#shambles

A shamble (or shambles) is a magical object from the Discworld book series by Sir Terry Pratchett. They were introduced in "The Wee Free Men," the first book in the Tiffany Aching cycle.

Shambles are used by witches for a variety of magical uses. They can detect or amplify magic, send a spell, protect a dwelling, or really whatever is needed. (Some shambles are also purely decorative, because a proper witch ought to maintain a certain level of ambience. Unless, of course, your name is Esmerelda Weatherwax, in which case the darn things just get in the way.)

There are no hard and fast rules as to what EXACTLY a shamble should look like, or even what it should be made of, only that it must be able to hang like a wind chime and must contain something living (or once-living) at the center).

A capable Discworld witch should be able to put together a shambles from whatever materials are at hand and the most powerful and effective shambles are the ones you make when there is the greatest need for them. It's all about capturing the moment and following one's intuition and sense of need during the construction.

Illustration by Hedgefairy (Deviantart)