Stolen Dumbledore - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Kalimac · 01-06-2003, 01:45 AM

Um, no offense to anyone but Tolkien didn't invent the word "dumbledore" either; it's an early-medieval word for a bumblebee. And as for mandrakes, the legend of the mandrake has been common koine for at least six hundred years and probably longer; lots of poets referred to it besides Shakespeare (Donne and Spenser, for starters); who knows who actually dreamed the idea up? Saying that Rowling "stole" dumbledore and the mandrake is like saying that I'm "stealing" from D'Aulaire's Greek Myths if I write a story where someone is referred to as a gadfly. And giant insects have been a staple of the icky-creepy genre for a while; if you want proof, check out any number of subpar B flicks from the 1940s and 1950s, such as "Them!" or those movies where giant lizards and insects are taking over Tokyo. I doubt these guys were inspired by the Professor, either.

Not knocking Tolkien at all [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]. Just wanted to point out that if Rowling is a thief, then so is anyone who ever drew from a mythological idea or a legend, which would be about 99.99% of us.

01-06-2003, 01:45 AM	#17
Kalimac Candle of the Marshes Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Flyover Country Posts: 780	Um, no offense to anyone but Tolkien didn't invent the word "dumbledore" either; it's an early-medieval word for a bumblebee. And as for mandrakes, the legend of the mandrake has been common koine for at least six hundred years and probably longer; lots of poets referred to it besides Shakespeare (Donne and Spenser, for starters); who knows who actually dreamed the idea up? Saying that Rowling "stole" dumbledore and the mandrake is like saying that I'm "stealing" from D'Aulaire's Greek Myths if I write a story where someone is referred to as a gadfly. And giant insects have been a staple of the icky-creepy genre for a while; if you want proof, check out any number of subpar B flicks from the 1940s and 1950s, such as "Them!" or those movies where giant lizards and insects are taking over Tokyo. I doubt these guys were inspired by the Professor, either. Not knocking Tolkien at all [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]. Just wanted to point out that if Rowling is a thief, then so is anyone who ever drew from a mythological idea or a legend, which would be about 99.99% of us. __________________ Father, dear Father, if you see fit, We'll send my love to college for one year yet Tie blue ribbons all about his head, To let the ladies know that he's married.