- Genua
Genua is a fictional city from
Terry Pratchett 's "Discworld " novels. Its most significant appearance in the books is in "Witches Abroad ". It is in an area called the Swamplands, some distance from theSto Plains /Ramtops locations of most of the books.The name Genua is probably based on
Genoa , a city inItaly . However, Genua bears a striking resemblance to the French andCaribbean -influenced American South, especiallyNew Orleans . Local transport is bypaddle steamer with onboard gambling. The local witch,Erzulie Gogol , is a Voodoo mambo complete with personalzombie (in her case, that of the former ruler of the principality,Baron Saturday , who himself shares a name with a famous Voodoo god) and the local food is basicallyCajun cuisine , includinggumbo .During the events of "Witches Abroad" the city was ruled by an evil
fairy godmother , Lily Weatherwax, (sister ofLancre witchEsme Weatherwax ) though she went by the name Lilith de Tempscire. She was obsessed withfairy tales and thought she could force everyone to be happy if only she could get them to follow the logic of the "happy ending." Under her rule, innkeepers who were not fat and jolly or inclined to tell jokes were sent to the dungeon, and Genua's ruler, the Baron Saturday, was murdered so that his heir apparent, Ella, could be a neglected orphan, as the tales dictated. Soon, the city began to resemble a skewed version ofDisneyland . The name "Genua" therefore could also be an ironic echo of "genuine", which is exactly what Genua, at this time, was not. Eventually, thanks to the efforts of the Lancre Coven, Lily was deposed and sent to a dimension of endless mirrors, and Ella was able to assume her role as Baroness of Genua without, as Lily had intended, marrying a frog.Genua was most likely established as a far flung
colony of the Morporkian Empire, thus explaining why it shares more similarities withAnkh-Morpork /Sto Plains than its immediate neighbours Überwald and Muntab. The state first gained power underGeneral Tacticus , who, having being sent there by the Morporkian Empire to stay out of the way, proceeded to declare war on Ankh-Morpork.According to the novel "
Going Postal ", Genua is located approximately 2000 miles fromAnkh-Morpork by road, a journey of two months bystagecoach . A faster method is to travel by flyingbroomstick , whereby the city can be reached in a single day, but unfortunately you'll most likely blow your own ears off or possibly just freeze to death on the way.
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