Freudian Characteristics of a Wizard's Staff in Terry Pratchett's Equal Rites

If the Discworld of Terry Pratchett's Equal Rites had its own Sigmund Freud, it is fair to presume that he would be one of the learned wizards, somewhere at the top of the hierarchy at the Unseen University. Considering the studies of our own Freud, it is also fairly possible that Freud of the Discworld would be renowned for his classifications of specifics of witchcraft and wizardry and his explanations as to why the former is an exclusive domain of women, while the latter is an exclusive domain of men. Furthermore, one of the more famous Freudian terms on the Discworld would be 'staff envy,' which would describe the witches' resentment of wizards because the essential attribute of their magic - a wizard's staff - is unavailable to women and is highly coveted by them because of this.

The parallels between our world's Freudian term of 'penis envy' and the Discworld's 'staff envy' appear in the narrative so often that it is practically impossible not to notice them. Just like the proverbial penis, the staff has the life and mind of its own. The staff carries in it the most potent power available to humanity, which, in the right hands - pardon the intended pun - shoots out of its end. The penis also carries such power - the power of life - which it releases in the same fashion the staff releases its own, and also as a result of proper handling. The staff also appears to be the only physical difference between a wizard and a witch. The proof of this is in Eskarina Smith's contemplations of differences between the physical appearances of male and female magicians. Both genders wear clothing that hides body features, both tend to have long hair, and many witches even have a beard. The staff, therefore, is an essential distinguishing characteristic between the two.

Comparing the staff to the penis explains the behavior of many individuals in the novel when they are confronted with an apparently ludicrous idea of a girl with a wizard's staff. Granny Weatherwax is extremely reluctant to give the staff to Eskarina because she considers it unnatural for a girl to have one. To Granny, Eskarina's question "Why can't I be a wizard" carries as much sense as if the girl would ask her "Why can't I be a boy." In Granny's mind, giving a girl the most important attribute of male power is also dangerous, firstly because it confuses her in the process of gender association, and secondly because it gives the girl the power that she has no idea how to use. The reaction of the wife of the barkeep in Ohulan is also understandable in this light, when she tells Eskarina about her staff: "It's not the right sort of thing for little girls" (Pratchett, 80).

For wizards, the staff is definitely the most important instrument of power because their celibacy renders their anatomical equivalents of the staff essentially useless. This is why it is perfectly understandable when Cutangle tells Granny that no wizard would even think of throwing away his staff. Eskarina apparently sees the staff as an instrument of power as well until she realizes that its status is merely the result of society accepting the definition passed along to them by the male magicians.

It takes Eskarina a while longer to realize where the true power lies, and the moment when she purposely does not use the staff when it reappears in her hands is the culmination and one of the most important messages of the novel. The true power lies in not using the staff; in other words, men will learn the true meaning of power when they stop thinking with their penises. The words of the tavern proprietor in Ohulan are very appropriate here when he says, "I reckon it takes more than a staff to make a wizard." In Real World's terms, you don't have to have a penis to act like a man.