History Literature / TheShepherdsCrown

** Also a CallBack to Nanny Ogg’s discussion of this subject in ''Literature/LordsAndLadies''

** Anyone who decides to commit to the path of becoming a witch learns this. The elder witches do warn the younger ones about the fact that being a witch is more about dealing with people and using your head rather than performing spells.

* BackForTheFinale: Nearly all of the major Discworld characters, sans Samuel Vimes and Susan, appear at various points in the book. We see Vimes's direct influence from ''Snuff'' in giving the goblins equal rights.

* CallBack: Almost every previous witch-focused book is referenced repeatedly, particularly in regard to the previous invasions from the Elves and Tiffany's previous achievements. In addition, the Disc's recent developments of [[Literature/RaisingSteam railways]] and [[{{Literature/Snuff}} goblin citizenship]] are both important again.

* SlaveRace: Goblins seem to have been this for the elves to some degree, at least until the start of the goblin civil rights movement in Snuff. Fairyland origins would certainly explain the strange abilities some goblins have been shown to possess.

*** Also, the elves enchant a girl to fall in love with a donkey. It's far from being PlayedForLaughs, as because of this she lets her younger sister wander [[AdultFear in the river]].

* IronLady: Witches tend to ''have'' to qualify for this trope in order to ''be'' witches. Mrs. Earwig ([[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY Ah-wij]]) even references the TropeCodifier:

* CatsAreMagic: As in previous books, Nanny Ogg's tomcat Greebo is very intelligent and can follow spoken commands. Granny Weatherwax's cat You also shows heightened intelligence, and even [[spoiler: speaks to Tiffany]] at the end of the novel. A humorous footnote refers to an Unseen University wizard who was doing research into how cats can seemingly [[OffscreenTeleportation be in two places at once]], only to be found dead surrounded by purring cats.

* {{Foil}}: Geoffrey to most witch candidates. Witches operate on using their heads, BrutalHonesty, and GoodIsNotSoft so as to correct the wrongs in their home turf; Geoffrey is a FriendToAllLivingThings and master at PolitenessJudo, who wants to be a witch so as to have witch's freedom to be who he is. This earns him the unusual niche of being a "calm-weaver".

* BittersweetEnding: Tiffany manages to rally all the witches to fight against the elf invasion and find ways to adapt to her new responsibilities as the unofficial leader of the witches, but at the end of the day [[spoiler: her friend Nightshade]] is dead, as is Granny Weatherwax. Also Geoffrey never officially becomes a witch, although he takes residence [[spoiler:in Granny Weatherwax's cottage, as a calm-weaver]] and it's a new era.

* CruelToBeKind: This is why Tiffany initially refuses to train Geoffrey as a witch. She can tell he is too darn ''nice'', and witches are supposed to be good, not kind. When he persists and shows he has talent, Tiffany takes him under probation but calls him a "calm-weaver" instead so he can thrive with his talents rather than conform to something he isn't.

* DoubleStandard: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]], and ultimately enforced in spite of it. Despite it being treated as a given that Eskarina can of course be a wizard, an otherwise entirely male profession, despite being a woman, Tiffany refuses to acknowledge that Geoffrey is a witch, an otherwise entirely female profession, choosing instead to call him a "calm-weaver".
** Among the reasons Geoffrey gives to Tiffany for why he'd make a good witch is that he's good with goats. Tiffany scoffs at this as a valid reason, but some books previous one of her friends became a witch despite her sole qualification being that she was good with pigs.
** The idea seems to be that he's not a witch because he's something completely new. It's not just that he can't do things witches can do, he also can do things witches ''can't''. The biggest difference is that the witches, even Nanny with her ability to become part of people's lives almost instantly, stand slightly apart and are held in awe by the rest of the community; Geoffrey has a seemingly preternatural ability to be everyone's trusted friend and use that to help people improve their lives. As a result he also lacks the detachment necessary to be the one who makes big decisions for people in a moment of crisis, which is an essential part of a witch's role. Unfortunately this isn't very thoroughly developed, and is found almost entirely inside one of Tiffany's internal monologues which is barely longer than this entry.

* InsistentTerminology: Geoffrey isn't a witch, according to Tiffany; he's a calm-weaver.

* BillyElliotPlot: Geoffrey, the young man who wants to be a witch.

* TooDumbToLive: Lord Peaseblossom [[spoiler: declares himself the new King after deposing the Queen, then kills her out of spite when she defends Tiffany. The real king kills him with one blow for this.]]

* SlaveRace: Goblins seem to have been this for the elves to some degree, at least until the start of the goblin civil rights movement in Snuff. Fairy land origins would certainly explain the strange abilities some goblins have been shown to possess.

* TakeUpMySword: Granny Weatherwax leaves her cottage and items to Tiffany, so that she doubles as a witch of Lancre and a witch of the Chalk. Eventually Tiffany realizes she can't be in both places for the long-term, sets up Geoffrey in Granny Weatherax's cabin as well as two other apprentices, and builds a home for herself in the Chalk.

* MarriedToTheJob: This has caused Tiffany and Preston's relationship to stall. She has her responsibilities in her steading in the Chalk, and he has his responsibilities to his patients in Ankh-Morpork (Which is over five hundred miles away), so their relationship consists of letters and some very infrequent visits. There is hope that when Preston's studies are complete, he'll be able to go back home and be a doctor there, which will make a closer relationship possible.

** In fact, [[spoiler: Nightshade, the (deposed) Elf Queen herself states that it doesn't work because Mrs.Earwig is '' missing something'' and then completely sincerely asks if she (Mrs.Earwig) is sure she is human and not an elf.]]

* BadassGrandpa: All of the old men who wield the [[spoiler: anti-elf weapons]].

--> ''Mind how you go...''

Preceded by ''Discworld/RaisingSteam''. Preceded in the Tiffany Aching series by ''Discworld/IShallWearMidnight.''

* ActionGirl: Maggie, the daughter of Rob Anybody and Jeannie (briefly introduced as a tiny baby in ''Discworld/AHatFullOfSky'', but here appearing as an almost-grown young woman) doesn't want to go off to be a kelda for another clan -- she wants to be a warrior like her brothers.

* BookEnds: In a particularly neat way, to the Witches series in general. The first witch-centric book, ''Discworld/EqualRites,'' featured a girl who wanted to be a wizard -- this book features a boy who wants to be a witch.

* TheBusCameBack: Agnes Nitt appears, for the first time since ''Discworld/CarpeJugulum'', with the explanation that she went off to try being a singer again and has been touring the world.
* CallBack: Almost every previous witch-focused book is referenced repeatedly, particularly in regard to the previous invasions from the Elves and Tiffany's previous achievements. In addition, the Disc's recent developments of [[Discworld/RaisingSteam railways]] and [[{{Discworld/Snuff}} goblin citizenship]] are both important again.

** Also a CallBack to Nanny Ogg’s discussion of this subject in ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies''

* OrcusOnHisThrone: Continuing from ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies'', this is the Elf King's standard M.O. As the world progresses more and iron becomes more prevalent, it becomes increasingly inhospitable to Elves. The King believes he can simply wait it out, because all iron rusts eventually, and is content to remain where he is until that time.

** Hodgesaargh the falconer, who [[Discworld/CarpeJugulum since last we saw him]] seems to have mastered the trick of having the dangerous birds of prey attack someone other than him.

* CatsAreMagic: As in previous books, Nanny Ogg's tomcat Greebo is very intelligent and can follow spoken commands. Granny Weatherwax's cat You also shows heightened intelligence, and even [[spoiler: speaks to Tiffany]] at the end of the novel. A humorous footnote refers to an Unseen University wizard who was doing research into how cats can seemingly [[OffscreenTeleportation be in two places at once]], only to be found dead surrounded by purring cats.

** also a CallBack to Nanny Ogg’s discussion of this subject in ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies''

** In fact, [[spoiler: Nightshade, the (deposed) Elf Queen herself states that it doesn't work because Mrs.Earwig is '' missing something'' and then completely sincerely asks if she ( Mrs.Earwig) is sure she is human and not an elf.]]

* InsistentTerminology: Geoffrey isn't a witch, according to Tiffany; he's a peace-weaver.

** this is another, rather subtle BookEnd, given the earlier running joke about Mustrum Ridcully being an inversion of the “Radsgast the Brown” type of magician