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Pyramids (Discworld)
Encyclopedia
Pyramids is the BSFA winning
seventh Discworld
novel by Terry Pratchett
, published in 1989.
counterpart to Ancient Egypt
.
Young Teppic has been in training at the Assassins Guild
in Ankh-Morpork
for several years. The day after passing his final exam he somehow senses that his father has died and that he must return home. Being the first Djelibeybian king raised outside the kingdom leads to some interesting problems, based on the fact that Dios, the high priest, is a stickler for tradition, and does not, in fact, allow the pharaohs to rule the country.
After numerous adventures and misunderstandings, Teppic is forced to escape from the palace, along with a handmaiden named Ptraci. Meanwhile, the massive pyramid
being built for Teppic's father warps space-time so much that it "rotates" Djelebeybi out of alignment with the space/time of the rest of the disc by 90 degrees. Teppic and Ptraci travel to Ephebe to consult with the philosophers there as to how to get back inside the Kingdom. Meanwhile, pandemonium takes hold in Djelibeybi, as the kingdom's multifarious gods descend upon the populace, and all of Djelibeybi's dead rulers come back to life.
Eventually, Teppic re-enters the Kingdom and attempts to destroy the Great Pyramid, with the help of all of his newly resurrected ancestors. They are confronted by Dios, who, it turns out, is as old as the kingdom itself, and has advised every pharaoh in the history of the Kingdom. Dios hates change and thinks Djelibeybi should stay the same. Teppic succeeds in destroying the Pyramid, returning Djelibeybi to the real world and sending Dios back through time (where he meets the original founder of the Kingdom, thereby re-starting the cycle). Teppic then abdicates, allowing Ptraci (who turns out to be his half-sister) to rule. Ptraci immediately institutes much-needed changes.
" myth by making it be real on the Discworld. In a similar way to the "procrastinator" cylinders of the History Monks
, pyramids on the Discworld can redirect the flow of time like a dam in a river. If built properly they can create a region of null time in the burial chamber, preserving the body of the Pharaoh forever. In Teppic's time this has been forgotten and the body is mummified in the Egyptian manner. The High Priest Dios uses a small pyramid to rejuvenate himself from time to time. This has allowed him to live since the founding of the country, although he does not remember how he came to be in charge.
When a pyramid is complete it must "flare off" the Time in its reservoir. This is visible as light emitted from the peak at night. During the day the pyramid's black marble cladding is ice-cold from the effects of time diversion. The pyramid built for Teppic's late father is so big that, before it can be capped to flare off all the Time in the stonework, it warps space and causes the country of Djelibeybi to disappear from the Discworld.
Although the pyramids are huge, black and flare at the top, that image is not related to the Luxor Las Vegas hotel, which was built in 1992, several years after the novel's publication.
The novel also uses Pratchett's theme of the power of belief on the Discworld. As told in Small Gods
, the gods of the Discworld gain their power from the belief of their followers. In Djelibeybi the people believe that the Pharaoh is a god, so Teppic finds himself with godlike powers which he eventually uses. These are mostly powers of fertility, causing corn to sprout wherever he walks, but he also uses the power to part the waters of the river Djel.
This novel is the first to feature a detailed description of the school of the Assassins Guild, and the nature of the Assassins' art and weaponry.
BSFA Awards
The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association to honor works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members...
seventh Discworld
Discworld
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
novel by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
, published in 1989.
Plot summary
The main character of Pyramids is Teppic, prince of the tiny kingdom of Djelibeybi. Djelibeybi is the DiscworldDiscworld (world)
The Discworld is the fictional setting for all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld fantasy novels. It consists of a large disc resting on the backs of four huge elephants which are in turn standing on the back of an enormous turtle, named Great A'Tuin as it slowly swims...
counterpart to Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
.
Young Teppic has been in training at the Assassins Guild
Ankh-Morpork Assassins' Guild
The Ankh-Morpork Assassins' Guild is a fictional school for professional killers in Terry Pratchett's long-running Discworld series of fantasy novels...
in Ankh-Morpork
Ankh-Morpork
Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which prominently features in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of fantasy novels. As cities go, it is on the far side of corrupt and polluted, and is subject to outbreaks of comedic violence and brouhaha on a fairly regular basis...
for several years. The day after passing his final exam he somehow senses that his father has died and that he must return home. Being the first Djelibeybian king raised outside the kingdom leads to some interesting problems, based on the fact that Dios, the high priest, is a stickler for tradition, and does not, in fact, allow the pharaohs to rule the country.
After numerous adventures and misunderstandings, Teppic is forced to escape from the palace, along with a handmaiden named Ptraci. Meanwhile, the massive pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
being built for Teppic's father warps space-time so much that it "rotates" Djelebeybi out of alignment with the space/time of the rest of the disc by 90 degrees. Teppic and Ptraci travel to Ephebe to consult with the philosophers there as to how to get back inside the Kingdom. Meanwhile, pandemonium takes hold in Djelibeybi, as the kingdom's multifarious gods descend upon the populace, and all of Djelibeybi's dead rulers come back to life.
Eventually, Teppic re-enters the Kingdom and attempts to destroy the Great Pyramid, with the help of all of his newly resurrected ancestors. They are confronted by Dios, who, it turns out, is as old as the kingdom itself, and has advised every pharaoh in the history of the Kingdom. Dios hates change and thinks Djelibeybi should stay the same. Teppic succeeds in destroying the Pyramid, returning Djelibeybi to the real world and sending Dios back through time (where he meets the original founder of the Kingdom, thereby re-starting the cycle). Teppic then abdicates, allowing Ptraci (who turns out to be his half-sister) to rule. Ptraci immediately institutes much-needed changes.
Themes
The novel mocks the "Pyramid powerPyramid power
Pyramid power refers to alleged supernatural or paranormal properties of the ancient Egyptian pyramids and objects of similar shape. With this power, model pyramids are said to preserve foods, sharpen or maintain the sharpneses of razor blades, improve health , function "as a...
" myth by making it be real on the Discworld. In a similar way to the "procrastinator" cylinders of the History Monks
History Monks
The Order of Wen the Eternally Surprised, better known as the History Monks, and also sometimes referred to as THE Fighting Order of Wen, the Men In Saffron and No Such Monastery , is a highly secretive religious organisation in the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett, based in the Monastery of...
, pyramids on the Discworld can redirect the flow of time like a dam in a river. If built properly they can create a region of null time in the burial chamber, preserving the body of the Pharaoh forever. In Teppic's time this has been forgotten and the body is mummified in the Egyptian manner. The High Priest Dios uses a small pyramid to rejuvenate himself from time to time. This has allowed him to live since the founding of the country, although he does not remember how he came to be in charge.
When a pyramid is complete it must "flare off" the Time in its reservoir. This is visible as light emitted from the peak at night. During the day the pyramid's black marble cladding is ice-cold from the effects of time diversion. The pyramid built for Teppic's late father is so big that, before it can be capped to flare off all the Time in the stonework, it warps space and causes the country of Djelibeybi to disappear from the Discworld.
Although the pyramids are huge, black and flare at the top, that image is not related to the Luxor Las Vegas hotel, which was built in 1992, several years after the novel's publication.
The novel also uses Pratchett's theme of the power of belief on the Discworld. As told in Small Gods
Small Gods
Small Gods is the thirteenth of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, published in 1992. It tells the origin of the god Om, and his relations with his prophet, the reformer Brutha...
, the gods of the Discworld gain their power from the belief of their followers. In Djelibeybi the people believe that the Pharaoh is a god, so Teppic finds himself with godlike powers which he eventually uses. These are mostly powers of fertility, causing corn to sprout wherever he walks, but he also uses the power to part the waters of the river Djel.
This novel is the first to feature a detailed description of the school of the Assassins Guild, and the nature of the Assassins' art and weaponry.
External links
- Annotations for Pyramids
- Quotes from Pyramids
- Synopsis of Pyramids
- Pyramids at Worlds Without End