NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Fools' Guild (Discworld)

In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of fantasy novels, the Fools' Guild (full title: The Guild of Fools and Joculators and College of Clowns) is a trading and training organisation for clowns, jesters and other practitioners of slapstick humour. It is located in Ankh-Morpork, the largest city on the Discworld, next door to the Guild of Assassins, for which it is often mistaken. This is in large part due to the fact that, in contrast to the pleasant, airy environs of the Assassins' Guild, the grim premises of the Fools' Guild were originally the city's Plague House, and after that the monastery of the Brotherhood of the Infernal Zoth the Undying Renderer ("a contemplative order", according to their literature). Although much of the Order's of Zoth's original architecture, such as the Room of Spikes, survives, the Fools' Guild have modified the frontage slightly with the addition of a giant Red Nose over the door and a canvas tent roof in winter. A number of "gags" designed by Bloody Stupid Johnson, including a custard pie-throwing machine and a giant daisy-shaped water cannon, were originally placed by the door also; however, due to a series of fatalities, they are no longer in use and are now in the Guild Museum alongside the original Dog With No Nose (it's shaggy), the cranium of one of the Three Men Who Went Into A Pub, and an Alligator Sandwich. Terence David John Pratchett OBE (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England[1]) is an English fantasy author, best known for his Discworld series. ... // This article is about the novels. ... A clown participating in a Memorial Day parade A clown today is one of various types of comedic performers, on stage, television, in the circus and rodeo. ... A jester or fool is a specific type of clown mostly associated with the Middle Ages. ... Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which prominently features in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... The Discworld is the setting for all of Terry Pratchetts Discworld fantasy novels. ... The Ankh-Morpork Assassins Guild is a fictional school for professional killers in Terry Pratchetts longrunning Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... Johnson, Bergholt Stuttley, known as Bloody Stupid Johnson, is a landscape gardener and inventor on the Discworld (a fictional world created by author Terry Pratchett), and is mentioned in a number of books. ...

The Guild was founded in 1567 as the Guild of Fools, Joulators, Minstrels, Buffoons and Mime Artists, but due to the peculiar predelictions of Lord Vetinari, the current ruler of the city, who hangs mimes upside down in his dungeons in full sight of a placard reading "LEARN THE WORDS", the mime element has been dropped. Lord Havelock Vetinari is the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, the head of the fictional city state of Ankh-Morpork in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ...

Coat of Arms

A shield, bisected dancette; the upper half sable with a roundel, joules. Each lower point decorated with a clochette d'or. Lower half bisected virtically; on the right azure, on the left argent.

Guild Practices

As anyone who's tried it knows, comedy is hard, and nowhere is it harder than in the Fools' Guild. Its founder, Jean-Paul Pune (on the Disc, the inventor of the play on words that bears his name, and originator of the practice of speaking in brackets -ie, "Why is six afraid of seven? Coz seven ate nine! (You know, seven, eight, nine)") understood that the heart of all comedy is pain, specifically others' pain. It takes a certain amount of fortitude to stand in front of a group of people and humiliate yourself for their amusement, to say nothing of taking a slapstick on the rear or a custard pie in the face every day of your life. In recognition of this, Pune demanded a regimen of cold baths, wooden beds, bad food, self-flagellation and poisoned book pages to strengthen his pupils for the harshness of Foolery. Recent health and safty guidelines have ensured that more students survive to graduation, but school life remains as grim as the the Guild's facade. Creativity and wit were the death of funniness, as far as Pune was concerned; progress through the Guild ranks was (and is) achieved through hours of rote memorisation of the seventy-three approved subclasses of pun, the listed pratfalls and the accepted jokes, which must go through a twenty-year approval process before they are passed by the Council of Fun. It has been suggested that dajare be merged into this article or section. ...

The Fools' Guild is not composed of people; it is composed of clowns. Upon the death of a clown, his face, dress, name and approved routines are passed on to another student, who will then assume that identity for the rest of his life ("His" being operative pronoun here, there are no women at the Fools' Guild, the Council having concluded that women have no sense of humour). People may come and go, but the clown lives forever. A clown's face is recorded in the Hall of Faces, a room of rack upon rack of blown eggshells, each painted with the features of a specific clown. For any clown to use another's face or name is punishable by (eventual) death.

Guild government

The Fools' Guild is governed by Dr. Whiteface, a grim, hatchet-faced, gimlet-eyed clown in white facepaint. Dr. Whiteface has been the head of the Guild for three centuries; of course, many men have stood behind his facepaint, but he has always been Dr. Whiteface. The head office of the Guild is known as The House of Mirth, a reference to the tragic Edith Wharton novel of the same name, and also to the line from Ecclesiastes from which the name was taken: "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." That line pretty much sums up the Guild's philosophy. The House of Mirth is a 1905 novel by Edith Wharton. ... Edith Wharton (January 24, 1862 â€“ August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and designer. ... Ecclesiastes, Qohelet in Hebrew, is a book of the Hebrew Bible. ...

The Guild is immensely rich, and this, despite very stern denials by the Guild, who insist their wealth comes entirely from their grateful clientelle, is mainly because every king, duke and petty ruler from the Ramtops to Genua has a Fool in his court, meaning that the Guild has access to vast amounts of sensitive information, which it scrupulously employs to its benefit. That said, because it contributes little of any practical value to the city, the Fools' Guild is not treated very seriously by its establishment. The Ramtops are a fictional mountain range appearing in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Genua is a fictional city from Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ...

Those who might question the Guild's authority, say, by telling unapproved jokes, unliscenced nose-honking and other forms of creativity, are paid a visit by the Jolly Good Pals, or Bloody Fools, the Guild's enforcers, who are fully ready to introduce one to the darker side of physical humour, with such japes as the concrete-filled trousers and the "custard" pie.

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The Discworld

Characters:	Tiffany Aching • Albert • Angua • The Auditors of Reality • The Bursar • Canting Crew • Carrot Ironfoundersson • Cohen the Barbarian • Fred Colon • Death • Detritus • Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler • Gaspode • Granny Weatherwax • Greebo • Hex • Igor • Bloody Stupid Johnson • Leonard of Quirm • The Librarian • Lu-Tze • The Luggage • Magpyr family • Mort and Ysabell • Nanny Ogg • C.W. St J. Nobbs • Moist von Lipwig • Mr. Pin and Mr. Tulip • Mustrum Ridcully • The Great God Om • Rincewind • Susan Sto Helit • Ponder Stibbons • General Tacticus • Twoflower • Verence II of Lancre • Havelock Vetinari • Samuel Vimes • Lady Sybil Vimes • The Witches • Discworld gods • more... The Discworld is the setting for all of Terry Pratchetts Discworld fantasy novels. ... A major subset of the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett involve the witches of Lancre. ... Albert is a character from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of novels, first appearing in Mort. ... Delphine Angua von Ãœberwald is a character from the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett. ... The Auditors of Reality are a race of godlike beings in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... The Bursar is a faculty member of Unseen University in Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ... The canting crew is an informal name for a group of Ankh-Morpork beggars too disreputable even for the Beggars Guild. ... Carrot Ironfoundersson is a corporal in, and later captain of, the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, of Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Fred Colon is a fictional character in the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett. ... Death is a fictional character in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Detritus is a fictional character in Terry Pratchetts Discworld. ... Cut Me Own Throat (C.M.O.T) Dibbler is one of the numerous bit part characters that enrich the world of Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ... Gaspode is a small terrier-like dog featured in seven of Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ... Esmerelda Esme Weatherwax (usually called Granny Weatherwax) is a character from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... This article refers to the Discworld character. ... Hex is an elaborate, Heath Robinson/Rube Goldberg-esque, magic-powered computer housed at the Unseen University in the Discworld series by author Terry Pratchett. ... Igor is a recurring set of characters in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of novels. ... Johnson, Bergholt Stuttley, known as Bloody Stupid Johnson, is a landscape gardener and inventor on the Discworld (a fictional world created by author Terry Pratchett), and is mentioned in a number of books. ... Possible spoiler warning Leonard of Quirm is a fictional character in the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. ... The Librarian of Unseen University is one of the most popular characters in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... Lu-Tze is a character in the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. ... The Luggage appears in some of the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. ... The Magpyr family are a family of vampires from Terry Pratchetts longrunning Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... Mort and Ysabell are a young married couple in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Gytha Ogg (usually called Nanny Ogg) is a character from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Cecil Wormsborough St. ... Moist von Lipwig is a character in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Mr Pin and Mr Tulip are characters in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Mustrum Ridcully is a fictional character in the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett. ... The Great God Om is a fictional deity in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... Rincewind the Wizzard is a fictional character appearing in the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett, several of which feature him as the central character. ... Susan Sto Helit is a fictional character who features in three of Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels - Soul Music, Hogfather, and Thief of Time. ... In the fictional universe of Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of books, Ponder Stibbons is a wizard in Unseen University. ... General Callus Tacticus is a legendary soldier and military leader in Terry Pratchetts Discworld fantasy series. ... Twoflower is a fictional character featuring in some of Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ... Verence II of Lancre is a fictional character in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Lord Havelock Vetinari is the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, the head of the fictional city state of Ankh-Morpork in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Sam Vimes is a fictional policeman from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Lady Sybil Deidre Olgivanna Vimes (née Ramkin), Duchess of Ankh, is a character in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. ... See also: Discworld magic A major subset of the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett involves the witches of Lancre. ... See also: Discworld magic The Discworld gods are the fictional deities from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ...
Locations:	Discworld (world) • Ankh-Morpork • Agatean Empire • Death's Domain • Djelibeybi • Dungeon Dimensions • Ephebe • Genua • Klatch • Lancre • Pseudopolis • Quirm • Sto Lat • Überwald • Unseen University • more... The Discworld is the setting for all of Terry Pratchetts Discworld fantasy novels. ... Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which prominently features in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... The Agatean Empire is a fictitous country that occupies the Counterweight Continent of Terry Pratchetts Discworld. ... Cover of the book. ... Djelibeybi is a fictional country on Terry Pratchetts Discworld. ... In Terry Pratchetts Discworld series, the Dungeon Dimensions are the endless wastelands outside of space and time. ... Ephebe is one of the countries of the Discworld, a fictional world created by Terry Pratchett in a series of novels of the same name. ... Genua is a fictional city from Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ... This article is about the country of Klatch. ... Lancre (pronounced Lanker) is a fictional country from Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ... Pseudopolis is one of the fictional cities of Sto Plains in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. ... Quirm is a fictional city in Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ... Sto Lat is a fictional town in Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels. ... In Terry Pratchetts fictional Discworld universe, Ãœberwald is a region located in near the foot of the Ramtops, farther from Ankh-Morpork than Lancre is. ... Unseen University (UU) is a school of wizardry in the fictional Discworld city of Ankh-Morpork, staffed by a faculty composed of mostly insane and inane old wizards. ... This is a list of fictional locations in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ...
Other:	City Watch • Thieves' Guild • Assassins' Guild • Beggars' Guild • Fools' Guild • Clacks • Guilds • Magic • Post Office • Stealth Chess • Minor Discworld concepts This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The Guild of Thieves, Cutpurses and Allied Trades is a fictional institition in the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett. ... The Ankh-Morpork Assassins Guild is a fictional school for professional killers in Terry Pratchetts longrunning Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... The Ankh-Morpork Beggars Guild is a guild for panhandlers, down-and-outs and borderline cases in Ankh-Morpork, the largest city on the Discworld, the setting for the longrunning series of fantasy novels of the same name by Terry Pratchett. ... The clacks in Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels is a network of semaphore towers stretching along the Sto Plains, into the Ramtops and across the Unnamed Continent to Genua. ... In Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels, there are almost 300 Guilds in the city of Ankh-Morpork. ... The Discworld in Terry Pratchetts Discworld novels runs on magic. ... The Ankh-Morpork Post Office is featured in the book Going Postal, the most recent addition to British fantasy author Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of books. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and to make a clear distinction between fact and fiction, this article may require cleanup. ... This article details minor Discworld concepts: concepts and ideas from the Discworld of novels by Terry Pratchett which only appear in the background, or are not well fleshed out. ...

Contents

Coat of Arms GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Guild Practices

Guild government

See also

Coat of Arms