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"Are you ready to learn, lad?"
Spoilers from the books and/or film to follow!

Mam, otherwise known as Zenobia, is an old god and the original Lamia Witch, and the matriach of the Ward Family.

Biography[]

Mam is Tom, James, and Jack's mother as well as four others not named in the books; however, Joseph Delaney has since stated that their names are Jonathan, Michael, Brian and William. She was rescued in Greece by Tom's father (John Ward), who was a sailor at the time. She is a very important figure to Tom, as her knowledge on certain matters is vital towards success. It is revealed later to him that she is Lamia, the mother of all lamia witches.

She had a rather dark past, which is riddled to the brim with death and usage of the Dark. When she was in Greece she fell in love with the old god Zeus, and bore him children. Hera jealously killed all but one of Lamia's children (the last child is unidentified), which resulted in Lamia becoming insane with grief and going on a rampage, killing hundreds of men, women, and children.

The gods then punished her by making her lower body snake like. She then preyed on young men, squeezing them till their last breath as soon as she lured them in to her trap.

Lamia then fell in love with Chaemog, a spider like creature (who lived underground), and bore him with three girl triplets, the first lamia witches. At some point, she yearned for the light, causing wurmalde to bind her with a silver chain and leave her to die. She was rescued by John Ward, causing her to turn fully towards the light. When she married Tom's father, she bore him seven sons so that the seventh (Tom) could be her gift to the County.

Everything else is unknown of her past, except she is an enemy of Wurmalde and The Ordeen. When she moved to the County she became a midwife, and is an expert on herbs.

Powers and Abilities[]

  • Immortality: Lamia could well be millenia old because she can recount the ancient times when the Olympian Gods existed.
  • Precogniton: Lamia is able to forsee the future for an indefinite amount of years of anyone including herself as she was able to predict her first son's occupation and Tom's birth, but her vision can be blocked by The Fiend.
  • Shape-shifting: Tom's mother appears to be able to control her appearance better than any other Lamia witch. For example, she was able to change her snake like tail into human legs and shift between her feral and domestic shape at a faster rate than Marcia Skelton.
  • Healing: Mam is a gifted healer and has a vast knowledge of the human body allowing her to heal any wound or illness. She also makes an exellent mid-wife.
  • Intimations of Death: Mam can smell whether a person is closer to death, which comes in handy when healing someone, she passed this ability onto Tom.
  • Time Control: Mam can slow time, and stop it like the fiend. This gift was passed on to Tom, which enabled him to do many more things to stop the dark from rising.
  • Connection with Tom: Mam is connected to Tom by blood and spirit and is able to sense where he is and what he is thinking. Tom displays this ability as well.
  • Restoration of Life: Mam was able to bring Tom back from the dead after he slew the Bane or she was able to give him enough jolt of life for him to live again, Alice could have also brought Tom back, it is not actually stated who revived him. Note, John Gregory says that when Alice touched Tom he woke
  • Blood Magic: Mam is believed to know blood magic and use it because blood magic is most often used by lamia witches.
  • Greek Tongue: Mam is able to speak and understand all forms of Greek whether it be ancient or new. She also taught her son Tom the Greek language.
  • Magical Safehouse: Mam was able to hex the attic in her home to withstand the greatest amount of darkness, namely The Fiend, from entering the room, thus protecting whoever was in the room from his dark power; however, the room can only be used by the young because the old wouldn't survive the energy it gives off. Not only that, but it was built specifically for Tom (and, or Alice) to use if he were ever in true, immediate danger.

Notes[]

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