Shrines had histories and archives, but they also had legends and fables. Some were brief tales about the marvelous healing properties of springs and fountains, or rumors about special places where petitioners’ prayers to God and the saints were answered. Others were fully formed narratives about divine intervention in the world. Of all the legends preserved about these special places, those recounting the shrine’s origins hold pride of place. Early modern authors included tales of apparitions, visions, and marvelous discoveries in the books they published about shrines for several reasons. Shrines that Mary favored with her direct intercession were more likely to attract pilgrims and patrons. Even more importantly, the authors were convinced that the Catholic church was the true church and other Christian churches were false. So they painstakingly documented the foundation, history, and miracles of their beloved outposts of Catholic truth. In this endeavor, origins were fundamental. A legend of an apparition or miraculous discovery provided a shrine with a divinely sanctioned origin. Not every major shrine could boast of such an origin. Those that did were the stars in the mantle of shrines spanning the kingdom, and their foundation legends were widely celebrated. The chapter discusses in detail shrines with a revelation or apparition at their origin (Notre-Dame du Puy, Notre-Dame de Garaison, Notre-Dame du Laus) and those with a legend of a miraculous discovery of an image at their origin.