Lupin and the Full Moon

[Hillman, Lee]

No: HPFGUIDX 17578

Yes, I'm still catching up.....
 
> Message: 19
>    Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2001 21:59:00 -0000
>    From: "Kristin" <Alyeskakc at aol.com>
> Subject: Lupin and the Full moon
> 
> As I reread PoA again it brought up an interesting question about the 
> Shierking Shack sequence. Why does Lupin only transform when the full 
> moon came out from behind the clouds?  I always had the impression 
> that a werewolf transformed no matter what, it didn't matter whether 
> or not the moon was obscured. Is this a mistake on JKR's part or just 
> her idea that werewolves only transform when they are in the light of 
> a full moon.  Any thoughts on this?
> 
> Cheers,
>        Kristin
> 

Kristin,

It depends on which mythos of werewolves one goes by. In most cases, it's
the full moon, period. In some cases, it's whenever the full moon _is
visible_.

Am I the only person on the list who remembers the old B movies about the
Wolfman and especially movies like "Abbott and Costello meet the Wolfman"
and my favorite, Scooby Doo and the Wolfman?

In these paragons of horror films (note my tongue firmly wedged in my cheek,
here), it is a constant plot point that Joe Wolf goes from mild-mannered,
clean-shaven guy-next-door to Fuzzface el Supremo every time the moon peeks
out from a cloud. Invariably, this is when Scooby and Shaggy will see him,
but by the time they get Daphne and Velma and Fred, the clouds cover the
moon again, and Wolfie-boy is no longer hairy, so no one believes them.

There are other examples of JKR taking several cultural ideas and creating
an amalgam from them (e.g., gnomes/fairies/pixies, kelpies, broomsticks,
etc.), so perhaps this is one instance where it isn't necessarily a Flint,
but a less accepted mythos.

Gwendolyn Grace