Albus Dumbledore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 Michael Gambon as Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
|
| Albus Dumbledore | |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair colour | Silver (formerly auburn) |
| Eye colour | Light blue |
| House | Tentatively Gryffindor |
| Allegiance | Order of the Phoenix, Hogwarts |
| Actor | Richard Harris[HP1][HP2] Michael Gambon[HP3][HP4][HP5] |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (ca.1845 [1]) is a character in the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling. Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for most of the series.
Dumbledore is described as tall and thin, with long silver hair and a long beard. He has blue eyes, a very long and crooked nose (looking as if it had been broken at least twice) and long fingers. He wears half-moon spectacles. He once claimed to have a scar above his left knee, of which provenance is unknown, in the shape of a map of the London Underground.
Considered the most powerful wizard of his time, Dumbledore is benevolent and eccentric, an archetypal good wizard in the style of Merlin. "Gandalf...could be a twin brother, down to the fiery eyes..."[2] It is said that he is the only wizard Lord Voldemort ever feared.
Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card mentions that he enjoys chamber music and ten-pin bowling. The card also reveals that he has a great affinity for sweets, magical and non-magical, and frequently sets the password for the gargoyle guarding his office door to be the name of various sweets. He told Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone that he is rather fond of sherbet lemons. He dislikes Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans after coming across a vomit flavored bean 'in his youth'. He is a fan of knitting patterns and once told Harry that one could never have enough woollen socks. His favourite flavor of jam is raspberry.
In the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Dumbledore was played by Richard Harris, who died in 2002 of Hodgkin's disease. Michael Gambon took on the role in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), and is filming for the role in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which is under production for release in 2007.
Patrick McGoohan was originally offered the role for the first movie before Harris, but turned it down due to health reasons. All three actors are Irish.
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[edit] Early life and career
Readers know little of Dumbledore's early history or family. According to Rowling, during an interview in 2000 after publication of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he "is a hundred and fifty" [2], meaning he was born in 1845. His only known sibling, a brother named Aberforth, was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and was prosecuted in the Wizengamot for "practising inappropriate charms on a goat". Aberforth is currently the bartender at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade [3].
His extraordinary magical talents were apparent from an early age, as later described by the elderly Griselda Marchbanks, Head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority, who personally examined the school-age Dumbledore for his N.E.W.T.s in Charms and Transfiguration. Marchbanks recalls that the young, talented Dumbledore had "done things with a wand I'd never seen before."[HP5] His house affiliation is uncertain, though according to Hermione Granger "I hear Dumbledore himself was [a Gryffindor]."[3]An unknown time after his graduation, Dumbledore returned to the school as Professor of Transfiguration. He later also became Deputy Headmaster, in which capacity he also served in recruiting students for the school.
In 1945 Dumbledore defeated the Dark Wizard Grindelwald. This is one of the facts known about Dumbledore based on his Chocolate Frog Card. His card also states that he, along with Nicholas Flamel, discovered the 12 uses of dragon blood. In addition to this, it is known that he has held the posts of Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. He was removed from these posts during his conflict with the British Ministry of Magic under Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, but was reinstated when the Ministry was forced to concede that he had correctly warned that Voldemort had returned. In the course of his life, Dumbledore refused the position of Minister for Magic at least three times. He holds the Order of Merlin, First Class, for Grand Sorcery, as well as the title of "Supreme Mugwump"[HP1], although this is never elaborated on.
[edit] Magical accomplishments and skills
Dumbledore is famous as an alchemist who has worked with Nicolas Flamel, the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone, and is credited with discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood. He is known to be able to conjure Gubraithian Fire (magical everlasting fire). He is also capable of conjuring a Patronus, one that takes the form of a phoenix, a recurring symbol in the books.
His weapon of choice seems to be fire. In his duel against Voldemort he used a fiery rope; when he displayed his Wizarding powers to young Tom Riddle, he did so by setting Riddle's wardrobe on fire; in the Cave he also used fire to hold off the Inferi. Dumbledore has devised a method of sending messages using a Patronus Charm, a skill he has taught only to members of the Order of the Phoenix. He has claimed to be able to become invisible without using an Invisibility Cloak. Dumbledore is also skilled in Occlumency and Legilimency.
Dumbledore places great emphasis on memories; he uses them both as a weapon and as a means of research. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince he uses his Pensieve to show Harry many people's memories that he has collected about the history of Tom Riddle and how he became Lord Voldemort, as well as the events leading up to the creation of the Horcruxes. Also, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry stumbles across the Pensieve for the first time. This is where Dumbledore first explains it to Harry and how it works.
Dumbledore can speak Mermish, the language of the Merpeople,[HP4] as well as a number of other languages. He can recognise Parseltongue, the language of snakes, as he demonstrates in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince while he and Harry are inside Bob Ogden's memory; he is able to quote verbatim a Parseltongue phrase uttered by Morfin Gaunt in a later memory.[HP6]
In an interview Rowling commented:
| “ | Immense brainpower does not protect you from emotional mistakes and I think Dumbledore really exemplifies that. In fact, I would tend to think that being very, very intelligent might create some problems and it has done for Dumbledore, because his wisdom has isolated him, and I think you can see that in the books, because where is his equal, where is his confidante, where is his partner? He has none of those things. He’s always the one who gives, he’s always the one who has the insight and has the knowledge. | ” |
However, Dumbledore sometimes seems the opposite of reckless. He often hesitates to act until he is certain: for example, allowing Snape to return unchallenged and teach at Hogwarts.
Rowling has said that Dumbledore is primarily self-taught, although he "had access to superb teachers at Hogwarts." Rowling also said that as far as his education is concerned, "Dumbledore's family would be a profitable line of inquiry".
Dumbledore is reputed to be unusually wise and knowledgable. He admits a number of times to Harry Potter in their occasional meetings in the sixth Harry Potter book of the series that he makes mistakes, and since he is rather more clever than most men his mistakes tend to be correspondingly "huger".
[edit] Dumbledore and the rise of Lord Voldemort
One of Dumbledore's tasks as a teacher at Hogwarts was to find the young wizard Tom Marvolo Riddle and offer him a place at Hogwarts. Riddle was living in a Muggle orphanage, and while he had discovered some magical abilities, he did not know that his mother had been a witch. At that time, Dumbledore was much younger and had auburn hair and beard; for his trip to the Muggle world, he wore a plum coloured suit. While visiting the orphanage, Dumbledore told Riddle about Hogwarts, and how he is different. While Dumbledore was impressed by Riddle's abilities, he was troubled by the boy's admitted fondness for inflicting pain, and never trusted him fully. Riddle attempted to get a teaching post at Hogwarts, but Dumbledore first persuaded the current Headmaster, Armando Dippet, to refuse Riddle's request, and himself refused a second request several years later. By this time, Riddle had declared war on his former mentors, and adopted the name that would strike fear into the hearts of the wizarding world for years to come: Lord Voldemort.
It was to Dumbledore that Sybill Trelawney, subsequently appointed as Divination teacher, revealed the prophecy regarding Voldemort's fall. The prophecy was partly overheard by Severus Snape, who reported what he had heard to Voldemort. Snape was discovered eavesdropping by Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother and the barman of the Hog's Head Inn, who removed him from the building. Voldemort interpreted the prophecy as referring to Harry, and as a result killed his parents, James and Lily Potter, while trying to kill Harry. By acting upon the prophecy, Voldemort marked Harry as his equal. The two tellings of the story however - by Dumbledore and Trelawney - make it clear that, in fact, Dumbledore was partially lying in his version.
Dumbledore has been instrumental in the struggle against his former student, working tirelessly against him with the Order of the Phoenix. When Harry's parents were killed, it was Dumbledore's decision to place the now-orphaned Harry in the home of Vernon and Petunia Dursley, knowing that Harry would be protected by the special magic caused by his mother's sacrifice, after he evoked the magic of the bond of blood and Petunia Dursley sealed it by accepting Harry into her home. This old magic of binding love made touching Harry unbearable for Voldemort.
Dumbledore makes the important discovery that Voldemort is on the path to achieving immortality by making Horcruxes, one of which was Tom Riddle's diary, destroyed by Harry in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.[HP2] Later, Dumbledore destroys a second Horcrux, a ring which was an heirloom of Voldemort's family.
Throughout the series, Dumbledore is portrayed as a wizard with modern/reformist ideas about blood purity and the rights of Muggles, as well as those of part-humans and non-humans. Dumbledore does not give importance to the so-called "purity of blood" and believes that an individual's choices reflect one's character, rather than one's birth, blood or family, saying "it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be". Voldemort angrily refers to Dumbledore as "that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles". Unlike most wizards, Dumbledore is not afraid to refer to Voldemort by name, in the third person, (and attempted to persuade others to call him by his 'proper' name, Voldemort, during the First War), and instead addresses him as "Tom" when confronting him.
[edit] Dismissal from Hogwarts
Dumbledore is at least twice temporarily dismissed as Headmaster.
The first time is during Harry's second year at Hogwarts, when Lucius Malfoy persuades the school's other eleven governors to suspend Dumbledore as Headmaster in the wake of attacks by a Basilisk in the school, when the Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Dumbledore is reinstated after the Basilisk is killed by Harry Potter and Lucius is found to have coerced the other governors into suspending him. Lucius Malfoy was removed from post of Hogwarts' governor when Dumbledore returned.
In Harry's fifth year, Dumbledore and Harry fail to convince the Wizarding world that Voldemort has returned, and that Voldemort killed Cedric Diggory. Dolores Umbridge is installed as Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor and Hogwarts' High Inquisitor, dictating new rules as she sees fit. Harry and a group of other students secretly organise a club they call "Dumbledore's Army" in order to learn and practice defensive magic. When "Dumbledore's Army" is discovered, Dumbledore, choosing to accept responsibility, lies by claiming that the organisation was his own subversive creation, and allows himself to be removed as headmaster rather than allow Harry to be expelled. Dumbledore is reinstated after Voldemort launches an attack on the Ministry of Magic.
[edit] Death
Dumbledore's death is foreshadowed at the start of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where he first appears with a burnt and blackened hand, a result of his recovery and destruction of a ring that was an heirloom of Voldemort's grandfather Marvolo Gaunt and was serving as one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. On that occasion, Dumbledore is saved from death thanks to his own "prodigious skill" and the intervention of the school Potions master, Severus Snape, though the injury shows no sign of improvement throughout the year that passes in the sixth book. No explanation for this fact was ever given, except when Hermione says: "But there are some injuries you can't cure...old curses...and there are poisons without antidotes."
This injury was particularly troublesome as it reduced Dumbledore's physical skills. After picking up Harry from his aunt's house, Dumbledore seems unable to complete simple everyday tasks. Such tasks included opening the front door to leave the Dursley's house: instead of using the door handle he opted to use magic to open the door. Later in book six he was unable to point at a street sign without obvious discomfort, exclaiming "ouch". Finally he was unable to uncork a bottle of memories, for his first lesson with Harry, by removing the cork with his hand, instead he was forced to use his wand. That said, it did not at any important point cause him trouble in spell-casting.
Harry Potter repeatedly warns Dumbledore that another student, Draco Malfoy, is working for Voldemort. Dumbledore refuses to take any action against Draco, and instead tells Harry that he already knows more about what is happening than Harry does. Draco makes two ill-conceived attempts to kill Dumbledore during the year, but on each occasion a student is injured instead. The first attempt involves a cursed necklace, the second a bottle of poisoned mead. Both times Harry attempts to warn Dumbledore that Malfoy is responsible. Dumbledore also refuses to share Harry's mistrust of Snape, by now the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, even after being forced to admit that Snape had been in part responsible for the death of Harry's parents, having been the one who passed information of the prophecy to Voldemort.
Harry suspects that Malfoy is working on something in the Room of Requirement but he cannot get in. When he tries to warn Dumbledore again his concerns are seemingly ignored. Malfoy's main plan is to use a magical cabinet already inside Hogwarts to transport Death Eaters into the castle. The attackers enter the castle while Dumbledore and Harry are away attempting to find and destroy another Horcrux. Dumbledore is weakened by drinking a potion left by Voldemort while obtaining a locket. Upon their return to Hogwarts, Dumbledore and Harry find the Dark Mark floating over one of the schools high towers. Dumbledore and Harry fly to the tower but find it empty. Hearing footsteps approaching from inside the tower, Dumbledore uses the split second of time before he is disarmed by Malfoy to immobilise Harry, who becomes a silent and invisible witness to the events. While talking to Malfoy, Dumbledore reveals that he knew it was him behind the two earlier attempts, but recognises Malfoy's precarious situation. Malfoy finally realises that he cannot kill Dumbledore, so instead Snape is obliged to perform the task, killing Dumbledore with the Avada Kedavra curse following the plea "Severus... Please..." from Dumbledore.
| “ | After all, to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure. - Albus Dumbledore [HP1] | ” |
Dumbledore's funeral is attended by students, teachers, members of the Ministry of Magic, giants, ghosts, centaurs, merpeople, and others. Shrouded in purple velvet, he is entombed in a white marble sarcophagus beside the lake at Hogwarts, and is said to be the only Hogwarts Headmaster to be buried on the school grounds. Upon his death, Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, who has been singing his sorrowful song since Dumbledore's death, takes flight and departs from the school grounds.
Dumbledore's portrait appears in the current Headmistress's office alongside those of the other former Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts. Whether or not Dumbledore's portrait will be able to speak to Harry or provide him with meaningful advice as would Dumbledore himself is a matter of debate among the fanbase. At the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when Harry tells Dumbledore that he saw his parents in the duel with Voldemort, Dumbledore responds, "No spell can reawaken the dead," and interestingly enough, the portrait of Dumbledore shows him sitting in a chair sleeping peacefully. It is also interesting to note that while Harry struggled with Sirius's death in the end of Book 5, wondering if he would ever be able to speak to Sirius's possible ghost form, he makes no attempt at trying to reestablish contact with deceased Dumbledore despite there being a portrait of him in the Headmaster's office. This implies that Dumbledore's death may serve to show that Harry has now a firm acceptance of reality and is willing to let go of the past, in turn completing his transition to adulthood as was Rowling's intent in Book 6.
Dumbledore's views on death in general begin to appear as early as the first book, where he states that "death is but the next great adventure." Furthermore, in the fifth book, there is the following exchange with Voldemort:
"You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" called Voldemort, his scarlet eyes narrowed over the top of the shield. "Above such brutality, are you?"
"We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, continuing to walk toward Voldemort as though he had not a fear in the world, as though nothing had happened to interrupt his stroll up the hall. "Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit--"
"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!" snarled Voldemort.
"You are quite wrong," Dumbledore said, still closing in upon Voldemort and speaking as lightly as though they were discussing the matter over drinks. Harry felt scared to see him walking along, undefended, shieldless. He wanted to cry out a warning, but his headless guard kept shunting him backward toward the wall, blocking his every attempt to get out from behind it. "Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness--"
[edit] External reaction to death
In spite of the weight of the canon of text, a significant portion of the fan base believed that Dumbledore's death was somehow faked, and that it would emerge as a plot twist in Book 7. Dumbledoreisnotdead.com presented a number of arguments for Dumbledore still being alive. Other sites and fans produced various arguments relating to his death, and the events of that night - ranging from a strongly held theory that Snape's remarks in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone regarding his ability to "stopper death" indicated that Dumbledore had been fatally injured by the destruction of the ring-horcrux, but that Snape had temporarily prevented him from dying[4], to ideas that Snape was definitely serving Dumbledore and had been saved from his Unbreakable Vow by Dumbledore willingly dying[5], to suggestions (based on Dumbledore's mannerisms on the night of his death, and an apparent coincidence of names) that on the night of the Battle of Hogwarts, 'Albus Dumbledore' was in fact Horace Slughorn in disguise.[6] Thus, Dumbledore's death became a hotly debated topic, which also strongly linked to the question of Snape's loyalty. Some of the fan base still believes that Snape is acting on behalf of "the good side", despite killing Dumbledore - suggesting that Dumbledore's death was planned or required for "the greater good".
Rowling confirmed on 2 August 2006 that Dumbledore is, in fact, dead, saying, "you shouldn't expect Dumbledore to do a Gandalf". She also said: "But I see that I need to be a little more explicit and say that Dumbledore is definitely...dead. And I do know - I do know that there is an entire website out there that says - that's name is DumbledoreIsNotDead.com so umm, I'd imagine they're not pretty happy right now. But I think I need - you need - all of you need to move through the five stages of grief, and I'm just helping you get past denial."[7]. However, fans of Dumbledoreisnotdead.com have continued to firmly believe that he will return from the dead due to the fact that JK has given mis-leading information in past interviews before.
Although Dumbledore is dead, Rowling has hinted that he will appear in some way in the seventh book.[8] In the past, deceased characters have been seen as live portraits in Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic, St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, or other places. It was shown at the end of book 6 that a portrait of Dumbledore now hangs in the headmasters office, although he was asleep at the time.
[edit] Derivation of name
"Dumbledore", which is an old Devonshire word for "bumblebee", was picked by the author because she imagines him wandering around the castle, humming to himself.[9] (Like "Hagrid", this word of West Country dialect appears in the works of Thomas Hardy.) Additionally, Dumbledore is the common name for Geotrupes stercorarius (also known as the Dor Beetle, Clock or Lousy Watchman) an insect which visits the Shire each year, as mentioned in the poem "Errantry" by J. R. R. Tolkien (published in The Tolkien Reader).
The name Albus is the Latin word for ("white"), a frequently used symbol for good, and which marks him out as an enemy of the 'Dark Lord'.[10]
The name Wulfric meaning "wolf-power", is reminiscent of the legendary hero Beowulf ("powerful bear-wolf"), who in his early years slew the monster Grendel (a name oddly reminiscent of Grindelwald, a Dark Wizard whom Dumbledore defeated).[4]
The meaning of Brian is not known for certain but it is possibly related to the Old Celtic element "bre" meaning "hill", or by extension "high, noble". The name is more likely used just as a comical contrast to his other, more unusual names.
Percival is a name from old French, meaning 'pierce the veil'.[5] It was the name of one of King Arthur's knights, the only one who was sufficiently pure to retrieve the Holy Grail. The oldest recorded version of the story of Perceval is by Chrétien de Troyes from the 12th century. In Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, Perceval is both hero and narrator of the tale, as is the case for Dumbledore in parts of the Harry Potter books.[6]
It has also been noted that the name 'Albus' bears a resemblance to the name of a 19th-20th century stage magician, 'The Great Albini', who was a friend and rival of the less proficient magician Horace Goldin (who is described as similar in appearance and nature to Horace Slughorn).[11]
[edit] Family
Dumbledore's family history has never been properly explained throughout the novels. However, Rowling has stated that in book seven more will be revealed about Dumbledore's heritage. Fan speculation has ranged from claiming that he is the direct descendant of Merlin to being a descendant of the line of Godric Gryffindor. Both he and Merlin certainly share certain characteristics, including the peculiar eccentric mannerisms and the immensely powerful affinity for magic as a whole, and Dumbledore was a reputed champion of Gryffindor as implied by Griselda Marchbanks.
There is also some speculation that Dumbledore may be related to the Weasley family. He possesses some of their characteristic traits, including auburn hair (as depicted in both the Pensieve vision and Harry's trip through Riddle's diary) and also appears to be on informal terms with both Arthur and Molly Weasley, despite the fact that they were not initially in the Order of the Phoenix. He does not appear to customarily refer to people by their first names either, as he refers to the Auror Dawlish by his surname, thus suggesting some alternate connection to the Weasleys. Ron Weasley also received a watch for his coming-of-age seventeenth birthday which appeared to be an exact replica of the one that Dumbledore possesses, suggesting some sort of inheritance.
[edit] External links
- JK Rowling quotes about Dumbledore at Madamscoop.org
- Dumbledore's page at the Harry Potter Lexicon
- Dumbledore's page at The Phoenix Files on MuggleNet
- MuggleNet - quotes by Albus Dumbledore
- MuggleNet - Editorial theories about the potion Dumbledore consumed
- Editorial theories on Dumbledore's "death" at dumbledoreisnotdead.com
- Interview with JK Rowling about book 7 and Dumbledore's Death at The Leaky Cauldron
- Alohomorra - Alohomorra's page on Albus Dumbledore
- Albus Dumbledore on the Harry Potter Wiki
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ Colbert, David, The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter
- ^ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, p.80
- ^ Granger, John, Who Killed Albus Dumbledore?, p.28
- ^ Granger, John, Who Killed Albus Dumbledore?, p.145-205
- ^ Granger, John, Who Killed Albus Dumbledore?, p.73-87
- ^ J.K. Rowling at An Evening with Harry, Carrie and Garp on August 2, 2006, Radio City in New York City, answering questions from fans "[...] you shouldn't expect Dumbledore to do a Gandalf [...] But I see that I need to be a little more explicit and say that Dumbledore is definitely dead. ".Full transcript at The Leaky Cauldron.
- ^ McLean, Craig. "Dirty Harry", Guardian Unlimited, 2007-02-11. Retrieved on February 11, 2007.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (1999-03-19). Barnes and Noble interview, March 19, 1999. AccioQuote!. Retrieved on February 28, 2007.
- ^ Colbert, David, The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter
- ^ Granger, John, Who Killed Albus Dumbledore?, p.74
[edit] See also
| J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philosopher's Stone | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Chamber of Secrets | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Prisoner of Azkaban | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Goblet of Fire | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Order of the Phoenix | book | film | game | |
| Half-Blood Prince | book | film | ||
| Deathly Hallows | book | |||
| Other books | Other games | |||
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup | |||
| Quidditch Through the Ages | ||||
|
Characters • Places • Spells • Translations • Quidditch Films • Fandom • Controversy • Money |
||||
