Part I - The Girl With No Name

The roots of magic predate written history and therefore it was never recorded that a solitary girl of about eleven stumbled upon magic. It was in Africa, where the magic is, to this day, stronger than anywhere else in the world, though few dare to go. The girl had no name, but in her language she was known as “Green Sight”, because of her green eyes. No one had ever seen green eyes before and it made her special. And feared.

When she was young, she could speak to animals. She showed the warriors of her tribe where the best hunting grounds were. The tribe was never surprised by attack, for she knew the location of the enemies of her people. At first the power came tentatively, but as she grew she controlled the power with an iron will. The magic flowed through her and she patterend the first spells. She even created a wand for herself, using a branch of an ebony tree that had been struck by lighting and the mane of a unicorn given freely, for at that time, unicorns freely roamed the world without fear of man.

Any young witch knows more spells by the age of fourteen than Green Sight knew during her entire life. But she was the creator of magic and no wizard or witch has ever equaled her achievement.

Green Sight had a special gift. She could see into the future, though she was unable to control it. Even as she pondered other spells, the special sight came and went randomly.

When Green Sight was thirteen her name was changed. She was now “The Lady of the Hearth” for she brought fire to her tribe and controlled it. Those savage predators who dared to hunt for man instinctively feared to come near her. Those beasts that dared challenge The Lady of the Hearth burned before her green eyes. And her tribe was fed for another night.

At fifteen, The Lady of the Hearth became the greatest warrior known to her people. She could wield the spear better than any of the great warriors and her aim with arrows was always true. She was renamed “The Huntress”. The other tribes feared her. The bravest warriors spoke in hushed voices about the woman who won battles without a spear - just her eyes and a branch of ebony.

At eighteen The Huntress led the tribe. Already a mother twice over, the maternal wisdom taught her how to finally control her Sight. That control gave her knowledge of the future and she learned and then taught the arts of agriculture. She was no longer The Huntress, but “The Earth Mother”. She taught these arts to her children.

Within a few years the other tribes realized that they could never win a war against “The Sorceress” and they united behind her in the hope that she would be gracious and protect them. She was, and her through her magnanimity, her legend grew.

Now thirty and the mother of five daughters, each of whom had her sharp green eyes and magical gifts, the Earth Mother led the tribes with patience and kindness. A black bird perched on her shoulder, and it was rumored that it was her only advisor. She was called “The Wise One” and all disputes were settled before her.

But magic can neither stop nor reverse death. When her time approached, The Wise One vanished so that none would see her die. The bird flew from her shoulder the day before she died and none of that kind ever returned to the land. All the people of all the tribes mourned for a year as her daughters tried to preserve what she created. She was now called “The Queen of Life and Death” and her legend only grew in stature.

Within three generations the tribes broke up. There were now fifty descendants of the Queen and their ideas conflicted. Three grandsons also learned the magic and became the first wizards. As more children learned magic and discovered more powerful spells, the power waned in their blood.

Their eyes were no longer green.

Thousands of years later the influence of the girl once known as Green Sight was still felt in every culture around the world. But now she was not just the queen, she was a goddess of many faces. In her own time she had no true name, but now she had many - though all were borrowed from witches who lived in later eras.

Though forgotten, her legacy lives on and will continue for as long as there is magic. And green eyes, to this day, remain a mark of a strong and ancient power.