Why Dumbledore is Better than Gandalf

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of Harry Potter. Fan doesn’t even begin to describe the manic obsession I have with Jo Rowling’s books and the Potterverse. Brianna Burley doesn’t have anything on me. Anyway, for those of you who aren’t that familiar with the world of Harry Potter, one of the major characters in the series is a brilliant old wizard, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin First Class, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Dumbledore is considered the most brilliant wizard of the age in the wizarding world. In the universe of nerds and geeks though, there’s currently a fierce debate going on about whose more powerful and better in general: Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter, or Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings. In this post, I shall debate this issue, supporting Albus Dumbledore, against my opponent Samm Ragone, who is supporting the side of Gandalf the Grey.

Death

He died for a noble cause, trying to protect Harry and thus protecting the entire wizarding world. There was no possible way he could return to life (“No spell can reawaken the dead Harry”—Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) making his sacrifice more meaningful. And think about it: if Gandalf is ‘resurected’, so to speak, as Gandalf the White, are Gandalf the Grey and the White the same person? It seems to me that when Gandalf comes back to life to ‘complete his life’s task’, he’s like a shadow of the person he was when he was alive, a ghost come back to complete his quest to be at peace, so the fact Gandalf comes back to life can’t even be a contending factor here.

Magical Abilities

            Dumbledore has a more extensive magical library compared to Gandalf. Gandalf and Dumbledore have different ways they use magic. Gandalf uses a staff while Dumbledore uses a wand, but while they both use spells, Dumbledore is a more able wizard because there are more spells in the wizarding world. There are over 135 spells in the world of Harry Potter, according to Wikapedia, and numerous ways witches and wizards can use their wands. They use magic in other ways as well, like potions and use of magical creatures. Magic in Harry Potter is like technology in the muggle world. It’s constantly developing and changing, new spells being created and discovered. In Middle Earth, many of the spells are performed without words, and there are very few spoken spells. Not everybody is a wizard in Middle Earth too, so progress to develop new magical methods, making Gandalf’s magical arsenal more limited.

            Besides the number of spells Dumbledore has at his disposal, he’s also the most powerful wizard in the wizarding world. He defeated an army of Inferi (dead bodies enchanted by dark wizards) single handedly, and weakened by a potion he needed to drink in order to retrieve a Horcrux to defeat the most powerful dark wizard in the world, Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore discovered the 12 uses for dragon’s blood, one of the most influential discoveries of the 20^th century.  He also is skilled in fun, quirky, simple magic as well, showing that Dumbledore is a renaissance man, skilled in all areas of magic and has defeated powerful enemies as well. He was the only one Lord Voldemort ever feared, after all. Sauron and Sauramon didn’t exactly fear Gandalf. While you don’t need your enemies to fear you, there’s something to be said for the most powerful dark wizard ever fearing his old Transfiguration teacher.

Personality and General Awesome Qualities

            Dumbledore was a man who was loved by nearly all, even by races that were seen as reclusive, proud, or savage, like mer-people and centaurs, both of whom honored Dumbledore at his funeral. He was the most beloved headmaster Hogwarts ever had, and devoted his entire life to teaching and helping young wizards, even though he could have had more ‘prestigious’ positions of power, like Minister of Magic, who is basically the president of all the wizards in Britain in Harry Potter. He was on a Chocolate Frog Card for crying out loud! That’s like the equivalent of being on a baseball card in the muggle world! Dumbledore devoted his life to taking down Lord Voldemort and believed that love would conquer all up until the very end. He was a champion of Muggles and Muggle-borns alike in his lifetime, two groups of people who are often discriminated against in the wizarding world. But besides being one of the wizarding world’s ultimate champions for good and love, Dumbledore realized his weaknesses. He was human and made mistakes as a youth and understood where his temptations lie.

            All in all, this is my argument why Dumbledore is better than Gandalf. However, I can try an argue this until the cows come home, but in the end, you’re going to have your own opinion based on which story you fell in love with more, Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. I can list all the reasons why I think Dumbledore is the better wizard, but they’re pretty equal when it comes to personality and magical ability. But this argument just shows the impact stories have on our lives. Here you have two seventeen year old girls arguing about which imaginary wizard is better. Both of their lives have been influenced so much by these separate stories, the characters feel real enough that the girls have to defend their honor. These characters have a prominent place in our thoughts and minds, all because the story they came from found a way to connect with us and come alive in our minds. And these authors, my friends, are the TRUE wizards.

 

P.S. To hear Samm's side of the debate, visit her blog, The Road Goes Ever On and On at http://kcacsammwise.blogspot.com/

 

 

"Harry Potter" Names and Etymology: Or, the brilliance of J.K. Rowling

Seeing that it’s 10:35 PM and I’m just starting to write my blog post, I figure it’s okay to pull a backup topic out of my brain pocket. Because when I’m this tired, the only thing I know how to be insightful about is Harry Potter. To me, one of the coolest things about J.K. Rowling’s world is how she has a backstory for nearly everything in the ‘Potterverse’. This includes Rowling’s names for characters, spells, and places in the world of Harry Potter. The behind-the-scenes components of Rowling’s world are extremely complex. Let’s start off with the etymology behind the spells in Harry Potter. First off, nearly all of the spells in Harry Potter are in Latin, or sometimes in an obscure foreign language. Depending on what the spell is supposed to accomplish depends on what the incantation is for said spell. For instance, the incantation for a charm to summon an object is “Accio”. In Latin, “accio” means “I call” or “I summon”—which is the purpose of the spell. Other examples of incantations and their meanings are “Alohomora” (a spell used to unlock doors) which means “friendly to thieves” in a West African Sidiki dialect, “Crucio”, or the Cruciatus Curse (used to physically torture victims) literally means “I torture” in Latin; and “Avada Kedavra”. Avada Kedavra is the worst of the three Unforgivable Curses (Imperio, Crucio, and Avada Kedavra) in the Harry Potter books and it’s also known as the Killing Curse. This was the curse Lord Voldemort tried to use on Harry when he was only a baby, and it backfired on Voldemort himself. Rowling says that the “Avada Kedavra” comes from an ancient spell in Aramaic, the origins of abracadabra which literally translates to “let the thing be destroyed”.

So spells and their incantations have fun little backstories according to what language they derive from and how they are being used. Instead of just making up nonsense words, or relying solely on Latin (because some fantasy authors do), Rowling uses a variety of languages to make up the incantations for her spells, and sometimes the meaning of the incantation has an interesting translation, like “Alohomora”. Rowling doesn’t just stop at spells though. In Harry Potter, each witch or wizard needs a wand in order to perform magic. These wands can be purchased at a wand shop or from a wand maker, like the acclaimed wand maker Ollivander. Wands have four main characteristics: length, consistency, core, and wood type. Wands usually have a core of unicorn hair, dragon heartstring, or phoenix tail feather, and their consistency can vary from springy, rigid, swishy, or supple. But what’s interesting about the wands in Harry Potter is the type of wood they’re made of, and how that relates to the character that possesses the wand. Rowling uses the Celtic tree calendar when assigning characters a wand. The Celtic tree calendar is based on the idea that certain parts of the year match up with a certain type of tree, and those born in that time bracket have certain characteristics. It’s basically a form of astrology. While Rowling doesn’t go so far as to say her characters’ birth dates determine their personality, when she is giving a character a wand, the type of wood used in their wand often correlates with when their birth day is. For example, Hermione Granger’s birthday is September 19^th, and her wand is 10 ¾ inches, vine wood, with a dragon heartstring core. Vine is the tree that matches up with dates between September 2^nd and September 29^th. Sometimes, the type of wood used for a character’s wand symbolizes something about their personality or their story as well. For example, Lord Voldemort’s wand is made out of Yew. Yew is a tree that is associated with power, mystery, and longevity, making it appropriate for the mysterious, power-hungry, death-obsessed Lord Voldemort.

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/celtic-tree-astrology.html

Finally, the names of characters all have a type of etymology or back story in the wonderful world of Harry Potter. In the world of fantasy, names and their meanings are extremely important. A name can tell you so much about a character. For instance, Harry’s godfather is a man named Sirius Black. He was in Azkaban prison for twelve years and was James Potter’s (Harry’s dad’s) best friend. Sirius is an unusual wizard because he is an unregistered Animagus—a wizard who can turn him or herself into an animal at will. Sirius can turn into a large, shaggy black dog, which is vital in helping him escape from Azkaban. The name ‘Sirius’ comes from the Sirius constellation, the dog constellation, a gesture to Sirius’ abilities as an Animagus. Like in Sirius Black’s case, Rowling often uses names to reveal certain traits in a character or about a place. For instance, the name “Dumbledore”, the last name of the brilliant yet quirky headmaster of Hogwarts, means “buzzing bee” or “bumblebee” in Old English. Rowling said that she imagined Professor Dumbledore buzzing around like a bumblebee throughout Hogwarts. The list goes on and on for the etymology behind Rowling’s names for her characters. She also uses this same system when naming places, creatures, and more. For example, “Animagus” combines the Latin words for animal and “magus” to mean “animal wizard”, and Rowling uses a pun when naming Sirius Black’s mother’s dirty old house, Grimmauld Place: phonetically, it sounds like “grim old place”.

Professor McGonagall in her Animagus form, the cat

And because Harry Potter trumps Twilight any day of the week...

 

 

 

SO WHAT????

When authors create a fantasy world, they need it to be based in reality; otherwise it’s more difficult for people to relate to that world and the story that takes place within it. By using the roots of ancient language and other allusions when naming characters, spells, and places, J. K. Rowling gives her readers a way to relate the fantastical to reality. Besides giving her fantasy world logic though, the etymology and backstories behind the names and words for things in Harry Potter engages the reader. When an author does this, it’s like their little way of leaving clues for the readers clever enough to pick up on it—a foreshadowing technique that authors can use to give the reader insight into a character’s backstory or their fate, what the tone of the setting is, and more. Like my comment on Samm’s post on Tolkien etymology, when authors use this foreshadowing technique, it makes the experience much more interesting for the reader. It shows the reader that the author didn’t take any aspect of their story lightly, including the names. When the author becomes so invested into the story, it promotes the reader to become more invested in the story as well.

Story: The Musical

There are many different methods of storytelling: novels, films, comics, television, oral, even the news can be considered storytelling. However, one method of storytelling that has become quite underrated is the musical. Throughout history, the musical has actually been a prominent way to tell stories. Just think of the theaters of ancient Greece when plays such as Oedipus the King and Antigone would tell stories and legends of the Greek culture. These plays were the earliest musicals—they utilized a chorus that sang refrains to the characters in the performance and had all the other components of a musical we still use today.  

                The musical has evolved from the ancient Greek plays to the Broadway hits that exist today. When you think about it, the musical has been around longer than the novel (which came around in the 17^th or 18^th century) which is interesting since most people regard books and novels as the primary method of storytelling today. There are several reasons the novel has survived this long. First of all, musicals have all the components that make a good story just like movies and books. They have relatable characters, vivid scenery, and a plot that includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and a conclusion. This is just the skeleton of any basic story though. The reason musicals didn’t crumble though is not what makes them similar to other story telling methods—it’s what sets them apart. Musicals are able to convey profound emotion and stories in two to three hour periods, while books convey this emotion in hundreds of pages. People have short attention spans unfortunately and if they can experience a story in two hours rather than the two days it would take them to read a book, they’re most likely going to pick the two hour option—the musical. Unfortunately due to cost and transportation issues, musicals are less popular than movies. Yet they can often convey the type of insightful emotion seen in books better than movies since musicals use the component of song. Songs are powerful tools in the storytelling world because they can fit a world of emotion and character development in a three to five minute time span. In a musical, relatable lyrics joined with the performer’s intonation and the excitement in the music makes for a powerful combination. In one song, you can learn the context of a scene, a character’s backstory, the love between two characters, and more. For example, think of the Disney movie-musicals you watched as a kid. In Beauty and the Beast, the opening song gives the audience so much information in a short period of time. The scene is set: the movie takes place in a tiny French village where everybody knows everybody. The characters are established: we learn that Belle is the most beautiful girl in town, loves to read, and is thought to be weird; Gaston is arrogant, vain, and self-centered; and the village people are old-fashioned, normal people who live a routine life. The song also sets up the general plot of the story; it’s the ‘exposition’: Belle is sick of this village life and wants more from life; Gaston plans to marry her, etc. etc. Or how about Belle’s reprise of the opening song, the audience learns how she desperately wants to be free and get out of her little village and how she yearns for somebody to understand her and not think she’s strange. Through the song you can feel the desperation and passion in her voice. Other storytelling methods don’t have this tool. Musicals allow the audience to understand the context of the story and to empathize with the characters through song.

 

                Another reason musicals are unique is the fact that they’re live. When you read a book or watch a movie over and over again, the story becomes predictable. Eventually, the audience doesn’t become active participants in the story. But with musicals, the audience members always have to be active participants. With live events, there’s an element of unpredictability that keeps the audience on their feet.  There’s the possibility actors could drop a line and have to improvise, or a prop or piece of scenery wouldn’t make it out on stage on time, or the company of the show could plan to do something different for a special show or something. Point is, is that when you go see a musical, there’s always the possibility that the story can be changed. Unpredictability is exciting. It keeps the audience alert and at the ready. Sometimes, audience members even like it when an actor drops a line—it’s like a little game of who knows the show better, whether you can catch the line dropped or not.

                All in all, musicals are a unique way of storytelling that unfortunately many people glance over when they want a story. Most people gravitate towards books and movies as their storytelling method of choice, but the musical allows for a story to be told in a unique way, through song and dance as well as dialogue. Funny enough, many hit Broadway musicals were based on books. Wicked, Les Miserables, Rent, Matilda, the Color Purple, Mame…all of these famous musicals were based on a book. Musicals are a new way of looking at a story and allow us to participate actively in the story through live shows, music, and dance. Like the playwright Arthur Miller said, “the theater is so endlessly fascinating is because it’s so accidental. It’s so much like life.”  Musicals are a method of storytelling that are just as good as more popular methods of storytelling. So go to the theater, see your school’s spring musical, watch Les Miz when it comes on TV, and experience the magic of a musical.

 

P.S. And just for fun, here's a parody of the song 'Belle' from Beauty and the Beast.