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Carpe Jugulum (/ˈkɑːrpi ˈdʒʌɡjʊləm/; Latatian for "seize the throat", cf. Carpe
diem) is a comic fantasy novel by English writer Terry Pratchett, the twenty-third
in the Discworld series.[1] It was first published in 1998.[2]
Carpe Jugulum
Carpe-jugulum-1.jpg
First edition
Author
Terry Pratchett
Cover artist
Josh Kirby
Language
English
Series

Discworld
23rd novel – 6th Witches story

Subject

Vampire novels, youth culture, multiple personality disorder

Characters:
Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Agnes Nitt
Locations:
Lancre

Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Doubleday, London
Publication date
1998
ISBN
0-385-40992-3
Preceded by
The Last Continent
Followed by
The Fifth Elephant

In Carpe Jugulum, Terry Pratchett pastiches the traditions of vampire literature,

playing with the mythic archetypes and featuring a tongue-in-cheek reversal of
'vampyre' subculture with young vampires who wear bright clothes, drink wine, and
stay up until noon.
Plot summaryEdit
Count Magpyr and family, vampires from Überwald, are invited to the naming of
Magrat and King Verence's daughter, to be conducted by the Omnian priest, the Quite
Reverend Mightily-Praiseworthy-Are-Ye-Who-Exalteth-Om 'Mightily' Oats, a recent
graduate from theological college. During the party after the ceremony, Verence
tells Nanny Ogg and Agnes Nitt that the Count has informed him that the Magpyr
family intend to move into Lancre Castle and take over. Due to a type of hypnotism,
everyone seems to consider this plan to be perfectly acceptable. Only the youngest
witch, Agnes, and Mightily Oats seem able to resist the vampiric mind control, due
to their being "being in two minds about everything" (resulting from her Perdita
persona, and his contemplation of the tenets of the myriad schismatic sects of
Omnianism). Because of her ability to resist his influence, the Magpyr son, Vlad,
is attracted to Agnes and makes many advances on her including trying to convince
her to become a vampire. Meanwhile, the castle falconer Hodgesaargh goes out
searching for a phoenix after discovering a phoenix feather.

Meanwhile, Granny Weatherwax, feeling slighted by not receiving an invitation to

the ceremony, has left her cottage empty and seems to be working towards a life in
a cave, almost like a hermit. After they have left the hypnotic influence of the
Vampires, Agnes, Nanny Ogg and Magrat attempt to convince her to help them save
Lancre, but apparently without success, even after Granny is informed that her
gilt-edged invitation was stolen by a magpie.

The three witches return to Lancre to take on the Count and his family without her,
but because the Magpyr family have built up a tolerance for the normal methods of
defeating a vampire, such as garlic, bright light, and religious symbols, this is
not so easily done. Just when it seems all is lost, Granny Weatherwax comes through
the front door, soaked to the bone and swaying with exhaustion. Nanny Ogg and
Magrat use Granny's assault upon the Count as a distraction to escape, leaving
Granny, Agnes and Brother Oats with the Vampires. Granny is unable to get through
the Count's mental defences, and the Magpyrs feed on her, with the intention of
transforming her into a vampire. Nanny attempts to organise resistance against the
Magpyrs, rallying her extended family to form a mob, and promising the Nac Mac
Feegle (a race of six-inch-high, blue-skinned militant fairy folk evicted from
Überwald by the Magpyrs as an "outdated" race) an uninhabited island in exchange
for an alliance against the Magpyrs.

Igor, the servant of the Magpyrs, is hated by the Magpyrs for his traditionalist
"more gothic than thou" attitude, as Igor tries to keep the "tradithionalitht" ways
alive often against the wishes of the modern current Count Magpyr, including
forcing spiders to spin cobwebs. Igor has a pet dog named Scraps, made from the
parts of several dogs.

Nanny Ogg, Magrat, and Magrat's infant daughter, Esmerelda Margaret Note Spelling
of Lancre, escape with the help of the rebelling Igor (who appears to have a crush
on Nanny), but are forced to detour to Überwald and end up in the Magpyrs' castle.
Agnes is kidnapped by the Magpyrs' son and their clan, who give chase by flying.
After being taken to the village of Escrow where the Magpyrs have established a
means of feeding similar to tax-gathering, Agnes instigates a rebellion against the
Vampires.

Granny Weatherwax struggles against the vampirism inside her and thrusts the pain
this causes into the iron of the castle forge's anvil. She is only able to defeat
the vampirism after she looks inside herself and faces the darker side of her
nature, but the struggle leaves her barely able to stand, let alone defeat the
Count. Granny also surmises that there was a phoenix in the mews the entire times
Hodgesaargh was out searching for one, having taken the shape of a hawk (having
hatched amongst them).
While Magrat and her daughter hide in Igor's dungeon quarters, Nanny and Igor begin
fighting against the Magpyrs, using the considerable stock of Holy water and other
religious symbols that were originally collected by old Count Magpyr (who is
described as having been "a sportsman"). Surprisingly (for the Magpyr family, at
least), the old-fashioned ways to defeat vampires that they thought themselves
protected against start to work again (with conditioning against religious symbols
resulting in the recognition of such in any random pattern). They don't understand
what the problem is, although they start to have bizarre cravings for "hot, sweet
strong tea and biscuits", a combination that has them feeling quite upset (it not
being their usual craving for blood).

All is revealed when Granny (who has "helped" Mightily Oats to Überwald by being
carried by him), tells them that — far from turning her into a Vampire — they have,
instead, been 'Weatherwaxed'; she had magically "Borrowed" her own blood, which
they drank, allowing her past their mental defences. The Magpyrs find themselves
unable to harm Magrat's daughter, or do anything else that Granny herself is unable
to do (e.g. fly). They are even more horrified when they find out that Igor has re-
awakened the old Count Magpyr (having gone into his crypt and spilled a drop of
blood on the old Count's cremated ashes), and that the people of Überwald would
prefer the old Count to their new, modern type of vampirism. Oats gives the new
Count a mortal wound across the neck with an axe (though for vampires, mortal
wounds aren't necessarily the end), and the old Count is left to teach the two
young Magpyrs (Lacrimosa and Vlad) the "old ways." The three vampires are last seen
turning into a flock of magpies and disappearing into the darkness of the castle
roof. The novel ends with Nanny organising her relatives to attend a sermon by
Oats, as he plans to travel to Überwald continue his missionary work; before he
leaves, King Verence presents him with an axe-shaped pendent (replacing his Omian
turtle pendent which he lost earlier), and Agnes presents him with a poultice for
his facial boil.
CharactersEdit

Granny Weatherwax
Nanny Ogg
Agnes Nitt
Mightily Oats
Magrat Garlick
Verence II
Esmerelda Margaret Note Spelling of Lancre
Count de Magpyr
Bela de Magpyr
Vlad de Magpyr
Lacrimosa de Magpyr

References
External links
Last edited 30 days ago by Polygnotus
Related articles

Witches (Discworld)

Granny Weatherwax

Character in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels

Lords and Ladies (novel)

1992 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

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