This article contains brief biographies for prominent characters fromTerry Pratchett'sDiscworld series. More central characters' biographies are also listed in articles relating to the organisations they belong to, main characters have their own articles.
Characters are listed alphabetically by name and/or group.
AKlatchian warrior and bodyguard who accompanies his Prince, Khufurah, anenvoy on a diplomatic mission from Klatch to Ankh-Morpork in the21stDiscworld novel,Jingo.Ahmed belongs to a formidable but honourable warrior clan called theD'regs. Speaking purposefully with a heavy accent and chewing cloves he is suspected of killing the Watch's prime suspect in a botched assassination attempt on the prince; provoking Vimes and the Watch to pursue Ahmed back to Klatch.
Ahmed got his nickname by killing a man guilty of poisoning a well, one hour before the cultural D'reg three days ofunwaveringhospitality allowed; a time during which even great enemies should be shown respect. He is later revealed to be theWali of Klatch, equivalent to Vimes's position as Commander of the City Watch. Ahmed and Vimes eventually develop a wary respect for each other as basically honest cops in unenviable positions.
Acharacter in itself, Ankh-Morpork is the largest city on the Disc with 1 million inhabitants, and a common location for many of the Discworld's stories. Its nickname is "the Big Wahoonie" (an ugly, smellyfruit). Originally two cities separated by a river, Ankh and Morpork today are governed as onecity-state. Ankh-Morpork contains the Assassin's guild, the Unseen University and the City Watch amongst many other famousDiscworld institutions. Many of its denizens appear sporadically through the series in the novels set in the city.
The Ankh-MorporkWatch, simply known as just "The Watch", is Ankh-Morpork's police force.Prominent members being;
The Auditors of Reality areformlessnon-beings housed under grey cloaks with no distinguishing marks. Auditors do not speak; they re-arrange the world as they wish to express without words being uttered. Auditors areneutral, devoid of emotion but are opposed to thechaoticmorass of emotions ofhumanity. This is because humanity is messy and upsets thelogicallyreasoned order of the universe; by which the Auditors feel the universe should be run without let or hindrance.
Auditors appear ineleventhDiscworld novel,Reaper Man, attempting to replaceDeath with a more amenable professional, with less of anidentity and personality. The Auditors choose to remain at odds with Death as he champions the concepts ofidentity,individuality andpersonality, which remain alien to the Auditors. Any Auditors who start to exhibit expressions of individuality are instantaneously disintegrated intonon-existence and immediately replaced by a new identical facsimile. Auditors are supposedly of onemind, always acting in concert withunanimity, but as more interaction withreality occurs this unison gradually and inevitably breaks down as disagreement, bickering, creativity and jealousy formulate, with Auditors developingconsciousness. A notable example of an Auditor going through the process ofanthropopathism isMyria LeJean, (myriad andlegion), who appears in the26thDiscworld novel,Thief of Time, who rebels against the Auditors in their mission to destroy humanity.
The 'greyness' of the Auditors may be a nod to The Grey Men of the novelMomo and its similar paranormal entities.
The Head Cashier and all but in charge of the Royal Bank ofAnkh-Morpork, makes his first appearance in the36thDiscworld novel,Making Money.Mr Bent has been employed at the bank since he was thirteen, when he came to the city with a group of travelling accountants. He was born as aclown, but his first time performing the audience laughing at him caused him to flee and join a group of travelling accountants, discovering his talent for numbers.
Mavolio Bent's history bears a passing resemblance to that ofJohn Major who was born the son of amusic hall performer, but left to join a bank, eventually becomingPrime Minister of the UK, 1990–1997.Andrew Rawnsley said that he "ran away from the circus to join a troupe of accountants".[1]
Polly Perks's platoon commander in31stDiscworld novel,Monstrous Regiment,Blouse is an effeminate aristocrat who was promoted from administrator in the Quartermaster-General's Blanket, Bedding, and Horse Fodder Department to field command with no previous experience, thanks toBorogravia's rapidly diminishing supply of combat-ready men.
Blouse's ambition to have an item of clothing or a food named after him, following in the tradition of famous military men, is eventually fulfilled when a fingerless glove is given his name. Blouse's talent formathematics andtechnology propel him to success despite a feminine manner and lack of martial prowess[2] signalling a change in Discworld warfare asintelligence and technology begin to replace bravery and fighting skill. Blouse comes to respect the women serving under him.
Brutha is anOmniannovice at the Citadel in the capital city of Kom[3] in the13thDiscworld novel,Small Gods. Omnia is anautocratictheocracy that believes in the existence of only one God,The Great God Om. Brutha is a dutiful and trulyfaithful lad; his devotion being instilled from infancy by being raised by hispiously strict grandmother.[4] Brutha is word-perfect on Omnian religious texts thanks to hiseidetic memory but unable to read or write. By virtue of his memory, Brutha retains all conversations and moments from the day of his birth.[5]
Brutha finds a one-eyedtortoise in the soft soil of hismelon patch, the tortoise is actually the Great God Om afflicted with temporaryamnesia, which recedes in the presence of Brutha.[6] Brutha is the sole remaining truebeliever of Om as all other Omnians have unknowingly shifted their belief to thestructure of the church itself, leaving Om with almost no godly powers, resulting in his earthlymanifestation into a tortoise with memory loss instead of a rampaging giant bull.
Brutha comes to the attention ofDeaconVorbis, theChief Exquistor in charge of theQuisition, who intends to use Brutha's amazing memory to invade and occupy the neighbouring country of Ephebe and propel himself to head of the Omnian church.[7] Brutha foils Vorbis's plans, restores Om's godly powers, resolves the conflict between Omnia and the other nations on the Klatchian coast and becomes theCenobiarch and the EighthProphet of the Church. Hereforms the Church into a "constitutional religion", one where even Om has to obey his own commandments.[8] Brutha fills his time as Cenobiarch by copying all of the lost works from theGreat Library of Ephebe fire that had occurred during the Omnian occupation of Ephebe.[9]
Seldom Bucket was a big man incheese production inAnkh-Morpork, who just prior to the events inMaskerade, purchases the Ankh-MorporkOpera House. Seldom believes he can make money from opera like he can from cheese, he becomes horrified to learn how expensive opera is, and it is in fact amoney pit. This becomes exacerbated by the slew of strange murders being committed by the 'Opera Ghost', causing Seldom to rethink his purchase.
Carcer (from theItalian:Carcere) is thepsychopathic villain of29thDiscworld novel,Night Watch, described by Vimes as "a stone-cold killer. With brains". His full name is revealed in a preview ofNight Watch but not in the completed novel, as Carcer Dun.
Carcer has a talent for unnerving people, an annoying laugh and a perpetual conviction of his own innocence despite his many crimes, which include at least two murders. Carcer claims his original crime was stealing a loaf of bread[10] although, Vimes says, Carcer would have murdered the baker and stolen the whole bakery.
Following a rooftop chase across Unseen University in a magical thunderstorm, both Carcer and Vimes are transported thirty years into the past, about a week before theGlorious Revolution of the Twenty-Fifth of May. Carcer immediately murders Pseudopolitan watchman John Keel and joins Lord Winder'ssecret police force, theCable Street Particulars (also known as theUnmentionables), quickly climbing through their ranks to become a sergeant. Ultimately, Carcer is returned to the present day and arrested by Vimes.
In the16thDiscworld novel,Soul Music,Imp Y Celyn (Welsh:[ɪmpəˈkɛlɨ̞n],lit. 'Bud of theholly', apun on "Buddy Holly") is abard from the mountainous country ofLlamedos who is possessed by "Music with Rocks in" and becomes the Disc's greatest musician under the nameBuddy, people comment on him appearing a little "elvish". Buddy founds theBand with Rocks In, along with Cliff and Glod. The band tries to adhere to thehedonisticrock'n'roll stereotypical lifestyle of 'live fast and die young,' as they tour the Disc to the new fans of this music. An intervention by Death leads to atimeline change, where the music ends and Imp may have been seen working in a fried-fish stall inQuirm, a reference toKirsty MacColl's song "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis".
Christine is a pretty, thin, blonde chorus singer at the Ankh-Morpork Opera House, in the18thDiscworld novel,Maskerade, who wears white and uses exclamation marks at the end of every sentence. She is an extraordinarily untalented singer in aninverse proportion to her beauty, but she has 'star talent'. The Opera House management promotes Christine because of her beauty and because her father helped finance the purchase of the Ankh-Morpork Opera House. Christine performs onstage bylip-syncing to the voice ofAgnes Nitt who remains backstage. Christine's father once told her that a "dear little pixie" would help her career and she thinks that Agnes might be that pixie.
Roland de Chumsfanleigh — pronounced 'de Chuffley', which, as Pratchett says,is not his fault — is the son of theBaron of the Chalkland. Roland is introduced as a 12-year-old in the30thDiscworld novel,The Wee Free Men, the first novel in theTiffany Aching series. A dull-wittedchild, Roland is kidnapped and held by the Queen of theElves for a year, eventually being freed by Tiffany.
InWintersmith, now a young man Roland is recruited by theNac Mac Feegle to perform the role of the mythicHero in the Dance of the Seasons, to fix the damage done by Tiffany and the Wintersmith.
InI Shall Wear Midnight, the fourth book in the series, Roland marriesLetitia Keepsake, a good-natured, pampered aristocrat.
Ghenghiz Cohen, known as Cohen the Barbarian, is ahero in the classical sense, that is, a professional thief, brawler and ravisher of women. Cohen is introduced in thesecondDiscworld novel,The Light Fantastic, and returns prominently inInteresting Times andThe Last Hero. Cohen is theDiscworld's greatest warrior hero, renowned for rescuing maidens, destroying mad high priests of dark cults, looting ancient ruins, and so on. Cohen first appears already as a toothless sinewy old man, with a long white beard that reaches below his loincloth and with a patch over one eye — "a legend in his own lifetime" — but still tough enough to handle anything, as to survive to such an age one must be very good as a barbarian indeed. Cohen supposes he might be between 90 and 95, before acquiring a set of diamonddentures made of troll teeth.
Cohen has outlived the heroic age and finds himself in a world where great battles and astonishing rescues rarely happen except in stories, one of the last beingTroll Bridge where Cohen and atroll reminisce about the good old days when everyone respected tradition.
InInteresting Times Cohen becomes Emperor of theAgatean Empire by his own hand, but soon becomes bored and invades the home of the Gods inThe Last Hero, by "returning fire to the gods, with interest". Cohen is last seen stealing horses belonging to theValkyries and riding into the sky, to explore space.
Cohen's name and character may be a literary echo ofRobert E. Howard's characterConan the Barbarian andGenghis Khan, combined with the Jewish surnameCohen, because he can bring you "wholesale slaughter".
Cohen boasts of fathering dozens of children over his long life, but only one is introduced — Conina, who appears inSourcery.
Conina is the daughter ofCohen the Barbarian and a temple dancer, introduced in thefifthDiscworld novel,Sourcery. Described as both a well-endowed, beautiful, and a skilled fighter due to attributes inherited from both parents, she nonetheless aspires to be a hairdresser, despite her natural talents as a barbarian heroine, where her genetics keep getting in the way, so she instinctively kills people who threaten her. Conina falls in love withNijel the Destroyer, a clerk with the talents and physique to match who, despite having no aptitude for it, desperately wants to be a barbarian hero.
Mrs Cosmopilite is adressmaker, who first appears in10thDiscworld novel,Moving Pictures as 'Vice-President' of Costuming andTheda Withel's landlady. Mrs Cosmopilite holds some individualistic ideas; amongst them she believes the Disc is under threat from inhuman monsters, that the world is round and that threedwarfs look in on her undressing every night.
Mrs Cosmopilite known to be venerated by the History Monks, who know that knowledge is greater if it comes from further away. This reverence might be attributed toLu-Tze, a formerlodger of Mrs Cosmopilite. Lu-Tze wrote down many of Marietta'sworking classaphorisms as guides by which to live life. The sayings serving dual purpose of stereotypical utterances of an older working-class woman and pieces of oriental wisdom. An example being, "I wasn't born yesterday" which, as Lu Tze points out, resembles one of the key revelations of Wen the Eternally Surprised, who, in reference to the continually destroyed and renewed nature of the universe, and the constancy of revelation, said "I was not born-yesterday!".
Miss Sacharissa Cripslock is thereporter for theAnkh-Morpork Times appearing in the25thDiscworld novelThe Truth and subsequent novels, having originally arrived at theprint-works to complain about the invention ofmoveable type putting her father, anengraver out of a job.
Sacharissa combines herbuxom qualities, talent for asking devious questions, ability to think in headlines and hereditorial skills to be a skilful roving reporter.
Adora Belle Dearheart is a cynical, angrychain-smoker. Her father Robert Dearheart, founded theGrand Trunk Semaphore Company and was conned out of it byReacher Gilt. Forced into employment, Adora obtains a post at theGolem Trust, an organisation that seeks to liberate golems from slavery. Appearing first in33rdDiscworld novel,Going Postal, Adora starts a tentative relationship withMoist von Lipwig, filled withTracy and Hepburn-style combativebanter. Intelligent and intuitive, Adora can easily see through Moist'sschemes. Out of fondness, she allows him to call herSpike. Adora wears what she claims are "the pointiest heels in the world" which she uses to deal with unwelcome advances.
Death is the Disc's version of theGrim Reaper. He appears in every Discworld novel except forThe Wee Free Men andSnuff.
Claude Maximillian Overton Transpire Dibbler — usually known by the epithet "Cut-Me-Own-Throat", CMOT Dibbler, or simply Dibbler, or even sometimes as just "Throat" — might be described as the Discworld's most enterprisingly successful unsuccessful entrepreneur, no-one has failed at success more times than Dibbler. A 'merchant venturer' ofAnkh-Morpork, and the master of selling the 'sizzle' over the steak, Dibbler is most famous for selling meat by-products to unsuspecting passers-by, and also suspecting passers-by who have gotten sick from his sausages before, thus demonstrating that he is indeed a very good salesman.
CMOT's nickname originates from his catchphrase "... and at that price, I'm cutting me own throat". Dibbler has been described as looking like a rodent wearing long 'poacher's' coat covered in pockets, he is usually seen either carrying a tray or, in financially better times, pushing a barrow.
Dibbler for a time ran amail-order service, including but not limited to 'fong shooey' advice, 'Grand Master Lobsang Dibbler'martial-arts lessons,Dibbler's Genuine Soggy Mountain Dew gin, souvenirsnow-globes, and advertising space in theAnkh-Morpork Times. Dibbler has branched out becoming at times:
When Dibbler's businesses (inevitably) fail, he falls back on selling 'pies (named meat for extra cost) with personality' and 'pig'sausages-inna-bun, where the sausages contain parts that might have been near a pig if you're lucky.
Dibbler's nickname might be atemporal paradox suggested by a time displacedSamuel Vimes. The wizard,Rincewind postulates that equivalents of Dibbler are everywhere. This theory is bourne out by the appearance of many versions of Dibbler throughout the Discworld series, some prominent ones being;
Others include:
Mentioned inThe Science of Discworld, another Dibbler equivalent isRatonasticthenes fromEphebe. It was previously thought they all might be related, but theDiscworld Companion explains that this isparallel evolution. "Wherever people are prepared to eat terrible food," it says, "there will be someone there to sell it to them."
Dibbler appeared in theCosgrove Hall animations ofSoul Music andWyrd Sisters, where his appearance was modelled onPrivate Walker, thespiv inDad's Army.
A character named C!Mot is briefly mentioned in non-Discworld novel,The Also People, byBen Aaronovitch. Aaronovitch has confirmed that C!Mot is intended as a parallel Dibbler. A character called 'Clap-Me-In-Irons Daoibleagh' appears in thewebcomicRogues of Clwyd-Rhan.
TheCretaceousconifer speciesSulcatocladus dibbleri is named after CMOT Dibbler.[12]
Meaning "Two-Fingered" inEphebian,Didactylos is a Disc philosopher who bears more than a passing resemblance toDiogenes the Cynic in the13thDiscworld novel,Small Gods. Didactylos lives in a barrel inside the wall of the palace of theTyrant in Ephebe, crafting bespokephilosophies,axioms andaphorisms forscraps. Although Didactylos is one of the most popular philosophers on the Disc, Didactylos never earns the respect of his fellow philosophers, who say he thinks 'about the wrong things', his authorship of the scroll,De Chelonian Mobile, which contradicts Omniandogma about the shape of the Discworld, was one catalyst in Vorbis' plans to annex Ephebe. A commonmotif for Didactylos is being pictured with alantern though blind and looking for an "honest man". Didactylos is made an Omnian bishop by Brutha.
Appearing inFeet of Clay,Dragon King of Arms is the vampire chief herald at the Royal College of Arms of Ankh-Morpork. He informs Sam Vimes that he is not entitled to a coat of arms due to his ancestor Suffer-Not-Injustice 'Stoneface' Vimes'executing Lorenzo the Kind, the last King of Ankh-Morpork, while at the same time proposing that Corporal Nobby Nobbs may be the heir to the Earldom of Ankh.
Dragon becomes involved in a plot to return Ankh-Morpork to a monarchy by deposing of the current Patrician and thesystem he runs.
Evil Harry Dread is thearchetypal, villainous counterpart to Cohen the Barbarian; an old fashionedheroic fantasy type annoyed with how the Discworld haschanged; such as modern heroes always blocking his escape tunnel before confronting him. Harry isproud of being aDark Lord. Heroes don't bear him any grudges; he always lets them win and in return they always let him escape, the opposite of the modernEvil Overlord List. Evil Harry Dread follows the 'rules' by hiring stupid henchmen, investing in helmets that cover thewhole face and placing heroes in overly contrived, easily escapabledeath-traps.
In the27thDiscworld novel,The Last Hero, Harry joins Cohen's gang, the Silver Horde on the quest to 'return fire to the gods' by blowing up the mountain. True to his villainous archetype, Harry betrays them. The Horde praise him for still being a reliable Dark Lord to the end.
The D'regs, anomadic and warlike people who inhabit the desert regions of hubward Klatch. The D'regs are ferocious in battle, which they like to do and will attack anyone and anything, even themselves if bored, this can be put on hold in their tradition ofhospitality similar to the ancient Greek law ofxenia a guest will be cared for a duration of 72 hours, after that,all bets are off. Noted member71-Hour Ahmed got his name by violating the 3-day custom, an act so unthinkable thatother D'regs call him the most feared man in all of Klatch.Distrust is generally encouraged among the D'regs; Ahmed tells Vimes that his mother would be greatly offended if he trusted her, because she would then feel she had not brought him up right.
The21stDiscworld novel,Jingo, notes that 'D'reg' is a name given by others. It means 'enemy', in this case, everybody else's, the D'regs proudly adopted this. The D'regs share many similarities with theTuareg people of theSahara ofNorth Africa.
Secretary toLord Vetinari, thePatrician of Ankh-Morpork, following the death ofLupine Wonse, he first appears in15thDiscworld novel,Men at Arms he commonly is seen entering and leaving the presence of the Patrician bearing either paperwork or verbal information on the activities of the denizens of the city, or theDisc in general.Drumknott is trulyneutral and doesn't reflect on what his files contain, just that they arefiled correctly.
William de Worde describes Drumknott as someone with "no discernible personality". InUnseen Academicals, Drumknott shows no love for football, but inRaising Steam, he develops a keen interest in the newly-emergent railway, wishing to spend more time aboardIron Girder, the Discworld'sfirst steam locomotive.
Gaspode the Wonder Dog first appears in thetenthDiscworld novel,Moving Pictures. Named for theGaspode who faithfully stayed by his master's grave and whined, he and a number of other animals gainself-awareness and the ability tospeak when theHoly Wood Dream escapes, and is compelled to travel toHoly Wood to break into thenascent film industry.[13] Gaspode becomes theagent for Victor Tugelbend andLaddie, winning them pay raises from CMOT Dibbler. Gaspode and Laddie blow up theOdiumpicture-throwing pit during the disrupted premiere ofBlown Away to kill a creature from theDungeon Dimensions, and destroy theportal created by the "click"; left for dead, he climbs out of the wreckage and reverts to a normal dog when the Holy Wood Dream ends.
InMen at Arms, Gaspode has regained his sapience and ability to speak after too much time sleeping by the High Energy Magic Building at Unseen University, he assists the Night Watch's investigation of a plot involving the Disc's first and only 'gonne'. Gaspode simultaneously resents canine subservience to humanity and yearns formasterly companionship, he is able to shout commands at dogs as would a human, much to his self-disgust. InFeet of Clay, Gaspode becomes Foul Ole Ron's Thinking Brain Dog and part of the Canting Crew. InThe Fifth Elephant, Gaspode helps Captain Carrot to track Angua down after she flees back to her native Überwald, where he explores his innatelupine nature.
InThe Truth, the existence of a talking dog has become a well-knownurban myth along with therightful King of Ankh-Morpork walking the streets of the city. Gaspode assists the newly created Ankh-MorporkTimes's by becoming an informant called "Deep Bone".
Reacher Gilt appears in the33rdDiscworld novel,Going Postal, he is the head of aconsortium of financiers who had beenembezzling from theclacks network since it was set up, and who, when itreached the point of collapse,bought the original owners outwith their own money.
A ruthless businessman with a piratical appearance; an eyepatch and acockatoo that screams "twelve and a half percent!" (one eighth, as in "pieces of eight"), Reacher is a shameless con-artist and fraudster whose business style is akin to playing "find the lady with entire banks". Under Gilt's management, the clacks network became more profitable through via atunneling fraud, but less reliable. Gilt pushes the network to near ruination, making sure no rivals appear by having hishired assassin,Mr Gryle deal with them. Reacher believes one day he will replaceLord Vetinari. A self-proclaimed advocate of freedom of choice, Gilt states that despite the communications monopoly held by the Grand Trunk Company, consumers still had the freedom to hand-deliver messages in person if they did not want to use the clacks network.
JHC Goatberger is anAnkh-Morpork publisher whose company printedThe Joye of Snacks byA Lancre Witch and theAnkh-Morpork Almanack. Mr Goatberger prints hisAlmanacks on thin paper, as many families keep old editions in theirprivies.
In the18thDiscworld novel,Maskerade, Goatberger makes a great deal of money from Nanny's book, and is surprised she wants some of it. He also appears inNanny Ogg's Cookbook, in a series of memos drawn to seem pinned to some pages. These form a discussion about the book between him and his head printer, Thomas Cropper. After a previous experience with Nanny Ogg's writing he wants to avoid innuendo, but is not entirely successful. His nephew has a similar exchange with Cropper in the pages ofThe Discworld Almanak.
Goatberger's name is aplay onJohannes Gutenberg, with his first initials deriving from aphrase referring to Jesus Christ.
Tolliver Groat is one of the two remaining employees of the Ankh-MorporkPost Office prior toMoist von Lipwig being made Postmaster in the33rdDiscworld novel,Going Postal. Tolliver is a "very old man" in a cheap (possibly sentient) wig; Groat had spent most of his career in the Post Office as aJunior Postman, since until von Lipwig's arrival none of the other Postmasters appointed by Lord Vetinari had survived long enough to promote him. Groat does not trust doctors, which is understandable as he lives in Ankh-Morpork (see#Doughnut Jimmy), he instead treats himself with a variety of apparently dubious 'natural' home remedies, including concoctions made withsulfur orarsenic, and a poultice made ofbread pudding.
Groat is a habitual speaker of Dimwell Arrhythmicrhyming slang, the only known rhyming slang in the universe that does not actually rhyme. Groat refers to hiswig with, "It's all mine, you know, not a prunes", short for a "syrup of prunes" which in Dimwell slang means 'wig', inCockney rhyming slang it's "syrup of figs." Tolliver eventually achieves promotion to acting-Postmaster General as Moist moves on to assume control of the Royal Bank of Ankh Morpork.
Herrena the Henna-Haired Harridan, thename says it all really, is an ex-opponent, rival and lover of Cohen. Too proud to be a seamstress, too intelligent to be a wife, Herrena took the only other profession then available for a woman with spirit and no discernible magical talent. Herenna is a barbarian heroine of the old school, alongside her compatriot Red Scharron, another heroine who might remind some ofRed Sonja ofConan the Barbarian fame
Officialfalconer atLancre Castle,Hodgesaargh is not his actual name, no one knows his given name as whenever Hodgesaargh introduces himself his birds attack him remorselessly. ("Hello, my name is Hodges...ARRRRRGH").
Hodgesaargh first appears in the14thDiscworld novel,Lords and Ladies, where he survives an elvish invasion of Lancre castle, thanks to the deadly nature of his birds. The official Lancre ceremonial outfit of red and gold with a big floppy hat is supplemented with about threeplasters for him. One of the more famous birds he breeds is theWowhawk, or Lappet-faced Worrier, like agoshawk but being short-sighted, preferring to walk everywhere and faints at the sight of blood.
InCarpe Jugulum Hodgesaargh discovers aphoenix and becomes one of the few Discworld inhabitants to helpGranny Weatherwax in a time of great need.
Hodgesaargh is based on a real-life keeper ofbirds of prey namedDave Hodges, who lives inNorthamptonshire, and is the author ofThe Arts of Falconrie and Hawking.
Stanley Howler is one of the two remaining employees of the Ankh-MorporkPost Office prior toMoist von Lipwig being madePostmaster in the18thDiscworld novel,Going Postal.
Raised bypeas (no further explanation is given), Stanley has a tendency towardsobsessive behaviour, coupled with violent incidents (his 'little moments') when under stress. He used to be one of the more obsessive of Ankh-Morpork's large number ofpin collectors (called 'pinheads'), to the point that all the other collectors thought he was "a bit weird about pins". DuringGoing Postal, Stanley witnesses the destruction of his pin collection, which fortunately coincides with the invention of thepostage stamp, to which he now redirects his obsessive behaviour by becoming astamp collector andphilatelist.
Stanley Howler may be connected toRoundworld history viaStanley Gibbons, a company which publishes catalogues of stamps for collectors; thehowler is a type of monkey, belonging to the samesimian family as the gibbon.
In thefirstDiscworld novel,The Colour of Magic,Hrun appears asthe archetypal fantasybarbarian hero ofyore: hulking and muscle-bound yet slow-witted, battle-prone, alcoholic, and fond ofvirgins. Hrun stole his magical talking sword,Kring, after a battle, but regrets it due to the sword's talkativeness.
Hrun meetsRincewind in the lair ofBel Shamharoth and helps him escape only to be caught by the Dragonriders of the Wyrmberg, led by the curvaceousLiessa Dragonbidder. Liessa needed Hrun to wrest rule of the Wyrmberg away from herundead father and powerful brothers so she could become queen. Hrun's payment would be her hand in marriage. Hrun successfully defeats Liessa's brothers with his bare hands and Liessa banishes them. Just as Liessa strips naked before Hrun to test his desire, Rincewind andTwoflower swoop in on a dragon and snatch Hrun flying away with him. Hrun is miffed at this but as Twoflower faints this causes the dragon to disappear which existed only through willpower. As all three passengers fall, Liessa catches Hrun with her own dragon flying back to the Wrymberg.
Hrun's name and physique may have some semblance ofThrud the Barbarian; also being fromChimeria, makes one think ofConan the Cimmerian.
A character in the31stDiscworld novel,Monstrous Regiment,Jack Jackrum is an immensely fat, hard-bittenBorograviansergeant major with decades of military experience. He is known, either personally or by reputation, by practically every soldier in the Borogravian Army, and boasts that he is probably quite well known by the soldiers of the enemy armies too. Jackrum has, over the decades, been the sergeant in command of (or under) a number of young soldiers who then rose up to the Army's high command, and thus wields considerable influence. Such influence that Jackrum just about manages to stay one step ahead of hisdischarge papers which are constantly in pursuit of him via the army mail. Jackrum trainsPolly Perks and the other recruits of theMonstrous Regiment, and although is constantly threatening to put them all on afizzer, he gradually earns the respect of all the recruits.
It is possible that there are elements of Jack Jackrum that were influenced byTerry Pratchett's close friend,Bernard Pearson.
BS Johnson orBergholdt Stuttley Johnson — better known by his epithetBloody Stupid — is an ineptengineer andlandscape artist. Johnson's notoriety is founded from a single-minded approach to his craft, best described as 'demented'. BS Johnson created some of the Disc's most impressive, dangerous, and unusual works of architecture, art, and engineering:the Johnson Exploding Pagoda and a chiming sundial that explodes every other day around noon — this by-and-large is down to his blindness or lack of understanding of the fundamental units of measurement. His most famous housing project,Empirical Crescent, tends to drive residents insane. BS Johnson lies at one end of aspectrum where people likeLeonard of Quirm sit at the other end, on the Disc BS is well remembered and thankfully long-deceased.
Bergholdt Stuttley Johnson is the Disc's version ofCapability Brown with a littleIsambard Kingdom Brunel.
'Kelirehenna' orKeli is the daughter of King Olerve the Bastard of theSto Plains kingdom ofSto Lat, appearing in thefourthDiscworld novel,Mort. Keli stands between Duke of Sto Helit and the throne of Sto Lat. During an assassination organised by the Duke she is saved byMort by dint of Mort being temporarily inDeath's job being unwilling to let the assassin kill her. This leads to awkwardness as theuniverse thinks Keli is dead but she herself knows different. Keli's reality conflicts with the rest of the world, Keli enlists Ignius Cutwell, a local wizard to help her speedily through her coronation as Queen before theopposing reality enveloping Sto Lat collapses completely. Death himself returns to his old job to resolve issues caused in his absence.
One of Ankh-Morpork's most successful businessmen,Mr Harry King first appears in the25thDiscworld novel,The Truth. Harry's career in Ankh-Morpork started as amudlark, he moved onwards and upwards from there. Harry'score business is 'night soil' removal but he also doesrubbish collection andrecycling. Harry's basic philosophy is that there is nothing that someone will pay to have removed that someone else will not also pay to acquire. The sign outside the yard reads "King of the Golden River, Recycling Nature's Bounty." This replaced, at his wife's, Euphemia "Effie" King's ( apet-name) insistence, the original: "H King,taking the piss since 1961." Harry King like most rich self-made men never forgets a debtor, and needs to take two baths just to elevate himself to the rank of dirty.
Harry keeps ferocious, ravenous guard dogs on his property, as when burglars break in, he does not have to feed the dogs. Eventually Harry King isknighted. After providing capital to build the "Ankh-Morpork and Sto Plains HygienicRailway" King is raised to thepeerage, making his full title,Lord Sir Harry King.
"King of the Golden River," as well as referring to King's primary income may also refer to theclassic fairy tale of 1842 written byJohn Ruskin, which was written forEuphemia 'Effie' Gray. King might also be analogous to theKing of the Silver River fairy
The Discworld equivalent ofOdysseus,Lavaeolus (meaning:Washer/Rinser of Winds) has the finest military mind inKlatch and realised that if there must be war, the aim should be to defeat the enemy as quickly and with as little bloodshed as possible; a notion few other military minds have been able to grasp. Lavaeolus became a hero by ending theTsortean Wars, bribing a cleaner to show him a secret passage into the citadel ofTsort. Lavaeolus then undergoes a long andperilous journey home after the war.
In a city full ofquacks,Dr Lawn is one of the few skilled physicians and surgeons of Ankh-Morpork, he first appeared in the29thDiscworld novel,Night Watch, as a backstreet 'pox doctor' toseamstresses.
Dr Lawn trained inKlatch, where he learned techniques that other Morporkian surgeons distrust, but he keeps patients alive to pay the bill. He gave free treatment to those who needed it, including those who had been tortured by theCable Street Particulars. Quiet, if a tad sarcastic, and almost unshockable, he deals with nursing staff by throwing a handful of chocolates one way and running in the other. Dr Lawn becomes theChief Of Medicine at the newly built Lady SybilFreeHospital, where he supervises the teaching of a new order of competent doctors. The Dr says that when he dies, he wants a bell on his gravestone so he can be free to not get up whenever people ring.
Dr Lawn may be based on an actual retired GP of the same name in West Yorkshire.[citation needed]
Lewton appears in the third Discworld computer game,Discworld Noir. Lewton was kicked out of theAnkh-Morpork City Watch forallegedly taking abribe, and became the Disc's firstprivate investigator, and the only one to pay his massive drinkstab.
Lewton's takes on a case from Carlotta Von Überwald which ultimately ends up with Lewton saving Ankh-Morpork from a giant god of destruction.
Liessa Dragonlady, is the leader of the dragon-riders of the Wyrmberg and daughter of its lord, appearing in thefirstDiscworld novel,The Colour of Magic. Liessa is the archetypal fantasybarbarian woman,[14] she has curves and chestnut-red hair, and wears almost nothing but a chain-mail harness.
After successfully poisoning her father, the traditional mode of transfer of power in her family, Liessa still cannot becomeLord of the Wyrmberg as a woman and faces intense rivalry from her two brothers. However any man who she marries would become Lord of the Wyrmberg.Rincewind,Twoflower, andHrun the Barbarian pass nearby. In Hrun, Liessa sees a strong but slow-witted warrior whom she can control, she tests him by trying to stab him in his sleep, but Hrun survives. Liessa convinces Hrun to defeat her brothers, whom she then banishes.
Trev is a worker at theUnseen University, tending to itscandles, though his head is elsewhere, as he prefers tokick a tin can around, something at which he has gained an almost magical proficiency. Outside of work, he is a support of the Dimwell mob ball team (also known as "The Dimmers"). Although seemingly destined for the game of football, Trev refuses to play, promising his Mum he would not, after his father, Dave Likely, the only player to score four goals in a career, died during a game. Encountering the statuesqueJuliet Stollop, he agrees to coach the university's team, the Unseen Academicals.
ThePostmaster General of Ankh-Morpork's Post Office, owner of theChairman of the Bank of Ankh-Morpork,Master of the Royal Mint and perhaps a "reformed" con-man.
Appearing in the26thDiscworld novel,Thief of Time,Lobsang Ludd was raised by theAnkh-MorporkThieves' guild, but discovered by the History Monks after Lobsang instinctually performed the Stance of the Coyote,[15] as he fell from a roof thus saving his own life from a fatal fall.
Lobsang is sent to the Temple of History monks to be educated. He confounds his teachers by knowing too much already without knowing how he knows it, and more than them. This leads Lobsang being apprenticed toLu-Tze in the hope they would "break one another."
Lu-Tze theorises thattime's hold on Lobsang was 'loose', allowing him to experience time differently from other humans. Lu-Tze and Lobsang travel to Ankh-Morpork to learn the Way ofMrs Cosmopilite. As they travel to Ankh-Morpork, Lobsang'ssoul-twin, Jeremy Clockson constructs a glass clock which will stoptime. As time stops, Lobsang is able to stillmove, he meets and teams up withSusan Sto Helit to stop the Clock. Lobsang encounters Jeremy and they both realise they are the offspring of the personification ofTime.
Lu-Tze first appears in the13thDiscworld novel,Small Gods.
People, to whom Lu-Tze was a vaguely glimpsed figure behind a very slow broom, would have been surprised at his turn of speed, especially in a man six thousand years old, who ate nothing but brown rice and drank only green tea with a knob of rancid butter in it.[16]
Lu-Tze (sometimes called by thenickname,Lousy) is usually seen with abroom in hand, which he uses for his mainactivity, sweeping, as he travels the Disc making sure 'history happens the way it ought to.' Or the way he thinks it should go, just because.[17] Lu-Tze is a 'sweeper' at the Monastery of Oi-Dong in the Ramtop mountains, the home of the History Monks, he did start off training to be a monk, but didn't finish and became a sweeper instead, listening to the teaching going on around him as swept the classrooms. Lu-Tze finds that sweeping practically makes peopleinvisible and has learned much about the world as he moves through it, sweeping.
For times when sweeping isn't enough, he is a master of (the only one known) 'déjà fu', amartial art where the body moves in time as well as space. This has led to the rule, 'Rule One', which states "Do not act incautiously when confronting little bald wrinkly smiling men", since such a person is almost always a highly trained martial artist due to the Disc'slaw of narrative causality. He is a devout follower of The Way ofMrs Cosmopilite, a way of moving through and accepting life of his own devising which he created after lodging with Mrs Cosmopilite in Ankh-Morpork. Lu-Tze utilises such fundamentalaxioms as 'If I've told you once I've told you a million times', 'Do you think I'm made of money?' And of course, 'Because.'
Lu-Tze is an allusion to the ChineselegendaryphilosopherLaozi, the sage to whom theTao Te Ching is attributed. Lu-Tze is generally referred to just as 'Sweeper', in part a reference to Martin, the pessimist philosopher and sweeper in Voltaire'sCandide.
Mortimer — shortened toMort ('death' in French), similar to his once masterDeath — is the title character in thefourthDiscworld novel,Mort.
Nijel the Destroyer, son of Harebut the Provision Merchant, is a would-be barbarian hero, appearing in thefifthDiscworld novelSourcery. At six feet and 7stone he is a clerk who desperately wants to be a barbarian hero and is currently half-way through a guide (Inne Juste 7 Dayes I wille make you a Barbearian Hero by Cohen the barbarian) on the subject, which includes a table ofwandering monsters.Nijel wears the traditional hero loincloth supplemented with woollenlong johns — his mother insisted. Nijel meetsRincewind in asnake pit and they escape together. Nijel meets andfalls in love at first sight withConina, which is reciprocated. Nijel triggers Conina's protective instinct which saves Nijel from his own lack of ability in his chosen career path.
Mightily-Praiseworthy-Are-Ye-Who-Exalteth-Om 'Mightily' Oats is an Omnian priest, appearing in thetwenty-thirdDiscworld novelCarpe Jugulum. A recent graduate from theological college, he is summoned by Verence II and Queen Magrat of Lancre to officiate at the naming ceremony of their new-born daughter, a move which many Lancrastrians are sceptical of as they still view Omnians astorturous zealots. His most noticeable feature is a boil on the side of his nose. He is always in two minds about everything due to his consideration of the conflicting viewpoints of the schismatic sects of Omnianism, a trait which insulates him from the hypnotic powers of the vampiric Magpyr family during their invasion of Lancre. He has a philosophical dialogue with Granny Weatherwax during this time to determine the nature ofevil.
The Great God Om —holy horns — is themonotheisticGod of the country ofOmnia on theCircle Sea. Om manifests from the realm of the gods to Omnia to appear as a tortoise, where he spends some years forgetting he is a deity. In the novelSmall Gods, he manifests as an impotent (not omnipotent) tortoise because he has only one actual believer left.
Rosie Palm is the head of the Guild of 'Seamstresses' — actually prostitutes — first appearing in theeighthDiscworld novel,Guards! Guards!, though first mentioned of in thethirdDiscworld novel,Equal Rites.
Her establishment is used as a place to stay by Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg inMaskerade — on the recommendation of 'Nev' Ogg, though Granny Weatherwax had stayed at Mrs Palm's establishment previously withEsk inEqual Rites — as well as by Lance-Constable Carrot on first settling in Ankh-Morpork (inGuards! Guards!).
Mrs Palm was considered almost a witch by Granny.
Her name is a play on the saying "a date with Rosie Palm and her five daughters," a slang term formasturbation.
Rosemary Palm is similar to real-life brothel owner,Lou Graham, whose employees were officially accredited as 'seamstresses'.
Polly Perks is the protagonist in the31stDiscworld novel,Monstrous Regiment. ABorogravian girl of 16 who joined the army under the name Oliver Perks in order to rescue her brother Paul and save her family's inn. She chose her false name, Oliver, because it corresponded with the folksong "Sweet Polly Oliver", which is about a girl running off to join the army. As a member of the 'Cheesemongers', Private 'Ozzer' Perks serves with the colourfulSergeant-Major Jack Jackrum, who teaches Polly how to be a man in the army.
Walter Plinge, an odd-job man at the Ankh-Morpork Opera House, an awkward nervy figure in a beret who has anOpera Ghost alter-ego.Agnes Nitt helps him combine the aspects of his personality and become the director of music. Walter writes popular operas "with tunes you can hum" and might resembleFrank Spencer of the BBC television comedySome Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.Michael Crawford, the original performer of the eponymous character inPhantom of the Opera, plays Spencer.
Mr Pin is the brains of theNew Firm, withMr Tulip's brawn, a duo of interloping criminals inThe Truth freshly arrived in Ankh-Morpork. In general Mr Pin makes the plans and decides where they are going to go and what they are going to do, but he is open to suggestions from his partner. Both men can become violent, but Mr Pin's violence is more directed and instrumental.
Mr Pin is an operative without guilt and scruples, and ultimately even turns on his long time partner.
Mr Pin and Mr Tulip are very similar in many respects to Messrs Croup and Vandemar, a violent duo inNeverwhere, written byNeil Gaiman. The two authors have collaborated before inGood Omens, and sometimes make reference to each other's works. However, Pratchett has denied any conscious reference in this case.[18]
His Greatness theKing Teppicymon XXVIII, Lord of the Heavens, Charioteer of the Wagon of the Sun, Steersman of the Barque of the Sun, Guardian of the Secret Knowledge, Lord of the Horizon, Keeper of the Way, the Flail of Mercy, the High-Born One, the Never-Dying King ofDjelibeybi — lit. 'Child of the Djel', the Disc's version ofancient Egypt — is the protagonist of the seventh Discworld novel,Pyramids.
Teppic, as a young prince, is the first royal to physically leave the kingdom, to be educated at theAnkh-Morpork Assassins' Guild. Upon his return his foreign cosmopolitan nature clashes with the set in stone traditions of the ancient kingdom, especially its immutable high priest, Dios. Failing to govern the country as aman of the people, he falls back into his training as an assassin to help the country.
QueenPtraci I of Djelibeybi isTeppic's half-sister and successor. A former handmaiden and favourite of her father, she was originally condemned to death for not voluntarily dying in order to serve the previous king in the afterlife. The Djelibeybian priests thought she would be easy to control as the new queen. They turned out to be very wrong. Like her half-brother she is keen to get in some decent plumbing. She appears inPyramids; by the end of the novel she is enthusiastically embracing many of the stranger regimens, such as bathing in ass's milk, favoured byCleopatra.
Lord Rust is an Ankh-Morpork nobleman from a distinguished line, he first appears in,Men At Arms, where he is one of the nobles who does not take seriously d'Eath's proposal of restoring the Ankh-Morpork monarchy, the Rusts have survived by not being romantic.
Lord Rust makes various appearances across the series where his arrogance and entitlement comes in opposition at various times with Sam Vimes. One of Rust's defining characteristics is his unsurpassed military incompetence. He believes a victory is obtained whenenemy casualties outnumber friendly casualties, earning him the descriptor, "the god's gift to the enemy, any enemy, and a walking advertisement for desertion."
Ronald Saveloy is a member ofCohen the Barbarian's Silver Horde. He appears in theseventeenthDiscworld novelInteresting Times. Unlike the elderly warriors that comprise the Horde, Saveloy is a former teacher from Ankh-Morpork. After discovering the Horde at a hideout of theirs whilst on afossil hunting holiday, Saveloy joins them partly due to the underwhelming prospects of his academic career. Maintaining his mild-mannered demeanour including avegetarian diet, he endeavours to 'civilise' the barbarians. This extends to the Horde's plan to install Cohen as theAgatean Emperor, in effect "stealing the empire", by infiltrating theForbidden City in Hunghung, engaging in subterfuge and distraction, and exiling the Emperor. Frustrated that most of the barbarians would rather ransack and pillage the Palace and that the Five Noble Families are willing to engage the Horde in open warfare for the throne, Saveloy reveals his ulterior motive: he wanted to give the Horde a tangible legacy since most of their past exploits of slaying mythical creatures, robbing temples and saving maidens had led to the common belief that they were not real. During the war between the Horde and the armies of the Five Families, Saveloy embraces barbarism, adoptingberserker-style fighting techniques where he enjoys a warrior's demise. His soul is ferried aValkyrie to the warrior's afterlife, where he considers the prospect of teaching evening classes and enquires about vegetarian options at the feasts.
Mr Slant is the president of the Guild of Lawyers, a position that he has held for a long time owing to his being azombie. He is also one of the three founding and senior partners ofMorecombe, Slant, & Honeyplace, Ankh Morpork's leading legal practice. Considering that Mr Slant is a zombie and that Mr Morecombe and Honeyplace are both vampires, they are old enough to have been around when many laws were first written up. Promotion is also an unlikely prospect in the firm. He is the undisputed head of any legal action in the city and is one of the major members of the civil council. But Mr Slant has also been involved in more sinister affairs. He has attempted to aid in deposing Lord Vetinari from power several times, but only through serving other clients and not from an actual desire of his own to depose of Vetinari.
He became a zombie after having been convicted of a crime and decapitated but, since he defended himself, refuses to pass on until his descendants pay the legal fees.
The Patrician who came to power afterLord Winder following the Glorious Revolution of the Twenty-Fifth of May. Also known as Mad or PsychoneuroticLord Snapcase. During his reign, he was considered "eccentric" rather than mad by the upper classes, but he is now known by most Morporkians, including the nobles, as the Mad Lord. He was sadistic, and extremely fond of torture, much like his predecessor.
InMen at Arms, he was mentioned as having a cruet set designed byBloody Stupid Johnson (where, due to Johnson's ineptitude with geometry meant that they are used as storage silos), and inFeet of Clay, he was mentioned to havemade his horse a city councillor. Lord Snapcase was succeeded byLord Havelock Vetinari.
In the37thDiscworld novel,Unseen Academicals,Juliet Stollop is stunningly beautiful and utterly empty-headed. She becomes a society sensation overnight as asupermodel.
A scion of a family offootball hooligans, she falls in love withTrevor Likely — alikely lad[19] — who supports an opposing team. Eventually, Trev joins a newly formed footballing league, and Juliet embarks on a new life as awag and fashion model.
Susan is the Duchess of Sto Helit and the granddaughter ofDeath.
Glenda is a somewhat plump, over-breasted girl who runs the Night Kitchen in the Unseen University until the events of the37thDiscworld novel,Unseen Academicals. She is the granddaughter of the chief cook at theAssassin's Guild, from whom she has inherited a large number of secret recipes.
Having spent most of her life forced to do other people's thinking for them, she is overwhelmed with uncertainty when her dim-witted best friend, Juliet, suddenly has the opportunity to be asupermodel. Initially cautious, she eventually relents and allows Juliet to follow her dream. In a similar vein, against her own better judgement, she allows herself to be swept off her feet by an unlikely romance with agoblin, Mr Nutt, and eventually goes off on an adventure with him toÜberwald.
Captain Swing is the head of thesecret police force, theUnmentionables in theAnkh-Morpork of the past inNight Watch. Swing attempted to control crime by ordering all weapons confiscated, reasoning a decline in crime figures would follow, but failed to acknowledge that criminals do not obey the law and greatly enjoy a lack of weapons in a society.
He is described as a thin, balding man in a long, old-fashioned black coat with large pockets who supports himself on an opera cane, in reality a poorly concealedswordstick. Swing moves and speaks in an erratic, jumpy fashion, in bursts and sputters rather than a continuous flow of movement or sound. He is, however, a skilledswordsman, who does not resort to flashyswashbuckling, but actually attacks his opponent.
Swing carries with him a large set of calipers and a steel ruler, to measure the facial characteristics of those he meets, to determine their personal traits (phrenology). He determines that Sam Vimes has the eye of a mass murderer. When Swing meets Death, he attempts to use phrenology to determine Death's character, but finds that Death has no characteristics he can measure.
The nameCaptain Swing has long been associated with civil unrest, being the pseudonym of the (possibly mythical) leader of theSwing Riots.
General Callus Tacticus was a soldier of theAnkh-Morpork Empire, and is widely proclaimed to be the greatest general of all time. In fact, on the Discworld the word 'tactics' was derived from his name. He has been dead for nearly 2000 years by the start of theDiscworld series. InJingo his name is given as General A Tacticus. InWintersmith, his first name is given as Callus.
Tacticus conquered a large area of the Discworld, both around the city of Ankh-Morpork and well into the rimward continent ofKlatch. The ruined fortress city of Tacticum, located in the Klatchian desert, is encountered inJingo. Tacticus' campaigns were as expensive as they were effective, encouraging the rulers of Ankh-Morpork to get rid of him. The city-state ofGenua asked Ankh-Morpork for a Duke, Tacticus was promoted and sent there. Upon becoming a Genuan citizen, he evaluated the question of the greatest military threat posed by any other nation and then declared war upon Ankh-Morpork, thus ending its empire.
Sam Vimes opinion of why Tacticus was respected and not much liked by history is that Tacticus did not get a huge number of his men killed by his own arrogance and incompetence, usually a peccadillo of Ankh-Morpork leaders. The military advice of Tacticus sometimes turns up in various Discworld chronicles. One example being the chapter of his autobiography entitled "What to Do When One Army Occupies a Well-Fortified Fortress on Superior Ground and the Other Does Not" which begins with the sentence "Endeavour to be the one inside."[20] Another good example of Tacticus' sense of pragmatism would be his maxim "It is always useful to face an enemy who is prepared to die for his country. This means that both he and you have exactly the same aim in mind."[21]
Tacticus' military ability and writings may have some semblance toSun Tzu.
Tawneee (real name Betty) is anexotic dancer, introduced inThud!. She isNobby Nobbs's girlfriend for most of the book; they meet after Nobby slips anIOU into her garter belt instead of a dollar. The juxtaposition of theHelenic Tawnee being the girlfriend of Nobby, a man who carries a certificate to prove his species is a puzzle for those around them. Combing the humility and intelligence of a caterpillar, Tawnee is a complete innocent in the world of Ankh-Morpork. She is taken under the wing ofCaptain Angua andSally who guide her aroundThe Facts of Life.
Jonathan Teatime (tee-ah-tim-ee[needs IPA]) is an assassin without equal. He gains a scholarship to theAssassins' Guild, where he is considered peculiar and induces discomfort among even his fellow students. He specialises in creative solutions for killingimmortal beings. In the20thDiscworld novel,Hogfather, he is recruited bythe Auditors of Reality to assassinate the Hogfather, a winterdeity who embodies the spirit ofHogswatchnight.
A thirteen-year-old demonologist and the title character in theninthDiscworld novel,Faust Eric, where he lives at 13 Midden Lane, Pseudopolis.Eric inherited most of hisdemonology books andparaphernalia (including a talking parrot) from his grandfather. His parents, convinced he was destined to become a gifted demonologist, allowed him free rein over his grandfather's workshop. Eric was relatively unsuccessful as a demonologist until he manages to summonRincewind from theDungeon Dimensions instead of thedemon he was hoping would appear to grant him wishes: mastery of the kingdoms of the world, to meet the most beautiful woman who ever lived, to live forever, and a large chest of gold.
Long-time student wizard turned actor,Victor appears inMoving Pictures. His uncle left a legacy to continually pay for Victor's tuition at Unseen University, provided that Victor never scored below an 80 on an exam. Passing would mean the end of the grant, therefore, Victor studied hard enough to each year score 84; four points above the minimum to continue receiving the legacy and four points below the passing grade of 88. Being a student wizard meant enjoying the lifestyle of a wizard without the risk of assassinations by students wishing to advance.Victor becomes bored with this lifestyle and travels toHoly Wood to pursue dreams of being an actor in moving pictues under the stage name,Victor Maraschino.
His stage name of Victor Maraschino seems a reference toRudolph Valentino, given Victor's sex symbol roles as well as his ‘smouldering’ gaze onscreen, said to cause women to faint.
Mr Tulip is, along withMr Pin, a member of theNew Firm, a duo of interloping criminals operating outside of the purview of the Thieves Guild inThe Truth. He is something of a contradiction: a remorseless killer with the refined soul of a true fine-art connoisseur. He is differentiated from a common criminal by his habit of removing works of art from houses before committing arson, the ability to distinguish between priceless works of art and common forgeries, an encyclopaedic knowledge of hundreds of years of great artists and artisans and their works, and a refusal to use any artworks as blunt weapons or to profit from their ultimate destruction. He would not, for example, use a candlestick to knock someone out cold or steal it for its silver content. He is the muscle of the New Firm and, though an instinctive killer, recognises Mr Pin's cognitive skills and leaves the thinking to him. He also suffers a mild speech impediment, continually causing him to insert "—ing" mid-sentence, (the suffix of an action verb without the verb itself). His primary skill in the New Firm is the application of his apparently unlimited supply of unspecific anger; Tulip has turned mindless violence into an art form. Mr Tulip's religion is that, those who die while holding a potato will be reincarnated. This belief, which is quite firm, is based on hearing his grandmother saying, during a famine, "You will be alright if you have your potato."
Twoflower is a native of the Agatean Empire, on theCounterweight Continent, living in the major sea port of Bes Pelargic where he works as an insurance clerk. The firsttourist in history on theDiscworld, he wrote "What I did on my Holidays" after his return to the Empire, acing as a catalyst for arevolution.
Ankh-Morporkians describe him as havingfour-eyes when he first arrives, not having seenspectacles before. In the first Discworld novel,The Colour of Magic.Josh Kirby'scover illustrations forThe Colour of Magic andThe Light Fantastic depict him with four actualeyes. He also introducesdentures and insurance/insurance fraud to Ankh-Morpork and beyond.
Twoflower is introduced inThe Colour of Magic, touring the city ofAnkh-Morpork, where he meetsRincewind whom he hires as a guide. Throughout the first two novels, he is followed by the Luggage, atravel chest which moves on hundreds of little legs, carrying his belongings.
Twoflower is a naïve tourist, running into danger constantly but being certain that nothing bad will happen to him since he is 'not involved.' He also believes in the fundamental goodness of human nature and that all problems can be resolved, if all parties show good will and cooperate, this convinces Rincewind that Twoflower's IQ is comparable to that of a pigeon.
By the time ofInteresting Times, "What I did on my Holidays" is considered a revolutionary pamphlet in his native land, due to its revealing the world outside of the Empire is not a hellish wasteland populated by "bloodsucking vampire ghosts". Twoflower still holds to his essential view of the world as good. TheDiscworld Atlas mentions that the Agatean Empire has become the 'People's Beneficial Republic of Agatea', headed by a chairman.
Outside of the Discworld he also appears in the computer gameNetHack as the quest leader for the tourist class.
King Verence II ofLancre first appears in the6thDiscworld novel,Wyrd Sisters, as thejester of the newly crowned king of Lancre, Duke Felmet. He was previously the fool to King Verence I, as his father and grandfather were before him, it being a hereditary position. Verence the jester is the sole witness to themurder of Verence I, a situation which leads toShakespearean series of events ending in the crowning of Verence II.
Verence attempts to reign throughout the rest of the series, striving to be a well-meaning king, taking 'kinging' very seriously, having learnt as a fool that life was no laughing matter. He tries to introduceparliamentary to Lancre, giving the vote to everyone, or at least everyone who wasn'tpoor or criminal or insane or female, because there’s no sense in being stupid about things, they'd only use it irresponsibly.
Verence is technically an absolute ruler and will continue to be so provided he doesn't repeatedly ask Lancrestrians to do anything they don’t want to do. Lancrestrians wouldn’t dream of living in anything other than a monarchy, having done so for thousands of years knowing that it works. But they know they ought not to pay too much attention to what a king wants as there'll be another king along in forty years or so and he’ll be certain to want something different. So the king's job is to mostly stay in the palace, practise waving, face the right way on coins and let them get on with the ploughing, sowing, growing and harvesting. It is, as they see it, a social contract. They do as they always have, and he lets them.
Havelock Vetinari is thePatrician ofAnkh-Morpork, where the maxim of "One Man, One Vote" holds true, the Patrician is the man, he has the vote.
Appearing in the13thDiscworld novel,Small Gods, deaconVorbis is the Head of the OmnianQuisition, an exquisitor who believes he is destined to become the next Cenobiarch and Eighth Prophet of Omnianism, thanks to his deft political manoeuvrings within the church, or "asthe Great God Om told him." As the real Om has been incapacitated, Vorbis plans a bloodyholy war (for Om's greater glory) against the rest ofKlatch, orchestrating first, a conquest andannexation ofEphebe by manufacturing acasus belli to invade them.
Vorbis believes the Discworld is a perfect sphere, as Om states. This is an example of a 'Fundamental truth,' Vorbis draws a distinction between the "trivial truth" perceived by the senses—such as the Discworld being flat and carried on the back of a giant turtle—and the "fundamental truth" of the church's teaching. He teaches that the physical world is merely a shadow of a deeper, spiritual reality that only the church can interpret, as Vorbis states, “There are some things which appear to be the truth, which have all the hallmarks of truth, but which are not the real truth. The real truth must sometimes be protected by a labyrinth of lies.”
After a death similar to that ofAeschylus, Vorbis encountersDeath, and realises what he thought was the voice of Om, was just his own voice echoing in his head. He spends 100 years sat motionless, untilBrutha meets him again after his own passing, and they walk off together to facejudgement.
Patrician ofAnkh-Morpork, and predecessor toMad Lord Snapcase. Also known asHomicidal Lord Winder. During the last years of his reign, he was extremely paranoid, albeit with good reason. He took pride in being pathologically careful about everything, running Ankh-Morpork as a police state, with his dreadedCable Street Particulars, under the command ofCaptain Swing, causing dissidents to disappear.
He was deposed as a result of theGlorious Revolution of the Twenty-Fifth of May, during which he was assassinated by the futureLord Vetinari.
Theda Withel is from a little town you "probably haven't heard of", she runs away toHollywood to be "the most famous person in the whole world," where she takes the nameGinger. She stars in several movies using the name, Delores De Syn, making use of heronscreen chemistry withVictor Tugelbend, usually as the maiden to be rescued. She achieves her goals when she sits next to Lord Vetinari and people recognise her but not him.
Ginger has an uncleOswald, or possibly Osric who may or may not have been once the High Priest of Holy Wood. She is reminiscent of early screen stars;Ginger Rogers andTheda Bara.
Ly Tin Wheedle is referred to as arguably the Disc's greatest philosopher, as he likes to argue it. Ly's famous axioms an sayings occur throughout the Discworld series. Being from theCounterweight Continent, he is revered as a great sage there because of his peculiar smell, and his many sayings advocating respect for the old and the virtues of poverty, which are frequently quoted by the rich and elderly.
In addition tosocial philosophy, Ly is also a proponent ofnatural philosophy. When thephilosophical community came to the conclusion that distance was an illusion and all places were in fact the same place, Ly was the philosopher to make the famed conclusion that although all places were in fact the same place, that place wasvery big. He has also theorised on thephysical underpinnings ofmonarchy, on the premise you can't have more than one king, and that there is no gap between kings, so when a king dies the succession must therefore pass to the heir instantaneously, explaining royal succession by use of a particle known as aKingon (or possibly Queon), musing about the possibility of a communications system based upon the systematic torture of a monarch (although at this point, he had been "thrown out of the bar").
It is said that someone at a party once asked Ly Tin Weedle 'Why are you here?' and the reply took three years.
Wonse is a former childhood gang associate ofSam Vimes who rises to the prominent role of being the secretary toLord Vetinari. He always gives the impression of just being completed, with hair so oiled and slick that it looks painted.
Moonlighting in hissecret identity as the Grand Master of theElucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night, he summons anoble dragon (Draco Nobilis) to Ankh-Morpork intending it to becasus belli to dispose of the Patrician and reintroduce monarchy back into the city, a monarch which Lupine would control. The events ofGuards! Guards! changes this plan after the dragon decides it ought to reign.
William de Worde is a professionalscribe inThe Truth writing down interesting news of Ankh-Morpork for various monarchs and nobles abroad. When theprinting press is invented in Ankh-Morpork he becomes theeditor of the Disc's first newspaper,The Ankh-Morpork Times. Although he has an obsessive dislike of lying, working injournalism he has found pathways to circumnavigate around this. Beingborn to the purple William has moved into self-imposed exile from his background of wealthy nobility,earning his way in life to cast off the influence and control of his father, Lord de Worde.
Wynkyn de Worde andWilliam Caxton sort of did something similar inmedieval London.
