[HPforGrownups] Re: Random Parseltongue questions

[Amanda Lewanski]

No: HPFGUIDX 24237

Brian said

> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., dorbandb at y... wrote:
> > I am pretty convinced that dragons speak parseltongue (regardless of
> the lack of Canonical evidence).  Dragons are very wise and magical
> creatures and probably not only speak parseltongue, but are magically
> multilingual - far more than Barty Crouch - speaking all manner of
> tongues and dialects.

And Marcus responded:

> Then how come Harry didn't hear them muttering threats to their
> keepers?  Nor did he hear the HH warning him to keep away from her
> eggs.

And I think Marcus has it aright. Brian, you have succumbed to what the
Snape as Vampire crowd veer dangerously close to. You have taken an
unrelated view of dragons as the norm (the vampire crowd, knowing that
folklore does not equal Hollywood does not equal Anne Rice, have not yet
stated anything about JKR's vampires as a given).

One of the things I *love* about JKR is that her dragons are *animals.*
Big, honking, dangerous animals, but *animals.* They are not
repositories of ancient knowledge, a la "Wizard of Earthsea." They are
not speaking beings, a la most modern fantasy. They are not telepathic a
la McCaffrey. They are not a more worthy form of life than humans, a la
Dragonheart. They are big, dangerous, animals. Just like unicorns are
wonderful, magical *animals.*

Snakes are an oddity. I think snakes may be a special case; there may be
a reason they are a Muggle symbol for both wisdom and evil. Who knows,
perhaps the individual who was recorded for all time as Eve was a
Parselmouth who thought the snake had a point. But what we have seen of
dragons doesn't put them in the "non-human, intelligent race" category.

--Amanda


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