Bellerophon and a few other FB thoughts (spoilers)

[Jen Faulkner]

No: HPFGUIDX 14430

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I just adored the books, really.  They were *too* cute.

What jumped out at me from FB was the bit about the Chimaera, and its
allusion to the story of Bellerophon.  (He's the Greek hero who killed
the Chimaera, in some versions while mounted on Pegasus, the winged
horse, before later plunging to his death, thrown from Pegasus' back.)
It was neat in general how JKR referred obliquely at several points to
the mythological origins of the beasts by calling them "Greek."
Alluding to Bellerophon without naming him, JKR says, "There is only
one known instance of the successful slaying of a Chimaera and the
unlucky wizard concerned fell to his death from his winged horse
... shortly afterwards, exhausted by his efforts" (FB p.7, American
ed.).

I love the blending of Greek and HP mythology there (turning Bellerophon
into a wizard).  I also thought it was interesting that B's death
becomes an accident of sorts, rather than the result of hubris it is in
the myths.  (In the story of the fall from Pegasus, B generally is
trying to fly up to Olympus to join the gods, obviously not to be
allowed to a mortal.)  I'm surprised though that she didn't actually
refer to the story of the person who bred the Chimaera.

Another couple things I thought were fun: The name of the wizard who
bred the Basilisk, Herpo the Foul, whose name (like Latin 'serpens')
has the root herp- meaning 'snake, creeping thing'; the drawing of the
gnome, with its smirk; the 'tadfoal' of the hippocampus; the Loch Ness
monster as a kelpie (makes as much sense as the pleiosaur theory,
doesn't it?); the Sphinx as a treasure guardian.

And I felt soooo bad for Ron that Fred killed his Puffskein -- that
seems terribly callous, even for the twins.

One omission I thought was kind of surprising was the mandrake.  Don't
they count as beasts?  Or are they really just plants?

--jen :)

* * * * * * 
Jen's HP fics:
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