Terry Pratchett - Jingo

Historically, the tusk of the narwhal has sometimes been taken for that of a unicorn.

Das Boot (The Boat) was an epic German film, made by Wolfgang Petersen in 1981, telling the story of a German submarine in 1941.

Said of the neutron bomb, which delivers a very heavy dose of radiation but relatively small explosive power or fallout. Mind you, it could fairly be said of most crossbows.

An inconsistency alert: earlier Carrot told Vimes that Blind Hugh had ‘passed away last month’.

The first working submarine was a one-man, hand-propelled vessel called the Turtle, designed to use an auger to attach explosive charges to the hulls of enemy ships, the enemy in this case being the British during the American War of Independence. The Turtle attacked HMS Eagle in New York Harbor on 6 September 1776, but the hull was lined with copper and the screw failed to pierce it.

This has several parallels in our own world, most notably the Sioux, who adopted that name from their neighbours and habitual enemies the Ojibwa.

The description matches St Elmo's Fire, a corona discharge of static electricity sometimes seen on highly exposed surfaces (such as ships) during thunderstorms. In our world, it's supposed to be a good omen. For more on St Ungulant, see Small Gods .

According to the Bible, the prophet Jonah did much the same (Jonah 1:17).

The Israelites, while fleeing from Egypt, were sustained by a divinely provided rain of bread (Exodus 16:4).

Another Roman saying, coined by Terence (c.190–159 BC): “Fortune aids the brave.”

For the story of Detritus' helmet, read Men at Arms .

The original proverb is “Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day, teach him to fish and he can eat for the rest of his life.”

One of the many adventures of Sinbad, in The Thousand and One Nights .

From the 4th/5th century Roman writer Vegetius: “Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum” — “Let him who desires peace, prepare for war.”

The name ‘Hersheba’ (a pun on ‘Hershey Bar’ / ‘Beersheba’) is something that Terry came up with in 1992 on a.f.p., when he was more or less thinking out loud about the many people who didn't get the Djelibeybi reference (a pun on the sweets called ‘Jelly Babies’).

The troop of entertainers that our heroes become is modelled on the old time Music-Hall team of Wilson, Kepple and Betty, whose act included ‘The Sand Dance’. There's also a nice resonance of names with the Paul Simon song ‘Call Me Al’:

Since getting into his flowing white robes, Carrot appears to be fast turning into Lawrence of Arabia.

Vetinari's patter seems to be based on that of the fez-wearing British comedian Tommy Cooper.

This is, as Vetinari later translates, almost-Arabic for “where the sun shines not”.

One of the best-known (in the west, at least) works of Arabic literature is The Thousand and One Nights . Several classics of children's literature — including Aladdin and Sinbad the Sailor — appear in this collection. Nobby's version would appear to be rather more PG-rated.

The joke as adapted by thee goode folkes of alt.fan.pratchett goes like this:

This Klatchian walked into a pub carrying a small piano. He puts in on the bar and has a few drinks. When it comes time to pay up he says to the publican, “I bet you double or nothing I can show you the most amazing thing you ever saw.”

“Okay, but I warn you, I've seen some weird stuff.”

The Klatchian takes out a tiny stool, which he sits in front of the piano. He then reaches into his robes and pulls out a box, about a foot long, with tiny air-holes in it. He takes off the lid and inside is a tiny man, fast asleep. As the lid opens he wakes up. Instantly he jumps to the piano and plays a perfect rendition of ‘The Shades of Ankh-Morpork’! Then, as everyone in the bar is clapping, he jumps back into the box and closes the lid.

“Wow!” The publican says, and wipes the slate clean. “If I give you another drink, could you do it again?” The Klatchian agrees. This time the little man plays the Hedgehog song, to thunderous applause.

“I gotta ask, where did you get that?”

“Well, a few months ago I was travelling across the deserts of Klatch, when I suddenly came across a glass bottle. I picked it up and rubbed it and lo and behold, out popped a Genie. For some reason it was holding a curved bone to his ear and talking to it.”

“‘Genie,’ I said to him, ‘I have freed you, and in return I ask only three wishes.’”

“‘Huh?’ The genie said, looking at me for the first time. ‘Oh, OK, three, whatever.’ He then started talking to the bone again.”

“‘Genie, I would like a million bucks!’ I said to him.”

“Did you get it?”

“Not exactly. The genie kept talking to the bone and he waved one of his hands. Instantly, I was surrounded by a million ducks. Then they flew away.”

“What was your second wish?”

“I said to him: ‘I want to be the ruler the world!’ the Genie was still talking to his bone, but he waved his free hand and a piece of wood appeared, with inches marked on it.”

“Oh, a ruler. It sounds like the genie wasn't paying much attention. Did you get your third wish?”

“Let me put it like this: do you really think I asked for a twelve-inch pianist?”

Another Tommy Cooper reference.

The most famous example in our world is Alexandria, built by Alexander the Great.

A reference to Shelley's sonnet Ozymandias .

Ozymandias was the Greek name for Ramses the Second. Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem Ozymandias is famous, and because it is short here it is in full:

British officers in the First World War, when encouraging their men to go over the top, would quip that “We'll be eating tea and cakes in Berlin at teatime.” (Captain Blackadder observed irritably that “Everyone wants to eat out as soon as they get there”.)

See Pyramids for the Discworld convention on the naming of camels.