Tolkien/HP comparison: Willows

[jorgealcontreras]

No: HPFGUIDX 31587

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "jenbe_me" <jenbea at s...> wrote:
> 
>   Just thought I'd throw this in here:
> 
>   A major tree that plays a part in both series of books, Harry 
> Potter and Lord of the Rings is a willow. In Harry Potter, it's the 
> Whomping Willow, and I think it's safe to assume that we all know 
> what it does- and the destructive properties it can have! (Just ask 
> the Weasley car, if you can catch it wandering around the Forest 
> somewhere). Yet it's also the secret entrance, at the base, to a 
> tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. 
> 
>   Likewise in LOTR, you have Old Man Willow, who, in Tom 
Bombadillo's 
> forest, has grown old and rotten at the core, and when the four 
> hobbits fall asleep, lured into his shade, they become entangled in 
> his roots and almost "eaten" by the tree. 
> 
>   What I find most interesting is that both authors chose willows, 
> normally a sign of peace in most cultures, for trees with such 
> violent aspects! Interesting. Any ideas why?
> 
> 
> jenbea

Maybe Tolkien and Rowling took the idea from Grimm Brothers. In Snow 
White, the trees seemed to be living and to have faces and arms, I 
think both of them knew some legends related to willows that have been 
used by other writers in the past.

Jorge Contreras