"It only encourages 'em."

Belief on the Discworld is a funny thing. Since the Disc is way out there on the probability curve, reality is thinner, and belief has a much greater potential to shape reality. This happens in all kinds of ways over the course of the books, and not surprisingly some of the results are pretty amusing. This week we look primarily at belief as it applies to the Discworld's elves-- which are about as diametrically opposite of Tolkien's elves as they could be-- and to Dwarfish traditions and royal politics. Stone of Scone, anyone? 

This week also marks the debut of the Discworld Portal trivia contest. The first three correct answers received this week will go into a pool from which the season 2 winner will be selected at random.  Our first question is as follows: The very first time we meet Granny Weatherwax in the Discworld novels, what is she doing? And the hint is that it’s something we would be much more likely to associate with Nanny Ogg. Send your answers to me at [email protected].