Introduction
The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a collection of
Stories written for young wizards and witches.
They have been popular bedtime reading for
Centuries, with the result that the Hopping Pot
And the Fountain of Fair Fortune are as familiar
To many of the students at Hogwarts as
Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are to Muggle
(non-magical) children.
Beedle’s stories resemble our fairy tales in
Many respects; for instance, virtue is usually
Rewarded and wickedness punished. However,
There is one very obvious difference. In Muggle
Fairy tales, magic tends to lie at the root of the
Hero or heroine’s troubles – the wicked witch has
Poisoned the apple, or put the princess into a
Hundred years’ sleep, or turned the prince into a
Hideous beast. In The Tales of Beedle the Bard, on
The other hand, we meet heroes and heroines
Who can perform magic themselves, and yet find
It just as hard to solve their problems as we
Do. Beedle’s stories have helped generations of
Wizarding parents to explain this painful fact of
Life to their young children: that magic causes
As much trouble as it cures.
Another notable difference between these
Fables and their Muggle counterparts is that
Beedle’s witches are much more active in seeking
Their fortunes than our fairy-tale heroines. Asha,
Altheda, Amata and Babbitty Rabbitty are all
Witches who take their fate into their own hands,
Rather than taking a prolonged nap or waiting
For someone to return a lost shoe. The exception
To this rule – the unnamed maiden of “The
Warlock’s Hairy Heart” – acts more like our idea
Of a storybook princess, but there is no “happily
Ever after” at the end of her tale.
Beedle the Bard lived in the fifteenth century
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And much of his life remains shrouded in mystery.
We know that he was born in Yorkshire, and the
Only surviving woodcut shows that he had an
Exceptionally luxuriant beard. If his stories accurately
Reflect his opinions, he rather liked
Muggles, whom he regarded as ignorant rather
Than malevolent; he mistrusted Dark Magic, and
He believed that the worst excesses of wizardkind
Sprang from the all-too-human traits of cruelty,
Apathy or arrogant misapplication of their own
Talents. The heroes and heroines who triumph in
His stories are not those with the most powerful
Magic, but rather those who demonstrate the
Most kindness, common sense and ingenuity.
One modern-day wizard who held very similar
Views was, of course, Professor Albus Percival
Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin
(First Class), Headmaster of Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of
The International Confederation of Wizards, and
Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. This similarity
Of outlook notwithstanding, it was a surprise to
Discover a set of notes on The Tales of Beedle the
Bard among the many papers that Dumbledore
Left in his will to the Hogwarts Archives.
Whether this commentary was written for his own
Satisfaction, or for future publication, we shall never
Know; however, we have been graciously granted
Permission by Professor Minerva McGonagall, now
Headmistress of Hogwarts, to print Professor
Dumbledore’s notes here, alongside a brand new
Translation of the tales by Hermione Granger. We
Hope that Professor Dumbledore’s insights, which
Include observations on wizarding history, personal
Reminiscences and enlightening information
On key elements of each story, will help a new
Generation of both wizarding and Muggle readers
Appreciate The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
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