In Neil Gaiman’s Sandman graphic novels, Death is a gothic young female who finds humans interesting and enlightening. Ironically, she is described as a joyful character, and she is able to cheer up her brother, Dream, in the first volume of the series (for more on that, see chapter 9). Neil Gaiman also has a portrayal of Death (Azrael) in the book Good Omens, which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett.
BINKY, DEATH’S STEED
Since Death is one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, it is only appropriate that in Discworld he should have his own horse. Two horses shortly filled this order, but failed, due to too much limb repair (the skeletal steed) and too many fire hazards (the fiery steed torched the barn). Death then settled on a horse named Binky. His granddaughter, Susan, was so fond of Binky that he gave her a toy set of “My Little Binky” as a birthday present. Binky is a fantastic horse who walks on his own devised ground (he defies gravity; you may want to think of it as flying but it’s not). Binky obliges Death by coming to him whenever he snaps his fingers and makes sure a rider doesn’t fall off when riding him. Binky is just as obedient to Susan as he is for Death.
Binky is cared for well at Death’s Domain. He wears a silver harness. The blacksmith Jason Ogg, whom Death considers “superb” at his job, makes horseshoes for Binky. Jason Ogg is the oldest son of Nanny Ogg and the blacksmith of Lancre. (For more about Jason, see chapter 14.)
A FAMILY MAN
Death decides to start a family because he wants to know what it’s like to be human. He adopts Ysabell as a baby, upon the death of her parents. Ysabell’s daddy (Death) allows her to grow to be sixteen years old with the misconception that teenagers are easier to care for than young children are.91 Housed in Death’s Domain where there is no aging, Ysabell remains a teenager until she leaves. In Mort, Ysabell eventually falls in love with the main character. Mort and Ysabell marry and leave Death’s home and become mortal once again. Upon leaving, the couple is given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sto Helit. Little is said about their lives after that, but we do know that they have a daughter whom they name Susan. Susan, though not blood- (or bone-) related to Death, takes on his some of his characteristics (that is what happens when you have Death in the family). Mort and Ysabell die at the beginning of the book Soul Music in a coach accident.
DEATH’S GRANDDAUGHTER
Mary Poppins is a magical nanny who comes to care for the Banks children during a difficult time. She is a character in a series of children’s books by P. L. Travers and also is the title of the Disney movie released in 1964. The reason we bring this up is that Pratchett himself considers the character of Susan a “Gothic Mary Poppins” in The Art of Discworld book. One similarity is that even though Mary Poppins does magical things (such as having tea parties while floating in the air and jumping into chalk drawings on the sidewalk), she never admits that these things actually happened. She also is sure to act very proper; in a way, that seems contrary to the actual situations she finds herself, and the Banks children, in. However, Susan, who as far as we know never tidied up a nursery using magic and song, is quite magical and tries very hard to be normal and proper. But, of course, the obvious similarity is that she is in fact a nanny in Hogfather and spends much time during this employment beating up monsters with a metal poker.
As we mentioned before, Susan has inherited some characteristics from her grandfather Death. When she needs to, she can walk through walls (and objects), knows some things before they actually happen, and can find people. She has trouble remembering to do some normal human things, such as going to sleep and using doorknobs, just like dear old Granddad. Despite these similarities, she spends a lot of time trying to avoid Grandpa. Susan is mortal and does not like cats, unlike her grandfather.
Besides the nanny position, Susan has also been employed as a teacher. Her teaching techniques are unconventional but effective. It is not uncommon for her to take her class on field trips that involve not only long distances but also travel through time. Her other profession, though she tries to avoid it, is the ability to take over for Death. She is quite capable of doing Death’s work when needed, complete with his voice.
EMPLOYMENT
It is certainly the job of Death to collect souls. He doesn’t appear at all deaths, but makes sure everything is going okay. On special occasions, he collects the souls of ordinary people but, typically, his haul encompasses witches, wizards, and royalty. His job isn’t morbid all the time; he brings good news upon death to some, such as no more dandruff.
Death has taken on multiple other jobs throughout the Discworld series, from a short-order cook (Mort) to an actor (Wyrd Sisters ) . Perhaps his most memorable job is as the Hogfather, in the book of the same title, when he tries to revive Discworldians’ belief in the Santa Claus figure. He also has worked as a beggar, a farmer, and in the foreign legion as a soldier.
DEATH’S DOMAIN
It is quite apparent that one of Death’s jobs is not, and will never be, interior decoration. Though he lacks imagination, Death does have the ability to copy things. Therefore, his Domain is decked out with very big rooms (they may seem unreasonably large), a bedroom suite, a library, and even a cat flap in the back door, which seems to have been installed in Hogfather. He finds no reason to lock the back door. Everything is dreary, in black and gray, with the exception of living things that include Albert (the manservant), daughter Ysabell (when young and alive), and many cats (which appear in Hogfather). The house appears small from the outside.
In the kitchen, you will usually find Albert frying up some type of food. It is a good thing that Ysabell, Albert, and Mort eat, because Death has no need to partake of food. Sometimes, Albert will deliver tea to Death in his quarters. Perhaps this is comfort food. Albert, although a wizard, also has been known to serve as the valet and gardener.
HOURGLASSES
Some of us are in daily contact with an hourglass—you know, the timekeeper with two (usually glass) bulbs that transfer some type of matter (typically sand) from the top section to the bottom one. Our daily encounter with this symbol, however, is no longer in physical form—it is in the form of a little icon on our computer screens and can cause a lot of frustration. Yes, the hourglass has become a modern symbol of consternation. How many times have you had to just stare at the hourglass on your screen and just wait and wait?92
It wouldn’t be right to discuss Death’s home without addressing the hourglasses that are held within it. This includes the hidden room where the hourglasses of the gods are kept; Susan discovers this room in Hogfather. Hourglasses, at least those of humans, reflect how much life a person has left. Once the person dies, the hourglass disappears, and when a person is born, a new one appears. These hourglasses in Discworld, called lifetimers, are for the most part the classic glass and sand variety (Bill Gates is yet to have automated this process). A separate room is used to house the god hourglasses, which include those of the Hogfather, the Tooth Fairy, and other mythological characters that live in Discworld. (See chapter 9. ) A lifetimer is displayed on the cover of Mort (of the HarperTorch edition that we have). In this book, Death turns Mort’s lifetimer over to extend his life.
Hourglasses93 are also known as sand glasses or sand timers. Hourglasses are items often used in fiction to represent time. Like a genie in a bottle, an hourglass was used in Disney’s Aladdin where Jafar, the nemesis, traps Princess Jasmine inside. Of course, the hourglass used is much larger than our much-loved computer icon (it is hard to determine how large something is when animated). In the Harry Potter series, large hourglass-looking statues are used to keep score among the different magical houses at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And maybe you remember the hourglass in The Wizard of Oz. You are led to believe they are similar to Pratchett’s lifetimers, in that it is showing the time left in the life of the main character, Dorothy. In the end, that hourglass is used as a bomb.
Hourglasses have been symbols of our limited time on earth in various times and cultures. They hav
e been used since the fourteenth century, but there is no evidence that they were used in earlier times for real or symbolically. Some pirates were known to have pictures of hourglasses on their flags as a reminder of our mortality. In England, hourglasses were sometimes placed in coffins before burial. They have also been used as a timepiece on ships.
THE DEATH OF RATS
It is obvious that the character of Death is popular; just do an Internet search for “Pratchett’s Death” and a whole slew of stuff comes up. While doing this, we came across a quiz that supposedly tells you which Death you are. One of us (Carrie) was crowned the Death of Rats, whatever that means.94 Apparently, the quiz creators didn’t consider her houseful of cats (two cats actually, but they seem to multiply). The Death of Rats comes into existence in Reaper Man, where Death is separated into many pieces (little deaths). The Death of Rats, a creation of this separation, does not want to go back into the form of Death. Death allows the Death of Rats to stay separate from him and finds him to be a companion of sorts.95
The Death of Rats has been known to collect the souls of rodents as well as those of rodentlike humans. For instance, in Maskerade, he collects Mr. Ponder who is immediately reincarnated into a rodent. He also has done various other errands for Death, such as delivering messages to Susan. He is approximately six inches tall and carries a small scythe, like his counterpart. He has been known to SQUEAK a good conversation that typically can be interpreted by reading the responses of those to whom he is speaking.
WHAT’S WITH THE SCYTHE?
Apparently Father Time and the Grim Reaper are often connected or considered the same personification. It may be due to the fact that Death is often seen with a scythe, as is Father Time (Cronus, who was also the god of the harvest; for more about him, see chapter 9 ) . This explains the scythe, which is a farming tool used for cutting grass and certain kinds of crops. It eventually succeeded the sickle in Europe in the 1500s. Scythes are still used, mostly in less developed countries, but have been replaced in much of the world by lawn mowers and motorized farming equipment. Another explanation for the scythe is that death is the “harvester of souls.”96 In The Light Fantastic, Death makes a point of explaining that he uses a scythe, whereas, in other worlds, the collections instrument for souls was upgraded to combine harvesters a long time ago.
Actually, while looking at a picture of a scythe, I (Carrie) realized that it vaguely resembles the machete my husband used to keep in his trunk. He claimed the machete was used for cutting grass also; he swears he saw it done this way in Jamaica (yeah, right). I don’t recall Pratchett’s Death cutting much grass, either, except that short period of time he worked for Miss Flitworth under the alias of Bill Door, in Reaper Man. You know, Good Old Bill, as the locals at the tavern referred to him after he purposely lost at pond (pool) and darts.
He spends a lot of time in Reaper Man trying to figure out how to make his scythe sharper.
CAPITAL LETTERS AND THE LANGUAGE OF DEATH
It seems appropriate that Death’s words are represented in a unique way in the Discworld books. After all, he has no vocal cords to actually make sound, being a skeleton and all. Death’s words are all written in small capital letters. His talking is described in Carpe Jugulum as “an echo inside the head.”97 When he takes the place of the Hogfather in the book by the same name, the capital letters are no longer small. This must be due to a personality trait of extra confidence that he must portray as the Hogfather. Death is not real good with frivolous or everyday conversation. You would probably not ask him about the weather or make small talk with him about current events.
Capital letters, a.k.a. upper case or majuscule, would make no difference, for instance, in Chinese writing, where lowercase and uppercase letters are not distinguished. In English, capital letters have had meaning since around 1300. Other than signifying the beginning of a sentence or a name, capital letters are used at times to bring emphasis to a word or phrase. Capital letters are considered by some to be harder to read than lowercase letters and are sometimes used in legal documents to serve that very purpose. It has come to our attention very recently that writing in capital letters in e-mails can be a form of shouting—called “flaming”—at a person or group (offensive, we guess).
Due to the fact that Death knows all, he is therefore quite literate. His chosen form of writing is gothic script. For instance, in Reaper Man, he tries to teach a chicken named Cyril to “cocka-doodle-doo” properly by writing it down on a board with a piece of chalk, and expects him to read it. Gothic script could be referring to the gothic alphabet, which we certainly would have difficulty reading, even though we aren’t an illiterate chicken. The Gothic language is thought to have originally employed a runic alphabet known as the gothic runes. The gothic runes are thought to be the invention of the Goths who were dwellers of dunes (maybe these were decorated like Death’s Domain). Runes were replaced with the gothic alphabet in the fourth century A.D. If we were referring to Death’s writing style in font types, we probably would consider sans serif because it is considered gothic. Regular serif font is considered Roman. Serif fonts are considered easier to read than sans serif but typically the living don’t read Death’s notes. In Hogfather, it is mentioned that Death uses serifs in his handwriting when Susan finds a note in his handwriting.
DODGING DEATH: GAMES AND BOXES
Okay, time for an exercise that requires some imagination and a whole lot of insurance (on our part). Let’s say you die. This is not a death threat; let’s just say you do. Now, imagine that an Angel of Death appears to you. What do you do?98 Many writers have toyed with the idea of wagering with Death by playing a game with him/her. The idea is if you win the game, then Death grants you another chance at life. This thought seems to date back to the Middle Ages; a medieval painting by Albertus Pictor depicts Death, as a skeleton, playing chess with a human man. In Pratchett’s Discworld, it is not that Death can grant life; he is only able to give an extension.
The 1957 Swedish film The Seventh Seal, directed by Ingmar Bergman, has a medieval knight playing chess with Death. Death accepts the knight’s wager of extended life if he wins against him in the game. During the movie, the knight reveals his game strategy to the local priest who turns out to be Death himself. The game buys the knight time to see his wife again and to help others during the threat of plague.
In the 1991 movie Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, a sequel to the successful comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the main characters successfully beat Death, played by William Sadler, at Battleship, Clue, electric football, and Twister, successfully, but Death keeps asking for a rematch.
In the Discworld series, there are multiple instances where Death is willing to wager death with a character by playing a game. In Maskerade, you find Granny Weatherwax playing against Death to keep a baby from dying.
A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT CATS
If you saw the movie Prince of Egypt, an animated film about the Bible’s Moses that was released in 1998 by Dreamworks, you have heard the song “Playing with the Big Boys.” The sorcerers, who are trying to prove they are better than Moses and his God, use this song to summon gods. Now, you’re wondering what this has to do with cats and, even more important, what this has to do with Death? Well, one of the gods that is called up is Bast. Bast was the Egyptian cat god and it was in ancient Egypt that cats were first taken in as pets. Now, we are not implying that Death worships cats, but he sure seems to like them a lot. In Pratchett’s book Sourcery, Ipslore, in a contrary manner, asks Death, “[W]hat is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?” Death, after some thought replies, “CATS … . CATS ARE NICE.”99 In The Last Hero, Death confirms his affection for cats by saying, “I DON’T HOLD WITH CRUELTY TO CATS.”100 In Hogfather, Susan finds Death’s domain full of living cats.
We, the authors of this book, collectively have a total of two cats. Which means that Linda has zero and I (Carrie) have two. We can understand why Death would like them so much. They are
lovable and comforting, kind of like a bedtime cup of tea. It is quite ironic that Death has such a love, if you will, for cats. After all, Death has no need to sleep, even though he made sure his bedroom has a bed, and cats can spend almost sixteen hours a day sleeping. It may be comforting to Death that cats can see him whether or not they are dead.
In conclusion, we would like to reiterate the importance of the personification of death in Pratchett’s writings. Benjamin Franklin put it this way, “Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.”101
9
A Powerful Personality
Old man trouble, I don’t mind him
You won’t find him ’round my door.102
IF YOU BELIEVE …
In beauty pageants, winning First Runner-up or Miss Congeniality is a consolation prize. Look what it did for undercover FBI agent Gracie Hart, played by Sandra Bullock in the movie of the latter title. Although it proves that at least you have personality, everyone would prefer to wear the crown.
In Discworld, if you can’t be a god (Blind Io) but you’re immortal, chances are you’re the next runner-up—a personification of something. (An “anthropomorphic personification” as Miss Tick explains in Wintersmith.103) Some might say you’re still a god or, at times, a royal pain.
The idea of personifying the seasons or other aspects of life comes from mythology—a creative way of looking at the origin of all things. In the Discworld books, Pratchett often mentions how faith in their existence shapes these immortals. They are what they are because of what the people of Discworld believe.
Secrets of the Wee Free Men and Discworld Page 11
