History Literature / TheWeeFreeMen

* TwiceToldTale: To ''[[http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=steel&book=english&story=childe Childe Rowland And Burde Helen]]'', though in this case [[spoiler:Roland is the one captured by the Elves, and it's the girl who has to rescue him]].

** The use of [[BrownNote weaponized]] [[SuckinessIsPainful bad poetry]] may be a reference to ''TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''.

Also available in an illustrated edition (art by [[http://www.playergallery.com/playergallery/Terry_Pratchett.html Stephen Player]]) that includes original BonusContent, such as the transcript of the trial that led to the Toad being turned into a toad.

* TwiceToldTale: To ''Childe Roland'', though in this case [[spoiler:Roland is the one captured by the Elves, and it's the girl who has to rescue him]].

* WholePlotReference: To ''Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came'', albeit with reversed roles.
** A queen who lures children in with sweets rules over a land where it's always snowing and time doesn't pass at the same rate as the regular world? Sounds a lot like TheChroniclesOfNarnia, don't ya think?

* GenderRarityValue: The 99% male Nac Mac Feegle follow the leadership of the Kelda, their one female.

Noteworthy for being the only Discworld book so far not to feature Death. As a character, anyway.

But as Miss Tick, professional witch finder (that is to say, a witch who finds witches and teaches them how they are witches, [[BurnTheWitch not the other kind]]), is on the case. The problem is that you can't be a witch on chalk. Witching needs good strong stone, but her elbow says there's one there already, and she would not be much of a witch if she ignored her own elbow.

* [[EverybodyLives Everybody "Lives"]]: And thus Death doesn't have to show up. However: A. There are some things worse than dying, and B. The Nac Mac Feegle sincerely believe that they are currently in the afterlife (since the world is so full of good food, good drink, and places to fight, it must be heaven), and falling in battle is to be transported to the land of the living.

** The ballroom drome-dream resembles a scene from ''{{Labyrinth}}'', while the not-quite-voice ("Fwa waa fwah waa wha?") of Tiffany's dance partner is reminiscent of how adult speech is rendered in the various ''{{Peanuts}}'' animated features.

** The Feegles are a [[TheSmurfs bunch of tiny blue men]] with [[TheSmurfettePrinceiple a single woman]]...

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The Feegles.

* BadassBookworm: Tiffany in a nutshell. She read the dictionary (although it was not a ''pronounciation'' dictionary) because "she didn't know she wasn't supposed to".

* [[EverybodyLives Everybody "Lives"]]: And thus Death doesn't have to show up. However: A. There are some things worse than dying, and B. The Nac Mac Feegle sincerely believe that they are currently in the afterlife (since the world is so full of good food, good drink, and places to fight, it must be heaven), and falling in battle is to be transported to the land of the living.
* {{Expy}}: Anyone think of Greebo around the Feegles?

* ItsAllAboutMe: A rare ''heroic'' version. It doesn't matter to Tiffany if she loves her brother or not. The important thing is that he's ''hers''. [[BewareTheNiceOnes And look out when she expands her borders]] [[UnstoppableRage from "family" to "country"]].

* StrawVulcan: Tiffany's younger brother has shades of this. He wants candy. He's surrounded by piles of it. He's sitting in the middle of them all, crying, every piece untouched. Why? Because if he takes ''one'' then he's not taking ''all the others''. To be fair, Wentworth is three.

-> ''Nae King! Nae Quin! Nae Laird! Nae Master! We Willnae be fooled again!''

Noteworthy for being the only Discworld book so far not to feature Death. [[supersecretspoiler:As a character, anyway. His presence is notable throughout the book.]]

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: See {{Awesome/Discworld}}.
* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: See {{Heartwarming/Discworld}}.

* NightmareFuel: Ooh, lots. Take the Dromes, monsters that look like humanoids made of dough which kill people by trapping them in dreams...
** Which makes it recursive NightmareFuel AND ParanoiaFuel.

* SpotlightStealingSquad: Granny and Nanny, not to mention the Feegles - but Tiffany bears up pretty well, considering.

* ShoutOut: The Feegles' battle cries refer variously to [[Braveheart]], [[Highlander]], and TwelveAngryMen (it makes sense in context).

-> ''Nae King! Nae Quin! Nae Laird! Nae Master! We Willnae be fooled again!''
* '''''Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!'''''

* StrawVulcan: Tiffany's younger brother has shades of this. He wants candy. He's surrounded by piles of it. He's sitting in the middle of them all, crying, every piece untouched. Why? Because if he takes ''one'' then he's not taking ''all the others''. To be fair, Wentworth is five or so.

** And it's real Irish, or at least very similar to it. Scots Gaelic, maybe?

* BadassBookworm: Tiffany
* BoisterousBruiser: Pretty much all the male Feegles

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: See {{Awesome/Discworld}}
* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: See {{Heartwarming/Discworld}}

* MiscarriageOfJustice: The Feegles claim to be constant victims of this...

* ViolentGlaswegian: Nac Mac Feegle.

* BurnTheWitch: Tiffany is inspired to become a witch after what happened to a little old lady who was suspected of being a witch.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: See {{CrowningMoment.Discworld}}
* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: See {{HeartwarmingMoment.Discworld}}
* DeliciousDistraction: This is how the dromes catch their prey. Also how to keep Wentworth quiet.

But as Miss Tick, professional witch finder (that is to say a Witch who finds witches and teaches them how they are witches, [[BurnTheWitch not the other kind]]), is on the case. The problem is that you can't be a Witch on chalk, witching needs good strong stone, which is strange because her elbow says there is one there already, and she would not be much of a Witch if she ignored her own elbow.

''I was getting to you. Put the bottle down please.''

Tiffany Aching is the witch. A 9-year-old girl and granddaughter of the late Granny Aching, the best shepherd the hills ever knew and quite possibly a Witch herself, not that anyone, possibly even her, knew it. When a monster appears in the local river she gets annoyed and, using her brother as bait, hits Jenny Green Teeth with a frying pan.

She then sets out to find out about the monster, meeting Miss Tick disguised as a teacher in the process. Miss Tick tells her to wait while she goes to fetch help. Like that is going to happen. Miss Tick leaves her talking toad with Tiffany to give her advice and goes off to get Granny Weatherwax.

make themselves known. The kelda (like a queen) of the local clan of Pictsies (AKA The Wee Free Men, The Nac Mac Feegle, Person or Persons Unknown, Believe to be Armed, or occasionally The Defendant) is about to die and has sent for Tiffany to take over briefly until another female feegle can be found to take over. She agrees and, after a bit of careful diplomacy, gets the Feegles to agree to help her steal her brother back. And so off they go to fairy land.

While there they encounter and rescue the lost son of the local Barron and several Dromes, creatures who weave dreams before finding the queen, who tries to make Tiffany's [[NightmareFuel dreams come true.]] They manage to get away with Tiffany's brother by hiding in a dream, but on the way out the Wee Free Men and Wentworth seemingly get washed away by a tidal wave, leaving Tiffany and Rowland alone for another conforntation with The Queen. Then the Nac Mac Feegle turn up again.

->''We can get out of most anywheres, save pubs.''

''Yes I am sure you can.''

This time The Queen sets her most feared creatures on them, Lawyers. Turns out that The Toad had been a lawyer before a fairy godmother turned him into a toad because he was the legal council of a Godchild trying to sue for breach of contract. Frustrated by the turn of events the Queen sends them away, leaving just her and Tiffany

But this time, Tiffany gets angry. The Chalk may be soft, but it was once alive and at it's heart there is flint, the hardest of stones. Tiffany draws on their power and knocks the Queen flying, beating her easily, making her leave the chalk.

When Tiffany gets back to reality Granny and Nanny show up with Miss Tick, just in time for everything to be over. Tiffany goes home and everyone apart from the witches assumes that Rowland must have saved Tiffany. The Feegles get a new Kelda and everybody lives more or less happily for a reasonable amount of time.

Noteworthy for being the only Discworld book so far not to feature Death. [[supersecretspoiler:As a character anyway. His presence is notable throughout the book.]]

*FakeUltimateHero: Roland gets all the credit for the rescue. At least he ''tries'' to tell the truth.
*{{Foreshadowing}}: The cover. Look at the frog and the swords of Feegles closest to him

*TwiceToldTale: To ''Childe Roland'', though in this case Roland is the one captured by the Elves, and it's the girl who has to rescue him.
*UpperClassTwit: Roland, the Baron's son. He gets to be a lot less of a twit in the later books when he's free of the influence of Fairyland.