Equal Rites

A girl becomes a wizard in a world where women aren't allowed.

Equal Rites is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 1987. It is the third novel in the Discworld series and the first where the main character is not Rincewind. The story introduces Granny Weatherwax and follows Eskarina Smith (Esk), an eighth son of an eighth son who is actually a girl but receives a wizard's staff by mistake. Since female wizards are unheard of on the Discworld, Granny takes her to Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork. There, she meets Simon, whose magic opens a hole into the Dungeon Dimensions. After Simon's mind gets trapped and Esk ends up there too, they learn that not using magic weakens the creatures from those dimensions. With help from Archchancellor Cutangle and Granny Weatherwax, they return to the Discworld and develop a new kind of magic based on restraint.

Quick Facts

Author

Terry Pratchett

Cover artist

Josh Kirby

Language

English

Series

Discworld, 3rd novel – 1st Witches story

Subject

Fantasy clichés
Feminism
Characters:
Eskarina Smith
Granny Weatherwax
Locations:
Ankh-Morpork
Lancre

Genre

Fantasy

Publisher

Victor Gollancz Ltd in association with Colin Smythe

Published

15 January 1987

Lore & Background

In this novel, the number eight holds magical properties similar to seven in other mythologies. The plot centers on Drum Billet, a dying wizard who travels to ensure his staff passes to an eighth son of an eighth son, but he mistakes the newborn girl for a boy. Eskarina Smith grows up with uncontrollable powers until Granny Weatherwax guides her. On the way to Ankh-Morpork, she meets Simon, an apprentice who invents a new view of the universe based on numbers. His magic accidentally opens a rift to the Dungeon Dimensions. The staff strikes Simon to close the hole, trapping his mind, while Esk is pulled in during a rescue attempt. In the cold dimensions, they discover that creatures are scared and weakened if their potential victims use magic but choose not to.

Reader's Guide

The central conflict of Equal Rites revolves around the impossibility of a female wizard on the Discworld. The story satirizes rigid traditions when an eighth son of an eighth son turns out to be a girl who inherits a wizard's staff anyway. Pratchett introduces Granny Weatherwax here, though she becomes a main character in later books. Eskarina Smith does not reappear until I Shall Wear Midnight, published 23 years later. The novel explores the nature of magic through Simon's numerical approach and the final lesson that restraint is more powerful than force.

Did You Know?

The title Equal Rites is a play on words related to the phrase 'Equal Rights'.
Pratchett based the character Esk on his daughter, Rhianna Pratchett.
Eskarina Smith first appears in Equal Rites (1987) and later appears in The Shepherd's Crown (2015), but she does not appear in Maskerade or The Light Fantastic.