Finalnight (talk | contribs) →Synopsis: rewrite of first three summaries |
|||
(2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
Line 47: | Line 47: | ||
===Preface=== |
===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.<ref name="rowling.com"/> 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 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.<ref name="rowling.com"/> 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. |
||
Due to its extremely limited publication, nearly all information regarding its contents has been derived from an Amazon.com review and summarization of the book.<ref>http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000180871</ref> |
|||
===''The Wizard and the Hopping Pot''=== |
===''The Wizard and the Hopping Pot''=== |
||
Line 52: | Line 54: | ||
[[Image:The Wizard and the Hopping Pot.jpg|200px|right|thumb|The Wizard and the Hopping Pot]] |
[[Image:The Wizard and the Hopping Pot.jpg|200px|right|thumb|The Wizard and the Hopping Pot]] |
||
:This story is about the legacy of an old man who, in his generosity, used his pot to brew potions and antidotes for other people when they needed his help. |
: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. |
: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''=== |
===''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. |
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 |
: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 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. |
: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 [[Pensieve|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''=== |
===''The Warlock's Hairy Heart''=== |
||
Line 69: | Line 71: | ||
[[Image:The Warlock's Hairy Heart.jpg|right|185px|thumb|The Warlock's Hairy Heart]] |
[[Image:The Warlock's Hairy Heart.jpg|right|185px|thumb|The Warlock's Hairy Heart]] |
||
:The story is about a young and handsome warlock who decides to never |
:The story is about a young and handsome warlock who decides to never fall in love, so he uses [[Dark Arts (Harry Potter)|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 very 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''=== |
===''Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump''=== |
||
Line 94: | Line 96: | ||
==References and notes== |
==References and notes== |
||
{{refbegin}} |
{{refbegin}} |
||
* [[The Tales of Beedle the Bard#Synopsis|'''^''']] [http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000180871 Detailed summaries of the stories within the book] |
|||
{{refend}} |
{{refend}} |
||
{{reflist|2}} |
{{reflist|2}} |
Revision as of 15:48, 23 June 2008
![]() | |
Author | J. K. Rowling |
---|---|
Illustrator | J. K. Rowling |
Language | English |
Series | Harry Potter |
Publication date | December 13, 2007 |
Pages | 157[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
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Deathly_Hallows_Sign.svg/180px-Deathly_Hallows_Sign.svg.png)
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
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.
Due to its extremely limited publication, nearly all information regarding its contents has been derived from an Amazon.com review and summarization of the book.[19]
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 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
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, and 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 very 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 the magic to himself. To do this he needs to solve two problems: first he has to get all the witches in the kingdom, and second he has to actually learn magic. So, while commanding a "Brigade of Witch Hunters", he also calls for an instructor in magic. No one answers his call but a "cunning charlatan" with no magical ability at all, who bluffs his way into the role with a few simple tricks, and he starts making demands in jewelry and money, saying they are needed for performing magic.
Watching the two, Babbitty, the king's washerwoman starts laughing from her cottage. This angers the king, so he demands that they give a real demonstration of magic in front of his subjects the very next day, and threatens that if anyone laughs at him, the charlatan will be beheaded. The charlatan heads straight to Babbitty's house, where he sees her doing magic, so he decides to ask for her help, or he will turn her over to the Brigade. The charlatan tells her that during the king's performance, she is to hide in a bush and do all the magic for the king, and the witch agrees.
- The next day everything goes well, until the captain of the Brigade comes in with a dead hound and asks the king to bring him back to life. Babbitty, knowing that not even magic can bring back the dead, doesn't even try to help the king this time, and the crowd starts laughing, thinking the previous spells were tricks. Scared the charlatan points at Babbitty's hiding spot, saying the witch was blocking the spells. Babbitty runs from the bush, into a forest, and disappears, at the base of an old tree. Desperate now, the charlatan shouts that the witch has turned herself "into a crab apple", and demands the tree be cut down, because that is how you "treat evil witches".
As the crow heads back home, the stump starts cackling, and makes the charlatan confess. The stump cackles again, demanding the king to never hurt a wizard again, and to build a statue of Babbitty on the stump, so that he would remind the king of his foolishness. Scared the king promises to do as he was told, and heads back to the palace. At last, a "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.
- The story is about three brothers who, travelling together, reach a river that they cannot pass. However, they are all skilled with magic, so they make a bridge over the river. Halfway through the bridge, they are encountered by Death, who is angry for losing another three victims, but pretends to be impressed by their achievement, and grants each one a wish, for managing to pass the river. The big brother asks for a wand with which he may win all duels, and the middle brother asks for the ability to bring back the dead. The small brother realises Death's intentions, and asks for an object that would allow him to not be followed by Death. Then Death gives him his cloak of invisibility. Proud of their achievement, the three brothers seek their own paths, and go separate ways.
- The eldest brother, bragging with his powerful wand, is robbed while asleep and killed, thus Death taking him by his side. 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, for her place isn't among the living. So, in a desperate act, the middle brother kills himself to finally be with his beloved, thus Death managing to take him too. As for the youngest brother however, Death never manages to find him, as he stays hidden under his cloak. When the little brother finally feels fulfilled, he removes his cloak, and gives it to his son. Feeling old, but also happy for his achievements, the youngest brother greets Death as an old friend, and chooses to leave together with him "as equals".
See also
References and notes
- ^ a b "J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard". Amazon.com.
- ^ a b c d Rowling, J. K. (2007). "The Will of Albus Dumbledore". Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
- ^ a b "Rare JK Rowling book fetches £2m". BBC news. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
- ^ a b "Amazon admits to record Harry Potter bid". Telegraph.co.uk. 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ a b "Amazon says it bought £2m Rowling book as "thank you"". timesonline.co.uk. 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Rowling, J. K. (2007). "The Tale of the Three Brothers". Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
- ^ "Autograph manuscript of The Tales of Beedle the Bard". Artfact. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|publisher=
- ^ "Beedle the Bard, Up Close and Personal". The Leaky Cauldron. 2007-11-21. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
- ^ The identities of the six people have not been published.
- ^ The Tales of Beedle the Bard Auction. Event occurs at 0:39.
- ^ a b "Auction of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard"". jkrowling.com. 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ 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) - ^ "Sotheby's To Auction Original JK Rowling Sketch and More in December". The Leaky Cauldron. 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
- ^ "Inside JK Rowling's Amazing New Handwritten Book". Daily Record. 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
- ^ "The Tales of Beedle the Bard Translated from the Original Runes". AntiqBook. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|publisher=
- ^ "'Tales of Beedle the Bard' Catalogue". Sotheby's. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
- ^ "Sotheby's Adds Catalog Note From Jo on "Beedle the Bard" Book". The Leaky Cauldron. 2007-11-18. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000180871
External links
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard) on Harry Potter Wiki, an external wiki
- Amazon.com: The Fairy Tales of J.K. Rowling
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard Auction at YouTube
- J.K. Rowling interview on The Tales of Beedle the Bard with Razia Iqbal, BBC, on 1st November, 2007.
- Preview of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" on the ABC show Good Morning America, on 26th November, 2007.