Wyrd Sisters
Chapters - Terry Pratchett
Section: A Storm on the Moors
On a stormy night in the Ramtops, three witches - Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and the newly initiated Magrat Garlick - hold their first coven meeting on the moors. A coach races through the storm pursued by riders. Meanwhile, King Verence of Lancre is murdered by his cousin Duke Felmet, who pushes him down the stairs with a dagger. Death appears to inform the bewildered ghost of Verence that he must remain as a ghost until he fulfils his destiny. The dying coachman delivers a baby and a crown to the witches before expiring. The witches realise the child is the heir to the throne and must be hidden from the duke's men.
On page: Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, Death, King Verence I·Mentioned: Duke Felmet, Great A'Tuin
Section: Three Gifts for the Child
The ghost of King Verence meets Champot, a fellow ghost who has haunted Lancre Castle for a thousand years, and begins to adjust to his new existence. Duke Felmet and his domineering wife Lady Felmet take control of the castle, discovering the crown and child have disappeared. The witches decide to hide the baby with Olwyn Vitoller and his wife, a travelling theatre company passing through Lancre. They name the child Tom John (later Tomjon) and give the Vitollers money for his care. Granny hides the real crown among the theatrical prop crowns. The three witches each bestow a magical gift upon the child: Magrat gives him the ability to make friends easily, Nanny Ogg gives him a perfect memory, and Granny Weatherwax gives him the ability to be whoever he thinks he is.
On page: Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, King Verence I, Champot, Duke Felmet, Lady Felmet, Olwyn Vitoller, Mrs Vitoller, Tomjon, Bentzen·Mentioned: Death
Section: The Duke's Bloody Hands
Duke Felmet's attempts to assert control over Lancre are met with passive resistance from the mountain people. He tries to arrest Granny Weatherwax, but his sergeant returns empty-handed after being offered tea and buns. The duke becomes increasingly fascinated by the witches' power and begins consulting the Fool, the castle's hereditary jester, about local customs. The Fool is a deeply unhappy man trapped in his family profession, educated at the severe Guild of Fools in Ankh-Morpork. The duke's madness deepens as he obsessively scrubs at the blood on his hands. Tax collectors fail to collect from the witches, and the duke's curiosity about their influence grows alongside his paranoia.
On page: Duke Felmet, Lady Felmet, Verence II, Esmerelda Weatherwax·Mentioned: Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick
Section: The Land Awakens
A year passes. In the Sto Plains, young Tomjon astonishes Hwel the dwarf playwright and the Vitoller company by suddenly speaking for the first time - not ordinary words but a perfect recitation from one of Hwel's plays, delivered in Vitoller's own voice. The boy's extraordinary talent for performance becomes apparent. Meanwhile, King Verence's ghost haunts Lancre Castle, avoiding the many other ghosts including the Twins, a Troglodyte Wanderer, and a kitchen full of animal ghosts. Back in Lancre, the duke grows more paranoid about the witches and the trees whispering about him. Hogswatchnight arrives, and Granny Weatherwax senses something vast awakening in the kingdom itself - the land has developed a consciousness and is unhappy with its ruler.
On page: Tomjon, Hwel, Olwyn Vitoller, Mrs Vitoller, King Verence I, Duke Felmet, Verence II, Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, WxrtHltl-jwlpklz·Mentioned: Champot
Section: Demon in the Washhouse
The witches summon a demon in Nanny Ogg's washhouse using improvised implements - a copper stick, washing soda, and a scrubbing brush. The demon confirms that the land itself has awakened and is unhappy, wanting a king who cares for it. Granny Weatherwax realises the forest has developed a collective consciousness from all the living things within it. On Hogswatchday, animals from across the kingdom gather outside Granny's cottage, staring at her in silent supplication. Despite their plea, Granny insists she cannot meddle in politics - it is a fundamental rule of witchcraft. The witches discuss the worsening situation under Duke Felmet, who has been burning cottages and raising taxes, but Granny maintains that people must sort things out for themselves.
On page: Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick·Mentioned: Duke Felmet
Section: Magrat Meets the Fool
Ghost King Verence devises a plan to attract a witch to the castle by trapping Nanny Ogg's enormous tomcat Greebo in a locked lumber room, knowing a witch would come looking for her familiar. Magrat encounters the Fool for the first time in a meadow and is flustered by the meeting. The burghers of Lancre visit Nanny Ogg to complain about the duke's rule, but the witches refuse to intervene. Magrat reveals a growing interest in the Fool, much to the amusement of Nanny Ogg and disapproval of Granny Weatherwax. Tensions between the witches escalate as Granny and Nanny argue bitterly about their past, their different approaches to life, and the state of the kingdom.
On page: King Verence I, Magrat Garlick, Verence II, Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Greebo
Section: Storming the Castle
Nanny Ogg enters the castle looking for Greebo and is captured by Duke Felmet, who chains her in the dungeons and threatens torture. In the dungeon, she meets the ghost of King Verence. Magrat prepares for a rescue, arming herself with a breadknife instead of her magical tools. Granny Weatherwax storms the castle disguised as an apple seller. Magrat is accosted by guards in the corridors but the Fool intervenes to rescue her. Using powerful magic, Magrat causes the ancient oak dungeon door to burst into leaf and new growth, breaking open the cell. The witches free Nanny and confront the duke, who argues that they cannot overthrow him without becoming tyrants themselves. He is right - any king they install would rule under their power, making him no king at all.
On page: Nanny Ogg, Duke Felmet, Lady Felmet, King Verence I, Magrat Garlick, Esmerelda Weatherwax, Verence II·Mentioned: Greebo
Section: The Witches Pushed Too Far
The witches are forced to wave and smile alongside the duke before the crowd, a humiliating public defeat. Granny learns that the people are losing respect for witches - someone even sniggered at them, and a cart nearly runs them down on the road. The Fool, on the duke's orders, has been spreading gossip that turns public opinion against witches. The ghost of King Verence begs the witches to restore his son to the throne. Granny is pushed past her breaking point when she is laughed at and nearly run over, and she resolves to act. She decides on an audacious plan: to move the entire kingdom of Lancre fifteen years into the future using a spell inspired by the legendary Black Aliss, so Tomjon will be old enough to claim his throne.
On page: Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, Duke Felmet, Verence II, King Verence I
Section: Moving the Kingdom Forward
The Fool releases Greebo from the castle while the duke uses the Fool's ideas about words to reshape reality, discussing how words can change history. The duchess conceives a plan to commission a play that will rewrite the story of how the duke came to power, painting the witches as villains and the duke as the rightful ruler. The duke sends the Fool to Ankh-Morpork to find a playwright. The witches begin their great spell. Granny flies around the borders of the kingdom on her broomstick, drawing power from Magrat along the way. Nanny Ogg joins from the lowlands. Despite a broomstick catching fire and a terrifying near-death experience in the gorge, they complete the circuit to Lancre Bridge just before dawn, and Granny casts the spell that moves the kingdom fifteen years forward in time.
On page: Verence II, Duke Felmet, Lady Felmet, Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, Greebo
Section: Fifteen Years in a Heartbeat
Fifteen years pass in an instant for the kingdom. The Fool and Magrat share a kiss that spans the entire time jump. Meanwhile, in what is now the present, Hwel the dwarf playwright works feverishly in Ankh-Morpork, bombarded by inspirations from across the multiverse. Tomjon, now a talented young actor of eighteen, has nightmares about three faces peering at him through a bowl - the witches checking on him through their crystal ball. Tomjon and Hwel venture out to the Mended Drum tavern, where Tomjon's extraordinary voice and acting talent quell a bar fight with a rousing speech. They rescue the Fool from licensed thieves in an alley and befriend him. The Fool reveals he has come five hundred miles to find a theatre company.
On page: Verence II, Magrat Garlick, Hwel, Tomjon, Olwyn Vitoller, The Librarian·Mentioned: Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg
Section: Hwel's Troublesome Play
The Fool commissions Hwel to write a play depicting Duke Felmet as the rightful king and the witches as evil hags, paying handsomely with silver. Vitoller agrees, partly because he owes money to Chrystophrase the Troll. Hwel begins writing but struggles with the play, which keeps trying to change itself. Tomjon and a small company set out for the Ramtops, performing old favourites along the way. Back in Lancre, the witches monitor the approaching company through their crystal ball. Magrat meets the Fool, who has returned, and he reveals the duke's plans. On the journey, the company is attacked by bandits, but Tomjon's speech fails for the first time when the bandit chief is unmoved - only to be saved by a milk jug that falls mysteriously from the sky, thrown by Granny Weatherwax.
On page: Verence II, Hwel, Tomjon, Olwyn Vitoller, Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick·Mentioned: Duke Felmet, Lady Felmet
Section: The Players Reach Lancre
The acting company arrives in Lancre and is brought to the castle. Nanny Ogg guides them through the countryside, noting that Tomjon does not seem particularly impressed by his homeland. The duke is delighted with Hwel's play, which depicts events exactly as he wishes to remember them. The Fool meets Magrat again and deliberately lets slip the details of the play's performance - the time, the guest list, the unguarded gate - so the witches can attend. The duke plans to use the play to turn public opinion decisively against the witches, and orders their arrest once the performance begins.
On page: Tomjon, Hwel, Duke Felmet, Lady Felmet, Verence II, Magrat Garlick, Nanny Ogg, Shawn Ogg·Mentioned: Esmerelda Weatherwax
Section: The Real Crown
The night of the performance arrives. The witches take seats in the audience alongside the ghost of King Verence, who is horrified to see Tomjon portraying him as a hunchbacked tyrant. Granny Weatherwax realises the play's words are rewriting history in the minds of the audience, eroding truth. The duke gloats from the front row. Meanwhile, Magrat and the Fool watch from a gate tower. Backstage, Hwel desperately marshals his nervous actors. Tomjon discovers the only crown available in the depleted props box is the real crown of Lancre, which Granny hid there years ago. He puts it on without knowing what it is.
On page: Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, King Verence I, Tomjon, Hwel, Duke Felmet, Lady Felmet, Verence II
Section: Truth Upon the Stage
The three real witches infiltrate the stage, mistaken by Hwel for his own actor-witches. Granny casts a spell that forces the actors to speak the truth - the actual words of the murder as recorded in the castle stones. The play transforms into a re-enactment of the real assassination. A tremendous storm arrives, providing spectacular natural effects. The duke's guards arrest the wrong witches (the actors in costume), while the real witches take the stage. Death himself appears for his role, experiencing stagefright for the first time in eternity when confronted with an actual audience. The duke, driven fully mad by seeing the truth performed, climbs on stage and publicly confesses to the murder.
On page: Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, Tomjon, Hwel, Duke Felmet, Lady Felmet, Death, King Verence I
Section: The Duke's Last Fall
The Fool steps forward and publicly testifies that he witnessed the duke murder King Verence. The duke stabs the Fool with a stage dagger, which turns out to be a collapsible prop. The duchess tries to seize control, but Granny Weatherwax uses headology to force her to confront every suppressed pang of guilt and every scream of her victims. The duchess recovers quickly, declaring she is proud of everything she has done, but Nanny Ogg knocks her unconscious with the cauldron. Granny proclaims Tomjon as the true king. The mad duke stumbles away to the battlements, believing himself dead, and falls into the gorge. Death collects him.
On page: Verence II, Duke Felmet, Lady Felmet, Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, Tomjon, Death, Jason Ogg·Mentioned: King Verence I
Section: Tomjon Refuses the Crown
Tomjon refuses the crown of Lancre, declaring he is an actor, not a king. Despite pressure from the witches, the mayor, and even the ghost of his father, he insists he will not stay. Magrat, who has been closely studying the faces of Tomjon and the Fool, realises they look remarkably alike. She confronts Granny and Nanny, and it emerges that the Fool (whose real name is Verence) is actually the elder half-brother of Tomjon - both sons of the old king's Fool's father, who had an affair with the queen. The Fool is crowned as King Verence II. The real three actor-witches remain locked in the dungeons, forgotten by everyone.
On page: Tomjon, Verence II, Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, Hwel, King Verence I
Section: The Kingdom Exhales
A month later, the witches meet at the standing stone under a full moon. King Verence II has been busy organising his kingdom but has not visited Magrat, who is heartbroken. Tomjon and Hwel are back on the road, touring plays and saving money for the Dysk theatre. The new king visits Magrat's cottage late at night, having dismissed his sergeant, bringing flat wine and wilted flowers. He falls asleep by her fire, exhausted from the demands of kingship. The duchess, imprisoned in a tower, escapes by climbing down knotted sheets. She heads for the forest border, but the kingdom itself intervenes - the trees guide her into a clearing filled with assembled wolves, bears, deer and other creatures. She charges them with her knife. The kingdom exhales.
On page: Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, Verence II, Tomjon, Hwel, Lady Felmet
Section: When Shall We Three Meet
Granny Weatherwax reveals to Magrat the truth about the succession: the Fool and Tomjon share the same father (the old Fool who visited the castle), but Verence I's queen was the mother of Tomjon while the Fool's mother was a local woman. The witches let everyone believe the Fool is the rightful king, though his actual parentage is ambiguous. Granny argues that he will make a good king regardless of his bloodline, and that destiny can be shaped rather than obeyed. The three witches sit together under the moon, and Granny asks when they shall three meet again - echoing the opening of their first coven meeting.
On page: Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick·Mentioned: Verence II, Tomjon
Section: Endnotes and Appendices
The footnotes and appendices to the novel, containing author notes and publishing information.