Tuesday, April 9, 2013

H: Hogswatchnight


This post is my first on a place this April. A fantastic one I encountered in Terry Pratchett's books.
Hogswatchnight is a place. Its a place, not in space but in time. On DiscWorld, the world that Terry Pratchett created, its the festival in midwinter. It is associated with pig slaughter which makes me believe that Pratchett fashioned this festival after zabíjačka, the Eastern European tradition. There are other Hogswatch traditions but the one that fascinates me most is that witches don't leave the house on Hogswatchnight.
This is a very lively time especially for one of my most favorite of witches, Nanny Ogg. She loves her drink and song. On Hogswatchnight, Nanny Ogg  invites the entire village (several comprised of her many offspring and their families) to her home for a merry time. As Pratchett describes in Wyrd Sisters, when Granny Weatherwax and Magrat two of the witches coven go to find Nanny Ogg that evening:

The din inside hovered around the pain threshold. ...the air in the room was already beyond the reach of pollution controls. 
... Nanny Ogg was sitting in a chair by the fire with a quart mug in one hand, and was conducting the reprise with a cigar. She grinned when she saw Granny's face.
"What ho, my old boiler,"she screeched above the din. "See you turned up, then. Have a drink. Have two. Wotcher, Magrat. Pull up a chair and call the cat a bastard."

My most favorite witches on their festival night.

7 comments:

  1. That Hogswatchnight drinking sessions sounds like it was epic. Terry Pratchett can certainly portray character and world building in a few words.

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  2. Ahhh, Terry Prachett...he is my new favouriiiiiiiite writer. I am loving his Discworld series: just finished his The Colour of Magic a few days ago. Love your post, Sangita!

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    1. Thanks, Barnali! I think he's the Wodehouse of fantasy. :)

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