WEE FREE MEN

Cloggets are a trembling of the greebs in hoggets

The Achings were a farming family who had lived on the Chalk for generations. 9 year old Tiffany Aching is practical; level-headed, and down to earth. But she has a talent. Not only does she clearly see a pair of Feegles down at the river, but also Jenny Green-teeth, a lesser river monster. She returns the next day and deals with it with a frying pan. This and the Feegles brings her to the attention of Miss Tick, a witch finder, who tags onto a team of traveling teachers and lures Tiffany into her tent, and decides that the girl certainly has potential.
Tiffany tells Miss Tick about Granny Aching. And also about Roland, the Baron`s son, who disappeared the previous summer. And also about Mrs Snapperley, who was believed to be an evil witch who had taken Roland. The locals had killed her cat, and burnt her books. Tiffany had buried the cat, but Mrs Snapperley was an old lady, who without any help, had died in the cold of the winter. Tiffany still wanted to be a witch, so that would not happen again.

The Chalk one farthing stamp shows the white
horse turf carving on a hillside.

Granny Aching was a shepherdess, who live on the wolds in her hut. She said little and treasured the silence. But the other shepherd would always defer to her. Getting her succinct approval at the sheep dog trials was better than first prize. Even the Baron would seek her out for advice and help. And Granny never ever lost a lamb, even in the depths of winter. Granny, it seems, was a witch in everything but name. And hereditary traits are well known to skip a generation. Tiffany would always associate the smells of Jolly Sailor tobacco, sheep wool, and turpentine (her cure-all for sheep) with the days she spent with Granny. When she died Granny Aching`s hut was burned, and she was buried alongside. All that is left are the wheels and the pot bellied boiler.


The wrapper from Jolly Sailor pipe tobacco has an Ankh-Morpork 10p Duty stamp attached
They were included with the Twoshirts cover from the Year of the Prawn

Tiffany catches the Nac Mac Feegles attempting to steal a sheep and eggs. Then in the lane she meets a headless horseman, and on the advice of the Feegles stares him down. Back where the teachers were she finds Miss Tick`s toad. He was a lawyer in a former life, and he explains that the world of the fairies is in a different dimension, but is lining up with Discworld at weak points. When Tiffany`s little brother, Wentworth goes missing, it could be that the Queen of the Fairies has taken him. As a hag she can visit the Feegle mound, where the Kelda or female leader of the clan, is dying. She welcomes the gift of Granny`s sheep liniment. As the Kelda`s only daughter cannot take over Tiffany must become the temporary Kelda. The Kelda used to spend time with Granny Aching and they shared tobacco and Granny would let them have a very old sheep occasionally. Tiffany is told that her name in Feegle means Life Under Wave, a reference to the chalk which is billions of tiny sea fossils. But first she has to get Wentworth back.
The Sport of the Chalk farthing stamp shows
a bottle of Granny Aching’s sheep liniment.

Tiffany finds a way into Fairyland by imagining the entrance at the trilithon stoness on the hill. She finds herself in an imaginary world. There are grimhounds to defeat. Things such as trees are just basic shapes until you really look at them, when details such as leaves and bark appear. Lurking are dromes, herders of dreams. They are spider-like, and can induce people to experience their own dreams. The Feegles were originally from Fairyland and are able to enter Tiffany`s dreams and warn her not to eat anything put there to tempts her. An attack by bee-like fairies is beaten by some dreadful poetry by the feegles` Gonagle. Tiffany finds Roland there. It seems to him that he has been there for hours, not a year. And eventually Wentworth is found. Getting out again may not be easy. They experience a dream with a sea and a lighthouse, and the Jolly Sailor`s ship arrives. The tide comes in and Tiff and an unconscious Roland are separated from Wentworth and the Feegles.

The Jolly Sailor appears on a postal sticker used on post from Wincanton.

The Fairy Queen herself confronts Tiffany and they have a battle of words. The Queen mocks her, but Tiffany uses and controls one of her own dreams, and connects with the chalk itself. Thus she manages to free herself and Roland from Fairyland. The Feegles and Wentworth follow her. They are met on the mound with Miss Tick accompanied by Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. Granny seems impressed with Tiffany as much as she is willing to admit. They make an arangement with her to learn witching when she is a bit older and would go looking for a maid`s job.
The missing children are returned to their families, though the Baron assumes and tells everybody that it was Roland who rescued everybody. Tiffany does not mind .... too much.

The sport of the Lancre sixpence shows Granny
Weatherwax flying her broom over Lancre Castle.

 


Nanny Ogg was featured on Royal Mail first class stamp