TALES OF BEEDLE, THE BARD

“Cinderella,Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid” – these are the tales we have come to love and know by heart.

But what if you were part of a magical world? Do wizards and witches have tales they enjoy too?

In "Harry Potter” Book 7, Hermione Granger received a book of Beedle the Bard’s tales and she translated it from ancient runes to English. According to Ron Weasley, these stories cast a great spell on both children and adults in their realm.

And now, muggle readers like you and me enjoy it too, for J.K. Rowling has worked her magic to bring us “The Tales of Beedle the Bard.”

The first tale in the book, “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot,” centers on a wizard’s son who must continue his father’s magical duties by helping out villagers with the use of a “lucky pot.” The pot ends up teaching him more than just magic, as it persuades him to do what is right.

While the first story seems more like a fable, the second, “The Fountain of Fair Fortune” is like a fairy tale. In this story, three witches and a knight journey to a fountain that can banish problems, but only shows up once a year.

“The Warlock and His Hairy Heart” is all about a proud warlock who hides his heart because falling in love makes him vulnerable. The fourth, “Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump” tells the story of a greedy and foolish king who hires witch-hunters

Of course, the compilation of tales wouldn’t be complete without “The Tales of the Three Brothers,” which played an important part in the second book. It’s all about three brothers who used magic to create a bridge that would help them cross a very deep river. When they reached the middle of the bridge, a cloaked figure said he would give each of the brothers a prize. The eldest brother asked for an unbeatable wand, the second for the resurrection stone, while the third brother asked for what we know now as the invisibility cloak.

This is my favorite tale in the book because of its unexpected ending. It’s also a tale that I wanted to know about because it involved characters and items that were significant in the Potter books.

Though they were quite short, the stories were imaginative and well thought out. The endings implied moral lessons, and indirectly explained why a character’s choice was either correct or incorrect.

Unlike our fairy tales, Beedle’s stories have characters who, instead of helplessly waiting for things to happen, shape their own destiny by using their wits and magic. The main characters are not perfect – they can be someone who is disobedient or someone involved in the dark arts.