The Folklore of Discworld

The Folklore of Discworld

The 2014 Corgi paperback edition
Authors	Terry Pratchett, Jacqueline Simpson
Audio read by	Michael Fenton Stevens
Cover artist	Paul Kidby
Country	UK
Language	English
Sub-series	Non-fiction
Genre	Fantasy/Popular Science
Publisher	Doubleday, Corgi
Publication date	2008-09-08
ISBN	978-0-552-15493-2 (2014 Corgi paperback)

The Folklore of Discworld is a kind of companion to the “Science of Discworld” books. Subtitled “Legends myths and customs from the Discworld with helpful hints from planet Earth”, it’s a discussion of concepts, creatures and traditions of the Discworld. While there’s no new fiction, there’s liberal use of excerpts from the novels, and occasionally some tidbits from Pratchett’s notes for unfinished works. The chapters also describe the (primarily British) Roundworld folklore that inspired the Discworld. Aside from the two introductions - one by each author - it’s not entirely clear who wrote what. Some editions - notably the audiobook - include an interview discussion between the authors about the topic as well.

The book was revised twice. In October 2009, the Corgi paperback edition added an additional chapter about the folklore of Unseen Academicals, which had been published after the original Doubleday hardcover. The 2009 audiobook is based on this edition, and includes a bonus recording of Pratchett and Simpson in conversation. In March 2014, a new paperback edition removed the extra chapter, distributing its content, along with new material relating to I Shall Wear Midnight, Snuff and Raising Steam, into the rest of the book, mostly chapters 6, 11 and 14. This final edition was the only edition published in the US, with a different cover design matching the Science of Discworld books.

While no new edition of The Folklore of Discworld has been published to include stories from The Shepherd's Crown, early special edition hardcovers of the final Discworld novel included a "Folklore of The Shepherd's Crown" section written by Simpson.

Blurb

Most of us grow up having always known to touch wood or cross our fingers, and what happens when a princess kisses a frog or a boy pulls a sword from a stone, yet sadly, some of these things are now beginning to be forgotten. Legends, myths, fairytales: our world is made up of the stories we told ourselves about where we came from and how we got there. It is the same on Discworld, except that beings that on Earth are creatures of the imagination, like vampires, trolls, witches and, possibly, gods are real, alive and in some cases kicking on the Disc.

In The Folklore of Discworld, Terry Pratchett teams up with leading British folklorist Jacqueline Simpson to give an irreverent yet illuminating look at the living myths and folklore that are reflected, celebrated and affectionately libelled in the uniquely imaginative universe of Discworld.

Podcast episodes

Major appearances

These are episodes primarily devoted to discussing this book.

Date	Show	Episode	External link
2026-06-08	Pratchat	“We're Not Here to Folk Spiders”	pratchatpodcast.com

Other appearances

These are episodes with significant discussion of the book, but which are about something broader.

Date	Show	Episode	External link

External links

• The Folklore of Discworld at the L-Space Wiki