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| A teenager, as we would call him now, his personality and temperament make him rather unsuited to the family business. Thus, his father takes him to a local hiring fair, hoping he'll be picked up as an apprentice by someone; not only will this provide a job for his son, but it will also be someone else's problem to knock him into shape. As time ticked by, all of the prospective masters passed him up, but Mort stubbornly held out to the end, refusing to leave until midnight had passed. Just before the clock-bell rang for the 12th time, a man concealed in a black cloak arrived on a white horse. He said he was looking for a young man to assist him in work and picked up Mort. The man turned out to be ], and gave Mort the job of ushering souls into the next world (though his father thinks he's been apprenticed to an undertaker). | |||
| It is believed that Death chose Mort partly because Death himself had the nickname Mort (he is called this by the other members of the 4 horsemen), Mort being the French word for death, and the origin of several English words (e.g. mortal, post mortem). | It is believed that Death chose Mort partly because Death himself had the nickname Mort (he is called this by the other members of the 4 horsemen), Mort being the French word for death, and the origin of several English words (e.g. mortal, post mortem). | ||
Revision as of 04:40, 27 August 2003
Mort is the name of the main character in the Terry Pratchett Discworld novel of the same name.
Warning: Misplaced Pages contains spoilers
A teenager, as we would call him now, his personality and temperament make him rather unsuited to the family business. Thus, his father takes him to a local hiring fair, hoping he'll be picked up as an apprentice by someone; not only will this provide a job for his son, but it will also be someone else's problem to knock him into shape. As time ticked by, all of the prospective masters passed him up, but Mort stubbornly held out to the end, refusing to leave until midnight had passed. Just before the clock-bell rang for the 12th time, a man concealed in a black cloak arrived on a white horse. He said he was looking for a young man to assist him in work and picked up Mort. The man turned out to be Death, and gave Mort the job of ushering souls into the next world (though his father thinks he's been apprenticed to an undertaker).
It is believed that Death chose Mort partly because Death himself had the nickname Mort (he is called this by the other members of the 4 horsemen), Mort being the French word for death, and the origin of several English words (e.g. mortal, post mortem).
The pressure of the job forces Mort to make a few mistakes, but like all good heroes, he grows some spine, gains some self control, challenges death to a duel and waltzes away with the girl...
He marries Death's adopted daughter Ysabell and they live relatively happily ever after as the duke and duchess of Sto Helit.
Pity "happily ever after" is only about another 15 years...
They are however survived by a daughter, Susan Sto-Helit who should really be named Susan Death. But that's another book... Soul Music to be precise.
- See also : Terry Pratchett