<Li> Played by Mia Kirshner </Li> <Li> Seasons: 1--2 </Li> <P> Isobel Flemming was Elena's birth mother and a descendant of Katherine Pierce . When Isobel was a teenager, she had a relationship with John Gilbert, by whom she later had a baby, Elena . When Isobel was pregnant, John brought her to his brother, Grayson Gilbert, who helped her through labor . After Elena's birth, a heartbroken Isobel gave her daughter to Grayson and his wife Miranda Gilbert . Isobel attended Duke University where she studied supernatural beings . Later in life, she met and married Alaric Saltzman . However, Isobel became obsessed with vampires and after being romantically involved with him, she asked Damon to turn her . She was assumed dead by the police and Alaric thought that she was killed by Damon after seeing them together . </P> <P> In season one, Alaric comes to Mystic Falls to seek revenge on Damon, who admits that he killed Isobel, but that he also turned her into a vampire on her own request . Elena reaches out when she learns that Isobel is her biological mother, but Isobel avoids contact . Isobel later shows up at the Mystic Grill, greets Alaric, and threatens to kill everyone in town if she doesn't meet Elena . She is later visited by John in a loaned house, where she had two human minions, Cherie and Frank . It was revealed that Isobel, just like John, wants Jonathan's Gilbert's device--because Katherine, whom she seemingly befriended, wants all the tomb vampires dead . In season two, it was revealed that Isobel wants them dead in order to protect Elena from Klaus . She asks Elena to make Damon give her the device, threatening to hurt Matt and Jeremy . Elena convinces Damon to give her the device by saying that Bonnie can despell it . However, it is later revealed that Bonnie only pretended to despell it . Elena gives Isobel the device, saying that Damon gave it out of love for her . It was revealed that Isobel cares about Elena and they plot to use the device to kill all the tomb vampires and the Salvatore brothers in order to protect her . Before leaving town, Isobel compels Alaric to get over her and tells him that she realizes it was a mistake to become a vampire . </P>

Who are the main characters in the vampire diaries