#granny weatherwax

[jotun-philosopher]

Discworld/Good Omens parallels ramble

Exactly what it says on the tin! These are some fun little Discworld/Good Omens parallels that my brain picked up on at various times (usually 3 a.m. or thereabouts... Thanks, mum, for the persistent insomnia...)

Mild-to-moderate spoilers for Wyrd Sisters, Lords And Ladies, Men At Arms and Carpe Jugulum below the cut.

In A Life With Footnotes, the official biography of Terry Pratchett, Rob Wilkins mentions that when he was in school, a young Pterry wrote for English class a story (sadly lost to the mists of time) about orcs attacking a vicarage in full Jane-Austen-spoof fashion. Now, given how the Whickber Street Shopkeepers' Ball turned out, it seems reasonable to assume one of two things: a) Neil Gaiman did not know about this story when writing S2 and the parallel is an ineffably delightful coincidence (a bit unlikely) b) Neil Gaiman *did* know about this story when writing S2, and the nod to Pterry happened to work really well with the plot (seems a bit more likely). Either way, the parallel is there and giving me all of the warm fuzzies <3

There's an idea in Discworld, forming a significant part of the moral backbone of the series, that's very succinctly summed up by Granny Weatherwax in Carpe Jugulum: "[S]in [...] is when you treat people like things. Including yourself." This is absolutely at the core of what's wrong with Heaven and Hell and God and Satan in Good Omens; the leadership and culture of both organisations/cults treat everyone -- angels, demons and humans alike -- as disposable things to be used and toyed with and discarded or destroyed if they start having the temerity to be imperfect or form opinions or thoughts of their own.

There're two characters in Discworld who parallel Aziraphale surprisingly strongly: Magrat Garlick (of the Lancre witches) and Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. -*Magrat is viewed as a bit of a soft, soppy 'wet hen' by the other witches, but she is still a witch, with all that that implies. She also has at least one scene in every book in which she appears where she does something extremely badass and witchy; for example, turning an ancient wooden door back into a tree, or (very pertinently to GO) delivering a literally iron-clad punch to the face of a villain who's mentally torturing her with her own insecurities. Likewise, Aziraphale seems to mostly be viewed as a bit dull and wimpy by the other angels we see (though Magrat still has the genuine respect of her witchy peers) but he is still an angel -- a Principality -- with all the powers, steadfast guardianship and bloody-minded stubbornness of that rank. The Metatrash might not be vulnerable to iron in the same way as Discworld elves, but you can bet that his attempt to break Aziraphale and bring him into line is going to backfire just as spectacularly! *For the parallel between Aziraphale and Captain (well, Corporal, at this point in the Discworld timeline) Carrot, the novel I have in mind is Men At Arms. At one point, Vimes is being held at crossbow-point by a villain, and has a bout of internal monologuing about how, if someone has you at their mercy, you'd better hope they're evil, because that way they'll take time to gloat and mock you so you'll have an opportunity to think of a way out; a good man will kill you with barely a word. Carrot does exactly that at the climax of the plot, putting his sword through the villain and the stone pillar behind said villain without saying a thing. Now, Aziraphale might not quite have Carrot's 'incorruptible pure pureness' tendencies, but he is -- for all his flaws -- a good person. If he knows that something needs to be done to prevent an evil outcome, he will DO it without hesitation. He knows how to use a sword, too, and if That Frickin' Elevator Smile Of Tranquil Fury is any indication, the Metatrash is in far deeper doodoo than he realises! Related to the above, The Smile also reminds me of the old adage, "beware the fury of a patient man." (Well, man-shaped being in this case...) Very appropriate for our careful, thoughtful angel -- it would not surprise me (much) if Metatron were to depart the plot of S3 with a flaming sword pinning him to one of Heaven's columns (probably won't happen, but I can dream, eh?)

Hope you enjoyed reading all that :D

[quasi-normalcy]

Sometimes I think about how Esme Weatherwax desperately wanted to be the evil twin, but the logic of narrative causality constrained her to be good after Lilly turned evil.

[sator-the-wanderer]

For the Discworld designs series, the witches of Lancre

[chechula]

Discworld witches for dear Ari ♥ Female characters are one reason why I love Discworld so much♥ Thanks, mister Pratchett for them, for writing just regular girls and ladies doing weird fantasy stuff ♥

[dark-lord-tom-returns]

So I'm reading Witches Abroad and the first time we see Granny use magic is in Desiderata's cottage. Desiderata (deceased) was a big proponent of everyday magic. She was also quite blind. So when Granny and Nanny check on her cottage and definitely are not looking for her wand, there are no matches for the fireplace.

Granny doesn't like everyday magic. She says so. She even tells Nanny that if they found the wand she wouldn't use it, emphatically. She doesn't like the habit. But she's annoyed and wants her tea and needs a fire for that. So she uses magic.

But then she sees the mirror. And the face looking back isn't hers but Lilith's. Heres a quote about Granny:

"Very few people in the world had more self-control than Granny Weatherwax. It was as rigid as a bar of cast iron. And about as flexible."

And she smashes the mirror immediately and without hesitation.

Now we don't know who Lilith is to Granny at this point but upon reread this is a particularly interesting passage. By the end of the book we know Lilith is "the bad witch" and because she is Granny "had to be the good one".

Granny hates the fact she has to be the good one. She knows that if she was the bad one she'd be the most terrifying witch the Disc has ever seen. But she has to be the good one. That's her responsibility since Lilith turned out bad. She has to be good and she has to be responsible, especially since she has the power to be so evil and do so much damage if she ever lost control.

And I think that's why Granny smashes the mirror right then. She was annoyed at the lack of matches, she wanted tea, she used magic to get it. And that's not responsible witchcraft in her mind. So when she find Lilith looking at her through the mirror, she sees the person that forced her to have that self control. That made Granny Weatherwax a good witch when she wanted to be the bad one. And that hurt her.

This is also interesting when you consider Sam Vimes relationship with alcohol. Vimes used alcohol as a way to deal with a feeling of helplessness and lack of control. That addiction numbed the emotional pain and he had to be so careful in later books not to fall back into that habit.

Granny is the opposite. Her power is, maybe not addictive, but something she takes immense pride in. She wants to use it, she became the most powerful witch (not the most talented, that's Nanny) through hard work and dedication. But she can't use it because that wouldn't be responsible. Because everytime she uses it, it becomes a little easier to justify using a little more until she's using it for everything. Or anything. And she can't because she has to be the good one.

How much self control must that take? Granny spent her entire life becoming the best at what she does. Decades of mastering her craft and when she reaches the top she had to essentially stop. To put it aside and only use it in the most responsible way possible because if she slips, it's a long long way to the bottom.

Cast iron indeed.

[fourdiagnosesinatrenchcoat]

She would hate this phrasing but my faith in the Church of Granny Weatherwax is being revived by this latest reread of the witches books. Her exchanges with Mightily Oats are so vital.

[bongwater-supreme]

Granny Weatherwax and Sam Vimes wouldn’t get on at all, and they’d never admit why, but it’s because they’re too similar. They both have an internal morality more sturdy and unmovable than a mountain, they both know they contain the capacity for great evil, but keep themselves in line with self discipline the likes of which most people couldn’t dream of. They both know about the importance of choice, and of truth, and of autonomy. If either of them were able to look past their aversion to seeing their own reflection, and worked together, they’d be fucking unstoppable.

Something about two of the main Discworld series being focused on these intensely determined, stubbornly moral people just really means a lot to me. You’ve got Moist using his criminal mind to help people, and the wizards doing whatever wizards do, and Death showing kindness to people in their most vulnerable moments. And you’ve got these two, making the world a better place whether it likes it or not. It will get better, or else, they say. Or else you’ll have me to deal with.

[woostershiresauce]

No fucks to be found in Discworld books.

[unashamedly-enthusiastic]

The entire original discworld audio book catalogue

[cephalopod-celabrator]

A feature I noticed that Vimes, Granny Weatherwax, and Tiffany Aching, three of the most major discworld protagonists, have in common is that they all bear an immense anger that they use for good. Vimes has an anger that an eldritch vengeance demon sees as ideal, and yet has such self control that he contains not only the rage but the demon with it. Granny has her white-hot anger that she lets build inside of her until she releases it and gods help any that stand in her way when she does. And while Tiffany isn't as cynical or intimidating as the other two, I do believe that she holds the same righteous anger. When that little girl lets it out, literal gods fear her. And yet none of them let this anger make them abusive to those around them. Vimes might snap at people, Granny might seem a bit intimidating, and Tiffany might make the occasional stupid decision or comment out of anger, but they all ultimately have self control and will always direct that anger towards helping those that need it. Although, for your own safety, do not threaten Sam Vimes Junior, do not tell Granny Weatherwax what she is not allowed to do, and do not hurt Tiffany Aching's sheep.

[terapsina]

Random Discworld Question!

[talayse]

When I find myself in times of trouble

Granny Weatherwax comes to me

speaking words of wisdom:

I can't be having with this.

[puttingthebiinmorbid]

Rip Nanny Ogg you would have loved the song Rasputin

[potato-lord-but-not]

HAPPY GLORIOUS 25th EVERYONE GO GRAB YOURSELF SOME FREE STICKERS !!!! TODAY ONLY HEEMHEEM

(I’m using a google form bc kofi doesn’t have a free option for physical items </3)

[peppermintquartz]

This is my bias, but if Granny Weatherwax heard that some kid is sent off to fight a dark lord based on a prophecy, she would not only kill the dark lord herself but also kick the trousers* out of any bastard who thought that sending a literal child to uncertain death was the right thing to do.

*or any article of clothing of her choice

[iseutz]

Teen Magrat, complete with excessive kajal and mystical jewelry, finally completes my "Young Witches of Lancre" series.

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