Re: Magical "Beings": Revised List

On May 25, 1:23 pm, mueckelein <mueckel...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 24 Mai, 06:13, nyst...@xxxxxx wrote:

mueckelein wrote:
Did you mention Ghouls?

Classified as "Beasts" (Fantastic Beasts, page 18).

Ghouls don't appear to be capable of human speech.
Amusingly, they
are described as resembling "slimy bucktoothed ogres" (this being one
of two clues that there are such beings as "ogres"). The final word
of the description helps us little, since we have never learned what
ogres look like.

Trolls cannot speak either - they grunt, according to Ron!

They are "capable of human speech." See Introduction to Fantastic
Beasts. "Capable of human speech" was one of the earlier definitions
of the word "beings", which led to problems in part because it
resulted in the inclusion of Trolls. The current definition excludes
Trolls, on account of their lack of understanding which renders them
incapable of participating in government of the magical community.

I don´t
have the book with the "beasts" and according to ordinary mythology a
ghoul is something like a ghost who is howling and spooking around.

You have just described JKR's ghouls (except that hers are not "like
ghosts"), and not the ghouls of "ordinary mythology." In folklore,
ghouls are man-like monsters or demons -- sometimes shapeshifting --
who hang out in graveyards and other uninhabited places, and devour
human corpes (sometimes killing live human prey).

It definately is not a beast.

A "beast", apparently, is any living non-plant creature that is not
classified as a "being" or a "spirit". Ghouls are evidently incapable
of of participating in the governance of the magical community, and
hence, are not "beings". Hence, they are "beasts" and listed in
"Fantastic Beasts" along with pixies, leprechauns, and trolls.



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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Magical "Beings": Revised List
    ... Classified as "Beasts" ... Ghouls don't appear to be capable of human speech. ... are described as resembling "slimy bucktoothed ogres" (this being one ...
    (alt.fan.harry-potter)
  • Re: why does this newsgroup have beasts
    ... I don't know about beasts but it sure has super-heated egos and misguided ... trolls. ... Prev by Date: ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
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