The witches of Mystic Falls played a big part in the story throughout The Vampire Diaries. Whether it was working with the main characters or against them, their use of magic and ability to wield the energies of nature made them powerful forces to be reckoned with and formidable foes if angered.

RELATED: The Vampire Diaries & The Originals: 10 Times Klaus Mikaelson Was Actually A Good Guy

The Bennett family is one of the town's oldest and most powerful magical families, but other covens of witches made their mark in Mystic Falls. Some have aided vampires and some have ailed them, but all of them have proved that they are not a force to be trifled with. Here are the 10 most powerful witches in The Vampire Diaries, ranked.

Updated on May 30th, 2021 by Amanda Bruce: The mythology that began with The Vampire Diaries continues to grow as the world expands in The Originals and Legacies. All three shows weave together stories of vampires, werewolves, witches, and more. Though the vampires, werewolves, and their hybrids all have incredible strength and endurance, they can all be bested by witches. The witches of The Vampire Diaries and its associated shows are able to grant immortality, send people to other dimensions, and more. It'll be interesting for fans to compare how the new generation of magical users in Legacies eventually stack up against the original witches on The Vampire Diaries.

Emily Bennett

Bianca Lawson plays Emily Bennet in flashback in The Vampire Diaries

The Bennett family is an old and powerful family of witches that have protected Mystic Falls for generations. Emily Bennett is Bonnie's ancestor and was the handmaiden of Katherine Pierce in the 1800s, as well as an ally to the vampires of the town.

Emily was betrayed by Katherine in the 19th century, but the witch ensured Damon Salvatore would protect her lineage on the condition that she use magic to protect Katherine who was thought to be sealed in a tomb.

Valerie Tulle

Valerie in a room full of coffins in The Vampire Diaries

Valerie is a major character in season seven of The Vampire Diaries and is the first and last surviving member of the Heretics. A member of the Gemini Coven, Valerie was exiled due to being a Siphoner before befriending Lily Salvatore and being trapped in a prison world that forced her to repeat the same day continuously.

As a Siphoner, Valerie's powers are impressive. After being turned into a vampire by Lily, she retains her siphoning abilities, becoming one of the first witch-vampire hybrids.

Joshua Parker

Kai in the Prison World in The Vampire Diaries

Joshua Parker was the former leader of the Gemini Coven and possessed exceptional powers that surpassed many other witches. He is the father of Kai and his siblings and was responsible for imprisoning his son after Kai murdered four of his siblings to become the leader of the coven.

Joshua's powers were a force to be reckoned with. He easily held his own during fights with Damon and Stefan Salvatore and channeled the celestial energy of the solar eclipse to imprison Kai in another dimension.

Sheila Bennett

The Vampire Diaries Bonnie's grandmother

Sheila Bennett, also known as Grams, was the grandmother of Bonnie Bennett and the first of the witches from The Vampire Diaries to explain and encourage her powers. At the beginning of the series, Bonnie remarks that Grams has stated she is psychic before her abilities begin to further manifest.

RELATED: The Vampire Diaries: 10 Most Underrated Supporting Characters

As a Bennett witch, Grams was exceptionally powerful. She assisted Bonnie with lifting the curse on the vampires' tomb in the first season, though it drained her of her life source and she tragically died.

Josie & Lizzie Saltzman

Josie and Lizzie Saltzman as children in The Vampire Diaries

The twin daughters of Alaric Saltzman and Josette Laughlin, Josie and Lizzie are exceptional witches who also possess Siphoning abilities inherited from their mother. The twins were carried to term by surrogate mother Caroline Forbes and are now two of the main characters of the spin-off show, Legacies.

Their Siphoning abilities mean that they can't draw upon magic themselves, but rather siphon magic from other people, places and events. Considered abominations by other witches, Siphoners are the only magical beings capable of transforming into vampire-witch hybrids.

Silas

Silas looks exactly like Stefan in The Vampire Diaries

Silas was the main antagonist of The Vampire Diaries' fourth season and is introduced as the world's first immortal being. A powerful member of the Travelers, Silas is a formidable witch as well as the doppelganger of Stefan Salvatore.

Silas' original love triangle including Elena lookalike Amara and fellow Traveler witch Qetsiyah was the inception of the love triangle between Elena and the Salvatore brothers that first features in The Vampire Diaries. His current whereabouts following the destruction of Hell remain unknown.

Qetsiyah

Qetsiyah is angry in The Vampire Diaries

Qetsiyah is regarded as being one of the most powerful witches of all time by other characters as well as one of the oldest. Another member of the Travelers, she is older than the Original family and created the Immortality spell, as well as the cure for vampirism and the Other Side. Considering the Original family is seen as some of the most powerful supernatural creatures, it only makes sense that Qetsiyah is one of the most powerful witches in The Vampire Diaries.

Qetsiyah was originally engaged to Silas and was enraged by his betrayal after he tricked her into concocting an immortality potion that he then takes for himself and Amara. As punishment, Qetsiyah used Amara's immortal body as the Anchor to the Other Side, trapping her in turmoil for millennia.

Kai Parker

Kai Parker grinning evilly with left open palm up and facing the audience in The Vampire Diaries

Kai was the primary antagonist for the show's sixth season and one of the most dangerous, sociopathic villains to ever feature on The Vampire Diaries. Ousted by the Gemini Coven after he is revealed to be a Siphoner, Kai murders four of his siblings before being imprisoned in another dimension by his father.

RELATED: The Vampire Diaries Universe: 5 Characters Seeking Redemption (& 5 Characters Who Never Will)

Kai was first seen trapped in the prison dimension with Bonnie and Damon and spent most of his time tormenting the Bennett witch. He casts the spell which links Elena's life force to Bonnie's, putting Elena in a coma for approximately six years.

Esther Mikaelson

Esther Mikaelson is in shock in The Vampire Diaries

Esther Mikaelson was the matriarch of the Original family and an extraordinarily powerful witch in her own right. She created the vampire curse after her son Henrik was killed by werewolves, though soon regretted her actions after she saw the monsters her children had become.

Esther first debuted in season three of The Vampire Diaries before appearing again in the second season of The Originals. She has been an antagonist for her children - especially Klaus - throughout the series, looking to rectify the mistake she made by eradicating vampire existence.

Bonnie Bennett

Bonnie stands in the Salvatore house in The Vampire Diaries

Bonnie Bennett is one of the main characters of the show and the undeniable hero of Mystic Falls. She sacrificed her life multiple times to protect her friends and saves the town in the series finale by destroying Hell and Katherine Pierce once and for all.

Bonnie was briefly the Anchor to the Other Side as well as a supernatural huntress and has displayed her tremendous powers several times in the show. Though she has struggled with her magic, she remains one of the most powerful beings, not just one of the most powerful witches in The Vampire Diaries universe.

NEXT: 10 The Vampire Diaries Memes That Will Have You Dying Of Laughter