We're Not Here to Folk Spiders (The Folklore of Discworld)

Storyteller and librarian Roslyn Quin joins Liz and Ben to discover there’s nowt as queer as folklore, as we discuss Terry Pratchett’s 2008 (and 2009 and 2014) collaboration with folklorist Jacqueline Simpson, The Folklore of Discworld. Wherever there are folk, you’ll find folklore: the stories, traditions, superstitions and more that tell people who they are, and make up their world. The curious thing is, the folklore of a flat world swimming through space on the back of a giant turtle turns out to have a considerable amount in common with that of a round world orbiting a star… The Folklore of Discworld is part a greatest hits collection of Terry’s imagination, and part a summary of the Roundworld lore that inspired or at least resembles its Discworld counterparts. Like The Science of Discworld books it’s a collaboration with an expert in the field – in this case, Dr Jacqueline Simpson of the Folklore Society. Unlike those books, however, there’s no neat division into fiction and non-fiction chapters, with the whole thing written in one voice. It both assumes a fair amount of interest in the Discworld, but also repeats lots of lore about creatures, people and places that fans will probably know, so it’s the discussion and the comparison to Roundworld – and especially British – folklore that makes it shine. What are your favourite bits of folklore here, whether from the Disc or from Roundworld? Do you feel like this has Pratchett’s voice, or is it mostly Simpson’s? Was there enough detail, or were you yearning for more? Which of the versions did you read? And what folklore would you love to see included if it was ever revised again? Join our online conversation via email or by incanting the magic phrase #Pratchat93 on the social media platform of your choice (assuming it’s one where we are). Guest Roslyn Quin (she/they) is a storyteller, librarian, puppeteer, actor, clown and artist who began her performance career with the 2012 solo storytelling show The Red Bird and Death. Since then she’s performed as part of festivals, cabaret and burlesque nights, on podcasts (including the hit Australian audio comedy Love and Luck), and wherever two or more are gathered together and ready to hear a tale. These days you’ll mostly find Ros telling stories to children of all ages at Yarra Plenty Regional Libraries. As mentioned in the episode, she’ll also be telling stories at 6, 7 and 8 PM on Friday 3 July for Melbourne’s free Firelight Festival at Docklands Park! You can also find out more about Ros at roslynquin.com. You can find episode notes and errata on our web site. Next month it’s back to the pixels one more time, as we try and solve three missing persons cases at once in Perfect Entertainment’s third and final Discworld adventure game, Discworld Noir! Send us your questions via email ([email protected]), use the hashtag #Pratchat94 on social media, or just turn up at our office acting mysterious. That always works. Want to help us get to the end of our six(ish) year mission and read every Pratchett book – and more? You can support us with a tip, or a subscription for as little as $2 a month, and that’s cuttin’ our own throats! See our Support Us page for details.