Witches (Discworld)
Encyclopedia
A major subset of the Discworld
novels of Terry Pratchett
involves the witches of Lancre. They are closely based on witches
in British folklore
and a slightly tongue-in-cheek reinterpretation of the Triple Goddess.
Witch magic is very different from the wizard magic taught in the Unseen University
, and consists largely of finding the right lever that makes everything else work. Witches rarely do any magic, in fact, relying more on common sense, hard work, and a peculiar brand of psychology
known as headology. This can be taken very far - a witch's way of magically setting fire to a log of wood consists of staring at the log until it burns up from pure embarrassment. As a result it is less energy intensive, which means that a witch can do more than a technically equally powerful wizard. However, the same zen-like knowledge that gives them this ability generally discourages them from making a big deal about it, beyond refusing to take wizards seriously. Witches unironically acting with melodrama, of which cackling is an early sign, is often an indication of "going to the bad" and becoming a stereotypically wicked witch.
Another later addition to witch skills, established in Maskerade, but first named in the Aching books, are First Sight—seeing what's really there instead of what you hope to, expect to, or what others see—and Second Thoughts—thinking about the way you're thinking.
Unlike wizard magic, which is taught en masse, witch magic is taught on a one-to-one basis by older witches to apprentices. Although magical talent tends to run in families, witches do not teach their daughters, feeling that this would cause a sort of magical inbreeding.
Discworld Voodoo is considered to be an aspect of witch magic, combined with a sort of do-it-yourself religion, relying heavily on the power of belief described below. The most powerful Discworld voodoo-women can deliberately create moderately powerful gods for a specific purpose.
Generally speaking, witches are women and wizards are men. Despite the opinions of wizards and witches on this subject (that systemization comes easier to men and intuition comes easier to women), there appears to be no reason for this beyond cultural bias. There has only ever been one female wizard on the main Discworld continent
, as described in the events of Equal Rites
. The island of Krull on the very Rim of the Disc does not mind female wizards but no one from the Circle Sea would ever admit they exist.
The role of witches has been defined as "smoothing out life's humps and bumps," and "helping people when life's on the edge," and they take this obligation seriously. They also never ask for anything in return. There are, however, ways and ways of not asking for anything in return, (of course.) Nanny Ogg, for instance, insists that part of her job is to take the first pint of every brewing and the first cake of every baking, to prevent occult forces using them against people. Both she and Granny Weatherwax tend to emphasize at every possible opportunity that it is considered lucky to have a witch in your house, and that it would be especially lucky if the witch was well-provided for.
Many witches, especially in the Ramtops, have steadings; geographical areas and populations that they're responsible for. It is unclear how steadings are defined; Tiffany had the entire Chalk as a steading, while other witches have only two or three villages. Steadings are not necessarily passed on to the apprentice of the witch who previously watched over the steading. However, there does seem to be a particular geography to it; a discussion of the older witches dying off leads reluctantly to discussing a redrawing of territorial boundaries, which is getting more difficult to handle as there are fewer young girls becoming witches than there are older witches dying.
Witches tend to lead lonely lives; they are generally feared and respected rather than liked, and often perform their duties with little or no thanks from the populace at large. This leads some witches to become resentful of their charges, and to use their power against them. A witch who "goes to the bad" may initially not feel she is doing anything wrong, but will eventually build gingerbread houses and poison spinning wheels. Witches call this "cackling" and, to keep it at bay, they pay regular visits to one another to gossip and take tea, all the while watching for telltale signs.
At the climax of events in I Shall Wear Midnight
, it is revealed that the local witch, as the Witch of that area, also have powers and authority not unlike a Justice of the peace
; they are able to perform binding marriage
ceremonies, as-well-as judge
and deal-out punishment(s) onto the deserving.
The main witches in the books are the Lancre Coven: Granny Weatherwax
, Nanny Ogg
, Magrat Garlick and later Agnes Nitt. A sub-series of children's books has introduced a new witch character, Tiffany Aching
, who has been gradually tied into the main Witch storyline as her series continues.
They began as a parody of the Three Witches in Macbeth
, and also as a reworking of the Maiden
, Mother
and Crone
archetype
s (the Triple Goddess). It could also be said that they each represent a different stereotype of witches: Granny is the classic fairy tale
witch, Nanny the village wise woman and Magrat the modern romantic Wicca
n.
It has been explained in the books that three witches are required for a coven. Two witches get on each other's nerves; the third one can get them to make up, so they can all get on the nerves of everyone else. If a coven has more than three members, they all get on each others' nerves. (It is also mentioned that the true collective noun for a group of witches is not "coven", but "argument".)
in the Lancre coven, which consisted of herself, Granny Weatherwax
and Nanny Ogg
. She is often described as "a wet hen", generally by Granny Weatherwax. Magrat believes in crystals, folk wisdom, and cycles of nature, and is overall a gentle parody of New Age
pagans.
Despite appearances, beneath her silver jewelry and heavy eye makeup, Magrat is surprisingly practical. She can defend herself physically when necessary, and is capable of performing impressive feats of real magic (as seen in Wyrd Sisters
when Magrat uses her magic to turn the old wooden door into a rising oak - a display that impresses even Granny Weatherwax). Magrat's gentle personality allows her to serve as a mediator between the often-clashing Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, but she does occasionally display a strong temper herself. In Witches Abroad
Magrat was chosen to serve as a Fairy Godmother, but her inability to master the use of the wand (which had a tendency to reset to "pumpkins") prevented her from taking full advantage of the powers associated with this position. Magrat is technically a better doctor than the other two witches, since she actually believes in herbalism
while Granny tends to use whatever plant or bottle of coloured water comes to hand as a prop for her headology (in this case the placebo effect
), as explained in Lords and Ladies
.
After a long engagement, Magrat became Queen of Lancre by marrying King Verence II. As of Carpe Jugulum
the couple has one daughter, Princess Esmerelda Margaret Note Spelling. This unusual name was the result of Magrat's attempt to correct a mistake made by her own mother, who had intended for Magrat to be named "Margaret" but was unable to spell the name properly when she wrote it down for the priest. In an effort to ensure the proper naming of her child, Magrat appended "Note Spelling" in the note she passed to the priest. This back-fired when he read out the complete sentence, and was mortified afterwards, but the deed had been done and no attempt to change it could be made.
Magrat renounces witchcraft shortly before her marriage, partially to prepare for her duties as queen, but mostly out of frustration with the way she is treated by the senior members of the Lancre coven and is supplanted by Agnes Nitt
after the events of Maskerade
. Her absence from Maskerade
seemed to confirm that Magrat had retired from her career as a witch, but after Princess Esmerelda's birth she was forced to assume the Mother
role in the coven when Granny Weatherwax decided to temporarily step down
during the events of Carpe Jugulum
. Nanny was none too pleased with this development, as Magrat being the Mother forced Nanny "to be the... Other One
". Despite her new (temporary) role, at the end of the novel, she was asked, and acquiesced, to make tea by Granny Weatherwax, a role usually performed by the Maiden (in this case, Agnes Nitt.)
In the Wyrd Sisters
animated adaptation, Magrat is voiced by Jane Horrocks
. In the BBC Radio 4
adaptation, she was played by Deborah Berlin.
. Tired of being seen as just another overweight girl with "a nice personality and good hair", Agnes tried to create a new, more exciting persona for herself. Agnes calls this alter ego Perdita X Dream (where the X stands for: "a person who has a cool and exciting middle name
"). Perdita is even more romantic than Magrat, although her tastes are more Goth
ic than New Age.
The Perdita persona leaves Agnes in two minds about everything. The first mind is herself, good-natured and sensible Agnes; the second is dramatic and rebellious Perdita. It is said that inside every fat girl, there is a thin girl waiting to get out, (and a lot of chocolate) -- according to Perdita, she is that girl. The Perdita personality usually manifests itself only as part of Agnes's internal dialogue, often in the form of sarcastic remarks, (like her 'Second Thoughts' have taken-on a life of their-own). Yet Perdita is capable of taking real action in emergency situations.
This divided personality makes Agnes highly resistant to mental
manipulation. Anyone trying to mesmerise or entrance Agnes will find the Perdita personality surfacing as Agnes begins to lose control, and vice versa. When Lancre is overrun by vampire
s with mind-control powers in Carpe Jugulum
, Agnes/Perdita is one of the few people capable of resisting their hypnotic
influence.
Agnes first appears in Lords and Ladies
as one of the 'cool' new witches, led by Lucy "Diamanda" Tockley. Although she plays a very minor role in this book, Nanny Ogg notices her potential. She senses that Agnes is the only new witch other than Diamanda to have any real Talent.
In Maskerade
Agnes becomes a major character for the first time. She leaves Lancre to become an opera singer in Ankh-Morpork
, under the stage name 'Perdita X Nitt'. Agnes possesses an amazing talent for singing. She has a vocal range that extends from a deep bass rumble to a glass-shattering soprano, can sing in harmony with herself, (a normally impossible ability), project her voice around a room (and the page), and mimic the voices of others. These remarkable gifts are due to her suppressed magical ability, which Agnes unconsciously used to enhance her innate musical talent.
After joining the opera company, Agnes meets a beautiful but airheaded young singer named Christine, (an obvious parody of Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera
). Although Agnes is by far the more talented of the two, she finds herself relegated to the chorus while Christine's career benefits from the attention of the mysterious "Opera Ghost". Agnes is also alienated from the rest of the chorus, due to her weight and practical nature. Granny and Nanny, having identified Agnes as the best candidate for the third member of the Lancre coven, soon arrive and complicate things further. In the end, Agnes realizes that her practical nature is unsuited the world of opera
. She returns to Lancre and became the new Third Witch
.
In Carpe Jugulum
, the arrangement of the coven had been upset by Granny Weatherwax
's sudden departure, although Agnes retained her role of Maiden. She, Nanny Ogg
and Magrat Garlick fended off the vampires who threatened to take over Lancre.
Agnes does not appear in Wintersmith
, a story which features Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, nor does she show up in The Wee Free Men
, in which Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg had a cameo
. This leads to some speculation as to what had become of the coven. Her role in Wintersmith
seems to have been adopted by Miss Tick.
, pig-boring is a humane form of slaughter in which the animal is talked to death.)
and does her own shoe repairs, which makes her All Right in Nanny Ogg's book, but has a nasty habit of being reasonable when provoked. Appears in Witches Abroad
and the short story "The Sea and Little Fishes
."
in her second sight
"). Her mouth frequently appears out of sync with her words, and her footsteps often sound ten minutes before she actually makes them. Passing references to Old Mother Dismass are made in Maskerade
and Wintersmith
. Appears in Witches Abroad
and "The Sea and Little Fishes
".
from the BBC series Keeping Up Appearances
). She wears a great deal of "occult" jewellery that doesn't actually do anything. Granny Weatherwax dislikes Mrs. Earwig, claiming that she reduces witchcraft to "shoppin'". Mrs Earwig isn't actually bad, but is extremely snobbish, has very poor people skills, and tends to assume everyone would really agree with her if they weren't so stupid (so does Granny Weatherwax, of course, but at least she doesn't blame them for being stupid). Annagramma Hawkin is her star (and in fact only) pupil. Her approach to teaching appears to be to trust the folk wisdom of the locals when it comes to practical things like birthing and medicine, and focus on such things as crystals, magic circles and soothing chants to help matters along. She is the chairwoman of the Witch Trials committee and has written a book about "Magick"; the "k" is to distinguish what she considers the True Craft from the everyday stuff Granny Weatherwax et al. do - this in turn is a comedic reference on Pratchett's part to the use of ostentatious variant spellings of the word "magic" (ranging from Aleister Crowley's
to some Wicca
ns'). She appears in The Sea and Little Fishes
, A Hat Full of Sky
and Wintersmith
.
. She appeared only in Mort
, and was Mort's first "collection" as Death
's apprentice. She had a grey cat.
As with all Discworld
magical practitioners, she knew in advance when her death would be and again would be personally visited by Death (or had a right to be anyway) so she had time to prepare.
When Mort arrived she was an elderly lady with a hooked nose wearing a grey woollen dress. After Mort cut the line connecting her soul to her body, she realised it was no longer bound by the body's morphic field, and with much more control than most people her soul's form settled into the shape of her "inner self". Her hair unwound itself from its tight bun, changing colour and lengthening, her body straightened up. Wrinkles dwindled and vanished, and her dress turned into something green and clingy.
Rather than go on to an afterlife, she remained at her home, intending her spirit to get thinner and spread through the forest.
to people who aren't going to believe her. As Tiffany's teacher, she appears in A Hat Full of Sky.
coins in her boots, and is given a nice meal of hot soup and tea before her ducking. Miss Tick appears in The Wee Free Men
, A Hat Full of Sky
and Wintersmith
.
. How much natural witchiness/wisdom she actually had may be illustrated by her willingness to summon sadistic elves
. At the end of Lords and Ladies, Granny speculated she might have a relationship with the young wizard Ponder Stibbons, but he returned to Unseen University
. Still to be decided is how much of a witch she naturally was versus how much magic was given to her by the elf queen.
Diamanda duelled Granny Weatherwax in Lords and Ladies. The challenge was to look directly at the sun for as long as they could stand. Nanny Ogg realized that Granny would lose the duel, so she enticed her grandson, Pewsey Ogg, to run across the magic circle in which the duel was taking place. Crossing the circle caused Pewsey to cry out. Granny looked away from the sun, got up and returned Pewsey to his grandmother. While Diamanda was the technical winner of the duel, the crowd considered Granny the best witch, because witches are supposed to help young boys who cry instead of being selfish.
. Many have come to the position before Tiffany, and she is the only one to not run away. Miss Treason uses two sticks to walk and is both deaf and blind, but manages to get along by Borrowing the senses of those around her. Perhaps her "creepiest" use of this talent is making whatever apprentice she has at the moment her "mirror" before they go out. She will have the poor dear stand in front of her and borrow her sight so that she can see herself from the girl's perspective. The girls who have experienced this say that the creepiest part is the tingling at the back of your eyes, something that anyone whose senses are being Borrowed experiences.
All witches specialise in one field or another, and Miss Treason's speciality is Justice
, (in fact her name refers to the Eumenidies
of Greek Myth, who came to represent Justice in the later myths.) People come to her to settle disputes, and usually find it very difficult to lie to her. This is most likely all in their heads, as Ms. Treason has a reputation as being very scary and also very powerful. It is said by the villagers that great king
s and prince
s had come for miles just to ask her for her advice and to seek justice from her. Though the villagers fear
her more than anything else, they also seem to hold great respect
for her. Ms. Treason later explains to Tiffany that she knew the that villagers would never love her, and that the other option was to make them fear her: She decided they either had to fear her, or love her, so that she could hold some power over them.
One of the most notable things about Miss Treason's cottage
is that everything in it is black
, from the floor to the rafter
s. While Tiffany is her apprentice, she has to paint her cheeses with black-colored wax
so that they'll fit in with the theme. Her cottage has all the hallmarks of a 'bad witch', (i.e. skull
s, spider web
s, etc.,) and all of which of these are fake, bought from Boffo's, a joke shop in Ankh-Morpork. Treason also uses the name "Boffo" to describe the unique power that these props give her: She describes "Boffo" as "the power of expectations;" the strength that one gains from behaving exactly as someone expects you to.
No witch actually has spiders' webs in her cottage or keeps skulls for any reason, but most simple folk expect witches to do so, and so Miss Treason obliges them; the better to ensure that when people come calling they don't see what is really there, (a tired, blind 111-year-old woman,) but what they expect, (a venerable, terrifying 113-year-old witch.) She also ensured that many of the rumours about her are kept current and circulating, to ensure the presence of "Boffo thinking" among her clients. One of the most prevalent rumours is that her heart had stopped many years ago and that the iron clock she carries at her waist is actually a mechanical heart.
Miss Treason dies of old age during the events of Wintersmith, but as she, like all witches, knows the date and time of her death, she was able to enjoy her funeral ceremony the day before. On the day of her death she comes out of her house to find: many Feegles who couldn't miss out on the ceremony, (or apparently keep their mouths shut about it,) a grave dug by said-Feegles, and many hysterical villagers, (who are primarily concerned with Ms. Treason solving their problems, which she does, even as she walks into the grave.) Mindful of her image to the very end, Miss Treason used the presence of the locals to give them one last show, (i.e. walking into the grave, stopping her clock with her thumbnail to imply her death.)
Tiffany, later, half-jests that continued visits by people to her grave may turn her into a goddess figure. This later comes to pass as, when Tiffany returns to the cottage, she sees that the villagers have been leaving pleas for help written on bits of paper around Miss Treason's grave, in the hope that she can help them from the beyond. Her cottage was then passed down to Annagramma Hawkin, who, after a decidedly shaky start, has begun to fulfil her role properly, with assistance from Tiffany and the Boffo's catalogue
. She noticeably upstaged Ms. Treason, though, as she uses a green mask and feet prop
s to convince people that she turns into a hideous monster when angered
.
which says little about her except that her death has not been recorded.
Alison is later mentioned in Carpe Jugulum
, in which the rumours that she has "gone to the bad" and "hobnobed with vimpires" were proven to be unfounded. She had in fact killed the old vampire Count
de Magpyr at one point by cutting off his head and driving a wooden stake through his heart. At that time, she was apparently older than her granddaughter was during the events of Carpe Jugulum. When the old Count rises again years later, he remembers her with affection
and admiration. Not the same as Aliss Demurrage.
Rimward of the Ramtops. Her grandmother, Sarah Aching, was a shepherd, and by Ramtop standards was also a witch, although witchcraft was frowned upon on the Chalk, until Tiffany's arrival. Granny Aching was a friend of the Chalk Clan of Nac Mac Feegle
, (an army of tiny, blue, rowdy, drunken and vaguely Scottish
ne'er-do-wells) and they have befriended Tiffany as the new "hag o' the hills". As Tiffany was their Kelda (Queen) for a short time, the Nac Mac Feegle see her as their responsibility, and there is no time in Tiffany's life since then when they have not (in)discreetly watched her.
and is a peer of Tiffany Aching, whom she initially disdains. Trained by Letice Earwig, she can be extremely snobbish and has strong opinions about what a witch should or should not be, much like her mentor. She follows Letice by thinking that Granny Weatherwax just 'messes around' with people's heads, and that, by doing so, makes people think she is great.
During the events of Wintersmith
, Annagramma is assigned her own cottage, taking over from the late Miss Treason. Initially, she is unprepared for the real demands of being resident witch for a village, and it is revealed that her arrogance may in part be an overreaction to a deep insecurity about dealing with situations she cannot control. However she does assist Tiffany by temporarily dispelling the Wintersmith's physical form with a fireball and ordering her broomstick to carry Tiffany away before he could re-form himself.
She also admitted to Tiffany, under pressure, that, unlike what her behavior might let people think, her family is quite poor, even for Lancre standards, not even having their own cottage (living in a rented one).
Tiffany Aching and others from her peer group assist Annagramma, and it turns out that she is good enough at the part of witchcraft that consists of being confident, bossy and giving people a good show to pick up the rest along the way. It is revealed that Granny Weatherwax had suggested that the cottage be taken over by Tiffany due to the fact that she was too young and Annagramma would be accepted instead, (had Granny suggested any other witch, Annagramma would not have gotten the cottage.) She later says, upon learning that Tiffany had been helping Annagramma, that she would have expected nothing less, leading Tiffany to conclude that the whole affair had been a ploy to prove to other witches that Mrs. Earwig's kind of witchcraft didn't work.
Many of Annagramma's magical abilities are in fact a form of wizard magic, a more showy and less subtle form of magic.
By the events of Wintersmith Petulia has gained considerable respect in the Ramtops for her abilities with animals, particularly pigs, which are said to rival those of Granny Weatherwax herself, although what Granny would say on the subject is open to debate. She has become known throughout Lancre as the "pig witch", a term meant in respect, considering that most families in the mountains own a pig. However, Petulia dislikes the way Annagramma refers to her as the 'pig witch', because she feels that there is "too much pig and not enough witch" in Annagramma's description. Despite her disagreements with Annagramma, she agreed to show her a few useful tips on dealing with livestock when Tiffany asked her to.
Petulia does not appear in I Shall Wear Midnight, but she is mentioned briefly as being an expert "pig borer" (literally boring a pig to death as a humane alternative to more violent means of slaughter) and that she is engaged to be married.
's character Mildred Hubble, although Pratchett says this was not intentional.
, Tiffany has left the Ramptops area and settled into her steading as the Witch of the chalk. During the events of the book, she encountered two young women who display latent witch talent.
Letitia de Chumsfanleigh (née
First introduced in I Shall Wear Midnight
, Letitia Keepsake, the daughter of the late Lord
Keepsake, was Roland's fiance, and later became his wife
and the new baroness
of the Chalk. Letitia was raised in her father's castle by her mother after his death, and most of the time is cowed by her mother's personality. In the events of the book, it was revealed that having become involved with Roland, she also became insecure about the fomer fledgling-romantic relationship that had occurred between Roland and Tiffany, mail-ordered a spellbook
from Boffo's Emporium
from down in Ankh-Morpork, (which she kept hidden from her mother) and tried to hex
Tiffany.
It was then revealed that, having grown-up in a stone
castle
, Letitia has a talent
for witchcraft
, but is untrained, and for years, Letitia was under the impression that what witchcraft entails is what is actually 'Boffo thinking' and wizardry
, (until Tiffany set her straight). After the climax of the book, Letitia and Roland were married by Tiffany in an ancient marriage ceremony
by fire
, before they were 'officially' wed the next day by a Omnian priest. Since she is the Chalk's new baroness, she is unlikely to pursue witchcraft as a profession
but may instead take-up spellcasting as a hobby
.
, causing her to lose her baby. In the process of discovering this, she is left with the Nac Mac Feegle of the chalk for a time by Tiffany to under-go the 'soothing' by Jeannie, the Nac Mac Feegle kelda, where it is discovered by Jeannie that Amber has "the gift of understanding"; for example, being able to intuitively
understand the old language
of the Feegle. As of the end of the events I Shall Wear Midnight
, she is married to her lover
, (their wedding was proceeded over by Tiffany,) and is also currently being trained by the Chalk Kelda.
's grandmother, and very good friends with the Chalk Hill clan of the Nac Mac Feegle
. To them she was the 'hag-o-the-hills' (that is, the 'witch of the Chalk'). She died a few years before the events in The Wee Free Men
occurs, and, as such, only appears in flashbacks. There is substantial evidence that she was a witch, although she didn't think of herself as one, and no-one but Tiffany, her granddaughter, ever suspected it.
She could be described as 'salt
of the earth' as well as the magma
that runs beneath it. She was very important in the minds of the people of the Chalk, to the point where they called the thunder "Granny Aching cussin'," the vultures "Granny Aching's chickens," the fluffy little white clouds of summer "Granny Aching's little lambs" and said she cussed the sky blue. Although people laughed when they said these things, part of them was not joking. When Tiffany speaks of Granny Aching to other witches, they often comment that she has many of the qualities of a very skilled witch, and one worthy of much respect, as her influence was such that the people she took care of ended up mostly taking care of each other, (a feat only the most skilled witches are able to accomplish). She smoked Jolly Sailor tobacco, and had two sheepdogs –- "Thunder and Lightning."
For every inhabitant of the Chalk, Granny Aching was the Chalk; its best shepherd
, its wisest woman and its memory, to the point that even the Chalk's Feegles
say of her that she "[told] the hills what they are, every day. She [held] them in her bones. She [held] 'em in her heart." Granny Aching was "as if the green downland had a soul that walked about in old boots and a smocking apron and smoked a foul pipe and dosed sheep with turpentine
."
In The Wee Free Men
, one of the last things that Tiffany saw when she was "truly awake" was Granny Aching, dressed as an ornament
al shepherdess. Tiffany also became aware of people leaving small tributes at Granny's general gravesite, leaving her to wonder if Granny Aching is slowly becoming an actual cultural deity
on the Chalk.
She was said to have a ringing personality, never lost a sheep in her life, and taciturn 'unless something was worth saying'.
, Tiffany Aching travels to Ankh Morpork and discovers a coven of witches there. In the words of what appears to be the "lead" witch, "Oh, there's a few of us, Doing our bit, helping people when we can."
).
While Granny Weatherwax is said to be stronger than Black Aliss, Aliss is unconstrained by right and wrong. This apparently means she could, in addition to simply being evil, extend her own life as well as interfere with the nature of causality, such as preventing swords from cutting her (It should be noted that Granny did the same in Maskerade, but instead shifted the wound forward in time, and causing it to wait several weeks before she would receive it).
A gingerbread house appeared in The Light Fantastic
, whose owner had been shoved into her own oven, however this was a different witch (Goodie Whitlow) who met the same end due to narrative causality.
Aliss trained Nanna Plumb, who trained Goody Heggety, who trained Nanny Gripes, who trained Granny Weatherwax. Esme is as powerful as Aliss was, if not more so, and is concerned constantly with keeping herself in check lest she ends up like Aliss.
Greebo. She resurrected Baron Saturday
, Ella's father and a victim of Lilith de Tempscire's, as a zombie
. She appears in Witches Abroad
.
s are something of a cross between a witch and a wizard. A fairy godmother is a woman, likely always a witch to start with, who, probably through a bequest, acquires a magical responsibility over the life of a single individual. Like wizards, fairy godmothers use a magically imbued rod (in this case a wand, rather than a staff) to produce wizz-bang effects like turning pumpkins into coaches. However, fairy godmothering is probably another aspect of witchcraft, relying heavily on narrative causality.
) and tells Magrat not to let Granny and Nanny go with her because she knew that was the only way they would agree to go.
s to boost her power, eventually becoming the power behind the throne of Genua. She looks very much like Esme, only younger (she is actually older). She failed to "find herself" at the end of Witches Abroad after being imprisoned in a dimension of mirrors, and has not been seen since.
adaptation of Wyrd Sisters the witches were played by:
In the 1997 Cosgrove Hall Films
animation
of Wyrd Sisters the witches were voiced by:
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....
novels of 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...
involves the witches of Lancre. They are closely based on witches
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
in British folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and a slightly tongue-in-cheek reinterpretation of the Triple Goddess.
Witch magic is very different from the wizard magic taught in the Unseen University
Unseen University
The Unseen University is a school of wizardry in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of fantasy novels. Located in the city of Ankh-Morpork, the UU is staffed by a faculty composed of mostly indolent and inept old wizards. The university's name is a pun on the Invisible College...
, and consists largely of finding the right lever that makes everything else work. Witches rarely do any magic, in fact, relying more on common sense, hard work, and a peculiar brand of psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
known as headology. This can be taken very far - a witch's way of magically setting fire to a log of wood consists of staring at the log until it burns up from pure embarrassment. As a result it is less energy intensive, which means that a witch can do more than a technically equally powerful wizard. However, the same zen-like knowledge that gives them this ability generally discourages them from making a big deal about it, beyond refusing to take wizards seriously. Witches unironically acting with melodrama, of which cackling is an early sign, is often an indication of "going to the bad" and becoming a stereotypically wicked witch.
Another later addition to witch skills, established in Maskerade, but first named in the Aching books, are First Sight—seeing what's really there instead of what you hope to, expect to, or what others see—and Second Thoughts—thinking about the way you're thinking.
Unlike wizard magic, which is taught en masse, witch magic is taught on a one-to-one basis by older witches to apprentices. Although magical talent tends to run in families, witches do not teach their daughters, feeling that this would cause a sort of magical inbreeding.
Discworld Voodoo is considered to be an aspect of witch magic, combined with a sort of do-it-yourself religion, relying heavily on the power of belief described below. The most powerful Discworld voodoo-women can deliberately create moderately powerful gods for a specific purpose.
Generally speaking, witches are women and wizards are men. Despite the opinions of wizards and witches on this subject (that systemization comes easier to men and intuition comes easier to women), there appears to be no reason for this beyond cultural bias. There has only ever been one female wizard on the main Discworld continent
Discworld (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...
, as described in the events of Equal Rites
Equal Rites
Equal Rites is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1987, it is the third novel in the Discworld series and the first in which the main character is not Rincewind. The title is a play on words to "Equal Rights"....
. The island of Krull on the very Rim of the Disc does not mind female wizards but no one from the Circle Sea would ever admit they exist.
The role of witches has been defined as "smoothing out life's humps and bumps," and "helping people when life's on the edge," and they take this obligation seriously. They also never ask for anything in return. There are, however, ways and ways of not asking for anything in return, (of course.) Nanny Ogg, for instance, insists that part of her job is to take the first pint of every brewing and the first cake of every baking, to prevent occult forces using them against people. Both she and Granny Weatherwax tend to emphasize at every possible opportunity that it is considered lucky to have a witch in your house, and that it would be especially lucky if the witch was well-provided for.
Many witches, especially in the Ramtops, have steadings; geographical areas and populations that they're responsible for. It is unclear how steadings are defined; Tiffany had the entire Chalk as a steading, while other witches have only two or three villages. Steadings are not necessarily passed on to the apprentice of the witch who previously watched over the steading. However, there does seem to be a particular geography to it; a discussion of the older witches dying off leads reluctantly to discussing a redrawing of territorial boundaries, which is getting more difficult to handle as there are fewer young girls becoming witches than there are older witches dying.
Witches tend to lead lonely lives; they are generally feared and respected rather than liked, and often perform their duties with little or no thanks from the populace at large. This leads some witches to become resentful of their charges, and to use their power against them. A witch who "goes to the bad" may initially not feel she is doing anything wrong, but will eventually build gingerbread houses and poison spinning wheels. Witches call this "cackling" and, to keep it at bay, they pay regular visits to one another to gossip and take tea, all the while watching for telltale signs.
At the climax of events in I Shall Wear Midnight
I Shall Wear Midnight
I Shall Wear Midnight is a Nebula Award-winning novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and the fourth in the Tiffany Aching arc. It was published on 2 September 2010 in the United Kingdom, and on the 28th September in the United States....
, it is revealed that the local witch, as the Witch of that area, also have powers and authority not unlike a Justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
; they are able to perform binding marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
ceremonies, as-well-as judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and deal-out punishment(s) onto the deserving.
The main witches in the books are the Lancre Coven: Granny Weatherwax
Granny Weatherwax
Esmerelda "Esme" Weatherwax is a fictional character from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. She is a witch and member of the Lancre coven. She is the self-appointed guardian of her small country, and frequently defends it against supernatural powers...
, Nanny Ogg
Nanny Ogg
Gytha Ogg is a character from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. She is a witch and member of the Lancre coven.- Personality :The character of Nanny Ogg is based on the Mother stereotype of the Triple Goddess myth...
, Magrat Garlick and later Agnes Nitt. A sub-series of children's books has introduced a new witch character, Tiffany Aching
Tiffany Aching
Tiffany Aching is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's satirical Discworld series of fantasy novels.Tiffany is a trainee witch whose growth into her job forms one of the many arcs in the Discworld series. She is the main character in The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, and I...
, who has been gradually tied into the main Witch storyline as her series continues.
Works
Starting with Equal Rites in 1987, the major novels featuring the witches are:- Equal RitesEqual RitesEqual Rites is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1987, it is the third novel in the Discworld series and the first in which the main character is not Rincewind. The title is a play on words to "Equal Rights"....
1987 - Wyrd SistersWyrd SistersWyrd Sisters is Terry Pratchett's sixth Discworld novel, published in 1988, and re-introduces Granny Weatherwax of Equal Rites.- Plot :...
1988 - Witches AbroadWitches AbroadWitches Abroad is the twelfth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, originally published in 1991.-Plot:Following the death of Witch, Desiderata Hollow, Magrat Garlick is sent her magic wand, for Desiderata was not only a witch, but also a Fairy Godmother. Having given the wand to Magrat, she...
1991 - Lords and LadiesLords and Ladies (novel)Lords and Ladies is the fourteenth Discworld book by Terry Pratchett. It was originally published in 1992.-Synopsis:At the end of Witches Abroad, Magrat Garlick, Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax left Genua bound for home, in Lancre...
1992 - MaskeradeMaskeradeMaskerade is the eighteenth novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. The witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg visit the Ankh-Morpork Opera House to find Agnes Nitt, a girl from Lancre, and get caught up in a story similar to The Phantom of the Opera.-Plot summary:The story begins with...
1995 - Carpe JugulumCarpe JugulumCarpe Jugulum ) is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the twenty-third in the Discworld series. It was first published in 1998....
1998 - The Wee Free MenThe Wee Free MenThe Wee Free Men, first published in 2003, is the second Story of The Discworld book for younger readers. A sequel, A Hat Full of Sky, appeared in 2004 , a third book, Wintersmith appeared in 2006, and the fourth, I Shall Wear Midnight, was released in September...
2003 (Tiffany Aching) - A Hat Full of SkyA Hat Full of SkyA Hat Full of Sky is a novel written by Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld, written with younger readers in mind. First published in 2004, it is set two years after The Wee Free Men, and features an 11-year old Tiffany Aching....
2004 (Tiffany Aching) - WintersmithWintersmithThis article is about the novel. For the Wintersmith himself, see the WintersmithWintersmith is the title of the third Tiffany Aching novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, published on the 21 September 2006...
2006 (Tiffany Aching) - I Shall Wear MidnightI Shall Wear MidnightI Shall Wear Midnight is a Nebula Award-winning novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and the fourth in the Tiffany Aching arc. It was published on 2 September 2010 in the United Kingdom, and on the 28th September in the United States....
2010 (Tiffany Aching)
Ramtops witches
The majority of Discworld Witches are seen in the Ramtops region of Discworld, and, barring the latest book in the Tiffany Aching series, the primary protagonists of the Witch books are from Lancre, a country in the Ramtops region.The Lancre Coven
The Lancre Coven is, as mentioned above, the main group of witches in the Discworld novels, and the ones featured in the novels referred to as "The Witches series".They began as a parody of the Three Witches in Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, and also as a reworking of the Maiden
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
, Mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
and Crone
Crone
The crone is a stock character in folklore and fairy tale, an old woman who is usually disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obstructing. She is marginalized by her exclusion from the reproductive cycle,...
archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
s (the Triple Goddess). It could also be said that they each represent a different stereotype of witches: Granny is the classic fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
witch, Nanny the village wise woman and Magrat the modern romantic Wicca
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n.
It has been explained in the books that three witches are required for a coven. Two witches get on each other's nerves; the third one can get them to make up, so they can all get on the nerves of everyone else. If a coven has more than three members, they all get on each others' nerves. (It is also mentioned that the true collective noun for a group of witches is not "coven", but "argument".)
Magrat Garlick
Magrat Garlick is the daughter of Simplicity Garlick, granddaughter of Araminta Garlick and niece of Yvonnel Garlick. She was the original MaidenVirginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
in the Lancre coven, which consisted of herself, Granny Weatherwax
Granny Weatherwax
Esmerelda "Esme" Weatherwax is a fictional character from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. She is a witch and member of the Lancre coven. She is the self-appointed guardian of her small country, and frequently defends it against supernatural powers...
and Nanny Ogg
Nanny Ogg
Gytha Ogg is a character from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. She is a witch and member of the Lancre coven.- Personality :The character of Nanny Ogg is based on the Mother stereotype of the Triple Goddess myth...
. She is often described as "a wet hen", generally by Granny Weatherwax. Magrat believes in crystals, folk wisdom, and cycles of nature, and is overall a gentle parody of New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
pagans.
Despite appearances, beneath her silver jewelry and heavy eye makeup, Magrat is surprisingly practical. She can defend herself physically when necessary, and is capable of performing impressive feats of real magic (as seen in Wyrd Sisters
Wyrd Sisters
Wyrd Sisters is Terry Pratchett's sixth Discworld novel, published in 1988, and re-introduces Granny Weatherwax of Equal Rites.- Plot :...
when Magrat uses her magic to turn the old wooden door into a rising oak - a display that impresses even Granny Weatherwax). Magrat's gentle personality allows her to serve as a mediator between the often-clashing Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, but she does occasionally display a strong temper herself. In Witches Abroad
Witches Abroad
Witches Abroad is the twelfth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, originally published in 1991.-Plot:Following the death of Witch, Desiderata Hollow, Magrat Garlick is sent her magic wand, for Desiderata was not only a witch, but also a Fairy Godmother. Having given the wand to Magrat, she...
Magrat was chosen to serve as a Fairy Godmother, but her inability to master the use of the wand (which had a tendency to reset to "pumpkins") prevented her from taking full advantage of the powers associated with this position. Magrat is technically a better doctor than the other two witches, since she actually believes in herbalism
Herbalism
Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...
while Granny tends to use whatever plant or bottle of coloured water comes to hand as a prop for her headology (in this case the placebo effect
Placebo
A placebo is a simulated or otherwise medically ineffectual treatment for a disease or other medical condition intended to deceive the recipient...
), as explained in Lords and Ladies
Lords and Ladies (novel)
Lords and Ladies is the fourteenth Discworld book by Terry Pratchett. It was originally published in 1992.-Synopsis:At the end of Witches Abroad, Magrat Garlick, Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax left Genua bound for home, in Lancre...
.
After a long engagement, Magrat became Queen of Lancre by marrying King Verence II. As of Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum ) is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the twenty-third in the Discworld series. It was first published in 1998....
the couple has one daughter, Princess Esmerelda Margaret Note Spelling. This unusual name was the result of Magrat's attempt to correct a mistake made by her own mother, who had intended for Magrat to be named "Margaret" but was unable to spell the name properly when she wrote it down for the priest. In an effort to ensure the proper naming of her child, Magrat appended "Note Spelling" in the note she passed to the priest. This back-fired when he read out the complete sentence, and was mortified afterwards, but the deed had been done and no attempt to change it could be made.
Magrat renounces witchcraft shortly before her marriage, partially to prepare for her duties as queen, but mostly out of frustration with the way she is treated by the senior members of the Lancre coven and is supplanted by Agnes Nitt
Discworld characters
This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. This list consists of human characters. For biographies of noted members of the Discworld's "ethnic minorities" , see the specific articles for those races. Some character biographies are also listed in...
after the events of Maskerade
Maskerade
Maskerade is the eighteenth novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. The witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg visit the Ankh-Morpork Opera House to find Agnes Nitt, a girl from Lancre, and get caught up in a story similar to The Phantom of the Opera.-Plot summary:The story begins with...
. Her absence from Maskerade
Maskerade
Maskerade is the eighteenth novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. The witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg visit the Ankh-Morpork Opera House to find Agnes Nitt, a girl from Lancre, and get caught up in a story similar to The Phantom of the Opera.-Plot summary:The story begins with...
seemed to confirm that Magrat had retired from her career as a witch, but after Princess Esmerelda's birth she was forced to assume the Mother
Mother goddess
Mother goddess is a term used to refer to a goddess who represents motherhood, fertility, creation or embodies the bounty of the Earth. When equated with the Earth or the natural world such goddesses are sometimes referred to as Mother Earth or as the Earth Mother.Many different goddesses have...
role in the coven when Granny Weatherwax decided to temporarily step down
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
during the events of Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum ) is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the twenty-third in the Discworld series. It was first published in 1998....
. Nanny was none too pleased with this development, as Magrat being the Mother forced Nanny "to be the... Other One
Crone
The crone is a stock character in folklore and fairy tale, an old woman who is usually disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obstructing. She is marginalized by her exclusion from the reproductive cycle,...
". Despite her new (temporary) role, at the end of the novel, she was asked, and acquiesced, to make tea by Granny Weatherwax, a role usually performed by the Maiden (in this case, Agnes Nitt.)
In the Wyrd Sisters
Wyrd Sisters (TV series)
Wyrd Sisters is a two-part animated television adaptation of the book of the same name by Terry Pratchett, produced by Cosgrove Hall, and first broadcast on 18 May 1997...
animated adaptation, Magrat is voiced by Jane Horrocks
Jane Horrocks
Barbara Jane Horrocks is an English voice, stage, screen and television actress, voice artist, musician, and singer. She is best known for her role as "Bubble" in the TV series Absolutely Fabulous as well as her distinctive voice....
. In the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
adaptation, she was played by Deborah Berlin.
Agnes Nitt
Following Magrat's marriage to King Verence II, the role of Maiden in the Lancre coven has been reluctantly taken up by Agnes Nitt. Agnes is a sensible young woman who suffers from a self-induced multiple personality disorderDissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
. Tired of being seen as just another overweight girl with "a nice personality and good hair", Agnes tried to create a new, more exciting persona for herself. Agnes calls this alter ego Perdita X Dream (where the X stands for: "a person who has a cool and exciting middle name
Middle name
People's names in several cultures include one or more additional names placed between the first given name and the surname. In Canada and the United States all such names are specifically referred to as middle name; in most European countries they would simply be regarded as second, third, etc....
"). Perdita is even more romantic than Magrat, although her tastes are more Goth
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
ic than New Age.
The Perdita persona leaves Agnes in two minds about everything. The first mind is herself, good-natured and sensible Agnes; the second is dramatic and rebellious Perdita. It is said that inside every fat girl, there is a thin girl waiting to get out, (and a lot of chocolate) -- according to Perdita, she is that girl. The Perdita personality usually manifests itself only as part of Agnes's internal dialogue, often in the form of sarcastic remarks, (like her 'Second Thoughts' have taken-on a life of their-own). Yet Perdita is capable of taking real action in emergency situations.
This divided personality makes Agnes highly resistant to mental
Mental
Mental, a word referring to aspects of, or things related to, the mind; or in anatomy, the skull, e.g. the mental foramen, can also mean:* a slang, pejorative term used to describe people who act like lunatics, which is itself an outdated term for people with mental disorders* Mental , a 2009...
manipulation. Anyone trying to mesmerise or entrance Agnes will find the Perdita personality surfacing as Agnes begins to lose control, and vice versa. When Lancre is overrun by vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s with mind-control powers in Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum ) is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the twenty-third in the Discworld series. It was first published in 1998....
, Agnes/Perdita is one of the few people capable of resisting their hypnotic
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
influence.
Agnes first appears in Lords and Ladies
Lords and Ladies (novel)
Lords and Ladies is the fourteenth Discworld book by Terry Pratchett. It was originally published in 1992.-Synopsis:At the end of Witches Abroad, Magrat Garlick, Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax left Genua bound for home, in Lancre...
as one of the 'cool' new witches, led by Lucy "Diamanda" Tockley. Although she plays a very minor role in this book, Nanny Ogg notices her potential. She senses that Agnes is the only new witch other than Diamanda to have any real Talent.
In Maskerade
Maskerade
Maskerade is the eighteenth novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. The witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg visit the Ankh-Morpork Opera House to find Agnes Nitt, a girl from Lancre, and get caught up in a story similar to The Phantom of the Opera.-Plot summary:The story begins with...
Agnes becomes a major character for the first time. She leaves Lancre to become an opera singer 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...
, under the stage name 'Perdita X Nitt'. Agnes possesses an amazing talent for singing. She has a vocal range that extends from a deep bass rumble to a glass-shattering soprano, can sing in harmony with herself, (a normally impossible ability), project her voice around a room (and the page), and mimic the voices of others. These remarkable gifts are due to her suppressed magical ability, which Agnes unconsciously used to enhance her innate musical talent.
After joining the opera company, Agnes meets a beautiful but airheaded young singer named Christine, (an obvious parody of Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera
Le Fantôme de l'Opéra is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialisation in "Le Gaulois" from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910...
). Although Agnes is by far the more talented of the two, she finds herself relegated to the chorus while Christine's career benefits from the attention of the mysterious "Opera Ghost". Agnes is also alienated from the rest of the chorus, due to her weight and practical nature. Granny and Nanny, having identified Agnes as the best candidate for the third member of the Lancre coven, soon arrive and complicate things further. In the end, Agnes realizes that her practical nature is unsuited the world of opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. She returns to Lancre and became the new Third Witch
Maiden
Maiden or Maidens may refer to:* A female virgin; see virginity* Maiden name, the family name carried by a woman before marriage; see married and maiden names* Maiden, the first of the three aspects of the Triple Goddess...
.
In Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum ) is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the twenty-third in the Discworld series. It was first published in 1998....
, the arrangement of the coven had been upset by Granny Weatherwax
Granny Weatherwax
Esmerelda "Esme" Weatherwax is a fictional character from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. She is a witch and member of the Lancre coven. She is the self-appointed guardian of her small country, and frequently defends it against supernatural powers...
's sudden departure, although Agnes retained her role of Maiden. She, Nanny Ogg
Nanny Ogg
Gytha Ogg is a character from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. She is a witch and member of the Lancre coven.- Personality :The character of Nanny Ogg is based on the Mother stereotype of the Triple Goddess myth...
and Magrat Garlick fended off the vampires who threatened to take over Lancre.
Agnes does not appear in Wintersmith
Wintersmith
This article is about the novel. For the Wintersmith himself, see the WintersmithWintersmith is the title of the third Tiffany Aching novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, published on the 21 September 2006...
, a story which features Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, nor does she show up in The Wee Free Men
The Wee Free Men
The Wee Free Men, first published in 2003, is the second Story of The Discworld book for younger readers. A sequel, A Hat Full of Sky, appeared in 2004 , a third book, Wintersmith appeared in 2006, and the fourth, I Shall Wear Midnight, was released in September...
, in which Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg had a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
. This leads to some speculation as to what had become of the coven. Her role in Wintersmith
Wintersmith
This article is about the novel. For the Wintersmith himself, see the WintersmithWintersmith is the title of the third Tiffany Aching novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, published on the 21 September 2006...
seems to have been adopted by Miss Tick.
Gwinifer "Old Mother" Blackcap
Witch stationed in Sidling Without and who is good with pigs, as acknowledged by Esme Weatherwax. She is mentor to Petulia Gristle, good with animals, and is apparently a pig-borer, cow-shouter and all-round veterinary witch. (The terms "pig-borer" and "cow-shouter" are plays on horse whisperer. According to The Discworld AlmanakThe Discworld Almanak
The Discworld Almanak is a spin-off book from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, in a similar format to the Diaries and Nanny Ogg's Cookbook...
, pig-boring is a humane form of slaughter in which the animal is talked to death.)
Gammer Brevis
A witch who teaches school over the mountain from Lancre. She takes snuffSnuff
Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...
and does her own shoe repairs, which makes her All Right in Nanny Ogg's book, but has a nasty habit of being reasonable when provoked. Appears in Witches Abroad
Witches Abroad
Witches Abroad is the twelfth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, originally published in 1991.-Plot:Following the death of Witch, Desiderata Hollow, Magrat Garlick is sent her magic wand, for Desiderata was not only a witch, but also a Fairy Godmother. Having given the wand to Magrat, she...
and the short story "The Sea and Little Fishes
The Sea and Little Fishes
The Sea and Little Fishes is a short story by Terry Pratchett, written in 1998. It is set in his Discworld universe, and features Lancre witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. It was originally published in a sampler alongside a story called "The Wood Boy" by Raymond E...
."
Old Mother Dismass
A very old witch who has been fortune telling for so long that she is no longer able to keep her mind in the present (as Granny Weatherwax puts it, she has a "detached retinaRetinal detachment
Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. Initial detachment may be localized, but without rapid treatment the entire retina may detach, leading to vision loss and blindness. It is a medical emergency.The retina is a...
in her second sight
Second sight
Second sight is a form of extrasensory perception, the supposed power to perceive things that are not present to the senses, whereby a person perceives information, in the form of a vision, about future events before they happen , or about things or events at remote locations...
"). Her mouth frequently appears out of sync with her words, and her footsteps often sound ten minutes before she actually makes them. Passing references to Old Mother Dismass are made in Maskerade
Maskerade
Maskerade is the eighteenth novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. The witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg visit the Ankh-Morpork Opera House to find Agnes Nitt, a girl from Lancre, and get caught up in a story similar to The Phantom of the Opera.-Plot summary:The story begins with...
and Wintersmith
Wintersmith
This article is about the novel. For the Wintersmith himself, see the WintersmithWintersmith is the title of the third Tiffany Aching novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, published on the 21 September 2006...
. Appears in Witches Abroad
Witches Abroad
Witches Abroad is the twelfth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, originally published in 1991.-Plot:Following the death of Witch, Desiderata Hollow, Magrat Garlick is sent her magic wand, for Desiderata was not only a witch, but also a Fairy Godmother. Having given the wand to Magrat, she...
and "The Sea and Little Fishes
The Sea and Little Fishes
The Sea and Little Fishes is a short story by Terry Pratchett, written in 1998. It is set in his Discworld universe, and features Lancre witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. It was originally published in a sampler alongside a story called "The Wood Boy" by Raymond E...
".
Mrs Letice Earwig
The wife of a retired wizard and a natural organiser, especially of things that don't really need organising. She (and no one else) pronounces her name "Ah-wij" (a possible reference to Hyacinth BucketHyacinth Bucket
Hyacinth Bucket, who insists her last name is pronounced "Bouquet" , is the main character in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances , played by Patricia Routledge.-Personality:...
from the BBC series Keeping Up Appearances
Keeping Up Appearances
Keeping Up Appearances is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke for the BBC. Centred on the life of eccentric, social-climbing snob Hyacinth Bucket , the sitcom portrays a social hierarchy-ruled British society...
). She wears a great deal of "occult" jewellery that doesn't actually do anything. Granny Weatherwax dislikes Mrs. Earwig, claiming that she reduces witchcraft to "shoppin'". Mrs Earwig isn't actually bad, but is extremely snobbish, has very poor people skills, and tends to assume everyone would really agree with her if they weren't so stupid (so does Granny Weatherwax, of course, but at least she doesn't blame them for being stupid). Annagramma Hawkin is her star (and in fact only) pupil. Her approach to teaching appears to be to trust the folk wisdom of the locals when it comes to practical things like birthing and medicine, and focus on such things as crystals, magic circles and soothing chants to help matters along. She is the chairwoman of the Witch Trials committee and has written a book about "Magick"; the "k" is to distinguish what she considers the True Craft from the everyday stuff Granny Weatherwax et al. do - this in turn is a comedic reference on Pratchett's part to the use of ostentatious variant spellings of the word "magic" (ranging from Aleister Crowley's
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
to some Wicca
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
ns'). She appears in The Sea and Little Fishes
The Sea and Little Fishes
The Sea and Little Fishes is a short story by Terry Pratchett, written in 1998. It is set in his Discworld universe, and features Lancre witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. It was originally published in a sampler alongside a story called "The Wood Boy" by Raymond E...
, A Hat Full of Sky
A Hat Full of Sky
A Hat Full of Sky is a novel written by Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld, written with younger readers in mind. First published in 2004, it is set two years after The Wee Free Men, and features an 11-year old Tiffany Aching....
and Wintersmith
Wintersmith
This article is about the novel. For the Wintersmith himself, see the WintersmithWintersmith is the title of the third Tiffany Aching novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, published on the 21 September 2006...
.
Ammeline 'Goodie' Hamstring
Ammeline Hamstring, also known as 'Goodie' Hamstring was a witch from Lancre, the RamtopsDiscworld geography
This article concerns the fictional geography of Terry Pratchett's Discworld, featured in the novel series of the same name. The Discworld is a flat disc on the backs of four elephants, who are in turn on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin.-Geography:...
. She appeared only in Mort
Mort
Mort is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1987, it is the fourth Discworld novel and the first to focus on the Death of the Discworld, who only appeared as a side character in the previous novels...
, and was Mort's first "collection" as Death
Death (Discworld)
Death is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and a parody of several other personifications of death. Like most Grim Reapers, he is a black-robed skeleton usually carrying a scythe...
's apprentice. She had a grey cat.
As with all Discworld
Discworld (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...
magical practitioners, she knew in advance when her death would be and again would be personally visited by Death (or had a right to be anyway) so she had time to prepare.
When Mort arrived she was an elderly lady with a hooked nose wearing a grey woollen dress. After Mort cut the line connecting her soul to her body, she realised it was no longer bound by the body's morphic field, and with much more control than most people her soul's form settled into the shape of her "inner self". Her hair unwound itself from its tight bun, changing colour and lengthening, her body straightened up. Wrinkles dwindled and vanished, and her dress turned into something green and clingy.
Rather than go on to an afterlife, she remained at her home, intending her spirit to get thinner and spread through the forest.
Miss Level
A witch for whom the phrase "I've only got one pair of hands" was highly inappropriate, for she had one mind and two bodies. She formerly worked in a circus reading her own mind. The phrase is now only technically accurate, following the death of one body, although she can still use it as a "phantom limb". This has resulted in her gaining a huge amount of respect among the local population, who had previously always suspected she was two people. An intelligent and well-meaning person, she spends much of her time explaining concepts such as bacteriaBacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
to people who aren't going to believe her. As Tiffany's teacher, she appears in A Hat Full of Sky.
Miss Tick
Perspicacia Tick is a "witch finder," a travelling witch with the responsibility of finding young girls who have the potential to be witches. She makes a living as a teacher, a role which has given her a habit of correcting spelling, grammar and punctuation. Since she often finds herself in areas where witches are unwelcome, she has a spring-operated hat that only grows a point when she wants it to. Thanks to her time as a student at the Quirm College for Young Ladies, which views time in cold water as character-building, she has also mastered the ability to stay underwater for prolonged periods, allowing her to escape punishment from superstitious witch-hunters. To aid her in this endeavor, she is the anonymous author of Magavenatio Obtusis, (Witch-hunting for Dumb People,) which she generously places in the libraries of various witch-hating villages. It includes such vital information as drowning rather than burning a witch, ensuring that the witch has silverSilver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
coins in her boots, and is given a nice meal of hot soup and tea before her ducking. Miss Tick appears in The Wee Free Men
The Wee Free Men
The Wee Free Men, first published in 2003, is the second Story of The Discworld book for younger readers. A sequel, A Hat Full of Sky, appeared in 2004 , a third book, Wintersmith appeared in 2006, and the fourth, I Shall Wear Midnight, was released in September...
, A Hat Full of Sky
A Hat Full of Sky
A Hat Full of Sky is a novel written by Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld, written with younger readers in mind. First published in 2004, it is set two years after The Wee Free Men, and features an 11-year old Tiffany Aching....
and Wintersmith
Wintersmith
This article is about the novel. For the Wintersmith himself, see the WintersmithWintersmith is the title of the third Tiffany Aching novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, published on the 21 September 2006...
.
Diamanda Tockley
Her real name is Lucy Tockley, but she thought Diamanda was more witchy. She was born in Lancre, but went away to school, and returned while the Coven were touring the Disc in Witches Abroad. She set up her own coven, insisting that the Wisdom of the Ancients was more significant than anything a lot of old people knewOxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms...
. How much natural witchiness/wisdom she actually had may be illustrated by her willingness to summon sadistic elves
Elves (Discworld)
In Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, elves are extradimensional inhuman monsters.Elves on the Discworld are based more on the nastier kind of fairy-folk in European folklores than elves as portrayed in most modern fantasy fiction. They are not native to the Disc, but come from a "parasite...
. At the end of Lords and Ladies, Granny speculated she might have a relationship with the young wizard Ponder Stibbons, but he returned to Unseen University
Unseen University
The Unseen University is a school of wizardry in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of fantasy novels. Located in the city of Ankh-Morpork, the UU is staffed by a faculty composed of mostly indolent and inept old wizards. The university's name is a pun on the Invisible College...
. Still to be decided is how much of a witch she naturally was versus how much magic was given to her by the elf queen.
Diamanda duelled Granny Weatherwax in Lords and Ladies. The challenge was to look directly at the sun for as long as they could stand. Nanny Ogg realized that Granny would lose the duel, so she enticed her grandson, Pewsey Ogg, to run across the magic circle in which the duel was taking place. Crossing the circle caused Pewsey to cry out. Granny looked away from the sun, got up and returned Pewsey to his grandmother. While Diamanda was the technical winner of the duel, the crowd considered Granny the best witch, because witches are supposed to help young boys who cry instead of being selfish.
Eumenides Treason
An "old bat" who takes on Tiffany Aching as apprentice three months prior to the events of WintersmithWintersmith
This article is about the novel. For the Wintersmith himself, see the WintersmithWintersmith is the title of the third Tiffany Aching novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, published on the 21 September 2006...
. Many have come to the position before Tiffany, and she is the only one to not run away. Miss Treason uses two sticks to walk and is both deaf and blind, but manages to get along by Borrowing the senses of those around her. Perhaps her "creepiest" use of this talent is making whatever apprentice she has at the moment her "mirror" before they go out. She will have the poor dear stand in front of her and borrow her sight so that she can see herself from the girl's perspective. The girls who have experienced this say that the creepiest part is the tingling at the back of your eyes, something that anyone whose senses are being Borrowed experiences.
All witches specialise in one field or another, and Miss Treason's speciality is Justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
, (in fact her name refers to the Eumenidies
Erinyes
In Greek mythology the Erinyes from Greek ἐρίνειν " pursue, persecute"--sometimes referred to as "infernal goddesses" -- were female chthonic deities of vengeance. A formulaic oath in the Iliad invokes them as "those who beneath the earth punish whosoever has sworn a false oath"...
of Greek Myth, who came to represent Justice in the later myths.) People come to her to settle disputes, and usually find it very difficult to lie to her. This is most likely all in their heads, as Ms. Treason has a reputation as being very scary and also very powerful. It is said by the villagers that great king
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
s and prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
s had come for miles just to ask her for her advice and to seek justice from her. Though the villagers fear
Fear
Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
her more than anything else, they also seem to hold great respect
Respect
Respect denotes both a positive feeling of esteem for a person or other entity , and also specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem. Respect can be a specific feeling of regard for the actual qualities of the one respected...
for her. Ms. Treason later explains to Tiffany that she knew the that villagers would never love her, and that the other option was to make them fear her: She decided they either had to fear her, or love her, so that she could hold some power over them.
One of the most notable things about Miss Treason's cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
is that everything in it is black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
, from the floor to the rafter
Rafter
A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members , that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its associated loads.-Design:...
s. While Tiffany is her apprentice, she has to paint her cheeses with black-colored wax
Wax
thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...
so that they'll fit in with the theme. Her cottage has all the hallmarks of a 'bad witch', (i.e. skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
s, spider web
Spider web
A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web or cobweb is a device built by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets....
s, etc.,) and all of which of these are fake, bought from Boffo's, a joke shop in Ankh-Morpork. Treason also uses the name "Boffo" to describe the unique power that these props give her: She describes "Boffo" as "the power of expectations;" the strength that one gains from behaving exactly as someone expects you to.
No witch actually has spiders' webs in her cottage or keeps skulls for any reason, but most simple folk expect witches to do so, and so Miss Treason obliges them; the better to ensure that when people come calling they don't see what is really there, (a tired, blind 111-year-old woman,) but what they expect, (a venerable, terrifying 113-year-old witch.) She also ensured that many of the rumours about her are kept current and circulating, to ensure the presence of "Boffo thinking" among her clients. One of the most prevalent rumours is that her heart had stopped many years ago and that the iron clock she carries at her waist is actually a mechanical heart.
Miss Treason dies of old age during the events of Wintersmith, but as she, like all witches, knows the date and time of her death, she was able to enjoy her funeral ceremony the day before. On the day of her death she comes out of her house to find: many Feegles who couldn't miss out on the ceremony, (or apparently keep their mouths shut about it,) a grave dug by said-Feegles, and many hysterical villagers, (who are primarily concerned with Ms. Treason solving their problems, which she does, even as she walks into the grave.) Mindful of her image to the very end, Miss Treason used the presence of the locals to give them one last show, (i.e. walking into the grave, stopping her clock with her thumbnail to imply her death.)
Tiffany, later, half-jests that continued visits by people to her grave may turn her into a goddess figure. This later comes to pass as, when Tiffany returns to the cottage, she sees that the villagers have been leaving pleas for help written on bits of paper around Miss Treason's grave, in the hope that she can help them from the beyond. Her cottage was then passed down to Annagramma Hawkin, who, after a decidedly shaky start, has begun to fulfil her role properly, with assistance from Tiffany and the Boffo's catalogue
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
. She noticeably upstaged Ms. Treason, though, as she uses a green mask and feet prop
Theatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
s to convince people that she turns into a hideous monster when angered
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
.
Alison Weatherwax
Alison Weatherwax, (also known as "Nana Alison",) is Esme Weatherwax's late grandmother, and, in life, a very powerful witch. Weatherwaxes have strong magic lines in their genes, as evidenced by a distant cousin also being a wizard and archchancellor of Unseen University. First mentioned in The Discworld CompanionThe Discworld Companion
The Discworld Companion is an encyclopaedia of the Discworld fictional universe created by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs.The book compiles a precise definition of words, lives of historical people, geography of places and events that have appeared in at least one Discworld novel, map, diary,...
which says little about her except that her death has not been recorded.
Alison is later mentioned in Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum ) is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the twenty-third in the Discworld series. It was first published in 1998....
, in which the rumours that she has "gone to the bad" and "hobnobed with vimpires" were proven to be unfounded. She had in fact killed the old vampire Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
de Magpyr at one point by cutting off his head and driving a wooden stake through his heart. At that time, she was apparently older than her granddaughter was during the events of Carpe Jugulum. When the old Count rises again years later, he remembers her with affection
Affection
Affection or fondness is a "disposition or rare state of mind or body" that is often associated with a feeling or type of love. It has given rise to a number of branches of philosophy and psychology concerning: emotion ; disease; influence; state of being ; and state of mind...
and admiration. Not the same as Aliss Demurrage.
Goodie Whemper
Generally referred to as "Goodie Whemper maysherestinpeace." She trained Magrat in witchcraft. Unlike many other witches, she tested details of spells and performed various other experiments (such as determing how many twigs you can pull from a broomstick's tail before it crashes), leaving several shelves of notes, recipes, and instructions in the cottage when Magrat inherited it. Despite having extensively trained Magrat in midwifery, she never taught her about the events leading up to it. She also loved to watch plays.Tiffany Aching
A very young witch (15 at her last appearance), Tiffany hails from the chalk downlandDownland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
Rimward of the Ramtops. Her grandmother, Sarah Aching, was a shepherd, and by Ramtop standards was also a witch, although witchcraft was frowned upon on the Chalk, until Tiffany's arrival. Granny Aching was a friend of the Chalk Clan of Nac Mac Feegle
Nac Mac Feegle
The Nac Mac Feegle are a type of fairy folk appearing in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels Carpe Jugulum, The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith and I Shall Wear...
, (an army of tiny, blue, rowdy, drunken and vaguely Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
ne'er-do-wells) and they have befriended Tiffany as the new "hag o' the hills". As Tiffany was their Kelda (Queen) for a short time, the Nac Mac Feegle see her as their responsibility, and there is no time in Tiffany's life since then when they have not (in)discreetly watched her.
Trainee "coven"
Though witches have no leader, Tiffany joined an informal "coven" of peer witches she gathers together for sabbats, of which Annagramma Hawkin acted as the self-appointed "boss" due to her having the tallest hat and the loudest voice. This coven was based in the Ramtops region and, it is assumed, no longer continued once the trainee witches received their own steadings.Annagramma Hawkin
Annagramma Hawkin was introduced in A Hat Full of SkyA Hat Full of Sky
A Hat Full of Sky is a novel written by Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld, written with younger readers in mind. First published in 2004, it is set two years after The Wee Free Men, and features an 11-year old Tiffany Aching....
and is a peer of Tiffany Aching, whom she initially disdains. Trained by Letice Earwig, she can be extremely snobbish and has strong opinions about what a witch should or should not be, much like her mentor. She follows Letice by thinking that Granny Weatherwax just 'messes around' with people's heads, and that, by doing so, makes people think she is great.
During the events of Wintersmith
Wintersmith
This article is about the novel. For the Wintersmith himself, see the WintersmithWintersmith is the title of the third Tiffany Aching novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, published on the 21 September 2006...
, Annagramma is assigned her own cottage, taking over from the late Miss Treason. Initially, she is unprepared for the real demands of being resident witch for a village, and it is revealed that her arrogance may in part be an overreaction to a deep insecurity about dealing with situations she cannot control. However she does assist Tiffany by temporarily dispelling the Wintersmith's physical form with a fireball and ordering her broomstick to carry Tiffany away before he could re-form himself.
She also admitted to Tiffany, under pressure, that, unlike what her behavior might let people think, her family is quite poor, even for Lancre standards, not even having their own cottage (living in a rented one).
Tiffany Aching and others from her peer group assist Annagramma, and it turns out that she is good enough at the part of witchcraft that consists of being confident, bossy and giving people a good show to pick up the rest along the way. It is revealed that Granny Weatherwax had suggested that the cottage be taken over by Tiffany due to the fact that she was too young and Annagramma would be accepted instead, (had Granny suggested any other witch, Annagramma would not have gotten the cottage.) She later says, upon learning that Tiffany had been helping Annagramma, that she would have expected nothing less, leading Tiffany to conclude that the whole affair had been a ploy to prove to other witches that Mrs. Earwig's kind of witchcraft didn't work.
Many of Annagramma's magical abilities are in fact a form of wizard magic, a more showy and less subtle form of magic.
Petulia Gristle
Petulia is a young witch who was apprenticed to Goodie Gwinifer "Old Mother" Blackcap, who is good with pigs. She was part of the network of peers gathered by Annagramma Hawkin and a friend of Tiffany Aching's. Generally a kind soul who is thoughtful of others' feelings, she gained new strength at the end of A Hat Full of Sky when bullied too much by Annagramma, due to her tendency of saying "Um" a lot.By the events of Wintersmith Petulia has gained considerable respect in the Ramtops for her abilities with animals, particularly pigs, which are said to rival those of Granny Weatherwax herself, although what Granny would say on the subject is open to debate. She has become known throughout Lancre as the "pig witch", a term meant in respect, considering that most families in the mountains own a pig. However, Petulia dislikes the way Annagramma refers to her as the 'pig witch', because she feels that there is "too much pig and not enough witch" in Annagramma's description. Despite her disagreements with Annagramma, she agreed to show her a few useful tips on dealing with livestock when Tiffany asked her to.
Petulia does not appear in I Shall Wear Midnight, but she is mentioned briefly as being an expert "pig borer" (literally boring a pig to death as a humane alternative to more violent means of slaughter) and that she is engaged to be married.
Dimmity Hubbub
Dimmity is a young witch in apprenticed training, and a member of Anagramma's coven. She appears in A Hat Full of Sky, in which she sets fire to her own hat, and in Wintersmith, she makes a toothache cure explode. Her name is similar to that of Jill MurphyJill Murphy
Jill Murphy is a London-born English children's author, best known for The Worst Witch series and the Large Family picture books...
's character Mildred Hubble, although Pratchett says this was not intentional.
Lucy Warbeck
Lucy is a young witch in apprenticed training, and another member of Anagramma's coven. She uses the term "like" often. She first appears in Hat Full of Sky, then briefly in Wintersmith, where she is training hard to become a witch-finder. Tiffany Aching asks her to assist the badly-out-of-her-depth Annagramma and she reluctantly agrees to help out. She wears a knife and fork in her hair, because witches believe in sorting out how odd they are early.the Chalk witches
In the latest Tiffany Aching book, I Shall Wear MidnightI Shall Wear Midnight
I Shall Wear Midnight is a Nebula Award-winning novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and the fourth in the Tiffany Aching arc. It was published on 2 September 2010 in the United Kingdom, and on the 28th September in the United States....
, Tiffany has left the Ramptops area and settled into her steading as the Witch of the chalk. During the events of the book, she encountered two young women who display latent witch talent.
Letitia de Chumsfanleigh (néeMarried and maiden namesA married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Keepsake)
First introduced in I Shall Wear MidnightI Shall Wear Midnight
I Shall Wear Midnight is a Nebula Award-winning novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and the fourth in the Tiffany Aching arc. It was published on 2 September 2010 in the United Kingdom, and on the 28th September in the United States....
, Letitia Keepsake, the daughter of the late Lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
Keepsake, was Roland's fiance, and later became his wife
Wife
A wife is a female partner in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the wife regarding her spouse and others, and her status in the community and in law, varies between cultures and has varied over time.-Origin and etymology:...
and the new baroness
Baroness
Baroness is the female equivalent of the nobility title Baron.Baroness or The Baroness may also refer to:* Baroness , a metal band from Savannah, Georgia* Baroness , a fictional villain in the G.I...
of the Chalk. Letitia was raised in her father's castle by her mother after his death, and most of the time is cowed by her mother's personality. In the events of the book, it was revealed that having become involved with Roland, she also became insecure about the fomer fledgling-romantic relationship that had occurred between Roland and Tiffany, mail-ordered a spellbook
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
from Boffo's Emporium
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
from down in Ankh-Morpork, (which she kept hidden from her mother) and tried to hex
Hex
A hex is a magical spell, usually with malevolent purposes such as a curse. The term is derived from the German word Hexe for a witch.Hexa– is a prefix from the Greek word for 'six', as in hexagon, a polygon with six corners....
Tiffany.
It was then revealed that, having grown-up in a stone
STONe
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Sin-Ichi Hiromoto. Kodansha released the two bound volumes of the manga on April 23, 2002 and August 23, 2002, respectively.The manga is licensed for an English-languague released in North America be Tokyopop...
castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
, Letitia has a talent
Talent
Talent can refer to:*Talent *Aptitude, a talent is a group of aptitudes useful for some activity, talents may refer to aptitudes themselvesEntertainment*A show-business personality or group of them...
for witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, but is untrained, and for years, Letitia was under the impression that what witchcraft entails is what is actually 'Boffo thinking' and wizardry
Wizardry
Wizardry is a series of computer role-playing games, developed by Sir-Tech, which were highly influential in the development of modern console and computer role playing games. The original Wizardry was a significant influence to early console RPGs, such as Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy. ...
, (until Tiffany set her straight). After the climax of the book, Letitia and Roland were married by Tiffany in an ancient marriage ceremony
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
by fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
, before they were 'officially' wed the next day by a Omnian priest. Since she is the Chalk's new baroness, she is unlikely to pursue witchcraft as a profession
Profession
A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
but may instead take-up spellcasting as a hobby
Hobby
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...
.
Amber Petty
Amber is a girl who has suffered from domestic abuse at the hands of her father. After her father learnt that she has fallen pregnant with a young man, who has pursued a profession as a seamster, (a profession her father looks down upon in a man,) her father, drunk, procceeded to beat on her in a drunken rageRage
Rage may refer to:* Rage , an intense form of anger- Games :* Rage , a 2011 first-person shooter and racing video game developed by id Software* Rage Software Limited, a defunct game developer...
, causing her to lose her baby. In the process of discovering this, she is left with the Nac Mac Feegle of the chalk for a time by Tiffany to under-go the 'soothing' by Jeannie, the Nac Mac Feegle kelda, where it is discovered by Jeannie that Amber has "the gift of understanding"; for example, being able to intuitively
Intuition (knowledge)
Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason. "The word 'intuition' comes from the Latin word 'intueri', which is often roughly translated as meaning 'to look inside'’ or 'to contemplate'." Intuition provides us with beliefs that we cannot necessarily justify...
understand the old language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
of the Feegle. As of the end of the events I Shall Wear Midnight
I Shall Wear Midnight
I Shall Wear Midnight is a Nebula Award-winning novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and the fourth in the Tiffany Aching arc. It was published on 2 September 2010 in the United Kingdom, and on the 28th September in the United States....
, she is married to her lover
Lover
Lover may refer to:* A person who loves* A sexual partner outside of a committed relationship-Music:* "Lover" , by Rodgers and Hart* "Lover" * "Lovers" , by The Tears* Lovers...
, (their wedding was proceeded over by Tiffany,) and is also currently being trained by the Chalk Kelda.
Sarah 'Granny' Aching
Granny Aching, née Sarah Grizzel, was Tiffany AchingTiffany Aching
Tiffany Aching is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's satirical Discworld series of fantasy novels.Tiffany is a trainee witch whose growth into her job forms one of the many arcs in the Discworld series. She is the main character in The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, and I...
's grandmother, and very good friends with the Chalk Hill clan of the Nac Mac Feegle
Nac Mac Feegle
The Nac Mac Feegle are a type of fairy folk appearing in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels Carpe Jugulum, The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith and I Shall Wear...
. To them she was the 'hag-o-the-hills' (that is, the 'witch of the Chalk'). She died a few years before the events in The Wee Free Men
The Wee Free Men
The Wee Free Men, first published in 2003, is the second Story of The Discworld book for younger readers. A sequel, A Hat Full of Sky, appeared in 2004 , a third book, Wintersmith appeared in 2006, and the fourth, I Shall Wear Midnight, was released in September...
occurs, and, as such, only appears in flashbacks. There is substantial evidence that she was a witch, although she didn't think of herself as one, and no-one but Tiffany, her granddaughter, ever suspected it.
She could be described as 'salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
of the earth' as well as the magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
that runs beneath it. She was very important in the minds of the people of the Chalk, to the point where they called the thunder "Granny Aching cussin'," the vultures "Granny Aching's chickens," the fluffy little white clouds of summer "Granny Aching's little lambs" and said she cussed the sky blue. Although people laughed when they said these things, part of them was not joking. When Tiffany speaks of Granny Aching to other witches, they often comment that she has many of the qualities of a very skilled witch, and one worthy of much respect, as her influence was such that the people she took care of ended up mostly taking care of each other, (a feat only the most skilled witches are able to accomplish). She smoked Jolly Sailor tobacco, and had two sheepdogs –- "Thunder and Lightning."
For every inhabitant of the Chalk, Granny Aching was the Chalk; its best shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
, its wisest woman and its memory, to the point that even the Chalk's Feegles
Nac Mac Feegle
The Nac Mac Feegle are a type of fairy folk appearing in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels Carpe Jugulum, The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith and I Shall Wear...
say of her that she "[told] the hills what they are, every day. She [held] them in her bones. She [held] 'em in her heart." Granny Aching was "as if the green downland had a soul that walked about in old boots and a smocking apron and smoked a foul pipe and dosed sheep with turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
."
In The Wee Free Men
The Wee Free Men
The Wee Free Men, first published in 2003, is the second Story of The Discworld book for younger readers. A sequel, A Hat Full of Sky, appeared in 2004 , a third book, Wintersmith appeared in 2006, and the fourth, I Shall Wear Midnight, was released in September...
, one of the last things that Tiffany saw when she was "truly awake" was Granny Aching, dressed as an ornament
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
al shepherdess. Tiffany also became aware of people leaving small tributes at Granny's general gravesite, leaving her to wonder if Granny Aching is slowly becoming an actual cultural deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
on the Chalk.
She was said to have a ringing personality, never lost a sheep in her life, and taciturn 'unless something was worth saying'.
Ankh Morpork Coven
In I Shall Wear MidnightI Shall Wear Midnight
I Shall Wear Midnight is a Nebula Award-winning novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and the fourth in the Tiffany Aching arc. It was published on 2 September 2010 in the United Kingdom, and on the 28th September in the United States....
, Tiffany Aching travels to Ankh Morpork and discovers a coven of witches there. In the words of what appears to be the "lead" witch, "Oh, there's a few of us, Doing our bit, helping people when we can."
Mrs. Proust
Mrs. Proust is the runner of the Boffo Joke Emporium. She naturally looks like the stereotypical "evil witch" of folk stories and appears to be the "lead" witch of the Ankh Morpork coven. She has one son who assists in the Joke emporium.Miss Cambric
Better known as Long Tall Short Fat Sally, Miss Cambric is one of the witches who accompanies Mrs. Proust to the Chalk. She suffers from tides; her body expands and contracts with the moon's influence. She is being trained by Mrs. Happenstance.Mrs. Happenstance
Mrs. Happenstance also accompanies Mrs. Proust to the chalk. Little is known about her other than the fact that she has a small bladder and/or bowel troubles.Other Ankh-Morpork "Witches"
In addition to the urban witches above, there are also a couple of Ankh Morpork-based characters who display the qualities Pratchett, throughout both the Lancre Coven books and the Aching books, portrays in discworld witches.Rosie Palm
Rosie Palm, one of the leaders of the Seamstresses Guild, is mentioned by Granny Weatherwax, in Maskerade, to be "practic'ly a witch."Glenda Sugarbean
Though both Glenda Sugarbean and her mother, characters in Unseen Academicals, are never explicitly labeled witches and don't, to our knowledge, self-identify as such, both do have many of the traits commonly seen in discworld witches. It is mentioned in A Hat Full of Sky that witches, since they can't accept money for their witchly services, have a secondary talent used to bring money in as needed; in Unseen Academicals, it is stated that both Sugarbeans are magnificent cooks, with Glenda being particularly known for her pies. In the same book, it is also stated that both operated as combination social workers/nurses/surgeons/doctors in their communities, both without the significant thanks or even gratitude of their communities, two other witchly traits and the former something that Granny Weatherwax refers to, in A Hat Full of Sky as "the soul and center of witchcraft". Glenda has also had instances that match Pratchett's definition of First Sight—seeing behind the illusions of the fashion industry being the most central to the plot—and Second Thoughts—the theme of the crab bucket being the most central to the plot.Aliss Demurrage
Aliss Demurrage, or Black Aliss as she was known, never appears in the books, being long dead, but she is a part of why Esme Weatherwax is the way she is. Aliss was an incredibly powerful Discworld witch. She knew all the tricks a witch should know, and had mastered the use of stories; Nanny Ogg said she could be running as many as three of them at once. Unfortunately, after a while she was unable to distinguish reality from her stories and started going mad — hence the name Black Aliss (although Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg claim the name arose because she had black teeth and fingernails due to her love of sweets). She's the wicked witch mentioned in popular fairy tales, and met her end when she was pushed into the oven of her gingerbread house (à la Hansel and GretelHansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic hag living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children...
).
While Granny Weatherwax is said to be stronger than Black Aliss, Aliss is unconstrained by right and wrong. This apparently means she could, in addition to simply being evil, extend her own life as well as interfere with the nature of causality, such as preventing swords from cutting her (It should be noted that Granny did the same in Maskerade, but instead shifted the wound forward in time, and causing it to wait several weeks before she would receive it).
A gingerbread house appeared in The Light Fantastic
The Light Fantastic
The Light Fantastic is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the second of the Discworld series. It was published in 1986. The title is a quote from a poem by John Milton and in the original context referred to dancing lightly with extravagance....
, whose owner had been shoved into her own oven, however this was a different witch (Goodie Whitlow) who met the same end due to narrative causality.
Aliss trained Nanna Plumb, who trained Goody Heggety, who trained Nanny Gripes, who trained Granny Weatherwax. Esme is as powerful as Aliss was, if not more so, and is concerned constantly with keeping herself in check lest she ends up like Aliss.
Hilta Goatfounder
A witch who makes her money by selling medicine (says Granny) with names like Tiger Oil, Maiden's Prayer and Husband's Helper. She lives in Ohulan. While she cannot stand the "smoke and fug" of running a witch's tent in the market, she keeps her market stall dim, smoky, and with a dense herbal smell because her customers expect it. She was the one who persuaded Granny to fly on a broom and gave Granny her broom. She appears briefly in the book Equal Rites.Erzulie Gogol
Mrs Gogol is a practitioner of voodoo living in Genua. She assists the Lancre coven in getting rid of the Duc and getting Ella (who is hinted to be Mrs Gogol's daughter) into her rightful place on the throne. She has a black cockrel named Legba, which is able to frighten Nanny Ogg's tomCat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
Greebo. She resurrected Baron Saturday
Baron Samedi
Baron Samedi is one of the Loa of Haitian Voodoo. Samedi is a Loa of the dead, along with Baron's numerous other incarnations Baron Cimetière, Baron La Croix, and Baron Kriminel. He is the head of the Guédé family of Loa, or an aspect of them, or possibly their spiritual father...
, Ella's father and a victim of Lilith de Tempscire's, as a zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
. She appears in Witches Abroad
Witches Abroad
Witches Abroad is the twelfth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, originally published in 1991.-Plot:Following the death of Witch, Desiderata Hollow, Magrat Garlick is sent her magic wand, for Desiderata was not only a witch, but also a Fairy Godmother. Having given the wand to Magrat, she...
.
Brenda Loveknot
Known professionally as "the Evil Brenda", Mistress Loveknot is mentioned in the court transcript in The Illustrated Wee Free Men. She is a professional "evil witch", who was present at Princess Sandy of Brokenrock's christening, and cursed her to be stunned by a falling hamster on her eighteenth birthday. This was done by arrangement with the king, on the understanding that it would lead, inevitably, to marriage to a handsome prince. In the transcript, Mistress Loveknot's lawyer is at pains to point out that she is not, in fact, evil, merely fulfilling a necessary role.Fairy godmothers
Fairy godmotherFairy godmother
In fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies...
s are something of a cross between a witch and a wizard. A fairy godmother is a woman, likely always a witch to start with, who, probably through a bequest, acquires a magical responsibility over the life of a single individual. Like wizards, fairy godmothers use a magically imbued rod (in this case a wand, rather than a staff) to produce wizz-bang effects like turning pumpkins into coaches. However, fairy godmothering is probably another aspect of witchcraft, relying heavily on narrative causality.
Desiderata Hollow
A fairy godmother who appears in Witches Abroad, although she dies very early on. Her career meant she travelled a lot, although she was based in Lancre. She was friends with Magrat, since no-one else in the area liked foreign food, and bequeathed her wand to her so she would stop Lilith's stories. Even though she misspells most words in her letters (like Nanny Ogg) and is seen as unintelligent by other witches, she accurately predicts her death (just like the witch Agnes Nutter, from Good OmensGood Omens
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is a World Fantasy Award nominated novel written in collaboration between the English authors Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman....
) and tells Magrat not to let Granny and Nanny go with her because she knew that was the only way they would agree to go.
Nettle
A fairy godmother, mentioned in The Wee Free Men and named in the court transcript in The Illustrated Wee Free Men. She gave Princess Sandy the traditional gifts of health, wealth and happiness, only to be sued by the princess when she didn't feel very happy. Nettle solved this problem by turning the princess into a mirror and her lawyer into a toad.Lily Weatherwax
The sister of Granny Weatherwax, featured in Witches Abroad. When Esme was still a child, Lily left Lancre following rows with her family—and possibly some sort of scandal—and changed her name to Lady Lilith de Tempscire (fr. temps cire, "weather wax"). She became a fairy godmother and "turned to the bad"; interestingly, Granny seems more offended by the fact Lily nonetheless was convinced she was the 'good one'. She became heavily involved with narrative magic and using mirrorMirror
A mirror is an object that reflects light or sound in a way that preserves much of its original quality prior to its contact with the mirror. Some mirrors also filter out some wavelengths, while preserving other wavelengths in the reflection...
s to boost her power, eventually becoming the power behind the throne of Genua. She looks very much like Esme, only younger (she is actually older). She failed to "find herself" at the end of Witches Abroad after being imprisoned in a dimension of mirrors, and has not been seen since.
Other media
In the 1995 BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
adaptation of Wyrd Sisters the witches were played by:
- Granny Weatherwax - Sheila HancockSheila HancockSheila Cameron Hancock, CBE is an English actress and author.-Early life:Sheila Hancock was born in Blackgang on the Isle of Wight, the daughter of Ivy Louise and Enrico Cameron Hancock, who was a publican. Her sister Billie is seven years older...
- Nanny Ogg - Lynda BaronLynda BaronLynda Baron is a BAFTA-nominated English stage, film and television actress, perhaps best known for playing the extremely busty Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, the object of Arkwright's affection, in the BBC comedy series Open All Hours....
- Magrat Garlick - Deborah Berlin
In the 1997 Cosgrove Hall Films
Cosgrove Hall Films
Cosgrove Hall Films was a British animation studio based in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, that once was a major producer of children's television programmes. Cosgrove Hall's programmes are still seen in over eighty countries...
animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
of Wyrd Sisters the witches were voiced by:
- Granny Weatherwax - Annette CrosbieAnnette CrosbieAnnette Crosbie, OBE is a Scottish character actor.-Life and career:Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actor. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens...
- Nanny Ogg - June WhitfieldJune WhitfieldJune Rosemary Whitfield, CBE is an English actress, well known in the United Kingdom since the 1950s for roles in radio and television comedy series....
- Magrat Garlick - Jane HorrocksJane HorrocksBarbara Jane Horrocks is an English voice, stage, screen and television actress, voice artist, musician, and singer. She is best known for her role as "Bubble" in the TV series Absolutely Fabulous as well as her distinctive voice....