Wyrd Sisters

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Terry Pratchett The Discworld series 6^th novel – 2^nd Witches story
Outline
Characters:	Granny Weatherwax Nanny Ogg Magrat Garlick Verence the Fool
Locations:	Lancre
Motifs:	Shakespeare, especially Macbeth and Hamlet
Publication details
Year of release:	1988
Original publisher:	Victor Gollancz
Hardback ISBN:	ISBN 0-575-04363-6
Paperback ISBN:	ISBN 0-552-13460-0
Other details
Awards:
Notes:	Came 135th in the Big Read. One of two books made into an animated film. Adapted as a play by Stephen Briggs.

This article is about the novel. For the Germanic Fates, see Weird Sisters. For the band, see Wyrd Sisters (band).

Wyrd Sisters is Terry Pratchett's sixth Discworld novel, published in 1988, and re-introduces Granny Weatherwax of Equal Rites.

1 Plot summary
2 Translations
3 External links
4 Notes

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Essentially a parody or calque of Macbeth, Wyrd Sisters features three witches: Granny Weatherwax; Nanny Ogg, matriarch of a large tribe of Oggs, who owns the most evil cat in the world, (Greebo); and Magrat Garlick, the junior witch, who firmly believes in occult jewellery, even though none of it works.

King Verence I of Lancre is murdered by his cousin, Duke Felmet, and the King's crown and a baby are given by an escaping servant to the three witches. The witches hand the crown and the child to a troupe of traveling actors, acknowledging that destiny will eventually take its course and Tomjon will grow up to defeat Duke Felmet.

However, the kingdom is angry and doesn't want to wait 15 years so the witches move it forward in time. Meanwhile, the duke has decided to get a play written and performed that is favourable to him so he sends the jester to Ankh-Morpork to recruit the same travelling (now stationary) company that Tomjon is in.

The only problem is that Tomjon does not want to be king. Luckily, the jester turns out to be his brother and he becomes king instead.

Many Macbeth references are worked in such as the Duke always trying to wash blood from his hands with various implements such as a cheese grater. There are also parodies of Shakespeare like The Dysk theater and Please Yourself.

Spoilers end here.

There has been an animated version and a 4-part BBC Radio 4 dramatisation, as well as a play adaptation by Stephen Briggs.

[edit] Translations

Language	Title	Round-trip translation	Notes
Bulgarian	Посестрими в занаята
Czech	Soudné sestry
Dutch	De Plaagzusters
Estonian	Õed Nõiduses
Finnish	Noitasiskokset
French	Trois Sœurcières	Three Sister-Witches^[1]
German	MacBest	MacBest
Greek	Οι Στρίγκλες
Hebrew	אחיות הגורל
Hungarian	Vészbanyák
Icelandic	Örlagasystur
Italian	Sorellanza stregonesca
Norwegian	Sære søstre	Weird Sisters
Polish	Trzy Wiedźmy	Three Wiches
Portuguese	As Três Bruxas	The Three Wiches	Brazil
Portuguese	Estranhas Irmãs	Weird Sisters	Portugal
Russian	Вещие сестрички
Serbian	Sestre po metli
Spanish	Brujerías	Witchcraft
Swedish	Häxkonster	Witchcraft

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

^ The title uses a play on words: Trois Sœurcières. Trois Sorcières translates as "Three Witches", and Sœur means "sister".

Reading Order Guide

Preceded by Sourcery	6^th Discword Novel	Succeeded by Pyramids
Preceded by Equal Rites	2^th Witches Story Published in 1988	Succeeded by Witches Abroad

Terry Pratchett's Discworld

v • d • e

Novels:	The Colour of Magic – The Light Fantastic – Equal Rites – Mort – Sourcery – Wyrd Sisters – Pyramids – Guards! Guards! – Eric – Moving Pictures – Reaper Man – Witches Abroad – Small Gods – Lords and Ladies – Men at Arms – Soul Music – Interesting Times – Maskerade – Feet of Clay – Hogfather – Jingo – The Last Continent – Carpe Jugulum – The Fifth Elephant – The Truth – Thief of Time – The Last Hero – The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents – Night Watch – The Wee Free Men – Monstrous Regiment – A Hat Full of Sky – Going Postal – Thud! – Wintersmith – Making Money - I Shall Wear Midnight
Short Stories:	Troll Bridge – Theatre of Cruelty – The Sea and Little Fishes – Death and What Comes Next
Other books:	The Discworld Companion – The Science of Discworld – The Science of Discworld II: The Globe – The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch – The Pratchett Portfolio – The Art of Discworld – The Unseen University Challenge – The Wyrdest Link – The Streets of Ankh-Morpork – The Discworld Mapp – A Tourist Guide to Lancre – Death's Domain – Nanny Ogg's Cookbook – The Discworld Almanak – Where's My Cow? – The Unseen University Cut Out Book – The Discworld Diaries – Once More With Footnotes*
Games:	The Colour of Magic – Discworld – Discworld 2 – Discworld MUD – Discworld Noir – GURPS Discworld – Thud