The Witches of Appendix N: Philip José Farmer

Philip José Farmer had one of the most enduring legacies on the earliest days of Dungeons & Dragons; the endless underground dungeons. His "World of Tiers" series detailed a world (multiple worlds) stacked on top of each other, providing the archetype of the dungeon and even the planes of existence. It is no suprise then really that Gygax was a huge fan of his work.

*I* became a fan of Philip José Farmer due to his Wold Newton family concept (along with Win Scott Eckert), something I spent a lot of time on working through back in the 1990s. I discovered it for myself in the earliest days of the Internet, and I was absolutely fascinated. I was already a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, and this concept was OCD gold for me. One day, I need to dedicate some time to do this properly. But he even manages to connect it to Angelique of Dark Shadows. So you know, I have to dig into it more for that reasn alone.

But today I want to discuss his Appendix N books and his potential witches.

World of Tiers

The World of Tiers gave us an archetypal dungeon environment, a place where monsters of all sorts from myth and legend lived. This includes some witch-like characters, but not a lot. The secret here, of course, is that these are not monsters of myth but a science fiction setting in which the magic of the Lords of the tale is really high technology.  

There are a few characters that might qualify, but none of which are a great fit. At least none that are close to what I am defining as a witch.

Riverworld

I want to make a quick mention of this series. I remember flipping through it in the 80s, but it never really grabbed me. I revisited it again in college and had pretty much the same opinion. I recall the GURPS book for it, but I don't believe there were any witches in this at all, unless it was a historical figure that was accused of witchcraft. 

Image of the Beast

This is an odd one. First, it is a modern tale, though one set in a supernatural, horror world. Secondly, it is often referred to as "porn," which is not... unmerited. There is witchcraft, of sorts, but no named witch. There are ghosts, vampires, and even snake women. 

Flesh

I mention this one only because it deals with a future where Earth has reverted to Paganism and Goddess worship. It has some witch-like trappings, but it is a sci-fi tale. While often derided, it is not as salacious or lurid as Image of the Beast.

So easy to see why Gary Gygax went with World of Tiers, but not a lot of witches here.