Once upon a time, long, long ago, a beautiful young woman lived on a blue and green island. She had many friends on the island: fairies, trees, flowers, rabbits, deer and birds . . . but she was the only person who lived there.She wanted to share her friends and her secrets with other people just like her, so she began to give birth. Every month when the moon was hiding, she gave birth. For the first six moons she gave birth to fair skinned daughters. On the seventh moon of every year the First Mother gave birth to a magical, sacred oak tree.As the years turned many, many daughters were born and quite a few oak trees as well. The daughters played games with the animals and each other. They climbed the branches of the oak trees and gathered flowers with the fairies.

One day the firstborn daughter of the First Mother gave birth herself! The first mother was very proud and happy. Her favorite friend Oak Tree (who was very wise) gave her a silver crown to wear and told her that she was now a Grandmother!Soon, many of the daughters gave birth, and the island become an even happier place full of babies and big girls and mommies who all played together with the animals, the trees, and the fairies.One winter night, when the moon was hiding, one of the daughters gave birth to a baby that was different from anything they had ever known. It was not a daughter, it was not even an oak tree, it was a baby BOY!



It was a very dark, cold night, the longest winter's night of the year, so all the daughters and all the animals were snuggled up together to keep cozy and warm. After their excitement of seeing a brand-new baby born passed, the daughters and the animals realized that the baby boy was not feeling well. He was not as strong or as warm as the babies and trees that were usually born on the island. They all began to worry about the new baby, and tried to help keep him warm. The animals with the furriest coats pushed up close to the mother and baby, the fairies sprinkled magic dust above him, and the little girls sang wonderful songs and danced around and around.But the baby boy couldn't get warm enough and soon he was too cold and tired even to cry or to drink the healing milk from his mother.


The First Grandmother was so afraid for the baby boy! She tried to hide her tears from her daughters and ran out into the forest. The snow was very deep and full of white glitter. She tried to walk but it was just too deep. So her friend the owl carried her up above the snow filled clouds, deep into the magic forest where her firstborn, most sacred wise friend Oak lived. The First Grandmother intended to ask Her friend for advice about the baby boy.When the owl reached the clearing where the Sacred First Oak tree lived, the Grandmother gasped! There was no snow on the ground there, and in the middle of a perfect circle lay her friend the Oak. The Tree had fallen to the ground and broken into a pile of logs and branches. She rushed to kneel beside the broken tree, and her teardrops turned into sparkling icicles on her cheeks.While she was trying to understand what had happened to her dear friend, a coyote entered the circle and brushed up beside her. First the coyote kissed her tears dry, and then she whispered a secret in the First Grandmother's ear