Ron, Hermione and the Elves

[sophierom]

No: HPFGUIDX 92653

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "arrowsmithbt" 
<arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "nkafkafi" <nkafkafi at y...> 
wrote:
> > I understand that House-elves who can be released from their 
slavery 
> > by presenting them with cloth is not JKR's sole imagination, but 
a 
> > respected tradition/legend/mythology. Perhaps this tradition 
also 
> > tells us about the charm that originated it? Does anybody know 
> > anything about House-elves in legend and where can I read about 
them? 
> > In the Web I can't find any non-Potterian house elves.
> > 
> 
> As I understand it, they are based on the 'Brownie" myth.
> 
> These are reputed to be attached to households (the building, not 
the
> persons) and appear at night to do all the chores. In some 
variants they
> can only be seen by children. If offered food or gifts they 
vanish, never to
> return. (This is the Scottish version)
> 
> The English variant is Robin Goodfellow and interestingly, Brewers 
Dict. of
> Phrase and Fable states "...he is supposed to busy himself on 
little jobs for
> the family *over which he presides.* (My emphases) He is very 
definitely 
> not a slave, but the master of the house.
> 
> Whichever you take, the work done is voluntary and they are not 
capable of
> being coerced, bribed or enslaved. They make their own decisions.
> 
> This fits in well with those that have long theorised that House 
Elves are
> not slaves; they're too magical. There is some sort of complex 
relationship
> going on that we have not been told about. But it's significant 
that neither
> Hagrid (old softy for any creature) nor DD (moral rectitude 
personified) will
> back Hermione in her crusade. They know something we don't.
> 
> Kneasy

Sophierom:
Interesting points, Kneasy. But I also think it's significant that 
the first house elf we see in the WW is Dobby, who definitely exists 
in a master-slave relationship with the Malfoys and who loves his 
freedom once he attains it. Certainly the relationship between most 
house elves and the wizards they serve is a complex one. But I do 
believe that JKR wants us to understand that something has gone very 
wrong with this relationship, that wizards have polluted this 
relationship by their arrogance and sense of superiority.  And 
although she goes about it in all the wrong ways, it seems that 
Hermione, a muggle born, is more willing to see this problem than 
others who have lived in the WW all their lives. Harry, too, sees 
this in his relationship with Dobby, though he does not make this 
into a political crusade the way Hermione does.  And in fact, 
Dumbledore recognizes this too, even if he doesn't wear a S.P.E.W. 
badge; in OotP, he agrees with Hermione when she argues for better 
treatment of Kreacher.  His discussions about Kreacher indicate that 
wizards have screwed up the relationship between house elves and 
humans.  

It seems to me that Dobby's attitude is perhaps the best of all the 
characters when it comes to this issue.  Dobby says that he loves 
work (suggesting that this connection to a household is part of his 
culture and being) but that he also loves his freedom and his 
autonomy (suggesting that the way that most wizards AND house elves -
 like Winky - act now is somehow a distortion of the original wizard-
house elf relationship.).  

Sophierom