WOMBAT and Wiggenweld

[severelysigune]

Anne wrote:

> I was reading the Lexicon commentary on the latest WOMBAT, and the
responses to the Draught of the Living Death item of question 15
(match the dangerous being, plant, or potion with the spell, substance
or object that will conquer it) caught my attention.

Here's a link to the Lexicon's analysis:
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizworld/wombat/wombat3comments.html
 
In their answers, Lisa and Belinda both refer to a Famous Hags card
from the PoA video game: that of one Leticia Somnolens, who, it says,
poisoned Sleeping Beauty with a spindle tainted with DOLD.
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizards/card_wizards.html

(Scroll down to almost the very bottom, to the list of Famous Hags.)

According to Somnolens's card, our Prince Charming was really a wizard
 who was using Wiggenweld Potion as a lip gloss when he smooched Ms.
Beauty.

Well, you see the problem.  There IS no "Wiggenweld" offered as a
choice for a "spell, substance or object" that will conquer anything.  
Lisa and Belinda go ahead and choose other things (Phoenix tears and 
chocolate, respectively), but hang on a minute...

How could Wiggenweld fail to be one of the options?  Aren't these
cards supposed to be *canon*?  

I recall participating in a debate, right here on this list, on this 
very subject a while back...
 
*rummages*
 
Yep. It's in an *old* WOMBAT thread, a little four-poster started by 
Talisman in message number 4055.  Steve attests that JKR wrote the 
cards, but then in message 4063 I air my doubts:
 
>>>Anne:
> This question was actually asked about in the Lexicon/Mugglenet
joint open letter to JKR, which she answered in her FAQs. However, her
 answer seems a bit imprecise:

> "Yes, I wrote the information on the original Famous Wizard cards.
As you have noticed, a few of them have now popped up on the `Wizard
of the Month' cards on my website desk. "

What does she mean by "original?"<<<

I really think it must mean that JKR wrote some cards to begin with -- 
the "originals" -- but then EA must have added to them, just as they 
added new spells ("Flippendo."  Honestly, what kind of a spell is 
that?).
 
 
So... what the heck *does* conquer DOLD???  Nothing really seems to fit.>


Sigune: 
For what it's worth, I (ever mindful of Snape) answered "bezoar" and
got an O - but of course nothing says that this particular answer was
a good one...

I am highly skeptical of all those side-thingies that JKR is supposed
to be "closely involved" in. People keep saying the same thing about
the films, but seriously, if the film scripts are representative of
JKR's plot, and the Marauders backstory can be cut out in its
entirity, I do ask myself a few questions. I suspect that Rowling only
really interferes when she thinks something is wholly unacceptable*,
and those Famous Wizard cards in the computer games are probably not
among her priorities. I bet you are right in surmising that she maybe
wrote a few, at the beginning, or as background for her books, and
passed those on to the game people; I highly doubt that she kept a
close eye on them since.

Yours severely,
Sigune


* I do wonder why Kreacher is so much more important than the whole
Snape/Marauders backstory. JKR requested that Kreacher at least
*appear* in OotP, when the character was in danger of being cut out
entirely. Hm.