Jump to content

The Tales of Beedle the Bard: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Line 80: Line 80:
:This story is about a king who wants to keep all magic to himself. To do this he needs to solve two problems: he must capture the witches in the kingdom and he has to learn magic. He creates a "Brigade of Witch Hunters" and also calls for an instructor in magic. Only a "cunning charlatan" with no magical ability responds. The charlatan proves himself with few simple tricks but starts making demands for jewelry and money to continue teaching. However, Babbitty, the king's washerwoman laughs at his tricks. This causes the king to demand the charlatan join him in a public demonstration of magic and states that the charlatan will be beheaded if anyone laughs. The charlatan later witnesses Babbitty performing magic in her house. He threatens to expose her if she does not assist him. She agrees to hide and help the demonstration.
:This story is about a king who wants to keep all magic to himself. To do this he needs to solve two problems: he must capture the witches in the kingdom and he has to learn magic. He creates a "Brigade of Witch Hunters" and also calls for an instructor in magic. Only a "cunning charlatan" with no magical ability responds. The charlatan proves himself with few simple tricks but starts making demands for jewelry and money to continue teaching. However, Babbitty, the king's washerwoman laughs at his tricks. This causes the king to demand the charlatan join him in a public demonstration of magic and states that the charlatan will be beheaded if anyone laughs. The charlatan later witnesses Babbitty performing magic in her house. He threatens to expose her if she does not assist him. She agrees to hide and help the demonstration.


:During the performance, the brigade captain asks the king to bring his dead hound back to life. Since Babbitty's magic is unable to raise the dead, the crowd realizes the previous acts were tricks. The charlatan exposes Banbitty, accusing her of blocking the spells. Babbitty flees into a forest and disappears at the base of an old tree. In desperation, the charlatan states that she has turned "into a crab apple" and has the tree cut down.
:During the performance, the brigade captain asks the king to bring his dead hound back to life. Since Babbitty's magic is unable to raise the dead, the crowd realizes the previous acts were tricks. The charlatan exposes Babbitty, accusing her of blocking the spells. Babbitty flees into a forest and disappears at the base of an old tree. In desperation, the charlatan states that she has turned "into a crab apple" and has the tree cut down.


:As the crowd departs, the stump starts cackling and makes the charlatan confess. The stump cackles again, demanding the king to never hurt a wizard again and build a statue of Babbitty on the stump, so that the king is reminded of his foolishness. The king agreed and headed back to the palace. Afterwards "stout old rabbit" with a wand in its teeth hops out from hole beneath the stump and leaves the kingdom.
:As the crowd departs, the stump starts cackling and makes the charlatan confess. The stump cackles again, demanding the king to never hurt a wizard again and build a statue of Babbitty on the stump, so that the king is reminded of his foolishness. The king agreed and headed back to the palace. Afterwards "stout old rabbit" with a wand in its teeth hops out from hole beneath the stump and leaves the kingdom.

Revision as of 16:03, 28 June 2008

The Tales of Beedle the Bard
AuthorJ. K. Rowling
IllustratorJ. K. Rowling
LanguageEnglish
SeriesHarry Potter
Publication date
December 13, 2007
Pages157[1]

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a 2007 book of children's stories written by British author J. K. Rowling. It purports to be the storybook of the same name mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last book of the Harry Potter series.[2]

The book has only been produced in a limited edition of seven copies, each handwritten and illustrated by J. K. Rowling.[3] One of them, the moonstone edition, was offered for auction and was expected to sell for £50,000 ($103,000); ultimately it was bought for £1.95 million ($3.98 million) by Amazon, making the selling price the highest achieved at auction for a modern literary manuscript.[4][5] The money earned at the auction of the book was donated to The Children's Voice charity campaign.[6]

Fictional version

The symbol of the Hallows, found by Hermione Granger above The Tale of the Three Brothers.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard also is a plot device in the seventh novel of the Harry Potter series, Deathly Hallows, in which it is bequeathed to Hermione Granger by Albus Dumbledore. The book is described as a popular collection of wizarding children's fairy tales, thus while Ron Weasley is familiar with the stories, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger had not previously heard them due to their non-magical upbringing.[2]

The edition Hermione received in chapter seven in Dumbledore's will is a copy of the original edition of fictional books in the novel.[7] It is described as being an ancient looking small book with its binding "stained and peeling in places". In the novel it is also said the book has a title on its cover, written in embossed runic symbols.[2]

The book acts as the vehicle for introducing the Deathly Hallows.[6] Above the story The Tale of the Three Brothers, Hermione Granger finds a strange symbol which later is revealed by Xenophilius Lovegood to be the symbol of the Hallows. The triangle from the symbol represents the Invisibility Cloak, the circle inside the triangle symbolizes the Resurrection Stone, while the vertical line represents the Elder Wand.[7]


Real version

Production

Only seven copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard have been produced, all handwritten and illustrated by the author herself. The books were bound with brown Moroccan leather, and decorated with hand-chased silver ornaments and mounted semi-precious stones by Hamilton & Inches Ltd. in Edinburgh.[8] Rowling also asked that each of the seven copies be decorated with different stones.[9] In an interview, the author stated that she conceived of the books as a way of thanking six people who were instrumental to the creation of the Harry Potter series,[10] and decided to create a seventh copy to sell at auction in order to raise funds for The Children's Voice charity campaign.

The idea came really because I wanted to thank six key people who have been very closely connected to the 'Harry Potter' series, and these were people for whom, you know, a piece of jewelry wasn't going to cut it. So I had the idea of writing them a book, a handwritten and illustrated book, just for these six people. And well, if I'm doing six I really have to do seven, and the seventh book will be for this cause, which is so close to my heart.

— J. K. Rowling[11]

Rowling wrote five stories for the book. One, The Warlock's Hairy Heart is not mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows;[12] three others, The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, The Fountain of Fair Fortune, and Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump receive cursory attention.[2] The Tale of the Three Brothers, the final story, was inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer's The Pardoner's Tale from The Canterbury Tales.[13]

Auction

The "moonstone edition" of Tales was first put on display prior to bidding on December 9, 2007.[14] The book was auctioned December 13, 2007, at Sotheby's in London. The opening bid with £30,000 ($62,000), and originally was expected to sell for approximately £50,000 ($103,000).[15] The closing bid far exceeded all prior projections, as ultimately the book was purchased by a representative from London fine art dealers Hazlitt Gooden and Fox on behalf of Amazon, for a total of £1.95 million ($3.98 million). This was the highest purchase price for a modern literary manuscript at the date.[4][5] The money earned at auction later was donated by Rowling to The Children's Voice charity campaign.[6]

Sotheby's printed a forty-eight page promotional catalog to promote the auction.[16] The catalog featured illustrations from the book, as well as comments from J. K. Rowling on The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The catalog was sold as a collector's item, and the money from the sales also have been donated to The Children's Voice charity campaign.[17][18]

Reception

The book's extremely limited release prevented it from being widely reviewed. However Sotheby's deputy director Dr. Phillip Errington described it as "one of the most exciting pieces of children's literature" to have passed through the auction house.[3] After buying the book, Amazon also released a review in which it was described as "an artifact pulled straight out of a novel".[1]

Synopsis

Due to its extremely limited publication, nearly all information regarding its contents has been derived from an Amazon.com review and summary of the book.[19]

Preface

The preface of the moonstone edition mentions that the other six copies of the book were given away as gifts "to those most closely connected to the Harry Potter books during the past seventeen years." These six copies have prefaces as well, each with a different dedication written by Rowling.[12] Rowling also writes in this preface that the seventh copy will be auctioned, and the money will be used to help children "who are in a desperate need of a voice". Rowling concludes by offering her thanks to the buyer of the book.

The Wizard and the Hopping Pot

File:The Wizard and the Hopping Pot.jpg
The Wizard and the Hopping Pot

This first story of the book features an illustration on its first page representing a pot standing on a single foot with five toes.

This story is about the legacy of an old man who, in his generosity, used his pot to brew magical potions and antidotes for other people when they needed his help. Upon his death, he leaves all his belongings to his only son, who has none of the qualities his father had. After his father's death, the son finds the pot and a single slipper inside it together with a note from his father that reads, "In the fond hope, my son, that you will never need this".
Bitter for having nothing left but a pot, the son closes the door on every person who asks for his help. Each time he does this, the pot takes on the symptoms of the ones who ask for help. This continues on until the son finally gives up and provides aid to the town. While he does this, the pot empties and a mysterious slipper falls out — one that perfectly fits the foot of the pot, and together the two walk off into the sunset.

The Fountain of Fair Fortune

This story is accompanied by the picture of a sparkling, flowing fountain, and around it a few stars and sparkles. Below the text there is a second drawing of a small rose bush.

In this story, there is a fountain where once per year, people may come to have their problems answered. This is how three witches meet. The first witch, Asha, suffers from a disease. The second, Altheda, endures poverty due to a robbery. The third, Amata, is distraught after she was left by her beloved. The three witches decide to try and reach the fountain together, but along their way, a knight also joins them.
On their path to the fountain, they have to face three challenges. The first two involve a giant worm who demands "proof of your pain" and a steep slope where they have to bring the "fruit of their labours". The third challenge, crossing a river, requires them to pay with "the treasure of your past". Amata passes the challenge by using magic to withdraw the memories of her ex-lover and drop them into the water.
At the fountain, Asha collapses from exhaustion. To save her, Altheda brews an invigorating potion that also cures Asha of her disease and need of the fountain. Altheda realises that her skills are a means to earn money, so she also no longer needs the fountain. The third witch realises that washing away her regret for her lover removed her need as well. Only the knight bathes in the water, after which he flings himself at Amata's feet and asks for her "hand and her heart". Everyone gets an answer to their problem, not realising that the fountain held no magical power at all.

The Warlock's Hairy Heart

File:The Warlock's Hairy Heart.jpg
The Warlock's Hairy Heart

This is the only one of the five stories featured in the book which is not also mentioned in the Deathly Hallows. A hairy heart covered in coarse hair and dripping blood is drawn on this story's page while beneath the text, there is a second drawing of an old-fashioned key with three loops at the top, lying in a pool of blood.

The story is about a young and handsome warlock who decides to never fall in love, so he uses Dark Arts to prevent himself from doing so. His family, hoping he will change, doesn't do anything. However, one day, he hears two servants whispering about him not having a wife, so he decides to find a talented, rich, and beautiful girl and marry her to gain everyone's envy.
He meets that girl the next day. Though the girl is both "fascinated and repelled", the warlock persuades her to come to a dinner feast at his castle. During the feast, she tells him that she needs to know he has a heart. The warlock shows her his beating hairy heart inside a crystal casket in his dungeon. The witch begs him to put it back inside himself. After the warlock does so, she embraces him. However, being disconnected from its body for so long, his heart is "pierced" by the beauty of her skin and the scent of her hair. Later the other guests find their host and the witch dead.

Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump

The drawings that are found on this story's page represent a large tree stump, with twenty growth rings. A little crack can be seen at the bottom of the stub, and inside, in the dark, two glowing eyes. Under the text is a small narrow paw print, with four toes.

This story is about a king who wants to keep all magic to himself. To do this he needs to solve two problems: he must capture the witches in the kingdom and he has to learn magic. He creates a "Brigade of Witch Hunters" and also calls for an instructor in magic. Only a "cunning charlatan" with no magical ability responds. The charlatan proves himself with few simple tricks but starts making demands for jewelry and money to continue teaching. However, Babbitty, the king's washerwoman laughs at his tricks. This causes the king to demand the charlatan join him in a public demonstration of magic and states that the charlatan will be beheaded if anyone laughs. The charlatan later witnesses Babbitty performing magic in her house. He threatens to expose her if she does not assist him. She agrees to hide and help the demonstration.
During the performance, the brigade captain asks the king to bring his dead hound back to life. Since Babbitty's magic is unable to raise the dead, the crowd realizes the previous acts were tricks. The charlatan exposes Babbitty, accusing her of blocking the spells. Babbitty flees into a forest and disappears at the base of an old tree. In desperation, the charlatan states that she has turned "into a crab apple" and has the tree cut down.
As the crowd departs, the stump starts cackling and makes the charlatan confess. The stump cackles again, demanding the king to never hurt a wizard again and build a statue of Babbitty on the stump, so that the king is reminded of his foolishness. The king agreed and headed back to the palace. Afterwards "stout old rabbit" with a wand in its teeth hops out from hole beneath the stump and leaves the kingdom.

The Tale of the Three Brothers

This is the only one of the five stories featured in the book that also appears in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in chapter XXI. It is accompanied by two illustrations: the first one, located in the upper part of the page represents three human skulls, the one in the middle having the Hallows' symbol on its forehead. The second one, located in the lower part of the page is a drawing of the three Hallows.

File:The Tale of the Three Brothers.jpg
The first illustration of The Tale of the Three Brothers.
The story is about three brothers who, traveling together, reach an impassable river. They make a magical bridge over the river. Halfway through the bridge, they are encountered by the persona of Death who is angry for losing another three victims. He pretends to be impressed by them and grants each a wish as a reward. The big brother asks for an unbeatable dueling wand. The middle brother asks for the ability to resurrect. The youngest brother realises Death's intentions and asks to stop Death from following him. Death gives him a cloak of invisibility. Afterwards, the brothers go their separate ways.
The eldest brother, bragging with his powerful wand, is robbed while asleep and killed. The middle brother uses his ability to bring back the woman he loved, who died before he could marry her. However she isn't happy being alive again. The middle brother kills himself to join her. As for the youngest brother however, Death never manages to find him, as he stays hidden under his cloak. Many years later, he removes his cloak and gives it to his son. Pleased with his achievements, the brother greets Death as an old friend and chooses to leave together with him "as equals".

See also

References and notes

  1. ^ a b "J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard". Amazon.com.
  2. ^ a b c d Rowling, J. K. (2007). "The Will of Albus Dumbledore". Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
  3. ^ a b "Rare JK Rowling book fetches £2m". BBC news. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
  4. ^ a b "Amazon admits to record Harry Potter bid". Telegraph.co.uk. 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  5. ^ a b "Amazon says it bought £2m Rowling book as "thank you"". timesonline.co.uk. 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  6. ^ a b c "Never-Before-Told Wizarding Stories by J. K. Rowling Sell at Sotheby's for £1,950,000". chlg.co.uk. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  7. ^ a b Rowling, J. K. (2007). "The Tale of the Three Brothers". Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
  8. ^ "Autograph manuscript of The Tales of Beedle the Bard". Artfact. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2008-06-14. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "Beedle the Bard, Up Close and Personal". The Leaky Cauldron. 2007-11-21. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  10. ^ The identities of the six people have not been published.
  11. ^ The Tales of Beedle the Bard Auction. Event occurs at 0:39.
  12. ^ a b "Auction of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard"". jkrowling.com. 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  13. ^ Rowling, Joanne (2007-07-30). "Webchat with J. K. Rowling" (Interview). Interviewed by The Leaky Cauldron. Retrieved 2008-06-17. {{cite interview}}: Unknown parameter |callsign= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |subjectlink= ignored (|subject-link= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Sotheby's To Auction Original JK Rowling Sketch and More in December". The Leaky Cauldron. 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  15. ^ "Inside JK Rowling's Amazing New Handwritten Book". Daily Record. 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  16. ^ "The Tales of Beedle the Bard Translated from the Original Runes". AntiqBook. Retrieved 2008-06-17. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "'Tales of Beedle the Bard' Catalogue". Sotheby's. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  18. ^ "Sotheby's Adds Catalog Note From Jo on "Beedle the Bard" Book". The Leaky Cauldron. 2007-11-18. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  19. ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000180871


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Tales_of_Beedle_the_Bard&oldid=222297759"