Equal Rites
| Property6 | Value |
|---|---|
| Author Name | Pratchett, Terry |
| Series | Discworld |
| Book Number | 3 |
| Summary | Eskarina Smith, born wizard and apprentice witch to Granny Weatherwax, travels to Unseen University to enroll as a student. |
| Recommendation | Recommended |
| Date Read | 2025-07-27 |
The third book, we are introduced to Granny Weatherwax, Eskarina (Esk), and spend some time with the wizards of Unseen University. Esk is the eighth daughter of an eighth son, and is identified bequeathed a wizards staff at her birth. Granny later takes her in to train her as a witch, teaching her much of "headology," herblore, and other witching subjects, but as the Wizard magic begins to manifest, they travel to UU to enroll her as a student. Various hijinks and the saving of the world ensues.
This is truly a Discworld book; the characters jump out of the page and give you a stern talking to, and complex social ideas are discussed and explored.
This is the first of many books in which Pratchett explores his thoughts on social norms, gender roles, and social morality. While this work does not go into trans rights, we're given much from which we can extrapolate. Granny is initially against the idea of woman becoming a wizard, but Men are Wizards and Women are Witches, and there's no such thing as Male Witches (Warlocks). However, as she sees the wizard magic manifest and develop in Esk, she changes her tune; be true to youraelf and be who you are, nevermind the lore.