Grand-mere Ursule

Grand-mere Ursule is the original holder of the Orchiere scrying stone. A Secret History of Witches opens with Ursule saving her gypsy clan from persecution in France. Morgan describes her as a woman of great power, but small in stature. "Grand-mere Ursule was tiny and bent, like a doll made of leather and wood, but everyone knew her fierceness" (6). In the preface of the novel Ursule has a premonition about a farmhouse in England where the rest of the women in her clan will seek refuge. As the townspeople hunt down the clan, Ursule draws them together, holds a ceremony and recites a spell. She stays by the fire through the night, keeping up a spell of protection. The next morning, young Nanette finds her dead.

Ursule's presence pervades the entire novel as many characters recall and discuss her power. "She was the greatest of the witches...