Bill Weasley and curse breaking

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 113304

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Tonks" <tonks_op at y...> wrote:
> Re-reading POA, I noticed that Bill Weasley works as a curse breaker 
> for Gringotts bank in Egypt. This has probably been discussed long 
> ago, but I can't find anything. Why would Gringotts need a curse 
> breaker?  I know that there are old Wizard tombs with curses on 
> them, like old Pharos tombs. But why would Gringotts be involved 
> in .. grave robbing??  Or are they working for family members trying 
> to get the old family fortune out of the tombs? Can there be that 
> many old dead wizards in Egypt that Gringotts needs a full time 
> curse breaker?  After awhile there seem to be clues everywhere to 
> God knows what. ..
> 
> Tonks_op

bboyminn:

Think of Bill as a combination treasure hunter and archeologist. In
real life there are fulltime treasure hunters that travel the world in
search of lost treasure whether it be sunken shipwreaks or lost tombs.
When they find treasure in this day and age the local government
usually lays claim to everything they find, because these represent
historical artifacts and national treasure. However, these governments
usually pay a pretty handsome bounty on this recovered treasure.

Frequently, nations will even hire treasure hunters with good
reputations to search for treasures for them. Again, these treasure
hunters are paid handsomely both in immediate fees and expense money,
 and in a percentage of the booty.

Extending that to the wizard world, I suspect that Gringott's and it
money loving goblins engage in a full range of treasure hunting from
plundering and stealing the treasures of ancient cultures to
cooperating with governments in return for a share of the treasure. I
also suspect that many of the tombs and treasures that wizards find
are things that muggles could never have found. 

In Bill's case, I think he was in Egypt in cooperation with the
Egyptian wizarding government helping them break cures so they could
recover the historic artifacts and treasures. In return, Gringotts
makes millions for their help, and Bill is paid a handsome salary and
various treasure recovery related bonuses.

Also, keep in mind that it is not just Egypt that has ancient tomes
and lost treasure. Africa, Central Asian, South Asian, East Asia,
South and Central America, many island nations, all have ancient
sights of archeological, historical, and financial importants. Ancient
runes in Central & South America, as well as Africa and the Middle
East, have been discovered in recent times and are currently under
excavation. So, we certainly haven't found everything there is to find.

I think from an authorial perspective, it's common knowledge and a
frequently literary device for tombs and treasures to be cursed, so
logically, some author somewhere was bound to come up with the idea of
professional tomb/treasure curse breakers.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn (was bboy_mn)