Veelas / Weasels / Death Eater Wannabees

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 187524

Alla wrote in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/187388>:

<< I know we only see female veelas [in canon], but it does not necessarily mean that only females exist? >>

In real life, where 'veela' is more often spelled 'vila' or 'vili' and is part of Slavic folklore, being a pretty female is part of the definition of veela. 

While the real folklore veelas behave sort of like nature spirits like dryads and nereids, they are supposed to come into being as the spirits of human girls who died before getting married and having children. Probably Rowling's Potterverse veelas do not come into being that way. I once suggested that they grew on trees. It's also perfectly possible that they reproduce by parthenogenesis - there are numerous species of anole lizards that do so, in which all members of a parthenogenetic species are genetically identical. *waves at Montavilla47 <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/187410>*

James wrote in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/187397>:

<< Male Veelas are directly implied by the text even though they are never mentioned. We are given a string distinction between full Vellas and part Vellas (thru interbreeding with humans). The existence of that distinction requires that there is some way for full Vellas to breed, which requires males of the species. >>

Not necessarily: maybe full veelas grew on trees or were birthed by veela mothers who conceived by parthenogenesis while half veelas were conceived by veela mothers as a result of sex with non-veela males. Some [human male] listies previously suggested that all veelas are female and reproduce by sex with human males, in which case a veela's daughter would be full veela and her son would be a half-veela, and her son's child would be a quarter-Veela like Fleur. When we saw Fleur's parents in DH, did either of them seem half-Veela? I suspect Lockhart was half-veela.

If Potterverse veelas reproduce sexually like normal vertebrates, it is possible that the veelas are the females and some other magical beings are the males of the same species. It appears there are two sexes of giants, two sexes of merfolk, and two sexes of goblins, but I believe JKR has stated that there are only male centaurs. Maybe centaurs are the male veelas. I enjoy the irony of suggesting that trolls are the male veelas, but then who would be the male hags?

sydney_freud wrote in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/187395>:

<< I don't remember where I read/heard this but J.K. Rowling was once defending the reputation of a weasel, which inspired the Weasley family name in the books. >>

I don't know about the European symbolism that you looked up. In  America, 'weasel' refers to dishonesty and cheating, such as 'weaseling out of' some obligation, or calling someone 'you weasel'. I've always assumed this is because mustelids (the weasel family, weasels ermines ferrets polecats stoats) have exceptionally flexible backbones so they can twist very twisty and thus escape from traps.

Montavilla47 wrote in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/187415>:

<< Where does Snape ever show hatred for muggles? Except for that moment of heightened emotion, where he calls Lily a mudblood, the only thing he does is condone his friends teasing a muggle-born girl.>>

Nitpick: according to Lily (page 673, DH, US edition), Mulciber did something worse than just teasing to Mary Macdonald. IIRC Karkaroff's testimony mentioned Mulciber being an Imperius specialist, so I'm inclined to think he tried to Imperio her to do something disgusting and humiliating, such as eat dung. 

Maybe it wasn't Imperius - maybe he tried to give her a deadly poison so that at the very last second he could give her the antidote and demand that she be grateful to him for saving her life, but I think that is less likely because I think the Junior Death Eater gang would find more humiliating = more fun.