Chapter Text
An excerpt from Wizarding Tales; an analysis. by William B. Croan.
Chapter 5: The Tale as Old as Time
As we complete the history of the “Tale of Three Brothers”, It now makes sense chronologically to begin my personal favorite wizarding wives tale.
It’s unclear as to the exact date and location this tale originated from, but it’s thought to be Germanic in origin. Wherever it came from, it’s proven to be a childhood favorite for many wizards.
Several different translations, versions, and interpretations exist, in this analysis, I’ll focus on the main, most agreed upon version of the tale.
Most wizards, save for muggle borns, will be familiar with this story. In case a refresher is necessary, or in case my dear reader is unfamiliar with story, a common, shortened translation will be included.
As indicated in all of my previous chapters, any information denoted within (parentheses) will be my own comments, separate from the tale itself.
The tale as Old as Time
It is believed that an ancient spirit dwells within the very folds of our reality.
This being exists not in our timeline, nor in any other timeline. This spirit exists outside the realm of time, within its own realm.
It is believed to know all.
It knows what is, what once was, and what will be.
Thousands of years ago, the first and most violent wizarding war began. It is believed that nearly half of the wizarding population was killed either directly in the war, or as a direct affect of the war.
Fought between forces of light and dark magic, no end was in sight for the Beelingrow family.
The Beelingrows lived a quiet life in the English hills. Living off of their harvest for their bare necessities, the war took a devastating toll.
Little Ria grew sicker and sicker as the days passed, mother grew tired as she cared for her family, and father would soon never return, one of the thousands of wizarding casualties.
Noa Beelingrows watched with sorrow as his little baby sister grazed the line between life and death, and mourned the loss of his father.
Noa was in the fields, working to lighten the load for his mother, when he was approached by a bloodred fox.
“hello, Mr Fox. What brings you to our hills today?” The boy asked with curiosity.
“I am here to watch you work the fields.” Replied the fox.
And so, the fox watched.
Hours later, as the sun set, the boy bade farewell to the fox, and left to begin supper.
The next morning, as Noa was fetching water from the well, he was approached once more by the bloodred fox.
“Hello again Mr. Fox.” Said the boy.
“Hello again, Noa. I am here to watch you work the fields”
And so, the fox watched.
The third day, the bloodred fox appeared once more, and again, he watched.
On the 4th day, the bloodred fox had a different plan.
“Noa, I wish to make a deal with you.” Said the fox.
Noa was an intelligent boy, and knew better than to make deals with foxes.
“No thanks, Mr. Fox.” Said the boy.
“You must though Noa, I can save baby Ria.” Said the fox, sly.
Noa thought this over, and after a few moments, decided he must hear the fox out, for how could he deny the opportunity to save his sister?
“I can save little Ria, I can restore your mother to happiness, and I can return your father to you.” The fox began.
Noa was shocked, his father, back once more!
“I can do it all, Noa. And I require just one thing.” The fox said.
“what, what?” Noa said, eager.
“Your body.” Said the bloodred fox.
Noa was quiet for a moment.
“You mean you’ll kill me?” The boy asked.
“No, No! You misunderstand me Noa. I would simply share your body.” Said the bloodred fox.
“I don’t think I understand” Replied the boy.
“You’d hardly notice me there Noa, just think of poor little Ria.” Said the fox.
Noa thought hard for a long time. When he finally came to his decision, the sun was setting and it was nearly time for Noa to go in to prepare dinner.
“Ok Mr. Fox, I’ll do it.” The boy said, standing from his perch on a tree stump. The fox, who had sat and watched Noa intently, nodded.
“I believed you would do the right thing Noa, for this, you can call me by my true name. At home, they call me Spharrow.” Said the fox. Noa nodded.
“Ok, Spharrow. What do I do now?”
“You go home, by the time you arrive, we’ll be one, and you’ll be greeted with a healthy sister, a shining mother, and your father, alive once more.” Said Spharrow.
Noa could hardly contain his joy. He ran all the way home, never noticing a change at all. When he arrives, he hears joyous cries from inside.
He enters his house to find his mother crying tears of joy as she held baby Ria, who seemed fully well once more.
And his father, who Noa hadn’t seen in months, standing in the kitchen, smiling at his family.
Noa ran to his father, but was stopped as he heard a terrible scream from his mother.
“Noa, what did you do?” screeched his mother. Noa was taken aback, and found himself staring into a mirror in the kitchen well.
It wasn’t his own eyes staring back, instead of pupils, there was pure black. Noa was terrified.
“You sold your soul.” Said Noa’s father, staring with hatred in his eyes. “You’re not my Noa.”
“Father, please!” Noa said, tears welling in his dark eyes.
“Begone, and I swear by my own grave that I wont hesitate to kill you if I ever see you again.”
And so, Noa left.
Noa spent years on his own. Once he grew enough to know better, he stopped the violent war, with the help of his bloodred fox.
Spharrow's soul could not exist without Noa's soul.
It is believed that Spharrow is behind the peaceful endings to seemingly neverending wars, however, his methods are less than admirable, consuming the souls of those around him, Spharrow is only as strong as the body he inhabits.
Spharrow, while not inhabiting a boy’s body, exists outside of our realm. He sees all, and knows the past, present, and future. His notorious deal making has led to thousand of consumed souls, damned to an eternity of emptiness.
The end.
The uniqueness of this story stems from it’s surprising lack of theme. Every tale examined in this book can be interpreted as a lesson, except for this one. I suppose that’s why it was always my favorite one growing up, despite it’s less than happy ending.
Before I dive into the analysis, I’d like to introduce a name for Spharrow that may be more common. My son made the connection and I’ve felt quite silly since. A more well-known name for Spharrow may be “The Well of Knowledge”.
Let’s start at the beginning, the story starts with …
End of Excerpt