Mythology can refer either to the collected myths of a group of people—their body of stories which they tell to explain nature, history, and customs—or to the study of such myths. As a collection of such stories, mythology is an important feature of every culture. Various origins for myths have been proposed, ranging from personification of natural phenomena to truthful or hyperbolic accounts of historical events, to explanations of existing ritual. Although the term is complicated by its implicit condescension, mythologizing is not just an ancient or primitive practice, as shown by contemporary mythopoeia such as urban legends and the expansive fictional mythoi created by fantasy novels and Japanese manga. A culture's collective mythology helps convey belonging, shared and religious experience, behavioral models, and moral and practical lessons. As the study of myth, mythology dates back to antiquity. Mythology is taught as an elective subject from the third year on at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
xxxx× × ×xxxxThe Classroomxxxx× × ×xxxx
The Mythology classroom is a small, comfortable space, bathed in the soft purple and golden glow. The light emanates from the center of several large tiger and stargazer lillies, which float about the room's ceiling. There are no desks, but rather serveral low tables, covered in purple table cloths with silver and gold patterns. These are surrounded, not by chairs, but several large, soft satin pillows in tones matching the cloths. The walls are covered in various tapestries depicting scenes from both muggle and wizard myth, all in a monochromatic sepia tone with purple accents. Any space not covered in the tapestries is taken up by bookshelves. Two shelves closest to the back of the room have several copies of the various texts used in the class for students who chose to take it at the last minute. In front of these two shelves are a table, slightly higher than the others, with only one pillow directly behind it, which serves as Professor Harlowe's desk. The desk is covered in stacks of books and papers with various notes and lesson plans written across them. There is no manner of organization, the papers are simply stacked wherever she could find room. To the left of the desk is a small board, where any notes for the students to copy are written.
x× × × Notice to Roleplayers × × ×x
Classroom Interaction: × Each lesson has "discussion prompt" which poses a question or topic of debate for students × × To "participate" in this class, you may post your character responding to either one of the prompts, or a fellow student who has already posted × × Please specify in your post which lesson you are responding to × × If you want professor input, tag MJ Spooks× × If the discussion in class gets heated/would require professor intervention, tag MJ Spooks× × Participation in lessons will earn house points; starting fights will lose them × × You may also use this space as a "free roleplay" space to chat with friends, but be warned: × × The professor may give you detention or take house points for failing to take the lesson seriously × × Detentions will be served and homework should be turned in at Professor Harlowe's Office ×
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 11:34 pm
xxxx× × ×xxxxFOURTH Y E A R LESSONS A N D HOMEWORKxxxx× × ×xxxx
× Lesson One × The Difference Between History and Mythology
Definition of History: × A branch of knowledge that records and explains past events.
Definition of Mythology: × An allegorical narrative × A body of myths, IE xxx× The myths dealing with the gods, demigods and legendary heroes of a particular people xxx× A pattern of beliefs expressing, often symbolically, the characteristic or prevalent attitudes of a group or culture × A branch of knowledge that deals with myth × A popular belief or assumption that has grown upa nd around someone or something
Explaining the Difference: × 'History' at its core is accepted as fact. That which is 'historical' is assumed to have happened in the past, with little room for argument. Events are recorded as they occur, or evidence of past events are discovered, and the findings are recorded and taken as a factual account of an event or era or culture. × Mythology, on the other hand, is widely believed to be a story, having either been disproved by science and historical fact, or belief in the truth of it having been forgotten or let go of as time progressed. xxx× The difference between Mythology and Fiction is that a myth was, at some point, taken as fact, and fiction has more or less always been known to be untrue. Myths are works of fiction, but they were believed to be truth at some point.
Blurring the Lines: × Myths of ancient cultures typically stemmed from a desire to explain that which ancient peoples lacked the ability to understand. × As time progressed, many have either been disproved through study, or the cultures that believed in them have lost touch with that belief. xxx× For instance, it is technically impossible to prove the existence of one set of ancient gods over the other, or to prove that any particular set of deities does or does not exist at all, but most modern people accept that the gods of their ancestors are myths, not fact. xxx× Likewise, muggle study of science has proven, to the best of its ability, that certain myths are simply not true. × There was a time when all so-called myths were taken as fact; therefore, it can be assumed that, in the future, that which we consider history now may be proven myth as well. × However, history is recorded and written by man, and is therefore subject to subjective interpretations and, in some cases, heavy editing via exaggeration and omission. History is accepted as fact, but it can often be just as unreliable as mythology is.
Discussion Prompt: Share your personal favorite mythological story with the class. Discuss why our ancestors may have believed it, and what contributed to loss of belief in it.
Homework:Put yourself in the position of an ancient scholar, and write a short 'myth' regarding a common, everyday occurrence, such as the phases of the moon or a thunderstorm.
× Lesson Two × The Quintaped
The Creature: × The Quintaped is a carnivorous five legged beast, covered in hair, also known as a Hairy MacBoon. They are indigenous to the Isle of Drear. It is classified as extremely dangerous by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. They are believed to have, at one time, been wizards. This cannot be verified, however, as they have resisted all attempts to be Untransfigured. Due to their dangerous nature, the Isle of Drear has been made Unplottable to prevent people from going to the island and being harmed.
The Myth: × Long ago, the Isle of Drear was home to two warring clans, the MacBoons and McCliverts. One night, the two family heads engaged in a drunken wizards duel, and McClivert died. In retaliation, the McClivert clan transfigured the entire MacBoon clan into Quintapeds. However, they soon realized that this was an awful idea. The MacBoons were famous for being wholly inept at casting magic. But, as the Quintaped, they became powerful, and quite dangerous to their McClivert rivals. In their attempts to rectify the situation and return them to their natural state, the entire McClivert clan met their doom.
Discussion Prompt: Do you believe it is possible for the Quintaped to be a family of Transfigured wizards? Provide evidence to support your opinion.
Homework: Mythology is often intended as a cautionary tale. Write a short essay describing what lesson the originator of this myth might have intended the listener to learn.
× Lesson Three × Unicorn Blood
The Creature: × The Unicorn is one of the most famous magical creatures in the world, being so prevalent that there are still muggles who believe in their existence, despite efforts on the part of wizards to hide their existence. Unicorns are often mistaken for horses, being indistinguishable from them except for the single horn in the middle of their head. As a foul, they are a perfect golden color, their hides turning silver, and then white as they age, with golden hooves. They prefer the presence of women over men, and inhabit forests across the whole of the UK.
The Myth: × Unicorns are said to possess many magical qualities, and have long been sought out for their various parts, as each hold magical qualities. Their hair is often used in the making of wands, and their horns are ground for potions ingredients. However, the most mysterious and perhaps disturbing use for a Unicorn is to drink its blood. The Unicorn, being one of the most beautiful and purest creatures in the magical world, is considered almost sacred, and to slay one is a vicious crime. Legend holds that a witch or wizard who is at the brink of death may slay and drink its blood to prolong their life, but because they have committed such an egregious act, their life shall be cursed from the moment it touches their lips. The exact details of the curse are unknown.
Historical Evidence: × The most notable occurrence of the slaying and drinking of a unicorn’s blood was committed by Professor Quirinus Quirrell on behalf of the Dark Lord Voldemort, who, lacking a body of his own, was sharing Quirrell’s at the time. Shortly after committing the act, Quirrell died, although it is impossible to say whether or not this is the effect of the curse.
Discussion Prompt: Discuss whether or not you believe in the curse of the blood and what you believe the ill effects of drinking said blood might be.
Homework: Mythology is often intended as a cautionary tale. Write a short essay describing what lesson the originator of this myth might have intended the listener to learn.
× Lesson Four × The Sorting Hat
The Hat: × The sorting hat is an enchanted hat which is used to determine which house every Hogwarts student belongs to. It does so by reading the child's mind and determining which house best suits their personality and needs.
The Myth: × Legend had it that the Sorting Hat was sewn roughly one thousand years ago and began as a normal hat belonging to Godric Gryffindor. When the founders wondered how they would continue to sort the students when the four were dead, Gryffindor pulled his hat from his head and, along with the other founders, enchanted it with their combined intelligence. All four founders wanted to ensure that students would be sorted into their eponymous houses, which would be selected according to each founder's particular preferences in students. × The veracity of this story is not confirmed, despite the hat being quite capable of sharing its own account of the events. The most the hat has said on the matter is that the founders, quote, "put some brains in me," or similar phrasing, during the song it sings at the beginning of each sorting ceremony. xxx× An interesting note; the song, as far as anyone can tell, is different every year, and has been for the entirety of current memory. The hat claims that it spends all year between sortings writing a new one, as it has nothing else to do.
Discussion Prompt: The hat adamantly claims to've never gotten a sorting wrong; however, history is full of examples of seemingly questionable sortings. What do you believe contributed to the hat's odd choices in these instances?
Homework: Recount your own sorting, and discuss what traits you believe contributed to your placement.
Amata Harlowe Professor of Mythology//Mythology Classroom//Wearing CURRENTLY WITH//No one CURRENTLY FEELING//Excited CURRENTLY THINKING//'So many students this year... I'll hardly know what to do with myself! ═════════════════════════════════
Amata smiled, flicking her wand so that the day's lesson and rules would appear on the board. She was quite looking forward to this year. Shina would be taking this lesson, the first student to do so. And, she was also taking Muggle Mythology II, the first to take that lesson as well. This would be an exciting year for her. So many students, so many lessons! She'd be so very busy!
Quote:
Third Year Lesson Plan Unit 1: Beedle the Bard [] Unit 2: The Fountain of Fair Fortune [ ] Unit 3: The Wizard and the Hopping Pot [ ] Unit 4: The Warlock's Hairy Heart [ ] Unit 5: Beatrix Bloxam [ ]
Rules I. All students are expected to be present for each lesson. II. Students are not to speak while Professor Harlowe or other students are speaking, except in the case that Professor Harlowe has allowed individual discussions among students. III. Students are encouraged to help each other with assignments both in and outside of class, but cheating on tests will result in detentions and deduction of house points. IV. Assignments should be submitted at the beginning of the class when you sign in. If you miss a lesson, you may make it up in my office. V. Please bring your own supplies. If you are without, borrow whatever is necessary before I begin the lecture.
Supplies Parchment Quill Ink "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" "Toadstool Tales"
Lesson One: The Quintaped
The Creature: The Quintaped is a carnivorous five legged beast, covered in hair, also known as a Hairy MacBoon. They are indigenous to the Isle of Drear. It is classified as extremely dangerous by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. They are believed to have, at one time, been wizards. This cannot be verified, however, as they have resisted all attempts to be Untransfigured. Due to their dangerous nature, the Isle of Drear has been made Unplottable to prevent people from going to the island and being harmed.
The Myth: Long ago, the Isle of Drear was home to two warring clans, the MacBoons and McCliverts. One night, the two family heads engaged in a drunken wizards duel, and McClivert died. In retaliation, the McClivert clan transfigured the entire MacBoon clan into Quintapeds. However, they soon realized that this was an awful idea. The MacBoons were famous for being wholly inept at casting magic. But, as the Quintaped, they became powerful, and quite dangerous to their McClivert rivals. In their attempts to rectify the situation and return them to their natural state, the entire McClivert clan met their doom.
Homework: Discuss whether or not you believe it is possible that the Quintaped is in fact a family of Transfigured wizards.
As the words wrote themselves out, Amata glanced around the room. It was so cozy... it had seemed a fair bit crowded during Mythology I, though. Perhaps she needed to do some redecorating...
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 6:10 pm
Shina Kiremono~Fourth Year~Ravenclaw Seeker
Shina walked into class, smiling cheerfully. "Hello Professor," she greeted as she got her supplies out and opened her notebook. Her fast, neat handwriting quickly covered the page.
Amata Harlowe Professor of Mythology//Mythology Classroom//Wearing CURRENTLY WITH//No one CURRENTLY FEELING//Excited CURRENTLY THINKING//'So many students this year... I'll hardly know what to do with myself! ═════════════════════════════════
Amata smiled when Shina entered the room, giving the girl time to write down the information on the board. She rather loved this myth. It was kind of an odd one. While Shina wrote her notes, Amata thumbed through her notes on the tale."This particular myth, rather unsurprisingly, comes from Scotland. Like most Scottish tales, it involves two feuding families. And, interestingly, it is also somewhat known to Scottish muggles, although their version is a tad different. While in the original tale, both families were of magical descent, the Muggle version said that the head of the McCliverts had a daughter who dabbled in old magic. In this version, it was she that Transfigured the McBoons into the Quintapeds."Amata recalled her parents arguing over the truth behind the story once when she was child. A scary bedtime story gone awry. She smiled at the memory. They'd both felt so foolish when they'd realized that they'd been arguing over an old story, one that was in all likelihood not true."Tell me, Shina, do you know anything of the Quintaped?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 1:34 am
Shina Kiremono~Fourth Year~Ravenclaw Seeker
Shina tilted her head, thinking. "No, I don't think I do. But...it seems odd that a single family of transfigured wizards could possibly have successfully become a breeding colony of apex predators, as suggested in the tale," she said doubtfully.
Amata Harlowe Mythology Professor // Former Gryffindor // Wearinginher classroomspace CURRENTLY // single // crushing // lovingspaces CURRENTLY WITH // No onespacesp CURRENTLY FEELING // Eagerspacespa CURRENTLY THINKING // 'I know professor's aren't supposed to have favorites, but...'spacespac ═════════════════════════════════
Amata could hardly keep the smile off her face as she prepared her classroom for this particular lesson. She knew that, as a teacher, she wasn't supposed to show any preference for particular students, but ever since last night, when she could swear she'd seen her two favorite Slytherins holding hands and even kissing, she could not wait to see the two of them. She'd been through a lot with those kids, had sensed a fair bit of tension between them, and now... she didn't know what she'd expected, but the two of them dating was not it. She wondered why, though. Hopeless romantic that she was, it should have occurred to her that two kids who'd gone through so much together would bond. And they were at that age... she smiled fondly when she thought of her first crush, then squashed the memory. She needed to focus... there were other students, after all. It wasn't as though she'd be gossiping with Damien and Marina about their blooming romance. Still... she was rather excited to see how they'd be acting in their lessons. She waved her wand, the lesson appearing on the board, and pulled out her first lesson survey. She knew it was probably tedious to have the kids fill it out every year, but honestly, she could rarely remember what was on them. She had a rather bad memory, after all.
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(( OOC: )) ...
Quote:
Lesson One: The Quintaped
The Creature: The Quintaped is a carnivorous five legged beast, covered in hair, also known as a Hairy MacBoon. They are indigenous to the Isle of Drear. It is classified as extremely dangerous by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. They are believed to have, at one time, been wizards. This cannot be verified, however, as they have resisted all attempts to be Untransfigured. Due to their dangerous nature, the Isle of Drear has been made Unplottable to prevent people from going to the island and being harmed.
The Myth: Long ago, the Isle of Drear was home to two warring clans, the MacBoons and McCliverts. One night, the two family heads engaged in a drunken wizards duel, and McClivert died. In retaliation, the McClivert clan transfigured the entire MacBoon clan into Quintapeds. However, they soon realized that this was an awful idea. The MacBoons were famous for being wholly inept at casting magic. But, as the Quintaped, they became powerful, and quite dangerous to their McClivert rivals. In their attempts to rectify the situation and return them to their natural state, the entire McClivert clan met their doom.
Homework: Discuss whether or not you believe it is possible that the Quintaped is in fact a family of Transfigured wizards.
Do you CARE about me? Do you THINK I don't BLEED? Why are you trying to HIDE behind a stupid LIE When the TRUTH is your EYES
Have you LOST YOURSELF? Always TRYING to SELL The PERSON that you THINK you are You stay ALONE 'cause real's just too HARD
MARINA EUGENIE ALDRED PROUD HALFBLOOD SLYTHERIN FOURTH YEAR
You say you'll never go that far: Happy | But you're not who you say you are: I'm glad to be back in this class... | Your time is up in too many places: Fourth Years | You've got too many faces: Mythology |Wearing
Marina had decided that Mythology was her second favorite class, after DADA. She owed a lot to Professor Harlowe, after all, and it was of course one of the classes she had with Damien. That just made it all the better. She smiled at the professor before taking a seat and beginning to fill out the survey. Usually these things annoyed her, but in this class she didn't mind.
Name: Marina Aldred House: Slytherin Year: Fourth Blood Status: Halfblood Curriculum: All of the myths, especially the ones covered last year. Something interesting about you: I want to be an Auror someday.
You've got your HEART in too many PLACES
Always LAYING the BLAME You're never ONE and the SAME Could it be that you're AFRAID to look INSIDE And find you'll NEVER get it RIGHT
So many SIDES to YOU Nobody KNOWS the TRUTH How you EVER gonna keep it STRAIGHT? Do you WANNA be a MEMORY?
Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 9:12 pm
Damien Warren Edgeworth Son & Heir // Fourth Year Slytherin // Wearinginthe Mythology classroomspace CURRENTLY // single // crushing // lovingMarina Aldredspaces CURRENTLY WITH // Marinaspacesp CURRENTLY FEELING // Happyspacespa CURRENTLY THINKING // 'She made it to this one before me, thank goodness.'spacespac 'I know you don't like how I feel, but please, try to remember,' ═════════════════════════════════
Damien smiled when he walked into the Mythology classroom and spotted Marina already there. He was relieved not to have to navigate the social issues inherent in choosing where to sit because she wasn't there and Dominic was or no one was there but her friends. It was nice to be able to walk into a room and just sit down next to her. When he passed the professor's desk, he gave a smile and dipped his head in greeting. He then grabbed one of the forms off her desk and took a seat next to Marina, smiling at her and giving her hand a squeeze before taking out his parchment, quill and ink to fill out the form and take notes. He groaned a little when he say the request for something interesting about him, but didn't say anything. He liked Professor Harlowe, after all, and she was a friendly person, probably one of the few professors who actually bothered to try and remember that bit of information about her students.
═════════════════════════════════ 'It's natural for a thing like me...'
(( OOC: )) ...
Monday:Wizard Law, PotionsTuesday:Transfiguration, Alchemy, Ancient StudiesWednesday:Charms, MythologyThursday:Herbology, AstronomyFriday:Defense Against the Dark Arts
Name: Damien Edgeworth House: Slytherin Year: Fourth Blood Status: Pureblood Curriculum: I'm somewhat familiar with all the lessons. Something interesting about you: I'm interested in wandmaking.
Adalaide Blythe Daughter & Sister // Fourth Year Hufflepuff // Wearinginthe Mythology classroomspace CURRENTLY // single // crushing // lovingspaces CURRENTLY WITH // Marina and Damienspacesp CURRENTLY FEELING // Happyspacespa CURRENTLY THINKING // 'Oh, I love this class!'spacespac 'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs From ten thousand lightning bugs...' ═════════════════════════════════
Adalaide took a seat next to Marina after grabbing her own form, flashing a smile to the two Slytherins before turning away, her expression jovial. It was so cute to see the two of them together, especially knowing as much as she did about their relationship, and its complications. Their being together, happy and thus far still in the phase before any sort of drama started, made Ada very happy. She chuckled a bit to herself as she dug out her supplies and filled her form out. As soon as that was done, she started copying the notes from the board. Quintaped... that one was new to her.
═════════════════════════════════ 'As they tried to teach me how to dance.'
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Monday:PotionsTuesday:Transfiguration, AlchemyWednesday:Art, Charms, Divination, MythologyThursday:Care of Magical Creatures, Ghoul and Ghost Studies, Herbology, AstronomyFriday:Defense Against the Dark Arts
Name: Adalaide Blythe House: Hufflepuff Year: Fourth Blood Status: Halfblood Curriculum: I don't know much about this year's curriculum. I have no idea what a Quintaped is, actually. Something interesting about you: I absolutely love pumpkins, in any form of food or decoration.
Amata Harlowe Mythology Professor // Former Gryffindor // Wearinginher classroomspace CURRENTLY // single // crushing // lovingspaces CURRENTLY WITH // No onespacesp CURRENTLY FEELING // Eagerspacespa CURRENTLY THINKING // 'I know professor's aren't supposed to have favorites, but...'spacespac ═════════════════════════════════
Once the forms had all been turned it, Amata clapped her hands and sat on her favorite spot on her desk, smiling."Well, it's certainly lovely to see you three again, and I hope you all had a good Summer."She glanced at their forms and noted that the Hufflepuff, Ada, didn't know about the subject of today's lesson. She smiled and looked up, tucking the forms behind her on the desk."Well, since we're not overly familiar with the Quintaped, I'll start the lesson by recounting a more detailed account of the legend."Amata pulled her legs to her and sat cross-legged on her desk, looking out at her students. This was the first time she'd actually needed to tell anyone about the lesson's subject."Back in the days when Scotland was still known for being just as likely to fight with itself as outsiders, there were two families, the MacBoons and the McClivert, living on the Isle of Dreer. The families were said to be in a constant war over the land on the Isle, with both sides claiming that the whole of the Isle was their family's by birthright. Records don't go back far enough for us to know which one of them was truly the first on the land, and they were both convinced that their ancestors were the founders. Now, there was a sort of 'safe zone' on the Isle, a village that was home to inhabitants that were not of either family, and in this village there was a pub, which both family heads frequented. One night, they both happened to decide to go for a drink, and they ran into each other at the bar. After hours of drinking and trading insults, one or the other challenged his rival to a duel. This was back when duels were still fought to the death, and to the death it was, with MacBoon winning by taking the life of McClivert. The McClivert clan, in retaliation, is said to have turned the whole MacBoon family into a herd of beasts, known as Quintapeds, or Hairy MacBoons. These creatures were quite powerful, and dangerous, and transfiguring the clan into them proved to have been a mistake. In an attempt to change them back to their original state, the entire McClivert clan was murdered. To this day, the Isle of Dreer is home to the dreaded creatures, and it is expressly forbidden for anyone to go there, for their own safety. The Quintapeds are monstrous creatures, with huge fangs and a hunger for flesh. And few who have seen them in person have lived to tell the tale."Amata paused, pursing her lips, her eyes sparkling. Throughout the telling, she'd been slowly lowering the lights, and a light, somewhat creepy melody had filled the classroom. It was a scary story, after all, and a true storyteller knew to give a story it's proper telling. She smiled widely at the kids, trying to gauge their reactions. In a low, melodious voice, she asked,"Are there any questions?"
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(( OOC: )) ...
Posted: Sun May 19, 2013 6:51 pm
Do you CARE about me? Do you THINK I don't BLEED? Why are you trying to HIDE behind a stupid LIE When the TRUTH is your EYES
Have you LOST YOURSELF? Always TRYING to SELL The PERSON that you THINK you are You stay ALONE 'cause real's just too HARD
MARINA EUGENIE ALDRED PROUD HALFBLOOD SLYTHERIN FOURTH YEAR
You say you'll never go that far: Happy | But you're not who you say you are: I'm glad to be back in this class... | Your time is up in too many places: Fourth Years | You've got too many faces: Mythology |Wearing
Marina settled in to listen to a good scary tale, albeit one she'd heard before. Her mother had been quite the bedtime stories sort of parent, and she'd grown up hearing myths like this one as she drifted off to sleep. Though, granted, this wasn't exactly a story well suited for children. It had terrified her when she was young and even now it still freaked her out just a bit. The dimmed lights and eerie melody didn't help much either. She unconsciously grabbed Damien's hand, before realizing she was being stupid and letting it go. It was all made up, right?
You've got your HEART in too many PLACES
Always LAYING the BLAME You're never ONE and the SAME Could it be that you're AFRAID to look INSIDE And find you'll NEVER get it RIGHT
So many SIDES to YOU Nobody KNOWS the TRUTH How you EVER gonna keep it STRAIGHT? Do you WANNA be a MEMORY?
The Creature: The Quintaped is a carnivorous five legged beast, covered in hair, also known as a Hairy MacBoon. They are indigenous to the Isle of Drear. It is classified as extremely dangerous by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. They are believed to have, at one time, been wizards. This cannot be verified, however, as they have resisted all attempts to be Untransfigured. Due to their dangerous nature, the Isle of Drear has been made Unplottable to prevent people from going to the island and being harmed.
The Myth: Long ago, the Isle of Drear was home to two warring clans, the MacBoons and McCliverts. One night, the two family heads engaged in a drunken wizards duel, and McClivert died. In retaliation, the McClivert clan transfigured the entire MacBoon clan into Quintapeds. However, they soon realized that this was an awful idea. The MacBoons were famous for being wholly inept at casting magic. But, as the Quintaped, they became powerful, and quite dangerous to their McClivert rivals. In their attempts to rectify the situation and return them to their natural state, the entire McClivert clan met their doom.
Homework: Discuss whether or not you believe it is possible that the Quintaped is in fact a family of Transfigured wizards.
OOC:
If you are quoted, your student is registered for this lesson. If he or she does not attend at least one class, your house will be docked ten points at the end of the term. This is waived if you are listed as absent.
XxXDevil-Chan
Miss GryffindorK
Violet the Maestro
heather030595
Good Boy Yuuki
Quote:
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 12:58 am
Amata is...spacespacespacespace CURRENTLY // Looking Lovelyinher Classroomspace CURRENTLY // single // crushing // lovingspaces CURRENTLY WITH // Studentsspacesp CURRENTLY FEELING // Strainedspacespa CURRENTLY THINKING // 'I have to give the lesson; I have to keep my feelings at the back of my mind.'spacespac 'The rain is falling on my windowpane, But we are hiding in a safer place.' ═════════════════════════════════
Amata entered her classroom and, with a flick of her wand, the day's lesson wrote itself out on the board. She sat on her desk, same as she always did on the first day, but her usual smile was absent. Grayson still hadn't awakened from his impromptu nap at the feast. Her hand went to her temple, rubbing lightly as she closed her eyes. She needed some pep in her; it was essential to her teaching. But... she just didn't feel it. She sighed. When the students arrived, she managed to give them all a smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. She looked stressed, as they could probably see. But, she was determined to try and make sure that her bad mood didn't adversely affect her students. She clapped her hands together, though without the usual fervor, and began the lesson."Hello, all, and welcome to Mythology. If you could please all take a form from my desk and fill it out for me, I would greatly appreciate it. Any information you don't wish to share, is of course, fine, I would just like to have as much information as I can to ensure that we're all on the same page for our lessons."She gave them all a moment to fill out the forms, and then collected them, reading over the pages quickly and assigning names to faces and making note of the students and their knowledge of her subject."Alright, then. First things first, I'd like you all to know that this lesson operates mostly on a discussion basis. That is, I will give the information that the lesson covers, and then I'll open the floor for discussion. Any student who contributes will earn house points, provided that their contribution is not offensive or rude or disruptive. Please respect your fellow students and their opinions, even if you don't agree with them."She rubbed her temple again, and then launched into the lesson. Of course, there were notes on the board for them to all take, but she'd decided after last term that she needed to be a bit more informative to her students. At least this one was an enjoyable lesson; there were few things she enjoyed more than telling her students the mysterious and sometimes (if told properly) frightening tale of the Quintaped.
"Back in the days when Scotland was still known for being just as likely to fight with itself as outsiders, there were two families, the MacBoons and the McClivert, living on the Isle of Dreer. The families were said to be in a constant war over the land on the Isle, with both sides claiming that the whole of the Isle was their family's by birthright. Records don't go back far enough for us to know which one of them was truly the first on the land, and they were both convinced that their ancestors were the founders. Now, there was a sort of 'safe zone' on the Isle, a village that was home to inhabitants that were not of either family, and in this village there was a pub, which both family heads frequented. One night, they both happened to decide to go for a drink, and they ran into each other at the bar. After hours of drinking and trading insults, one or the other challenged his rival to a duel. This was back when duels were still fought to the death, and to the death it was, with MacBoon winning by taking the life of McClivert. The McClivert clan, in retaliation, is said to have turned the whole MacBoon family into a herd of beasts, known as Quintapeds, or Hairy MacBoons. These creatures were quite powerful, and dangerous, and transfiguring the clan into them proved to have been a mistake. In an attempt to change them back to their original state, the entire McClivert clan was murdered. To this day, the Isle of Dreer is home to the dreaded creatures, and it is expressly forbidden for anyone to go there, for their own safety. The Quintapeds are monstrous creatures, with huge fangs and a hunger for flesh. And few who have seen them in person have lived to tell the tale."Amata paused, pursing her lips, her eyes sparkling. Throughout the telling, she'd been slowly lowering the lights, and a light, somewhat creepy melody had filled the classroom. It was a scary story, after all, and a true storyteller knew to give a story it's proper telling. She smiled widely at the kids, trying to gauge their reactions. She was certainly in a much better mood now, which she supposed was sort of awful, since she'd been trying to frighten her kids, just a little. In a low, melodious voice, she asked,"Are there any questions?"
═════════════════════════════════ 'Under covers staying safe and warm, You give me feelings that I adore.'
