discussion of Beedle tales

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 185183

Zara wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185167>:

<< The story to which Alla refers may be found here (snip):

<http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/mcdonnell/hauff/hauff.html> >>

Thank you for pointing me to this resource. As it is 'A Celebration of
Women Writers', I suppose 'Wilhelm' Hauff is a pseudonym?

a_svirn wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185169>:

<< They are original only in the sense that the imagery is straight
out of the Harry Potter world. But plot-wise and "moral-wise", so to
speak, they are quite ordinary and bland. Babbity-rabbity, for
instance, seems to be derivative from the "Emperor's clothes" – it's
like Andersen set in the Potterverse. As for the "Hairy Heart", I am
with Dumbledore on that one: the whole thing seems like a rerun of the
Horcrux theme (or vice versa) – the search of invulnerability at the
expense of humanity. It reminds me not so much of "A Heart of Stone",
but of ye good olde Kaschei the Immortal. >>

That's a bit like the proverb that there are only 40, or 32, or 14
stories in the world. The love story, the revenge story, the prophecy
comes true because of attempts to avoid it story...

<< He writes something to the effect that The Wand awe-inspiring
reputation is manifestly at variance with its own history. And yet, we
know that not only he craved it as a boy, but he actually claimed it
after defeating Grindenwald  >>

Even if the  'awe-inspiring reputation' that this wand can never be
defeated in combat is false, it is still a very powerful wand, and
therefore worth having. The part of his own commentary that DD maybe
should have paid attention to is about Godelet who wrote Magick Moste
Evile, and claimed to have learned so many Dark spells from his wand.
He should have been concerned lest the Elder Wand turn him evil.

It is not clear to me that the reputation that this wand can never be
defeated in combat is false. Its first transfer came from cutting the
owner's throat while he was passed out drunk, not combat. Its latest
transfer came from Draco casting Expelliarmus on DD while DD was
making no attempt at wandwork: just talking is not combat. And Rowling
certainly provided the possibility that DD took it from Grindelwald by
trickery rather than by that great duel to which Elphias referred.

<< It seems to me that Rowling became somewhat obsessed with
Dumbledore in the last two HP books >>

As far as DD is the Puppetmaster moving the characters' actions and
manipulating their feelings, Rowling (as the author) *is* DD.

a_svirn wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185178>:

<< Snape neither had the ring (Harry did), nor was tempted by it. >>

But if Snape had had the ring, he might have been tempted by it. His
grief that Lily is dead is certainly move *obvious* than DD's grief
that Ariana is dead, and if she came back to life, perhaps she would
thank Snape for having protected Harry all these years.