The Origin of the Slayer
Accompanying Images Here
In the seventh season of BTVS, Buffy Summers was given the opportunity to witness how the original Slayer was created. She had been given a "Slayer Emergency Bag," by Robin Wood, the son of the Slayer of the 70's Nikki Wood. Inside, they found weapons, books, and metal figures. Buffy, Robin, Buffy's sister Dawn, and her friends go about learning the beginning of the Vampire Slayer. The following is from the shooting script for the BTVS episode Get it Done.


DAWN (referring to metal figures) And these things are shadow-casters. You put them in motion, and they tell you a story. (references the book) It says you can't just watch, you have to see.
ANYA What the hell does that mean?
XANDER It's cryptic. I don't like it. Every time instructions get cryptic, someone gets hurt—usually me.
BUFFY You can't just watch, you have to see? (to Robin) See what?
DAWN That's where all my fancy translating skills break down, but I think it's an origin myth. The story of the very first slayer. OK. According to this, I think—you put on those puppet guys one by one. They cast shadows and the shadows tell the story. First, there is the Earth.
Xander puts the first metal figure on the mechanical object. The light at the center casts a shadow of the figure on the wall. A tribal drumbeat can be heard in the background.
KENNEDY What's that sound?
XANDER OK, so far, so creepy.
As Dawn narrates the story, Xander puts the corresponding shadow caster figure on the device: As Xander adds the figures to the shadow caster, more sounds are also heard .
Dawn Then, there came the demons. After demons, there came men. Men found a girl. And the men took the girl to fight the demon—all demons. They—they chained her to the Earth. And then—and I—I can't read this. Something about darkness.
BUFFY What about darkness? The shadow caster device is spinning, making shadows of the figures on the walls, but the shadows are animated, moving, acting out the story.
DAWN It says you cannot be shown. You cannot just watch, but you must see. See for yourself, but only if you're willing to make the exchange.
XANDER When did you get so good at Sumerian?
DAWN It's not in Sumerian anymore. (the words on the pages of the book are magically changing into English)Willow and Kennedy stand, alarmed, as the shadow casters tell a story of a demon attacking the chained girl. The device spins faster and faster as the shadows move up the walls. Suddenly, a bright blue light forms at the center of the device, growing in size until it forms a window of light. Buffy walks closer to investigate it.
XANDER But what does it mean?
BUFFY It means I have to go in there.
Buffy tumbles through the portal and finds herself in the desert. It looks like where she had gone once before with Giles on the spiritual retreat. The lighting is strange, as if brightness and contrast have been turned super-high, giving the scene a supernatural feel.

BUFFY Well, guess that worked. She hears chanting nearby and goes to investigate. Buffy walks up to a group of three men dressed in tribal fashion, each holding a tall staff and wearing different colored head-dresses.
BUFFY Hello? I'm Buffy. I'm the slayer. The men are speaking some unrecognizable language.
RED HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: We know who you are.
BLACK HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: And we know why you're here.
BROWN HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: We've been waiting.
RED HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: We cannot give you knowledge. Only power.
BUFFY You know what I think? I'm not really here at all. None of this is actually happening. This is like a play. Like some shadow-play. Some non-reality re-enactment hologramy—
One of the men hits Buffy, knocking her over—she falls to the ground.

Buffy's groggy and disoriented as she regains consciousness. She's sitting on the ground.
BUFFY What is this? Buffy stands only to find she is shackled at the wrists and chained to the ground. She struggles against the chains. The three men are standing in front of her in a circle.
BROWN HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: We are at the beginning. The source of your strength. The well of the slayer's power.
RED HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: This is why we have brought you here.
BUFFY I thought I brought me here. Listen, you guys. I'm already the slayer, bursting with power. Really don't need any more.
RED HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: The First Slayer did not talk so much.
Buffy pulls on her chains again. The men start tapping their staves against the ground, rhythmically. The man in the red hat fetches a box and brings it to the center of the circle, where he takes off the box top.
RED HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: Herein lies your truest strength.
BLACK HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: The energy of the demon. Its spirit.
BROWN HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: Its heart.
BUFFY This is how you—
RED HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: Created the slayer? (nods) Yes. Black smoke comes out of the box in long tentacles; it seems sentient as it dances around the circle. The men keep tapping their staves rhythmically.
BROWN HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: It must become one with you. BUFFY No! (struggles against her chains)
RED HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: This will make you ready for the fight.
BUFFY By making me less human?
RED HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: This is how it was then. How it must be now.
BLACK HAT SHAMAN SUBTITLE: This is all there is. Buffy struggles against her restraints in vain as the black smoke comes toward her, entering her body through her nose and ears.