The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter (27 page)

Special locations were designated not only for dream interpretation but also for dreaming itself. Many people hoped that solutions to problems that eluded them during their waking hours might be revealed in a dream sent by the gods, provided the right procedures were followed. In an effort to receive helpful dreams, ancient Egyptians were known to sleep in the shadow of the
Sphinx
or spend the night in one of the temples of Serapis. In the event that a dream seeker couldn’t make the journey himself, it was permissible to hire a surrogate dreamer to sleep at the temple and have a dream on his employer’s behalf! Similarly, a citizen of ancient Greece seeking relief from poor health might travel to one of several temples dedicated to Asclepius, the god of medicine, in the hope of receiving a dream that would diagnose his illness and suggest a cure. In medieval Japan, a pilgrim could stay at a dream shrine for one hundred days or more, adhering to a restricted diet and a rigid schedule of prayers in hope of receiving an enlightening dream.

Investigating the meaning of one’s dreams became much simpler when books on the subject became available. Professor Trelawney’s preferred fifth-year textbook is
The Dream Oracle
by Inigo Imago. But the first comprehensive dream guide was the
Oneirocritica
, or
The Interpretation of Dreams
, written in the second century
A.D
. by the Greek dream interpreter Artemidorus of Daldianus. It contained the meanings of hundreds of different dreams and dream symbols and remained the most important book on the subject for more than a thousand years. Some of the interpretations sound quite sensible even today, for example, “all tools that cut and divide things in half signify disagreements, factions, and injuries.…” Others, such as the warning that it’s bad luck to dream of winged ants or quail, probably reflect the superstitions of the time.

Dream interpretation has gone in and out of fashion over the centuries, and it’s always had its skeptics, among them the philosopher Aristotle, who asserted that when dreams come true, it’s only due to coincidence. And while many citizens of ancient Rome were busy buying
amulets
and magic
potions
and telling their dreams to turbaned diviners, the orator Cicero complained that dream divination was nothing but superstition, and that the public had been “betrayed … into endless imbecilities.” Still, many people throughout history have reported dreams like Harry’s that do come true, or appear to reveal information the dreamer could not possibly have known through normal channels. Indeed, one of the characteristics of legendary magicians and tribal shamans is that they can supposedly see what’s going on elsewhere, either in dreams, by entering a visionary trance, or through the use of a
crystal ball
.

But regardless of whether dreams truly reveal the future, or allow us to mystically travel to distant places to eavesdrop on our friends or enemies, they can be valuable in other ways. Many famous people have found their dreams to be a wellspring of creative ideas and brilliant solutions to problems. The writer Mary Shelley claimed that the immortal characters of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster came to her in a dream; the novelist Bram Stoker said the same thing about his most famous creation, the
vampire
Count Dracula. And the nineteenth-century chemist Dmitri Mendeleyev, after struggling unsuccessfully with a system for categorizing the chemical elements, “saw in a dream a table where all the elements fell into place as required” and, on waking, came up with the periodic table of the elements every chemistry student studies today.

Modern thinkers, such as Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, argued that the true significance of dreams lies not in what they reveal about the outside world, but in what they can tell us about ourselves. Freud believed dreams express our deepest wishes, while Jung said all the fascinating, scary, or helpful characters in dreams are aspects of our own minds. In any case, you don’t have to be an accomplished dream analyst to realize that the dream world, like the wizarding world, is a unique place where anything can happen. We can experience scenes of dazzling splendor or monstrous horror and everything in between. In dreams we fly, hover in the air, achieve feats of superhuman strength, or experience transformations as amazing as those produced by Professor Snape’s most powerful potions. Which may be why, when we read about magic, or watch as it’s performed on stage, it sometimes seems strangely familiar. And for good reason. We’ve seen it all before in our dreams.

elivering singing valentines to teenaged
wizards
is hardly the usual line of work for a dwarf. Legend holds that these bearded little tough guys spend most of their days laboring underground, where they mine for iron and precious metals. Since they take pride in hard work, it’s no wonder they go about their frivolous business at Hogwarts with the air of children being forced to eat Brussels sprouts.

In the folklore of Germany and Scandinavia, dwarfs are a race of small supernatural beings who guard magnificent treasures buried deep inside the earth. Although they have the power to become invisible or assume any shape, they usually look like small men with large heads, wizened faces, long gray beards, and misshapen legs and feet. Social creatures, they live in communities inside mountains, caverns, or dazzling underground palaces. Because they dress in drab colors, they blend in easily with rocks and shrubs, enabling them to come and go from their subterranean homes unseen by human eyes. In the lore of certain regions, dwarfs, like
trolls
, turn to stone if exposed to sunlight.

Dwarfs are gifted metalworkers, and their magic powers lead them to the richest lodes of precious metals for their craft. The more artistic dwarfs work in fine gold and silver, fashioning jewelry and decorative objects said to be more beautiful than any made by human hands. Others forge iron into dangerous weapons endowed with magical powers. Thor, the Norse god of thunder, wisely chose dwarfs to manufacture his most important tool—a mighty hammer that, when thrown, caused lightening to flash and then returned to its owner’s hand. Dwarfs also worked for Odin, the supreme Norse god, for whom they created a magic spear that always hit its target.

In some parts of Germany, miners are said to encounter dwarfs on occasion, usually when they break through an underground wall into a dwarf workshop or palace. Provided the humans aren’t rude, dwarfs take no offense at such intrusions, and may even provide some advice on where to find the best veins of ore. Dwarfs may also sound the alarm when there is danger in the mine from a build-up of noxious gases or a collapsing roof. However, if the little men have not been shown proper respect, they may actually
cause
such catastrophes. Should a miner be so foolhardy as to steal from the dwarfs’ hoard of gold and jewels, not only will he suffer great misfortune, but when he gets home and opens his bag, all the treasure will have turned to leaves.

(
photo credit 22.1
)

Because they live for several hundred years and can see the future, dwarfs are thought to be very wise. According to legend, in some German towns dwarfs once shared their wisdom with humans, offering advice, telling stories, and lending a hand with household chores in exchange for a warm place to sleep during the long winter months. They abandoned this practice, however, when the villagers got too curious about their tiny guests’ feet, which were always kept hidden beneath floor-length coats. Wanting to know what the dwarfs were hiding, homeowners dusted their floors with ashes, hoping the little men would leave telltale footprints. Instead, the dwarfs, who were very sensitive about their appearance, got angry and left town, returning forever to their underground homes. We’ve heard some say that dwarfs have the feet of a goose, a crow, or a goat; others claim they have human feet put on backward—but these are only rumors.

lternatingly infuriating and endearing, Dobby the house elf is a credit to his species. When Harry first sees the tiny figure clothed in nothing but a tea towel, he isn’t very impressed. But when Aunt Petunia’s cake lies smashed to bits on the kitchen floor and there’s no one but Harry to take the blame, Harry quickly learns that elves can work some powerful magical mischief.