History Literature / Hogfather

* DontFearTheReaper: There is a debate between Teatime and Susan as to the ''good taste'' of the Sto Helit family motto ''Non Timetus Messor''. The "death is not to be feared" theme of this trope is evident in the nature and character of the Discworld Death.

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Death's sword is noted to be so sharp that merely standing too close to it will sever the connection between body and soul. [[spoiler:When Teatime gets ahold of this sword and returns to the real world by landing in Unreal University, he simply leaves by cutting through all the magic locks with it.]]

** The Verruca Gnome notes that Jack Frost only draws ferns in frost patterns and suggests drawing big-eyed kids, little puppies, or cute kittens in a boot. Later on, it appears that Jack has mized some of those ideas up as the frost forming on Biers' window are dogs looking out of a boot.

* DumbassHasAPoint: The Bursar suggests willow bark as a hangover cure. [[ThatOldTimePrescription Willow bark contains salicin, from which aspirin was discovered.]]

** Bilious, the Oh God of Hangovers becomes one by the end.

* YouMeanXmas: Hogswatchnight.

%%* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Death's scythe and sword. (Zero-Context: Entry is just "trope is here")

* ChekhovsGun: At the beginning of the book Ridcully makes an off-the-cuff remark:

* ChristmasEpisode

* ContinuityNod: Ridcully mentions the time the build up of life force happened in ''Literature/ReaperMan''.

* PostClimaxConfrontation: Two. One against [[spoiler: the Auditors]] and one against [[spoiler: a NotQuiteDead Teatime]].

* PronouncingMyNameForYou: Jonathan Teatime pronounces his last name for someone ("Te-ah-tim-eh") in his first appearance. It gets mispronounced throughout the book, which he finds a bit annoying.

* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: Susan notes Gawain and Twyla as this.

* TheUpperCrass: Susan works as a governess for a NouveauRiche couple despite being the Duchess of Sto-Helit ([[Literature/{{Mort}} and her father having been awarded the dukedom for personally saving the life of the queen]]) and therefore ranking higher than maybe one or two people in Anhk-Morpork. The disconnect between a duchess working as a servant causes a severe crisis for the socially-conscious wife who is constantly trying to move to the upper classes by reading books on etiquette. When Mrs. Gaiter had tremulously asked her how one addressed the second cousin of a queen, Susan had responded without thinking 'We called him Jamie, usually,' and Mrs. Gaiter had had to go and have a headache in her room.

* ScrewTheRulesTheyreNotReal: Jonathan Teatime is a terror amongst the [[MurderInc Assassin's Guild]] because he approaches all of his assignments with an "extreme prejudice" mentality (read: KillThemAll, in the goriest fashion possible) instead of following the Guild's rules (read: we kill the people you pay us to kill [[ExactWords and no more]], and [[EvenEvilHasStandards there's people we won't kill no matter what]]).

* AllGirlsWantPonies: One of the kids visiting Death at the Maul wants a pony, despite her mother's objections that they live in a third-floor flat with no room for one. He gives it to her anyways.

* KnifeNut: Teatime.

* BookEnds: One of the earliest scenes is Death on the ocean floor overseeing the death of a deep-sea organism that looks like a brilliant red flower when an apparently random rockfall kills it. Towards the end, he uses it as an example of the Auditors' antipathy to life to Susan:
--> '''Death''': [[AC:Down in the deepest kingdoms of the sea, where there is no light, there lives a type of creature with no brain and no eyes and no mouth. It does nothing but live and put forth petals of perfect crimson where none are there to see. It is nothing but a tiny]] ''[[AC:yes]]'' [[AC:in the night. And yet... And yet... It has enemies who bear it a vicious, unbending malice, who wish not only for its tiny life to be over but also that it had never existed. Are you with me so far?]]
--> '''Susan''': Well, yes, but -
--> '''Death''': [[AC:Good. Now,]] ''[[AC:imagine what they think of humanity.]]''

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Death's scythe and sword.
* AbusiveParents: Catseye's father [[spoiler:locked him in a cellar and beat him if he tried to get out, leaving him with a lasting fear of the dark.]]

* AnAesop: Several of the traditional sappy Christmas Aesops are mercilessly mocked.
** Death delivers a straight Aesop [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnaQXJmpwM4 near the end]].
---> '''Death''': [[AC: You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they ''become''?]]

* AllMythsAreTrue: As is traditional for Discworld, a large number of Christmas myths and stories are all happening at the same time.
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Applied in-universe to "Good" King Wenceslas.
* AmbiguousInnocence: A big theme in the book is that children's stories are hardly as sweet as some imagine.

* BadassBookworm: Susan.

* AdultFear: The entire reason the [[spoiler:Bogeyman, the living embodiment of the "monster under the bed" type scare, became the Tooth Fairy]] was to protect children from real monsters like [[PsychopathicManchild Teatime]].

* TheArtifact: Susan is the Duchess of Sto Helit, which she inherited from her father Mort, who himself was given the job at the end of ''Literature/{{Mort}}''. This makes her choice of occupation somewhat... unusual but it makes sense if you remember the ending of ''Literature/{{Mort}}'' and how all the Sto city state were supposed to merge together. Queen Keli is the one supposed to take care of it.

* MismatchedEyes: Teatime has one glass eye and one ''really'' creepy non-glass eye. In the book it's nearly white; in the movie it's [[CreepyBlueEyes pale blue]].

->''It's the most wonderful time of the year, Hogswatchnight, when the Hogfather himself dons his red suit and climbs in his sleigh pulled by--of course--eight hogs, to shower gifts across Discworld. But when the fat man goes missing, someone has to sit in. It's up to Death to take up the reins--otherwise the sun won't shine tomorrow... or ever again.''

** Subverted as regards the pronunciation of Mr. Teatime's name (see ItIsPronouncedTroPAY below) - after he has repeatedly complained about this throughout the book, Susan tries to use it to put him off balance, but it doesn't work as he is merely mildly irritated by it.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Teatime is {{insistent|Terminology}} that his name is pronounced "Teh-ah-tim-eh" (or "Teh-ah-tar-mee" in the TV adaptation).

->''It's the most wonderful time of the year, Hogswatchnight, when the Hogfather himself dons his red suit and climbs in his sleigh pulled by--of course--eight hogs, to shower gifts across Discworld. But when the fat man goes missing, someone has to sit in. It's up to Death to take up the reigns--otherwise the sun won't shine tomorrow... or ever again.''