Not My Canon!

The Life and Lies of J.K. Rowling - Part 1

No, this isn't a hit piece for the Daily Prophet.

It goes without saying that JKR is an author in a league of her own. She has redefined the young adult genre and continues to be an inspiration to storytellers across the globe. So, like any good researcher slash mini-biographer, I've taken a glance at her history and plumbed the depths of the Harry Potter books for insight into J.K. Rowling, herself. The most compelling aspect in both of these cases brings us to the Tale of the Three Brothers. I'd like you to familiarize yourself with it again before I go on.

Here is the shortened version from the film, as read by Emma Watson:

There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too treacherous to pass. But being learned in the magical arts, the three brothers simply waved their wands and made a bridge. Before they could cross, however, they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. It was Death, and he felt cheated. Cheated because travelers would normally drown in the river.

But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers on their magic and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him. The oldest asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence, so Death fashioned him one from an elder tree that stood nearby. The second brother decided he wanted to humiliate Death even further, and asked for a power to recall loved ones from the grave. So, Death plucked a stone from the river and offered it to him. Finally, Death turned to the third brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would allow him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And so it was that Death reluctantly handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.

As you can recall, the holder of the Elder Wand, drunk on power, gloated about his invincibility and died at the hands of a thief who wanted the elder wand for himself. The holder of the Resurrection Stone went mad because his resurrected love was not all he imagined her to be. And the holder of the Invisibility Cloak lived in hiding until he was confident enough to shed the cloak.

When asked in an interview if the concept of the Deathly Hallows was based on any real-world myth or fairy tale, JKR answered, "Perhaps 'The Pardoner's Tale', by Chaucer." This story is from a compilation entitled 'The Canterbury Tales' by Geoffrey Chaucer.

In 1986, JKR graduated from the University of Exeter with a B.A. in French and Classics. During her time there, she most certainly came across Canterbury's Tales. It is said to be one of the greatest works of English literature. We can also assume that this collection of stories is significant in the creation of Harry Potter because the earliest surviving manuscript is called Hengwrt (about as close to "Hogwart" as you can get).

The Pardoner's Tale is similar to that of the Three Brothers because it is a story within a story that details the deaths of three young Flemish rogues who choose to avenge the demise of their friend. The Pardoner (a clergyman) tells of how their friend was slain by a mysterious figure named Death. Drunk and walking down a quiet road, they come upon an old man. The man is full of sorrow, because he is waiting impatiently for Death to take him. The youths ask where they can find Death and the elder man brings them to a grove. There, Death could be found hiding beneath a very old tree. Confused, but determined, they dig up the ground to discover eight bushels of gold coins.

These three then proceed to develop a plan to move the gold at night so as not to be suspected as thieves. Two stay behind, while sending the third back into town for bread and wine as fuel for the long night's wait. The moment he leaves, however, they plot his demise. They realize that their treasure is increased if it is halved instead of divided into thirds. Unbeknownst to them, their friend had the same idea. He poisoned two of the three bottles of wine, knowing that the treasure would be all his if they were dead. The story takes an unfortunate turn when he is killed after returning to the grove. The others celebrate the success of their plan, by each of them drinking down a bottle of their friend's poisoned wine. The tale concludes with the Pardoner denouncing the sin of avarice, or extreme greed. The twist in the plot is that the clergyman is only giving this sermon because he is, himself, filled with avarice and attempting to sell knock-off relics to the listeners with the promise of forgiveness.

Read into that bit what you will...