…being turned in to something small and sticky often offends. They always looked as though they were plotting something. …when it came to odd, Miss Treason didn’t just take the cake, but a packet of biscuits too, with sprinkle on the top, and also a candle. ‘Magic is mostly movin’ stuff around.’ (W) Everything about Granny Weatherwax was a test. …if you were friendly to Granny Weatherwax she tested you to see how friendly you would stay. When all hope was gone, you called for Granny Weatherwax, because she was the best.Īnd she always came. …Granny Weatherwax believed in cups of tea, dry biscuits, washing every morning in cold water and, well, she believed mostly in Granny Weatherwax.

It meant thinking that right and wrong were negotiable. It meant you thinking that the fact you knew more than anyone else in your village made you better than them. It meant loneliness and hard work and responsibility and other people’s problems driving you crazy a little bit at a time, each bit so small that you’d hardly notice it, until you thought that it was normal to stop washing and wear a kettle on your head. It meant your mind drifting away from its anchor. ‘Cackling’, to a witch, didn’t just mean nasty laughter. If you got it wrong you could go from ignorant to cackling in a week… (W) …it wasn’t wise to try to learn witching all by yourself, especially if you had a natural talent. …when the gods made sheep they must’ve left their brains in their other coat.

It wasn’t a spell, except in her own head, but if you couldn’t make spells work in your own head you couldn’t make them work at all. There was no point in making it easy for people. She took the view that if you were capable of learning, you’d work it out.

Wintersmith pratchett