| Characters from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series |
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| Character details | |
| Full name: | Susan Sto Helit |
| Description: | Death's granddaughter; a stern schoolteacher, has pure white hair with a single black streak through it |
| Associations: | Death Death of Rats Mort Ysabell |
| Location: | Quirm College, Sto Helit, Ankh-Morpork |
| Story appearances | |
| First seen: | Soul Music |
| Also in: | Hogfather, Thief of Time |
| Other details | |
| Notes: | Wields a fireplace poker against monsters |
Susan Sto Helit (also spelled Sto-Helit), once referred to as Susan Death, is a fictional character who has featured in three of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels: Soul Music, Hogfather, and Thief of Time. This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948 is an English fantasy, Science fiction, and children's author. Discworld is a comedic Fantasy Book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat Death, is a Fictional character in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series Death, is a Fictional character in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series Quirm is a Fictional City in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld novels The Discworld is the fictional setting for all of Terry Pratchett 's Discworld fantasy novels Geography Ankh-Morpork lies on the River Ankh (the most polluted waterway on the Discworld and reputedly solid enough to walk on where the fertile loam of the Sto Plains Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Hogfather is the 20th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. The Hogfather is also a character in the book representing something Thief of Time is the 26th Discworld Novel written by Terry Pratchett. Firestick redirects here For the Aboriginal practice see Fire-stick farming. Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948 is an English fantasy, Science fiction, and children's author. Discworld is a comedic Fantasy Book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Hogfather is the 20th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. The Hogfather is also a character in the book representing something Thief of Time is the 26th Discworld Novel written by Terry Pratchett.
She is the daughter of Ysabell, Death's adopted daughter (introduced in The Light Fantastic) and Mort, who was briefly his apprentice (in Mort). Mort and Ysabell are Fictional characters a young married couple in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series Death, is a Fictional character in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series The Light Fantastic is a Comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the second of the Discworld series Mort and Ysabell are Fictional characters a young married couple in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series MoRT (an acronym for "Metamorphosis of Realistic Theories" Mort is also the French word for death) is an Avant-garde metal At the end of Mort they leave Death's domain and become Duke and Duchess of Sto Helit. MoRT (an acronym for "Metamorphosis of Realistic Theories" Mort is also the French word for death) is an Avant-garde metal See also Discworld (world The Discworld, the fantastical setting for Terry Pratchett 's bestselling series of novels of the same name, Sto Lat is a Fictional Town in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld novels Susan is their only child.
She is first introduced as a sixteen-year-old pupil at the Quirm College for Young Ladies in Soul Music, shortly after the death of her parents (Death could not save them, only grant them eternal life at his Domain, which they refused). Quirm is a Fictional City in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld novels Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. During this book, Death takes a holiday from his work in an attempt to forget his more troubling memories, thereby creating a metaphysical vacancy in the post, which 'sucks Susan in', as Albert puts it, forcing her to temporarily assume the role of Grim Reaper. After graduating — and despite technically being the current Duchess of Sto Helit — she begins a teaching career, first as a governess (in Hogfather) and then as a schoolteacher (in Thief of Time). A governess is a female employee of a family who teaches children within their home Hogfather is the 20th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. The Hogfather is also a character in the book representing something Thief of Time is the 26th Discworld Novel written by Terry Pratchett. She insists on being addressed as "Miss Susan".
Contents |
Personality and traits
Susan is tall and thin; in The Discworld Companion, Pratchett describes her as "attractive in a skinny way. The Discworld Companion is an Encyclopedia of all things Discworldian created by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs. " Her hair is pure white, but with a streak of black running through it from end to end. It tends to rearrange its style of its own accord depending on her mood or actions. Her age is uncertain, although as of Thief of Time she is probably in her early to mid twenties. Despite her relative youth, she projects a sense of great age. Susan possesses a birthmark that shows itself only when she blushes; it consists of three finger-like marks that were left on her father when Death slapped him in Mort. Death, is a Fictional character in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series MoRT (an acronym for "Metamorphosis of Realistic Theories" Mort is also the French word for death) is an Avant-garde metal These marks glow when Susan is angry, as mentioned in Soul Music. She has on several ocassions demonstrated a preference for the colour black, in that most of her childhood drawings were done in this colour (mentioned in Soul Music). Black is the Color of objects that do not emit or Reflect Light in any part of the Visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of This fixation is not as extreme as that which her mother possessed for the colour pink, and may in fact be a characteristic inherited from Death, who made most of the decorations for his Domain black. Pink is a pale Red Color that was first recorded in the 17th century to describe the pale red Flowers of pinks, Flowering plants See also Discworld (world The Discworld, the fantastical setting for Terry Pratchett 's bestselling series of novels of the same name, Another aspect of her personality which may stem from her relationship with Death is the fact that, by her own admission, she is "not very musical" (her grandfather also possessed a distinct lack of talent in the field of music, making several unsuccessful attempts to learn how to play the violin). Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member However, Susan's lack of musical ability may be the result of an upbringing in which imagination and creativity were not encouraged to any degree (see below), making it more of an environmentally instilled trait than an inherited one. Susan also has a Look (always capitalised), which can be rather disconcerting, even to those in authority, such as her grandfather, and the headmistress of the school in which she teaches.
Despite being Death's adoptive granddaughter, she has inherited certain of his abilities: She can "walk through walls and live outside time and be a little bit immortal. " As well as being able to "remember the future," she can make herself completely unnoticeable to humans if she so chooses. However, some people, such as Albert or Mustrum Ridcully, who are used to such things, are still able to see her if they concentrate. Albert (known as Alberto Malich when he founded the Unseen University) is a character from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series Mustrum Ridcully is a Fictional character in the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett. Susan can find anyone she seeks, a talent she refers to as a "family trait. " She can see (or rather, is unable to ignore) things which are invisible to most people, such as tooth fairies and bogeymen. A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair In Terry Pratchett 's Discworld novels the undead are seen less as monsters and more as characters with unusual cultural quirks Susan also has the ability to use her grandfather's voice (Indicated, similar to Death's, "by small caps") to command or intimidate others.
Susan has, on several occasions, expressed rather unusual attitudes toward school and education in general: In Soul Music, it is mentioned that "She got on with her education. In her opinion, school kept trying to interfere with it". In Hogfather, Susan compares getting an education to having a communicable sexual disease, in that "It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on".
Her most obvious character trait is being sensible, an attribute carefully cultivated by her parents as a counterbalance to the influence of her grandfather. Initially, this manifested itself as a refusal to admit the supernatural side of the world (beyond basic magic) even existed. The Discworld is the fictional setting for all of Terry Pratchett 's Discworld fantasy novels This is not surprising, given the fact that her parents had informed her from a very early age that there were no such things as the Soul Cake Duck, the Hogfather or the Tooth Fairy. An anthropomorphic personification is a natural process endowed with human form and personality Hogfather is the 20th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. The Hogfather is also a character in the book representing something For other uses see Tooth Fairy (disambiguation. The tooth fairy is the concept of a Fairy which gives a child a gift in exchange for a Tooth It has even been suggested that her parents chose to name her Susan specifically because of the sensible and conventional connotations of the name. This upbringing has instilled in her a certain lack of romanticism; her personal appraisal of "a poem about daffodils" is, "Apparently the poet had liked them very much. I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD I " Latterly, however, she accepts she is part of the same world as the Hogfather and the Tooth Fairy—she just wishes she wasn't. She can be relied upon to keep her head in a crisis, something she tends to view as a character flaw.
As the novels progress, Susan proves to be quite good at handling small children, a skill that is attributed to her sensible and practical nature.
This is reflected in her novel approach to children's problems. When a child complains about a monster in the cupboard or under the bed, most parents would go to great lengths to carefully explain to the child that there is no monster. Susan, on the other hand, simply hands the child a suitable weapon with which to assault the monster, or goes and does it herself. Monsters from a wide area have come to dread the fireplace poker she uses for this task, although as word of Susan has quickly spread among the city's resident monsters, she lately has only needed to deal with newcomers. Firestick redirects here For the Aboriginal practice see Fire-stick farming.
Her practical nature is very similar to Granny Weatherwax's Headology, though the two are used in different fashions. Esmerelda "Esme" Weatherwax (usually called Granny Weatherwax or Mistress Weatherwax on formal occasions such as when being addressed by not-yet witches Esmerelda "Esme" Weatherwax (usually called Granny Weatherwax or Mistress Weatherwax on formal occasions such as when being addressed by not-yet witches
Her approach in other areas is also unusual. For example, in her role as a governess she has found that her charges' reading progress has been greatly enhanced by using interesting books which are slightly too difficult for them, and which therefore present something of a challenge. Parents may, however, have reservations about her choice of General Tacticus' Campaigns as a reader, since it may be argued that the ability to spell 'disembowelled' is not necessarily needed by children under ten. General Callus Tacticus is a legendary soldier and military leader in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld fantasy series Disembowelment ( evisceration) is the removing of some or all of the vital organs usually from the Abdomen.
As a schoolteacher she is sufficiently successful to have parents clamouring to have their child included in her class. Her approach to history and geography, often subjects which children find rather dull, has particularly captured her class's attention. The occasional need to remove from their children's clothing dried-in bloodstains or ground-in swamp mud is generally seen by parents as more than compensated for by the broad education being received—a child's description of one of the classic battles from Ankh-Morpork's long history, for example, might be sufficiently vivid and detailed to make the parent think that the description could not have been improved upon if the child had actually seen the battle at first hand. Geography Ankh-Morpork lies on the River Ankh (the most polluted waterway on the Discworld and reputedly solid enough to walk on where the fertile loam of the Sto Plains
Her role as a caregiver to children combined with her no-nonsense style and almost magical flair for stick-like weaponry (e. g. her grandfather's scythe, field hockey sticks, a fireplace poker) could be seen as a punnish pormanteau of Mary Poppins who also had a very similar attitude (but actively encouraged positive imagination where Susan tends to say things like "Real children don't go hoppity-skip unless they're on drugs. Mary Poppins is a series of children's books written by PL Travers and originally illustrated by Mary Shepard. "), took children on magical adventures (Susan did so to teach geography) and had a magic umbrella (which, while not used as a blunt object, was magical much like Death's scythe). Neither character openly acknowledges their magical powers. In fact, both tend toward being actively insulted when reminded of their use.
Role
Susan is one of the Discworld series's principal protagonists; she is a main character in Soul Music, Hogfather and Thief of Time. Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Hogfather is the 20th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. The Hogfather is also a character in the book representing something Thief of Time is the 26th Discworld Novel written by Terry Pratchett. As the granddaughter of Death, she is frequently (and reluctantly) forced away from her "normal" life to do battle with various malign supernatural forces or, barring that, to take on her grandfather's job in his absence. Death tends to employ her in his battles against the Auditors of Reality, particularly in situations where he has no power or influence (For instance, since children have no concept of death, he cannot enter the Tooth Fairy's castle, which is constructed from the imaginations of children. See also Anthropomorphic personifications (Discworld, Death (Discworld, Discworld gods The Auditors of Reality are fictional godlike beings in In another instance, he could not influence or even see the son of Time in Thief of Time because—being only "mostly human"—he was not subject to death). Thief of Time is the 26th Discworld Novel written by Terry Pratchett.
Relationships
In The Art of Discworld, Pratchett describes Susan as "rather chilly. The Art of Discworld is a descriptive book of the world of the Discworld as portrayed in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series " She has yet to demonstrate much affection for others, though her relationship with her grandfather, once strained, improves over the course of the series.
Though Susan was previously infatuated with rocker Imp Y Celyn (Soul Music), Thief of Time ended with an unspecified "perfect moment" between Susan and Lobsang Ludd, the new anthropomorphic personification of Time. This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Thief of Time is the 26th Discworld Novel written by Terry Pratchett. The Order of Wen the Eternally Surprised, better known as the History Monks, and also sometimes referred to as the Men In Saffron (see Men in Black) and No Such Monastery Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely Human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings natural and supernatural phenomena material states and objects
Appearances in other media
In the Cosgrove Hall animation of Soul Music, Susan was voiced by Debra Gillett. Cosgrove Hall Films is a British Animation studio based in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England that is a major producer of children's The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames Debra Gillett is a British Actress who has been active since 1990 and appeared in productions including The Witches, Chimera, Truckers In the Sky One live-action adaptation of Hogfather the character was played by Michelle Dockery. Terry Pratchett's Hogfather is a two-part Television adaptation of the book of the same name by Terry Pratchett, produced by The Mob Michelle Dockery is a British actress known primarily for playing Susan Sto Helit in the Sky One adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Hogfather
She also appears in the computer game, Discworld 2: Missing Presumed...!?. Discworld II Missing Presumed!? ( Discworld II Mortality Bytes! in North America) is the second graphic Adventure game based on
External links
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