once she’s on the Other Side herself. The best explanation for this phenomenon can be traced back to the very origins of the lonely realm.
Thousands of years before the events of The Vampire Diaries, there were no immortal creatures, as the strongest Original Vampires had yet to exist. In this period existed a group known as The Travelers, which included a woman regarded as the most powerful witch of all time, Qetsiyah. She was a woman in love, devoted to her fiancé, Silas, who convinced her to make an elixir of immortality. Of course, she obliged, believing the two of them would be together for eternity. However, this decision backfired as Silas drank the potion with another woman, making them the first immortal creatures. As retribution Qetsiyah created the Other Side, using the mistress as an anchor between realms.
Why Vampire Diaries Witches Aren’t Isolated On The Other Side
There is plenty of speculation about the quirks of the Other Side, seeing as neither spinoff, The Originals, or Legacies clear up the confusion. Essentially it comes down to Qetsiyah herself. She created the Other Side out of a spiteful situation, intending to punish those who betrayed her. Originally, Qetsiyah offered Silas a way to live unscathed, in the form of an immortality cure. The option was to take the cure, die a mortal death, and spend eternity with her on the Other Side. Silas instead chose to rot in solitary confinement for the rest of eternity. Therefore, a solitary existence became an eternal punishment for those who share the curse of immortality throughout The Vampire Diaries universe. Qetsiyah’s creation of immortality cost her dearly, so essentially, she created a way to balance the scales and punish other supernaturals the same way.
As mentioned above, witches are immune to this punishment. Qestiyah’s bloodline is carried out through the Bennetts in The Vampire Diaries, which includes Bonnie. The beloved The Vampire Diaries character showcases how strong her powers are throughout the show. This includes cross-realm communication, and even the ability to resurrect the departed. Other witches are not punished the same as Silas; it seems he is the only witch forced into solitude. But there is a notable difference between him and witches like Bonnie. The Bennett bloodline makes up a very large majority of the witches encountered in Mystic Falls, and blood is a significant aspect of witchcraft. It’s fair to conclude that they are spared from this torture as they have a direct connection to Qetsiyah, who created the Other Side in the first place.
Seeing as vampires, doppelgängers, werewolves, witches, hybrids, and even Legacies‘ Tribrid, Hope, make up just a portion of characters in The Vampire Diaries universe, the mythology is complex. With the universe’s supernatural aspects come rules and traditions. As TVD lore has stated repeatedly, however, magic always creates a loophole, just like witches being the only creatures able to interact with people on the Other Side.
