Mimble & Catchpole or Greyfriars vs. Gryffindors

[mclellyn]

No: HPFGUIDX 111513

Gadfly McLellyn:

I've been listening to the Harry Potter books in the background while 
I work and just letting my subconscious/unconscious pick up clues.  I 
listen to the books in order.  So I listened to ORDER OF THE PHOENIX 
with the plant and password of Mimbulus Mimbletonia.  Then I listened 
to SORCERER'S STONE, and to my amazement there was that word mimble 
again.  

They are in the hut on the rock and the Dursley's are being 
confronted by Hagrid who is aghast that Harry knows nothing about the 
wizarding world.  P50 of the US paperback:

             Hagrid looked like he was about to explode.

            "DURSLEY", he boomed.

            Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something 
that sounded like "Mimblewimble"        

So on a lark, I decided to GOOGLE mimble.  (I suggest GOOGLEing Mrs. 
Mimble and you'll will get there quicker.)  What I found was an 
author of children's magazine stories named William Leslie Catchpole 
who wrote Greyfriars and St. Jim's stories.  Does Ottery St. 
Catchpole come to anyone's mind?   He also wrote under the pseudonyms 
of Mrs. Mimble and of Potter and Greene.  I was wondering what I had 
found.  So I got on EBAY and started ordering some MAGNET magazines.  
Many of you from Great Britain or Australia are probably familiar 
with the MAGNET magazine stories of Billy Bunter at the Greyfriar's 
boarding school by Frank Richards and other assorted ghost writers - 
one being Catchpole.  

I ordered one that had Potter and Greene's "My Own Page" that 
described these characters (from MAGNET No 1623 Vol LV page 2):

"Coker's two chums are normally quiet fellows, studious and well-
behaved, with a decided taste for sport.  Of the two, George Potter 
is more assertive and has a stronger character than Greene; but the 
truth is they are both fellows of much the same temperament.  They 
would prefer to lead a quiet life of study and sport.  They never 
do.  Coker's forceful personality sees to that.  Against their will 
Potter and Greene are dragged into all manner of shindies, and are 
forced to listen by the hour when Coker declaims against beaks and 
prefects.  Most fellows wouldn't put up with it, but their motto 
is "Anything for a quiet life!"  Potter's home is in London; Greene's 
on the Sussex coast.  They are both going to the Varsity when they 
leave Greyfriars, but not with Coker!"

Kind of sounds like Harry's life.  Decided taste for Quidditch.  
Against their will dragged into all manner of shindies.  Does POA 
p74 "I don't go looking for trouble," said Harry, nettled.  "Trouble 
usually finds me."  come to mind?  I believe it is Coker, by the way, 
who is famous for his motorbike.  Is anyone thinking of Sirius Black?

Mrs. Mimbles "My Own Page" has one paragraph that could be Harry 
Potter related it is from MAGNET no 1631 vol LV page 2:

"My shop is quaint and curious, and I will gladly show you round if 
you come to Greyfriars.  It is part of the old monastery building, 
with walls built of flint and about six feet thick.  There's the 
remains of a secret passage in the cellar, and they say that the 
abbey treasure may be buried somewhere down there, though I have 
never had the luck to find it.  Spiders there are plenty, so you 
never catch me down there if I can help it."

Hmmmm  secret passageways, treasure and spiders.  Chamber of Secrets 
or the passage way to Honeydukes, Philosopher/Sorcerer  Stones and 
Aragog, OH MY.  Flint is the Slytherin team captain, but that may be 
reaching.  Bustrode has been a character in this series as well as 
someone named Figgy (Mundungus's nickname for Mrs. Figg.)

The main story of this particular magazine is "The Mystery of Vernon-
Smith".   Vernon-Smith seems to be in two places at once this term.  
It turns out that he has a cousin who is almost a dead ringer for 
Vernon-Smith.  Reminds me of the twin archetype I wrote about in my 
Humungus Bighead Post of Harry/Voldemort Fusion Theory see post 
110941. 

In MAN AND HIS SYMBOLS edited by Carl Gustov Jung, they explain 
different types of hero journeys in mythology.  One is the Twin 
archetype which seems to correspond with the conscious (Harry)and 
unconscious (Voldemort) uniting journey.  "Though the Twins are said 
to be the sons of the Sun, they are essentially human and together 
constitute a single person.  Originally united in the mother's womb, 
they were forced apart at birth.  Yet they belong together, and it is 
necessary - though exceedingly difficult to reunite them."  p113 MAN 
AND HIS SYMBOLS.  Hmmmm, reminds me of what JKR says in interviews on 
how she knows what troubles are coming for Harry.

Is anyone out there familiar with the MAGNET's Greyfriar series?  Do 
you find other similarities between Greyfriar's and Hogwarts?  You 
will be glad to know that this is probably my last research project 
until the next book comes out.  No more gadfly swatting for a while.

Gadfly McLellyn