Goblin's view on property

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 176521

---  "Goddlefrood" <gav_fiji at ...> wrote:


> 
> Goddlefrood:
> 
> Is it odd for the Greeks to want the return of the 
> Elgin marbles, albeit they were obtained in possibly
> less than legal circumstances?
> 
> ...
> 
> There are many artifacts that change hands for money 
> and later still get returned to their so called 
> rightful owners. It happens in the Pacific quite 
> regularly with Whale's teeth, ... (or tabua in Fiji),
> ...
> 
> Often the tabua will be recovered by the original 
> owners and there is certainly no question of any money
 that was ever paid being refunded.
> 
> Not so very different from the Goblin attitude, I 
> believe you may agree.
> 
> Goddlefrood, ...

bboyminn:

A very interesting post but I don't think the analogy
holds up. With Greek Historical Artifacts, the 
sculptor sold a statue to his patron. The patron then
owns the object until a few centuries pass and arrogant
Western Europeans dig them and a decree that by virtue
of the fact that they touched them, they now own them
and have a right to haul them back to England.

That is not what happened with the Sword. The creator
sold it to the 'patron', and the Sword is still, to
a reasonable extent, in the control of the patron's
ancestors. Though after a thousand years, it has become
more of a public historical artifact. Which is why
Scrimgeour doesn't want to hand it over. 

Now if the Greek Sculptures has remained in Greece
and eventually legally fell into the control of
historical artifact caretakers of the country, then 
there wouldn't be a problem. In a sense, the sculpture
would still be in the hands of the descendants of the
original patron.

It is one thing to purchase a historical carved Whale's
tooth from the pillager of tombs, which is what you are 
suggesting; but it is quite another thing to purchase
a carved whale's tooth from the sculptor who actually
carved it, which is closer to what happened with the
Sword. 

As far as we know, the Sword was legally purchased by
the crafts-goblin who made it, and it still remain with
those who now 1,000 years later are charged with its
care. I see that as quite different from object pillaged
from foreign tombs. 

Do you see my point here?

Steve/bboyminn