Witches (Discworld)
A major subset of the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett involve the witches of Lancre. They are closely based on witches in British folklore, combined with modern Wicca and a slightly tongue-in-cheek reinterpretation of the Triple Goddess.Witch magic is very different from the wizard magic taught in the Unseen University, and consists largely of finding the right lever that makes everything else work. Witches rarely do any magic, in fact, relying more on common sense, hard work, and a peculiar brand of psychology known as "headology".
The three main witches in the books are Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick.
Esmeralda Weatherwax
Esmerelda Weatherwax (usually called "Granny Weatherwax") is the Crone. In fact it has been suggested she embodies all three, but the Crone is the most obvious. (In the books, the triple nature of the coven is always referred to as "the maiden, the mother and... the other one" in her presence). She is the most powerful witch in the Ramtops but, as mentioned above, powerful witches rarely do magic. While she can cast some extremely impressive spells if pushed, much of her power comes from headology, a sort of folk-psychology which can be summed up as "if people think you're a witch, you might as well be one". For instance, Granny could, if she wished, curse people. However it is simpler for her to say she's cursed them, and let them assume she's responsible for the next bit of bad luck that happens to befall them.
It has been said that the difference between headolody and psychology is that a pychologist will convice you that there are no monsters, whereas a headologist will hand you a bat and a chair to stand on.
She has a near unshakeable belief in her own abilities which has, thus far, proved accurate, and an extreme distrust of stories. She was intended by nature to be a "wicked witch", but at an early age realised she had to be "the good one" to balance her sister, Lily. Ironically, Lily, who became a fairy godmother, was convinced she was the good one, because she gave people what she thought they wanted. Granny Weatherwax gives people what she knows they need. As Pratchett would put it, being Good and Right doesn't make you Nice, and she isn't.
Gytha Ogg
Gytha Ogg (usually called "Nanny Ogg") is the Mother. She has been married three times and has seventeen kids, but that's incidental: what makes her the Mother is her mentality. People go to Granny Weatherwax for help when they have no choice, but they go to Nanny for advice all the time. Granny is respected, but Nanny is actually liked.
She's a lot cleverer than Esme in some ways, and one of these is people sense, so she generally doesn't let it show (since most people don't trust people who are more clever than them). Gytha Ogg is seen as "one of the people" in a way that Esme isn't. While Granny thinks there's no point in competing if you aren't going to win, Nanny reckons the sympathy you get for being a good runner-up is much better. Granny comes across as judgemental, whereas Nanny has a mind so broad she could tie it under her chin. She appears to be kinder than Granny, but is equally prepared to make tough decisions if necessary.
Amongst the duties of a witch are midwifery and laying out the dead. If possible, people call Nanny for the former and Granny for the latter.
Magrat Garlick
The Maiden was originally Magrat Garlick, who was best described as "a wet hen". She tends to believe in crystals, folk wisdom and cycles of nature, and is, in short, something of a gentle parody of New Age types. However, beneath this she is surprisingly practical. (In fact, it could be suggested that all the witches represent an alternate view of a different stereotype of witches: Granny is, as noted, the classic fairy tale witch, Nanny the village wise woman and Magrat the modern romantic Wiccan.)
She is technically a better doctor than the other two, since she actually believes in herbalism, whereas Granny tends to use whatever plant comes to hand and headology (in this case the placebo effect).
Agnes Nitt
Following Magrat's marriage to King Verence II, the role of maiden has been (reluctantly) taken up by Agnes Nitt, a sensible young woman who suffers from a self-induced multiple personality disorder. Tired of being seen as someone with "a nice personality and good hair", she tried to create a new, more exciting persona for herself. Unfortunately, this persona, Perdita, developed an actual existence in her mind. Perdita is even more romantic than Magrat, although more Gothic than New Age.