Lore of the Witch World

 

By Andre Norton

A collection of seven Witch World short stories.

• "Spider Silk" Dairine was a refugee from hard times who survived a shipwreck as a young child and found a home among the folk of Rannock in Estcarp. The war is now over but the terrors of that time left their mark upon Dairine. What horrors she may have seen she does not recall. But her mind has closed her vision to the world around her and she is blind. Despite her handicap, over the years she became a talented weaver of cloth. Her skill came to the notice of a captain of Sulcar, an ocean-traveling nation of traders. The captain showed her a scrap of very finely made silk fabric and wondered if Dairine had the skill to attempt to weave something similar. But even though she was skilled, she was not that skilled, nor was any human weaver. Because this beautiful piece of silk was not woven by human hands but by the spider women of Usturt. But the spider women are hostile to humankind and will not willingly share their knowledge of weaving their beautiful silk fabric. Yet to Usturt Dairine must go, will she or nil she.
• "Sand Sister" Born to the Tor people of the Tormarsh, Tursla was not like the other children. But to a people declining in population, even one unlike the others is vital to the community's continuance. When a girl reaches a certain age, she is expected to take part in a fertility rite where she is impregnated by one of the village men. Tursla did not take part in the ritual but still claimed to have been impregnated even though she knew she had lain with no man. But she was filled, filled with knowledge after a visit to a holy site deep in the marsh. And this knowledge will enable her to step in to save the life of an outsider that the desperate villagers have marked for human sacrifice in the belief that it will restore fertility to their people and prevent their slow slide into extinction.
• "Falcon Blood" Tanree is a sailor, born and bred. But her home, the ship, the Kast-Boar, was caught in a storm and broken on a reef on an unknown shore. The only survivors are Tanree and the Falconer, a mercenary from a tribe where the men view women as untrustworthy creatures fit only for the bearing of children. But the Falconer has a broken arm and if he and Tanree are going to survive, they are going to have to work together despite his distaste for her gender.
• "Legacy From Sorn Fen" After the war was over, opportunities were abundant for an ambitious man to improve his lot in life, given the sad state of affairs in the land. One such was Higbold. And when a certain magical item came to his notice, Higbold saw no reason not to claim the item for himself. What he didn't know was the item was given as a reward for a kind and gallant service performed to ease the passing of a damsel in distress. Higbold is going to pay a price for his thievery.
• "Sword of Unbelief" Jervon and Elys from earlier stories not in this collection are featured in this story of a battle between Elys and an ancient and evil god who has captured Jervon and is slowing draining him of his life force. 
• "The Toads of Grimmerdale" After the war was over, a time of chaos overtook the lands and crimes and lawlessness where everywhere. Hertha, a well-born young woman, became a victim of this chaos when her camp was overrun and she was assaulted. But when her family discovered she was pregnant, she was told she must submit to an abortion or be cast out. She chose to be cast out. She just wants two things, a healthy baby and revenge on the man who raped her. She doesn't know who he was and never saw his face. But she did see a distinctive piece of equipment he wore, a find gold and jewel-encrusted bowguard. So when Hertha sees a man wearing that same bowguard at the inn where she is working, she is certain he is the one who assaulted her. The inn lies near a place of the Old Ones, the magical denizens who used to dominate the land but who have mostly gone away. The Toads of Grimmerdale are of such magical stock and Hertha goes to them, asking for their help against her enemy. Of course, there will be a deadly price to pay for such questionable help.
• "Changeling" The follow-up to "The Toads of Grimmerdale" finds Hertha on the road once again, traveling to confront the Toads, who as punishment for her forfeit, have cursed her newborn baby with bulgy toad eyes and blotchy, discolored skin. 

I really enjoyed the stories in this collection. I think my favorites are the last two, but I liked them all. The only one I liked the least was "Sword of Unbelief" which was rather slow compared to the other stories.