Hilta Goatfounder

Hilta Goatfounder
Name	Hilta Goatfounder
Race	Human
Age
Occupation	Witch
Physical appearance	Short, fat, dark
Residence	Ohulan Cutash
Death
Parents
Relatives
Children
Marital Status
Appearances
Books	Equal Rites
Cameos

Hilta Goatfounder is a very specialized witch who makes potions like Tiger Oil, Maiden's Prayer and Husband's Helper, balanced by Madame Goatfounder's Pennyroyal Preventatives. It is said that without her, Ohulan Cutash would have many more inhabitants. She is a short, fat woman of brown complexion who dresses colorfully and wears a great deal of jewellery, in contrast to the usual Ramtop Witch's basic black. Her flamboyant style, dark skin, and product names like Buckaroo Drops, ShoNuff Ointment, and Stay Long Ointment combine to suggest a Genuan connection, although she doesn't mention it. This association may also explain why Granny Weatherwax has at least a passing familiarity with Voodoo witchcraft when she arrives in Genua during Witches Abroad.

Hilta gave the previously earthbound Granny Weatherwax her broomstick to help her chase down Esk on their way to Ankh-Morpork, although she may have thought it was only a loan. This device was described as "a split-window Morris Minor" among brooms, and has foiled Dwarf mechanics ever since, but it continues to serve Granny well, if eccentrically.

Annotation

Pennyroyal is a naturally occurring plant found extensively throughout the British Isles and mainland Europe. It has been known and used medicinally for thousands of years, and today, in the complementary practice of aromatherapy, practitioners are very seriously and strictly advised to ensure it is not used on pregnant women. The reason for this is that it is a known abortifacient - it induces miscarriages. (For this reason, generations of wise women and witches of the Nanny Ogg/Hilta Goatfounder inclination have prescribed it as a naturally occurring "morning-after pill", to ensure that potentially-in-trouble young women may be able to sow their wild oats in March, but not bring forth harvest nine months later. Hence the Pennyroyal Preventatives. (Be aware that pennyroyal is a hepatotoxin; attempts to use it as an abortifacient still cause the occasional fatality.)