h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I thought Lancre was meant to be Lancashire. Well, it certainly begins and ends the same way.


Geggs

Oh, and Überwald is not Germany.

Über-wald = behind-forest = Trans-sylvania

Transylvania was once inhabited by German speaking people.

Glad we got that cleared up. I was basing my thing about Klatsch=France on the expression "Pardon my Klatschian". Tenuous, I'll admit. Quirm I always had marked off as Italy because Leonard of Quirm was a sort of Leonardo da Vinci.

Where does Vimes end up when he pilots the boat down the river on the wave? Because that gave the impression of being French ... the cooking.

Mol

I think Klatch *is* France in terms of its relationship with A-M. That is, which Klatch is Middle-eastern (and Quirm is France), the Klatch/Ankh-Morpork relationship is the same as the French/British relationship. They talk about each other the same way, and have a rivalry which is usually fairly friendly. Up as far as, indeed, "pardon my Klatchian".

Admittedly, the fact that educated Klatchians are fluent in Morporkian, and even in Latatian, while educated A-M citizens are not usually fluent in Klatchian means that this slips a bit, but I do think there's some truth to it. Alternatively, Klatch plays different roles in different books.

(I was once in an Indian take-away and I actually thought of it as "going for a Klatchian", not in any humorous way: that's just what I was thinking.)

TRiG.

Überwald is Transylvania as interpreted by Hammer Horror films, isn't it?

I don't think I've ever seen a Hammer Horror film.

TRiG.

Hammer Horror films are great. Watch some over the weekend, you'll love them

From early on, I was surprised that Ankh-Morpork was supposed to be London, simply because it's described as being hot. I've lived in London; hot it is not.

And is there a pun I'm missing with the name? I feel there must be a pun in there somewhere.

The Tube does get pretty grotty in the summer. Maybe that's the inspiration?

Talking of the tube... did you know that 'The Long Dark' symbol of the dwarfs is based on the signs of the London tube?

I did!

how do you lot know all this stuff?

I suspect reading might be involved...

<BB<

The Chalk seems based on the Vale of the White Horse.

<BB<

Because I bloody love the Discworld and hoover up factoids

so do I, you can find a lot of things online. lspace.org is very interesting for isntance and there is a discworld wiki.

http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/index.html

thanks - I mean I recognise a lot of the references, but some things just pass me by

Sto Lat, by the way, means "a hundred years" in Polish (in this world) and it#s the name of their version of "Happy Birthday"

"If you have the same map that I have Quirm has number 24. It's a bit north of A-M, at the Circle Sea." [Tavaron da Quirm]

I have the same map, but there's no index, so I don't know what the numbers refer to. I see 24, and it's where you said it would be, so now I know it's Quirm. Quirm is not written on the map itself.

"I always thought Lancre was the West Country of England, especially as they all have oo arr gerroff moi laaaaaand accents in the Wyrd Sisters animation." [Fords]

You may be right.

"I think Klatch *is* France in terms of its relationship with A-M." [TRiG]

At the risk of reading too much into Pratchett's spatial arrangements, the Circle Sea is probably the Mediterranean. Rome is situated on the Mediterranean as Ankh Morpork is situated on the Circle Sea. Quirm is somewhat to the northwest, as the French Riviera and its Italian neighbors would be northwest of Rome. Ephebia is to the east of Ankh-Morpork, just as Greece is to the east of Rome. Egypt's position south across the Mediterranean from Rome is taken by Djelibehbee and Klatch, which are south across the Circle Sea from Ankh-Morpork.

If Klatch is France, then it has more curries than you would expect France to have. Curries and tagines have a lot of the same spices in them. A tagine from Morocco, for instance, would be quite hot, just as a curry from India would be. [Tagines are often served over couscous]

I have always been torn by Lancre.

I always thought of it as sort of Lancashire / Cumbria or Wales.

It's all the rain. And the mountains.

And Klatch, I took to be sort of Persia kind of thing.

PP.