The Witch World Saga

by Andre Norton

 

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Estcarp     High Hallack     The Turning     Short Stories     Anthologies     Omnibus Editions

 

Coulson's Index     The Sorcerer's Conspectus     Witch World ~ Extras

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     Andre Norton’s epic creation, Witch World is a place where magic works. From healing a small injury to tumbling a mountain range, magic is wielded by talented individuals and groups. Abilities in the magical field varies and not everyone has measurable magical power. In the past, horrendous magical wars have torn apart whole countries and ripped landscapes asunder. Wars still break out periodically and the common folk rebuild and go about farming and hunting and trading in the peaceful intervals. This world has many “Gates”, passages to other worlds. Some are fixed in time and space while others are temporary. Conquerors and evil mages (Adepts) have come and gone through gates as well as heroes and Adepts of the light. Scattered throughout the world are old ruins which may be places of great evil or great good.

     The saga begins with the Earthman Simon Tregarth fleeing Earth and entering Witch World (through a temporary gate) just in time to save a witch of the country Escarp. This starts the Escarp Cycle of stories set on the eastern continent. The western continent is represented by the stories of the High Hallack Cycle.

     "The Turning" combines the three books of "Witch World: The Turning" & the three books of "Secrets of the Witch World". It should be noted that with the exception of "Warding of the Witch World" they were written by co-authors of Andre's.

     The story "Songsmith" of the High Hallack cycle helps explain how the two trilogies fit together.

 

 

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Witch World Reading Order

 

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On the Origins of the Witch World

by Andre Norton 1999

     The Witch World and its sequels is one of Andre Norton's most famous creations. Although the novel itself never won any major awards (it was, however, a Hugo Nominee in the best novel category), it proved very popular with the readers. Indeed, so popular that Web of the Witch World and subsequent sequels were written.

     Since that time many fans expressed their interest in the history behind the novel's creation and Ms. Norton was happy to answer their questions. Below you will find two articles in which the authoress reveals some of the mystery that shrouds the origins.

 

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Creation of the Witch World

by Andre Norton

Reginald, R. Science fiction and fantasy literature (1979), p. 1018

     The Witch World books grew of themselves - I never intended to make a series in the beginning. Part of Witch World was taken from separate scenes I had done years ago for a novel on the Crusaders who had settled in Outremer. And the background of most of the books is based on Celtic and early English legends and folklore. Warlock of the Witch World is a retelling of Childe Roland, and Year of the Unicorn of Beauty and the Beast.

     The division of the books is according to continents on that world. Estcarp corresponds roughly to Europe and High Hallack to America. The Estcarpian stories largely have the same family as characters - the High Hallack do not. The Atlas of Fantasy has a map of Witch World; however, since that was drawn quite a few more towns and important sites have been added.

     As I mentioned, the Verlaine segment in Witch World was developed from a fragment I did about one of the knights of Outremer - those who settled in the Near East during the Crusades, and built up petty kingdoms there. I never wrote the historical tale, but used it as a part of fantasy. I switched to High Hallack with Year of the Unicorn, and then wrote several short stories and novelettes laid in the dales - which are founded on the Yorkshire dales of England, with their wild Viking-invader backgrounds. I then did the two novels, The Crystal Gryphon and the Jargoon Pard, taking up various dates before, during, and after the invasion.

     As for what I write - well, I write the kind of tales I like to read myself. There is a great deal of research which goes into each book - I use archaeology, ancient history, history of the middle ages, folklore, legends, natural history, and occult for my backgrounds. When I use such a definite occult matter as psychometry, the tarot, etc., in a book, I have a definite demonstration by an expert in order to get a material correct.

 

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 The Origins of the Witch World
by Andre Norton
The Norton Newsletter Issue #1 March 1979 p.2
Printed by Sonic Princess Press for the Witch World Club
 

     Witch World really grew from another idea altogether. Years ago, before I entered the sf-fantasy field of writing (no one was interested in buying ms. that were book length then), I had an idea dealing with the Norman holdings in Outremer during the Crusading period - those small baronies (ect) which were carved out and held by landless knights who did not wish to return to Europe after their long travel to the Middle East.

     The section in the first book which deals with Verlaine and its heiress was an incident I had imagined for such a book. The book was never written except as scraps at the time. Then, much later, I came across the legend that the mysterious seat at the Round Table which came to be Galahads - The Siege Perilous - in reality dropped into another time and place those rash enough to try it who were not fitted to be seated there. That gave me an opening for an adventure tale.

     Witch World was never meant to be a series - it just grew. And many of the books are based on authentic folk tales long in our knowledge. Warlock of the Witch World, for example, is really a retelling of the old Saxon story of Childe Roland. Year of the Unicorn is a version of Beauty and the Beast - and so on.

     I research heavily for each book or tale - not only in the field of legend and folk story, but also in history of the middle ages and early English and British material. Over the years I have acquired an extensive personal library of folklore, history and witchcraft material to which I go for reference.

     I have to ration myself now with Witch World books as I do not want to start repeating myself - which is easy to do with a too familiar background. So I do not write one as often as I wish, and I do try to get an unfamiliar background as much as I can. My most recent work is one laid in the mysterious south from which the Falconers first came and gives a clue to the reason for their warped life style - it is a shorter work entitled Falcon Blood and has a Sulcar girl for a heroine.

     But one does have to deal with a great many small details and I now have a special Witch World book with backgrounds for the already printed stories, ect. so that I won't make any glaring mistakes.

 

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The three books of The Turning contain special introductions titled The Chronicler by Andre Norton.

 

Titles(in order written)

The Turning

Storms of Victory ~ 1991

Flight of Vengeance ~ 1992

  • Exile by Mary H. Schaub and Falcon Hope by Pauline M. Griffin

On Wings of Magic ~ 1994

  • Falcon Magic by Sasha Miller and We the Women by Patricia Mathews

 

Secrets of the Witch World

The Key of the Keplian ~ 1995 with Lyn McConchie

The Magestone ~ 1996 with Mary H. Schaub

The Warding of Witch World ~ 1996

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 Short Stories of Witch World

by Andre Norton

Note: Eartborne, Falcon Blood, Sand Sister, Spider Silk and the 3 Trey of Swords stories (Sword of Ice, Sword of Lost Battles and Sword of Shadow) take place in Estcarp (the eastern continent).

The remainder of the stories take place in High Hallack (the western continent).

 

NOTE: For titles within the "Witch World Saga" NOT by Andre Norton - See: The Sorcerer's Conspectus

 

Titles(in Alpha. order)

Amber Out of Quayth ~ 1972 ~ Novelette

Changeling ~ 1980 ~ Novelette

Dragon Scale Silver ~ 1972 ~ Novella

Dream Smith ~ 1972

Earthborne ~ 2004

Falcon Blood ~ 1979

Legacy from Sorn Fen ~ 1972

Of the Shaping of Ulm's Heir ~ 1987

One Spell Wizard ~ 1972

Sand Sister ~ 1979 ~ Novella

Spider Silk ~ 1976 ~ Novelette

Sword of Ice ~ 1977 ~ Novella

Sword of Lost Battles ~ 1977 ~ Novella

Sword of Shadow ~ 1977 ~ Novella

Sword of Unbelief ~ 1977 ~ Novelette

The Toads of Grimmerdale ~ 1973 ~ Novella

Ully the Piper ~ 1970

The Way Wind ~ 1995 ~ Novelette

Were-Wrath ~ 1984 ~ Novelette

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 Witch World Anthologies

Spell of the Witch World ~ Rodney Matthews

 

Titles(in order written)

Spell of the Witch World ~ 1972 [sometimes #3 in High Hallack Series]

Trey of Swords ~ 1977 [sometimes #6 in Estcarp Series]

Lore of the Witch World ~ 1980

Tales of the Witch World 1 ~ 1987

Four from the Witch World ~ 1988

Tales of the Witch World 2 ~ 1989

Tales of the Witch World 3 ~ 1990

 

"Four from the Witch World" and the 3 "Tales of the Witch World" books contain stories by friends of Andre's. ~ For more on each of those short stories see The Sorcerer's Conspectus.

 

estcarp8

Trey of Swords ~ Rodney Matthews

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Omnibus Editions

  

Witch World ~ Rodney Matthews

 

Titles:

 

Note: Secrets of the Witch World, Witch World Estcarp Cycle, Witch World High Hallack Cycle and Witch World Saga are Digital Media Only

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  Coulson's Index

Compiled by Juanita Coulson (1996)
Commissioned by Andre Norton for the writing of
“The Warding of Witch World”

estcarp2

Web of the Witch World ~ Rodney Matthews

In the Early 1990s Andre was going to write Warding of Witch World. The Witch World Saga had reached such a size that she really had a hard time keeping it all in her mind. Andre did not have the time to reread all the Witch World books because of other projects. So she commissioned Jaunita Coulson to read all the books and create this document. Jaunita called it an index. Andre used it to produce Warding of the Witch World and then stuck it away, it ended up in the archives of Texas A&M University.

It is reproduced here under permission of the Andre Norton Estate. The original document was created and archived in two parts. We have reformated and edited it some to fit this website but for the most part it is reproduced as it was created.

 

Coulson's Index pt. 1 - Table of Contents
Coulson's Index pt. 2 - Section I General Info
Coulson's Index pt. 3 - Section II Miscellaneous
Coulson's Index pt. 4 - Section III Title Listings
Coulson's Index pt. 5 - Titles A > F
Coulson's Index pt. 6 - Titles G > M
Coulson's Index pt. 7 - Titles N > S
Coulson's Index pt. 8 - Titles T > We
Coulson's Index pt. 9 - Titles Wh > Z

 

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   The Sorcerer's Conspectus

by "Lotsawatts"

aka: Jay P. Watts and a Cabal of Andre Norton followers

A comprehensive view of Andre Norton's Witch World

Expanded Version in 2 parts Now available in print at Amazon

Sorcerers conspectus1     Sorcerers conspectus2

Cover-art by Rodney Matthews ~ Sorceress of the Witch World

 

 Or, you can view the original online version of The Sorcerer's Conspectus.

 

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Witch World ~ Extras

A collection of things about Andre Norton's Witch World that just don't fit elsewhere.

estcarp6

Year of the Unicorn ~ Rodney Matthews

 

Encyclopedia of Witch World
Glossary of Witch World pt. 1
Glossary of Witch World pt. 2
Inconsistencies within the Witch World Timeline pt. 1
Inconsistencies within the Witch World Timeline pt. 2
Races of the Witch World

 

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