December 17, 2012

Terry Pratchett: Wintersmith

In the third of the Tiffany Aching novels, she's gotten herself into trouble by interrupting a quaint folk celebration of the changing seasons. In the Discworld, magic is real and folk celebrations are anything but "quaint." Tiffany attracts the attention and affections of the spirit of Winter himself, and he is as bad as any over-zelous OKCupid date.

As we all know from studying our history of ancient Christmas customs (it's not just me, right?), many Christmas traditions come from Solstice traditions that were meant to celebrate (if not help along) the retreating darkness and lengthening daylight. The Discworld, being much closer to those ancient times, still celebrates with the old rituals. This is what happens if those rituals don't work.

Tiffany, intending only to watch, finds herself dancing along with the rustic Morris troupe. The Wintersmith notices her and takes her for the Summer Lady. He then sets out to woo her with eternal winter.

Pratchett has written a very ancient tale as a modern fable. There is no good and evil, just a silly mistake, with unimaginable consequences, that Tiffany (and her allies the Mac Nac Feegles, aka the Wee Free Men, and Rolland, the heir of the local baron) must make right. At first, she and her fellow witches try to protect the lands under their care, gathering villagers together to keep warm. Eventually, Tiffany realizes she must face the Wintersmith herself, and how she can defeat him (while Roland goes about waking the Summer Lady). Winter dies, the Summer Lady returns, the land is saved.

More so than any Spiderman comic, the Tiffany Aching novels teach that with great power comes great responsibility, and hard work, and no easy answers, lots of shades of grey, but there is also respect, and doing good, and friendship.