[HPforGrownups] Witchcraft and Wizardry: What do they teach at Hogwarts????

[Rita]

No: HPFGUIDX 50035

 
 
 SophineClaire:
I've been thinking about this for a couple of days.
Hogwarts has the sub-title of being a school for Witchcraft and 
Wizardry. Now, if magic was all inclusive wouldn't Hogwarts be 
subtitled as a school of Magic, that being what everyone is learning 
there. Or is there more to it.

Me:
But doesn't Hogwarts School of Whitchcraft and Wizardry sound much better
than Hogwarts School of Magic? It's got an 'ancient' feeling to it, it
conjures up some images the other doesn't. And as Scott said, this way it's
also clear that it a school for both boys and girls and that they cover all
kinds of magic.

SophineClaire:
Granted, this coule just be a way to say 'Witches do witchcraft 
while Wizards do wizardry but it's all the same, except in title' 
that possibly dates back to before the founders. Or back in the days 
when there were sections of magic that were a considered to be a 
man's domain and others that were placed strictly off limits to them 
by women.

Me:
That's exactly how I see it. It's not that there is some magic specific to
any sex but that traditionally males are pictured doing some things and
females others, everyone brews potions, everyone has magical ways of healing
but in popular culture some things seem more appropriate for a wizard (
carrying a staff, for example) and others for witches ( riding broomsticks).

Please Remember that it was not the 4 Founders who chose the name for the
benefit of the WW, but JKR who tried to come up with something meaningfull
and evocative for us! We hear Witchcraft and Wizardry and we form our
expectations from all we know about this things.

SophineClaire:
Or maybe there are forms of magic that can really only be 
performed by one sex or the other, if you remove what their society 
might say. 

Me:
As I said I think is just a cultural thing although some of the simbolism
used in rites is related to sexuality.


SophineClaire:
What was so special about Lily's so-called-save-my-baby 
charm that only she could do?? Why not James or Sirius or Remus or 
Peter?. Is it because she is his mother? she's a female? 

Me:
No, it's simply because JKr chose  to be so. She could have had James
sacrifice his life and the effect would have been just the same, a parent's
love is supposed to be the strongest, isn't it? It only works better this
way for the reason Scott gave:

there is a universal acceptance that a mother's love is love in it's purest
form. I know your mother and father should love you about the same, but
there's just more connection between mother and child than father and child.

R.