A Hat Full of Sky characters

Appears from the start

The young witch of the Chalk, now eleven, leaving her downland home for the mountains to begin her formal training as an apprentice witch. Practical, strong-willed, and quietly proud of her growing ability, she carries a deep sense of responsibility for her home ground, along with an inexperience that leaves her vulnerable to temptations she does not yet recognize.

Appears from the start

The Big Man, or leader, of the Nac Mac Feegle, the fierce little blue-skinned Wee Free Men who regard Tiffany as their hag and protector. Loyal to the point of recklessness, he leads his clan to follow Tiffany into the mountains to keep her safe, even as changes in his own life among the Feegle weigh on him.

Appears from the start

The traveling witch-finder who first recognized Tiffany's talent and who arranges her apprenticeship in the mountains. Bookish, brisk, and practical, she keeps a distant, watchful eye on her charge's progress.

First appears in chapter 2

The new kelda, or queen, of Rob Anybody's Nac Mac Feegle clan, and his wife. Small, sharp, and formidable, she rules the mound with quiet authority and sees further and more clearly than the clan's rowdy warriors, sensing danger before it arrives.

First appears in chapter 3

The research witch to whom Tiffany is apprenticed, a kindly, unglamorous woman who lives and works in one body but is in fact a single mind occupying two bodies at once. She serves her scattered rural neighbours with steady, practical care, teaching Tiffany that witchcraft is mostly hard, humble work done for other people.

First appears in chapter 5

A domineering, self-important young witch apprentice who leads the local circle of trainee witches. Preoccupied with the image, jargon, and trappings of witchcraft, she looks down on plain country practice and treats Tiffany with lofty condescension.

First appears in chapter 5

A shy, kind-hearted young witch apprentice who specializes in the care of pigs. Unassuming and easily flustered, she becomes a genuine friend to Tiffany among the circle of trainees.

First appears in chapter 6

An ancient, mindless, bodiless thing that has drifted through the world since the beginning of time, without self, thought, or purpose of its own. It is drawn irresistibly to the most powerful minds it can find, and seeks to possess them in order to feel, briefly, what it is to be alive. Tiffany's growing power makes her its target.

Also known as Esme Weatherwax, Esmerelda Weatherwax

First appears in chapter 7

The most respected and formidable witch of the mountains, austere, sharp-eyed, and sparing with praise. She watches over Tiffany from a distance and understands, better than anyone, both the danger the girl is in and the strength she will need to find within herself to survive it.