Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re going
to be discussing Albus Dumbledore’s brother, Abeforth Dumbledore, and his supposed ‘obsession’
with goats.
Abeforth Dumbledore was a British half-blood wizard, the older brother of Ariana Dumbledore,
the younger brother of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, and the son of Kendra and
Percival Dumbledore. Abeforth had a poor relationship with his brother, as they were both involved
in the three way duel involving Grindelwald that led to the death of their sister, Ariana.
When Ariana died, it basically ended their relationship, as Abeforth blamed Albus for
her death. Even though Albus and Abeforth were brothers, and fairly close in age, they
were always very different:
"They were not alike; Aberforth was never bookish and, unlike Albus, preferred to settle
arguments by duelling rather than through reasoned discussion. In fairness to Aberforth,
it must be admitted that living in Albus's shadow cannot have been an altogether comfortable
experience."
The two parted ways in the year 1900, when Albus was 19 and Abeforth was 16. Abeforth
later became the barman at the Hog’s Head Inn in Hogsmeade village, and though the brothers
had a poor relationship, Abeforth did later join the Order of the Phoenix during the first
wizarding war in an effort to help combat Voldemort. Though Abeforth was quite a powerful
wizard- he was a Dumbledore after all, he preferred to live a quiet life. He enjoyed
his job as a barman, and also kept farm animals - most notably goats. Abeforth is presented
by Rowling in a bit of an interesting light, perhaps to provide a bit of comic relief,
as in the Goblet of fire it’s mentioned (briefly) that Abeforth has a bit of an unusual
relationship with his goats. In fact, he was even prosecuted for the supposed things that
he did with goats.
“My own brother, Aberforth, was prosecuted for practising inappropriate charms on a goat.
It was all over the papers, but did Aberforth hide? No, he did not! He held his head high
and went about his business as usual! Of course, I'm not entirely sure he can read, so that
may not have been bravery..."
Dumbledore also briefly mentions his brothers ‘unhealthy obsession’ with goats in his
notes in his copy of Tales of Beedle the Bard:
“I heard it first from my mother, and it soon became the tale I requested more often
than any other at bedtime. This frequently led to arguments with my younger brother,
Aberforth, whose favourite story was “Grumble the Grubby Goat”
So, given that he was PROSECUTED, what on EARTH did Abeforth possibly do with goats?
This is a very unusual part of the books, and it really leaves things wide open to reader
interpretation. Every reference to Abeforth seems to mention goats- his obsession with
them, how he would play with them, and how he would go to feed them with his sister.
So, what did he do with them that got him prosecuted? In an interview, JK Rowling addresses
this:
“In the Goblet of Fire Dumbledore said his brother was prosecuted for practicing inappropriate
charms on a goat; what were the inappropriate charms he was practicing on that goat?”
“I think that he was trying to make a goat that was easy to keep clean, curly horns.
That’s a joke that works on a couple of levels. I really like Aberforth and his goats.
But you know Aberforth having this strange fondness for goats if you’ve read book seven,
came in really useful to Harry, later on, because a goat, a stag, you know. If you’re
a stupid Death Eater, what’s the difference. So, that is my answer to YOU.”
Rowling was asked a similar question in a fan letter:
“Q: Why is one brother in love with goats?”
“A: This question made me roar with laughter. Aberforth's goat fetish is a running joke
that kept me amused. I don't think he's really in love with them, but it's a good pretext
for humor.”
Here’s what I think.: Abeforth already liked goats as a kid, fair enough - they are interesting
animals. However, what really cemented his love for goats and what perpetuated his fondness
for goats, were the fond childhood memories that he had associated with them. It’s well
known that Abeforth would feed the goats with his sister, Ariana. This is the sister that
he lost, and when they went to feed goats together it was a simpler time when the family
was much more put together.
However, I think that this ‘joke’ involving Abeforth and Goats is often perceived in a
more INAPPROPRIATE context- I’m not going to spell this out for you, I’m sure you
can figure it out for yourself. However, I like to look at it MUCH more innocently, and
I think that Aberforth was just a really odd guy with a strong love for goats.
And that’s it for this video? What do you guys think Abeforth did with goats? Let’s
keep it PG
Until next time,
“It does not do to dwell on goats and forget to live”