Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re going
to be discussing professor Sybil Trelawney, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Hogsmeade
Pub, and the fabled Prophecy. More specifically- we’re going to be taking a look at Trelawney’s
prediction and discussing why she was taken seriously.
The thing is, Sybil Trelawney, despite having a proven track record of predicting things,
does not have a particularly good reputation- and that is mainly because ‘divination’
as an area of magic is not particularly well-received amongst the wizarding population.
Divination is an elective course taught at Hogwarts from third year onwards. In essence,
it’s essentially the art of predicting the future. There are various ways to achieve
this, and methods include but are not limited to: tea leaves, Fire-omens, Crystal balls,
Palmistry, Cartomancy, astrology, and Dream interpretations.
Despite Divination’s PROVEN legitimacy, it is often the target of considerable scrutiny-
even by some of the brightest witches and wizards. McGonagall once described it as “one
of the most imprecise branches of magic” and Hermione outwardly disrespected Trelawney
during one of her divination lessons- a testament to her perception of it as a field of magic:
In fact, even Dumbledore had his qualms with divination despite recognizing it as a legitimate
field of magic. I think that he knew that it was real, but did not necessarily believe
that it could be achieved by many people- a skill reserved for a highly specialized
and select few. In fact, when Dumbledore interviewed Trelawney for her position at Hogwarts- he
was initially quite unimpressed: "On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in
a room above the bar at the Hog's Head Inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the
post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject
of Divination to continue at all. The applicant, however, was the great-great-granddaughter
of a very famous, very gifted Seer, and I thought it common politeness to meet her.
I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told
her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post. I turned
to leave. ..."
But of course, just as he turned to leave Sybill Trelawney entered in to a deep trance-
foretelling the fabled ‘Prophecy’ - the same prophecy that would flip the wizarding
world upside down.
“The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who
have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark
him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die
at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with
the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies …”
And what’s interesting about Sybil Trelawney telling this particular prophecy is that it
seemingly legitimized her ability to predict the future. In Dumbledore’s mind, it solidified
her ability to practice what she preached. However, my issue with this is that if the
events she foretold hadn’t yet occurred- how could her prediction be valid? How could
this have changed his perception of her? Couldn’t she be making it up? She had every reason
to fake her ability to tell the future, particularly as it came at the end of an awful interview.
Even Snape, who overheard a portion of her prophecy, took it at face value and accepted
that it was in fact valid. So, why? Why did people listen to Trelawney’s first prophecy?
I think that it’s for a couple of reasons.
Reason #1 is that Trelawney came from a long line of VALIDATED seers. In fact, one of her
ancestors was Cassandra Trelawney - a witch who had become famous for her ability to predict
the future.
However, I seriously doubt that Trelawney’s heritage alone was enough to convince Dumbledore,
especially with how the interview was going, so I think that this second reason is also
important. In Dumbledore’s pensieve memory, the following is revealed about Trelawney’s
prediction:
“But when Sybill Trelawney spoke, it was not in her usual ethereal, mystic voice, but
in the harsh, hoarse tones Harry had heard her use once before:
“The one with the power to vanquish the - Dark Lord approaches .... “
This reveals that Trelawney was not just spouting off nonsense- she was in a legitimate trance-
a trance that was clearly convincing enough to validate her predictions. Dumbledore and
Snape are no fools- they are highly perceptive individuals- and they knew exactly what was
happening.
And that’s it for this video! Did you guys ever wonder why Trelawney was taken seriously
the first time around? Let me know in the comment section below
Until next time
Your aura is pulsing! Are you in the beyond?