by Travis
Bathsheba? Anyone have a brilliant idea about why she chose that name? And here’s a prediction: the internet is about to be flooded with people wanting “Elvendork” as their new screen name. Which new patron of the pub will claim the name here first?
John Granger asks about Elvendork, and at Suite101, I write at length about Wilberforce. You’ve got to be a real (elven)dork to come up with almost 600 words of analysis on this 800 word story, but here you are:
The take-home point: “Wilberforce” pulls together two strains of thought in Rowling’s construction of the Harry Potter series – Christian influence and social justice.
Also, I was very honored today to receive an Editor’s Choice Award for my article J.K. Rowling’s Harvard Speech.
I’ll be interested in more of the pub’s thoughts on the three names – Wilberforce, Bathsheba, and Elvendork - and the story as a whole. (Only an elvendork would think this hard about three names embedded in an 800 word story.)
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I’ll stick my head out ready for a kicking:
Re Wilberforce and Bathsheba:
The boys pulled out of something they heard in Muggle Studies.
As to Rowling’s choice, well for one Wilberforce and Bathsheba fit Rowling’s use of ‘olde’ sounding names in her books.
Second, I agree with Travis that we only think of one Wilberforce and his connection to ending the slave trade.
And there’s only one Bathsheba. She suffered at the hands of men in power: when the king summons, you gotta go. Another example of oppression.
Yet the gospel of Matthew places her in the genealogy of Jesus (along with Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth – all women on the outer in a male-dominated society). Bathsheba is an example of God honouring women while men ignore/oppress/exploit them.
So the two names could be linked along lines of faith or lines of oppression/vindication/liberation.
Both the liberation of women and the liberation of slaves is a long-running process in the Bible.
As for Elvendork my ideas have run out. My take is that she’s having a go at both men and women who are obsessive fans of Tolkien (no elves in HP).
Black Angus, that was the idea I could come up with Re: Bathsheba also, if indeed “Bathsheba” wasn’t just randomly selected.
You show much promise in the art of snappy yet profound commentary, little grasshopper.
Yes, that Bathsheba is the one we all think of first. But there is another one–Bathsheba Everdene in Thomas Hardy’s “Far from the Madding Crowd”. She lives up to the name, but then so do the other characters of Gabriel Oak and Mr. Boldwood. Hardy seems to have chosen the names carefully, and I’d bet that Rowling did as well, even if it was just for an 800 word pre-quel that she isn’t going to write.
Pat
Bathsheba also fought for her son Solomon when his half-brother Adonijah proclaimed himself king. Through the Prophet Nathan’s counsel, Bathsheba approached King David to remind him of his promise that Solomon will succeed him. The story is told in the first chapter of 1 Kings. Bathsheba is mostly remembered for David’s adultery, but she had an important role in Solomon becoming king as well.
As Travis said in his article, Wilberforce is of course a tribute to William Wilberforce, who helped abolish the slave trade (1807), and ultimately slavery (1833) in Britain. I wonder if J.K. Rowling reads N.T. Wright because he uses Wilberforce many times as an example of a person who sought to improve society because of his beliefs. However Wilberforce is familiar to people in Britain so JKR does not necessarily have to have read Wright to know that Wilberforce is an important figure in Britain’s history. JKR’s reference to Wilberforce is fitting because of the problem of the house elves in the Harry Potter series. I’m actually suprised that it was Sirius who mentioned Wilberforce especially given his relationship with Kreacher, although he did tell Ron in Goblet of Fire, “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” I wonder if the names that Sirius mentioned can give us additional insight into his personality as it does for the author, JKR.
Interesting article Travis.
Black Angus said, “And there’s only one Bathsheba. She suffered at the hands of men in power: when the king summons, you gotta go. Another example of oppression.
Yet the gospel of Matthew places her in the genealogy of Jesus (along with Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth – all women on the outer in a male-dominated society). Bathsheba is an example of God honouring women while men ignore/oppress/exploit them.
So the two names could be linked along lines of faith or lines of oppression/vindication/liberation.”
Actually, when the king summons, you don’t have to go. Sure, the results might have been bad if she hadn’t. But if Bathsheba had refused to go to David, maybe the whole sorry story would’ve ended there. Uriah the Hittite certainly didn’t obey the king’s command & of course paid the price. And Nathan the prophet certainly had reason to fear confronting the king with his sin. After all, David had already committed adultery & then murder to cover it up. What’s the life of one prophet? But Nathan did what he had to do, calling the king to account.
So, I’m not sure the story of Bathsheba is really about oppression. Or at least not only about the oppression of women but of what happens when God’s people, & especially the king, think they’re above God’s law & unaccountable for their actions. And also about the progressive nature of sin. Wrongful desire leads to outward action, which then leads to even more worse sins to cover it up, which leads to spiritual death, unless called to repentance.
The story of David & Bathsheba & of Judah & Tamar, among others in the Bible, also shows how God is able to use sinful people & their sinful actions & still accomplish His good & saving purposes. For indeed Bathsheba is included in the line of Jesus’ human descent. And you are right about God honouring women in a society that necessarily didn’t do so.
the only wilberforce i immediately recognized is bishop samuel wilberforce……… look it up, and tell me you’re not rooting for huxley
William wilberforce founded st. Michaels primary school were J.K Rowling attended and is supposed to be the inspiration for hogwarts.
Andrew – thanks for the comment; could you provide a source for that?
I’m not Andrew, but Wikipedia confirms that Wilberforce founded JKR’s primary school:
“St Michael’s Church of England Primary School (more commonly known as St Michael’s Primary School or St Michael’s) is a school for children aged 4-11 in the village of Winterbourne, South Gloucestershire on the outskirts of Bristol, England. The current headmaster is Mr Adrian Vye.
The school was founded in 1813 by the well-known educational reformers Hannah More and William Wilberforce. The original school began in the upstairs of the local George and Dragon pub. Larger rooms were then provided in Bourne House, where the school remained until a permanent building was erected on Winterbourne’s High Street. St Michael’s present location on Linden Close was opened in 1970.[1]
The well known author J. K. Rowling was taught at the school.[2] She claimed her headmaster was the inspiration for the Harry Potter character Albus Dumbledore.[3]“
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