Equal Rites

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Terry Pratchett The Discworld series 3rd novel – 1st Witches story
Outline
Characters:	Eskarina Granny Weatherwax
Locations:	Ankh-Morpork
Motifs:	Fantasy clichés, Feminism
Publication details
Year of release:	1987
Original publisher:	Victor Gollancz
Hardback ISBN:	ISBN 0575039507
Paperback ISBN:	ISBN 0552131059
Other details
Awards:
Notes:

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 where the main character is not Rincewind. It introduces the character of Granny Weatherwax who reappears in several later Discworld novels.

Synopsis

The wizard Drum Billet knows that he will soon die and travels to a place where an eighth son of an eighth son is about to be born. Since such a boy is destined to become a wizard (on the Discworld, the number eight has many of the magical properties that are ascribed to seven in the real world), Billet wants to pass his staff on to him as his successor.

However, the child born is actually a girl, Esk (full name Eskarina Smith). Since Billet notices his mistake too late, the staff is passed on to her.

As she grows up, it becomes apparent that she has uncontrollable powers, and the local witch Granny Weatherwax decides to travel with her to the Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork - but a female wizard is something completely unheard of on the Discworld.

Esk is unsuccessful in her first, direct, attempt to gain entry to the University, but Granny Weatherwax finds another way in; as a servant. While there she follows the progress of an apprentice wizard named Simon, who she had met earlier, on her way to Ankh-Morpork. Simon is a natural talent (wrongly referred to as a sourceror) who invents a whole new way of looking at the universe that reduces it to component numbers. His magic, however, is so powerful that it causes a hole to be opened into the dungeon dimensions. With Eskarina's help Simon discovers the weakness of the creatures from the dungeon dimensions, and manages to transport both himself and Eskarina back into the Discworld.

Notes

For reasons never explained, Esk never appeared in the Discworld novels again. Although she was the main character in the book, the only character (besides Death and Mrs Whitlow) who would appear again after the book was Granny Weatherwax, but the events of the book were never even mentioned again; the next 'witches' book, Wyrd Sisters, starts off with a virtually clean slate. The closest thing to mentions of the book that occur later in the series are in Lords and Ladies, when Granny mentions to Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully of Unseen University that she has been there a few times before and in Maskerade where she surprises Nanny Ogg by revealing that she has stayed at Rosie Palm's. Another almost-mention is that Granny learned to fly "late in life" – an event of Equal Rites.

Trivia

• The French translation continues the theme of the number 8 with the title La Huitième Fille (lit: The Eighth Daughter). The Colour of Magic is translated as La Huitième Couleur (lit: The Eighth Colour) and The Light Fantastic as Le Huitième Sortilège (lit: The Eighth Magic Spell).
• Rincewind appeared in four of the first five Discworld books before going into rotation with the other characters. This is the one book of the first five he does not have any part in.

Translations

• Еманципирана магия (Bulgarian)
• Čaroprávnost (Czech)
• Heksekunst og højere magi (Original Danish Title)
• Den ottende datter (New Danish)
• Meidezeggenschap (Dutch)
• Võluv Võrdsus (Estonian)
• Johan riitti! (Finnish)
• La Huitième Fille (French)
• Das Erbe des Zauberers (German)
• Νευρικες μαγισσες (Nevrikes magisses) (Greek)
• Egyenjogú rítusok (Hungarian)
• I Colori della Magia The Italian translation was published as part of I Colori della Magia (lit: The Colours of the Magic), a trilogy comprising of Il Colore di Magia (lit: The Colour of Magic), La Luce Fantastica (lit: The Fantastic Light) and L’Arte della Magia (lit: The Art of Magic). (Italian)
• Trollmannens stav (Norwegian)
• Równoumagicznienie (Polish)
• Ritos Iguais (Portuguese)
• Direitos Iguais, Rituais Iguais (Portuguese - Brazil)
• Magie de ambe sexe (Romanian)
• Творцы заклинаний (Russian)
• Jednakost rituala (Serbian)
• Ritos Iguales (Spanish)
• Trollkarlens stav (Swedish)
• Eşit haklar / eşit ayinler (Turkish)

External links

• [Annotations for Equal Rites]
• [Quotes from Equal Rites]
• ["Why Gandalf Never Married"]: 1985 talk by Pratchett discussing issues of gender and magic later elaborated in Equal Rites

References