This little piggy read Harry Potter...
I've never really done a theory post before, and it just figures the first time I do I'd have a totally wacky one that wasn't even started by my own original thought. The idea took hold, though, and I can't get it out now. Brace yourselves for symbolism discussions with Tater, who was always known for writing very strange papers in college about things no one ever really wrote about, which made research a bit of a pain...
Yesterday at metamorfic_moon, in our discussion thread on Tonks as Hufflepuff, one of our members, shield_wolf, contributed an amusing, and the more I think of it, deeply interesting, thought:
Take a careful look at the name Hufflepuff. Does it look like something out of a fairy tale to anyone? So maybe this new information can be interpreted as a retroactive hint about Tonks' intended?
For a minute after I received the email alert, I stared at the computer asking, "Fairy tale?" I was about to post a response asking which fairy tail shield_wolf was referring to, when suddenly it hit me. "I'll huff...and I'll puff...and I'll blooooooooow your house down!" The Big Bad Wolf! The Three Little Pigs!
Now, obviously the Big Bad Wolf would be Remus, and fans have done a lot with this in relation to Little Red Riding Hood. I haven't really seen anything, at least not in R/T land, about The Three Little Pigs. Since I've had Tonks' original Patronus on the brain, I jokingly replied to the comment asking if this meant Tonks had a pig Patronus.
Then, suddenly, it didn't seem so funny and far-fetched. What's the one animal feature Tonks has morphed? That's right: a pig snout.
Can't you see Tonks with a squiggly-tailed Patronus? And pigs are pink, as godricgal pointed out to the Tater, who sometimes misses the major details.
Now, of course we tend to associate pigs with fat creatures who eat slop. But really, pigs are among the most intelligent animals on earth. They're prominent symbols in the Chinese Zodiac:
People born in the Year of the Pig are chivalrous and gallant. Whatever they do, they do with all their strength. For Boar Year people, there is no left or right and there is no retreat. They have tremendous fortitude and great honesty. They don't make many friends but they make them for life, and anyone having a Boar Year friend is fortunate for they are extremely loyal. They don't talk much but have a great thirst for knowledge. They study a great deal and are generally well informed. Boar people are quick tempered, yet they hate arguments and quarreling. They are kind to their loved ones. No matter how bad problems seem to be, Boar people try to work them out, honestly if sometimes impulsively. They are most compatible with Rabbits and Sheep. (from The Chinese Culture Center)
Other qualities associated with pigs:
The lovable pig symbolizes many qualities. Among them, luck, fun, bliss, affection, cuteness, self-satisfaction, money (the Korean word for money, don, is a homonym for the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese character for pig), naiveté and being overly-honest (not exactly good qualities in a businessman - those of you planning kids in the Year of the Golden Pig should consider yourselves warned) and others. (from The Seoul Metropolitan Government)
The birth year is wrong for Tonks (1971 was the Year of the Pig, not 1973), but since we're talking about Patronuses and not birth dates, I think we can let it slide. Interestingly, the qualities of the Pig sound very like Hufflepuff qualities, don't they? (gilpin25 and rotae have informed me that male and female badgers are called sows and boars, respectively.) As well as the qualities a person would need to make it into the Auror program. Not to mention the latter blurb seems to encompass Tonks' OotP personality.
(I also think it's amusing that Pigs are compatible with Sheep, who are also associated with Wolves. Though, interestingly, if Remus was born in 1959 that was a Pig year; if in 1960, the Marauders were born in the Year of the Rat. Hm...On both counts.)
Apart from a possible Patronus for Tonks, the Pig is a prominent symbol in the Harry Potter series (another detail I overlooked, till shield_wolf pointed it out): Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Hogshead Inn. Obviously its not uncommon for a school to be named the same as its environs, and a tavern for the town where it's located. But the repetition of the pig makes me wonder if this isn't meant to emphasize some important symbolic point.
godricgal also pointed out to me the rare and auspicious Chinese and Korean Year of the Golden Pig. Incidentally, this year -- the release year of Deathly Hallows -- is the Year of the Golden Pig. Not only that, but "2007 is no ordinary Year of the Golden Pig. When further calculations are made using the principles of Ying and Yang, the year is a special kind of Golden Pig year that occurs only once every 600 years! For adherents of the science of divination, this makes it an extremely fortuitous time to pop out a little one.
You can read about it here, but some of the noteworthy bits about pigs include:
- The Pig is a symbol of wealth. (Remember the treasure in the Gringott's vault on the UK bookcover; also, the Heir of Gryffindor is to be revealed, and there are lots of theories about this being Remus.)
- The Pig represents fertility. (Think of the power of love theme; the HP books emphasize family, whether natural or acquired. McGonagall first initiates this theme in PS when she says your House becomes your family, and later it's she who preaches "a little more love in the world.")
- The Pig features as a divine matchmaker in several legends.
Now, it might sound like I'm trying to say, "ZOMG! PIGGIES ARE TEH SYMBOL OF HARRY POTTER AND REMUS IS THE HEIR OF GRYFFINDOR BECAUSE HE HAS TWU WUBBLY WUV WITH TONKS!!" Which I guess in a way I kind of am, because the fangirl in me really would love for Remus to have some sort of tangible reward in the end brought about by taking that leap of faith with Tonks. But this essay is about Tonks and her original Patronus, so I'll get back to her.
Firstly, the idea of a Golden Pig could work with her because of the Hufflepuff colors, one of which is...you guessed it, gold.
Also, what could a pig Patronus mean to Tonks? shield_wolf reminded in the metamorfic_moon thread that Patronus contains the Latin root for father. And though not every HP character's Patronus represents that character's father, but instead incorporates the broader definition of home and security, I can't help but think of what Tonks says about Ted being "a right old slob" (OotP, US paperback ed., p. 50). Not that, as an Auror, Tonks really needs the physical protection of a male figure, but considering her spirit guardian takes the form of the man she loves, it's not really a stretch to imagine that her previous Patronus might have been her father. And what if Remus' birth date was 1959, the Year of the Pig? Could a pig Patronus encompass both her father and be a nod toward her future partner, as well?
Finally, consider the "too dangerous" excuse Remus makes to Tonks in regards to why they shouldn't be together. Huffing, puffing, and blowing her house in? Think of his reaction to the news of her Patronus changing: he's not exactly thrilled to hear he's put her through great distress, given her a great shock, made such a mark on her. Patronuses are spirits, which are associated with breath and air. The Big Bad Wolf blew away the Little Pig? (I am, of course, aware that there's a bit of innuendo in this, but let's not go there.)
The First Little Pig built a house of straw -- the wolf blew it away. Same thing happened to the Second Little Pig who built the house of sticks. But the Third Little Pig who built the house of bricks was safe and sound. Again, you can't help but think of Tonks standing firm on her resolve. Faithfulness and loyalty = the Third Pig's brick house.
(And I guess this means Tonks' theme song is "Brick House." LOL)
Thoughts, anyone? Including, "Tater, you're out of your mind..."
Yesterday at metamorfic_moon, in our discussion thread on Tonks as Hufflepuff, one of our members, shield_wolf, contributed an amusing, and the more I think of it, deeply interesting, thought:
Take a careful look at the name Hufflepuff. Does it look like something out of a fairy tale to anyone? So maybe this new information can be interpreted as a retroactive hint about Tonks' intended?
For a minute after I received the email alert, I stared at the computer asking, "Fairy tale?" I was about to post a response asking which fairy tail shield_wolf was referring to, when suddenly it hit me. "I'll huff...and I'll puff...and I'll blooooooooow your house down!" The Big Bad Wolf! The Three Little Pigs!
Now, obviously the Big Bad Wolf would be Remus, and fans have done a lot with this in relation to Little Red Riding Hood. I haven't really seen anything, at least not in R/T land, about The Three Little Pigs. Since I've had Tonks' original Patronus on the brain, I jokingly replied to the comment asking if this meant Tonks had a pig Patronus.
Then, suddenly, it didn't seem so funny and far-fetched. What's the one animal feature Tonks has morphed? That's right: a pig snout.
Can't you see Tonks with a squiggly-tailed Patronus? And pigs are pink, as godricgal pointed out to the Tater, who sometimes misses the major details.
Now, of course we tend to associate pigs with fat creatures who eat slop. But really, pigs are among the most intelligent animals on earth. They're prominent symbols in the Chinese Zodiac:
People born in the Year of the Pig are chivalrous and gallant. Whatever they do, they do with all their strength. For Boar Year people, there is no left or right and there is no retreat. They have tremendous fortitude and great honesty. They don't make many friends but they make them for life, and anyone having a Boar Year friend is fortunate for they are extremely loyal. They don't talk much but have a great thirst for knowledge. They study a great deal and are generally well informed. Boar people are quick tempered, yet they hate arguments and quarreling. They are kind to their loved ones. No matter how bad problems seem to be, Boar people try to work them out, honestly if sometimes impulsively. They are most compatible with Rabbits and Sheep. (from The Chinese Culture Center)
Other qualities associated with pigs:
The lovable pig symbolizes many qualities. Among them, luck, fun, bliss, affection, cuteness, self-satisfaction, money (the Korean word for money, don, is a homonym for the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese character for pig), naiveté and being overly-honest (not exactly good qualities in a businessman - those of you planning kids in the Year of the Golden Pig should consider yourselves warned) and others. (from The Seoul Metropolitan Government)
The birth year is wrong for Tonks (1971 was the Year of the Pig, not 1973), but since we're talking about Patronuses and not birth dates, I think we can let it slide. Interestingly, the qualities of the Pig sound very like Hufflepuff qualities, don't they? (gilpin25 and rotae have informed me that male and female badgers are called sows and boars, respectively.) As well as the qualities a person would need to make it into the Auror program. Not to mention the latter blurb seems to encompass Tonks' OotP personality.
(I also think it's amusing that Pigs are compatible with Sheep, who are also associated with Wolves. Though, interestingly, if Remus was born in 1959 that was a Pig year; if in 1960, the Marauders were born in the Year of the Rat. Hm...On both counts.)
Apart from a possible Patronus for Tonks, the Pig is a prominent symbol in the Harry Potter series (another detail I overlooked, till shield_wolf pointed it out): Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Hogshead Inn. Obviously its not uncommon for a school to be named the same as its environs, and a tavern for the town where it's located. But the repetition of the pig makes me wonder if this isn't meant to emphasize some important symbolic point.
godricgal also pointed out to me the rare and auspicious Chinese and Korean Year of the Golden Pig. Incidentally, this year -- the release year of Deathly Hallows -- is the Year of the Golden Pig. Not only that, but "2007 is no ordinary Year of the Golden Pig. When further calculations are made using the principles of Ying and Yang, the year is a special kind of Golden Pig year that occurs only once every 600 years! For adherents of the science of divination, this makes it an extremely fortuitous time to pop out a little one.
You can read about it here, but some of the noteworthy bits about pigs include:
- The Pig is a symbol of wealth. (Remember the treasure in the Gringott's vault on the UK bookcover; also, the Heir of Gryffindor is to be revealed, and there are lots of theories about this being Remus.)
- The Pig represents fertility. (Think of the power of love theme; the HP books emphasize family, whether natural or acquired. McGonagall first initiates this theme in PS when she says your House becomes your family, and later it's she who preaches "a little more love in the world.")
- The Pig features as a divine matchmaker in several legends.
Now, it might sound like I'm trying to say, "ZOMG! PIGGIES ARE TEH SYMBOL OF HARRY POTTER AND REMUS IS THE HEIR OF GRYFFINDOR BECAUSE HE HAS TWU WUBBLY WUV WITH TONKS!!" Which I guess in a way I kind of am, because the fangirl in me really would love for Remus to have some sort of tangible reward in the end brought about by taking that leap of faith with Tonks. But this essay is about Tonks and her original Patronus, so I'll get back to her.
Firstly, the idea of a Golden Pig could work with her because of the Hufflepuff colors, one of which is...you guessed it, gold.
Also, what could a pig Patronus mean to Tonks? shield_wolf reminded in the metamorfic_moon thread that Patronus contains the Latin root for father. And though not every HP character's Patronus represents that character's father, but instead incorporates the broader definition of home and security, I can't help but think of what Tonks says about Ted being "a right old slob" (OotP, US paperback ed., p. 50). Not that, as an Auror, Tonks really needs the physical protection of a male figure, but considering her spirit guardian takes the form of the man she loves, it's not really a stretch to imagine that her previous Patronus might have been her father. And what if Remus' birth date was 1959, the Year of the Pig? Could a pig Patronus encompass both her father and be a nod toward her future partner, as well?
Finally, consider the "too dangerous" excuse Remus makes to Tonks in regards to why they shouldn't be together. Huffing, puffing, and blowing her house in? Think of his reaction to the news of her Patronus changing: he's not exactly thrilled to hear he's put her through great distress, given her a great shock, made such a mark on her. Patronuses are spirits, which are associated with breath and air. The Big Bad Wolf blew away the Little Pig? (I am, of course, aware that there's a bit of innuendo in this, but let's not go there.)
The First Little Pig built a house of straw -- the wolf blew it away. Same thing happened to the Second Little Pig who built the house of sticks. But the Third Little Pig who built the house of bricks was safe and sound. Again, you can't help but think of Tonks standing firm on her resolve. Faithfulness and loyalty = the Third Pig's brick house.
(And I guess this means Tonks' theme song is "Brick House." LOL)
Thoughts, anyone? Including, "Tater, you're out of your mind..."