The Warlock's Hairy Heart

[freelantzer]

Originally Posted by JACK5555

When I first read it I thought Davy Jones

Same here. I couldn't help but compare this tale to Davy Jones.

This one is my favorite, I think. I also like The Fountain of Fair Fortune, but I think the darkness of this tale wins me over.

[FurryDice]

I really enjoyed this one, the creepiest of the lot. I definitely see a parallel to the Horcruxes, you can't help but see that comparison, imo. I found the notes on Beatrix Bloxam interesting as well as funny. I seem to remember there was someone in the 1700s or 1800s, a woman I think, who tried to sanitise Shakespeare -take out the violent and suggestive parts - I can't remember her name right now, but I thought of that when I read about Mrs Bloxam.

I've looked it up, and it was Thomas Bowdler, from whom we get the word bowdlerise. I was sure I read somewhere that his wife had a hand in the editing though.

[JJFinch]

Originally Posted by JACK5555

When I first read it I thought Davy Jones

Same . I was just coming on here to comment on exactly that.

[ronjalina]

This is really a bit of a disturbing tale, but as others have said, lots of fairy-tales are.

I like it, but I can't say right now if it will be my favourite. I haven't read Babbity Rabbity or the Tale of the Three Brothers yet.

I certainly see the connection to the Horcruxes and to Voldemort's conviction that love was a human weakness that should be eradicated. Love is one of the central themes of the HP series. We are shown how powerful love is and that love in the end conquers evil. This tale doesn't go that far, but it tells us that without love we are inhuman.

[SilverQueen]

This is probably the finest of all the tales, although I'm not sure that it's my favorite because I'm having trouble picking favorites. But this is a story that would be relevant, whether you knew the world of Harry Potter or not (same could be said of some of the other tales, but this one especially). I think most of us are afraid to give ourselves in love. That's where this story draws its power from. Because yeah, you do go crazy and act stupid when you're in love. Love makes you do inconvenient things- but the point is, of course, that it's worth it. Definetly one of the overarching themes of the books themselves- love conquers all.

That being said, it's easier to read and appreciate such a story than to trust people after you've been through a bad relationship. Which I think is actually more the point of this story: yes, love sucks. But no love sucks way more.

[KBPadfoot]

this is my favorite tale ,it squicks me out at the end...which is great
loved how the heart had gone all nasty and perverse by being on its own,freaky stuff.the best kids stories are ones that squick you out.

[RemusLupinFan]

This story wasn't my favorite, but it was still good. It reminded me a little bit of the legend of Davey Jones (and I see I'm not the only one who thought of Davey Jones). The only main difference is that Davey Jones actually did find love before he locked his heart away, whereas the warlock hadn't. The similarity to Voldemort and horcruxes is also very interesting, though when I first read it the Davey Jones comparison was the only one in my mind. But I do agree with Dumbledore that the warlock in the story was like Voldemort trying to fracture his soul by trying to separate his heart (love/emotion) from his body.

Originally Posted by gertiekeddle

I chuckled quite hard by imagining she actually had tried to not ignore that story for her collection. Lovable footnote!

Me too, considering what her writing style was like.

[Kanksha]

Originally Posted by SilverQueen

That being said, it's easier to read and appreciate such a story than to trust people after you've been through a bad relationship. Which I think is actually more the point of this story: yes, love sucks. But no love sucks way more.

That's definitely true.

Its a really creepy story, and my own heart was in my mouth when I read it. Wizards are a funny lot though. I do find it funny that this one is the least criticized of all of Beedle's stories.

[Dan_the_Man]

I could you some explaining. He first takes his heart out. He is living without a heart and is fine. The second time he attempts it refuses he still does, he dies. How? Why? AND do you think that he would still have some sort of connection with his heart? Do you think he could feel it shrink, feel it grow dirty?

[bookworm13]

this tale was definetly my favorite of them all. It seemed rather like Romeo and Juliet in the end since they were both dead, but that was because the warlock went mad not because they were in love. i forget. did the warlock love her?

[Kanksha]

Nope he just got really mad and determined to woo a maiden because he heard his servants talking about how sad it was that a powerful warlock of his stature and wealth could not attract a wife. So he decided he would marry the woman who was the most beautiful in the land, had great magical skill and an even greater amount of wealth. And lo and behold, he found such a woman almost immediately.

Lucky, innit?

[Shingie]

The only thing that bothered me from this tale is when Rowling is describing how the warlock is using poetry to woo the lady she kind of stealing Hare's analogy of “know the words but not the music.” (in pertaining to a psychopath's relationship with emotions)

[LumosSempra]

Originally Posted by Shingie

The only thing that bothered me from this tale is when Rowling is describing how the warlock is using poetry to woo the lady she kind of stealing Hare's analogy of “know the words but not the music.” (in pertaining to a psychopath's relationship with emotions)

A possibly ignorant question, but who is Hare?

I don't necessarily think it's "stealing" per se. The idea of someone saying words they don't feel is a pretty commonplace idea, and has probably been used in countless stories throughout history.

[Shingie]

A possibly ignorant question, but who is Hare?

He's the leading guy who studies sociopaths/psychopaths.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hare_(psychologist)

When I was reading this I got that feeling JK Rowling was drawing influence on Hare's analogy. Too much influence...

[hpawesome]

You know even though it is gruesome it is one of my favorites and the commentry by dumbledore was very funny.
Bad Luck Toadstool Tales!!!

[ronweasleysgrl]

I really liked this story! It was gruesome, but it was beautifully tragic and I like those kinds of stories.

[captain Sparrow]

This was my least favourite story. Maybe it's that I read the stories in the order they are in the book and its after the Fountain of Fair Fortune, which had a quite happy ending, So I was a bit shocked while reading it...

[ProtegoTotalum]

My friend was looking after some children who live on her street recently, and wanted to read them a story from Beedle. Having not read the whole book herself, she went to the kids and read out the titles and asked which one they wanted her to read.

Of course...of all the Tales...they chose this one.

Fail. Horrible fail. XD

[Barbara_O]

It IS very grim, but also very like many early fairy tales, which lends it a sort of validity to a literature nut like me.

For instance....

In the original version of 'Little Red Riding Hood', nobody survives. The wolf gets 'em all.

In the original 'Little Mermaid' the mermaid refuses to kill the prince in order to regain her tail and insteads throws herself into the ocean. She's transformed into foam, but her spirit is taken to Heaven by the angels.

BTW, anyone here ever read 'The Little Match Girl' by Hans Christian Andersen? Spoiler alert - sad ending.

The point is, many early fairy tales were, as 'The Hairy Heart' is, both an entertainment and a cautionary tale. It was meant to be scary. It's a warning against allowing such things to happen.