Penelope and Pigwidgeon
As I mentioned before (in a comment), Penelope is a type of duck. It also apparently means "needle and thread" or "needle and spool (of thread)".
According to http://dict.die.net/anas%20penelope/, "Anas penelope n : freshwater duck of Eurasia and North Africa related to mallards and teals [syn: widgeon, wigeon, Anas penelope]" It's also sometimes called Mareca penelope.
Anyways... Widgeon? Pigwidgeon? Now, says http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Pigwidgeon, "Pig´wid`geonn. 1. A cant word for anything petty or small. It is used by Drayton as the name of a fairy."
However, we don't simply have a small (Scops) owl here, do we? Are we really to assume it's a 
coincidence that Percy had a pet rat (who turned out to be a wizard) and gave it to Ron... then for Percy to get an owl he names Hermes... and then for Percy to meet (and date) a girl named Penelope and for Ron to later receive an owl that Ginny names Pigwidgeon? Notice that Crookshanks pays attention to "Pig", but that the half-kneazle simply seems hungry, not distrustful... what does Crookshanks think about Pigwidgeon? For that matter, what does he think of Hermes?
coincidence that Percy had a pet rat (who turned out to be a wizard) and gave it to Ron... then for Percy to get an owl he names Hermes... and then for Percy to meet (and date) a girl named Penelope and for Ron to later receive an owl that Ginny names Pigwidgeon? Notice that Crookshanks pays attention to "Pig", but that the half-kneazle simply seems hungry, not distrustful... what does Crookshanks think about Pigwidgeon? For that matter, what does he think of Hermes?Back to the myths discussed in the comments to the blocked passageway post: Odysseus's wife, Penelope, was the daughter of Icarius and the first cousin of Helen of Troy. (Icarius is also a star in the constellation Boötes.) Penelope was the loyal wife who thought up clever ways to ward off
her suitors. She would work on a tapestry by day but then unravel it by night, so that it would never be completed. As long as the tapestry was incomplete she would not have to choose a husband. A suitor caught on to her deceipt, and she was forced to find another way to keep the suitors at bay. She had them try to string one of Odysseus's bows and shoot a single arrow through 12 axe handles. Odysseus came back (in disguise) and, after stringing the bow and shooting an arrow through all 12 axe handles) chased off or killed the suitors. Penelope was helped by Athena (Minerva) and Hermes. Odysseus, in his attempts to return home, was helped by Zeus and Hermes.
her suitors. She would work on a tapestry by day but then unravel it by night, so that it would never be completed. As long as the tapestry was incomplete she would not have to choose a husband. A suitor caught on to her deceipt, and she was forced to find another way to keep the suitors at bay. She had them try to string one of Odysseus's bows and shoot a single arrow through 12 axe handles. Odysseus came back (in disguise) and, after stringing the bow and shooting an arrow through all 12 axe handles) chased off or killed the suitors. Penelope was helped by Athena (Minerva) and Hermes. Odysseus, in his attempts to return home, was helped by Zeus and Hermes.Labels: Hermes, Penelope, Percy, Pigwidgeon, Ron
posted by Arran Walker @ 12:19 PM
5 Comments:
Hmmmm. Hogwarts has tapestries that concealed doors, entrances or shortcuts.
I wonder how many of the secret passageways Percy or Penelope found while they attended Hogwarts....
The books certainly have running bits mentioning "knits" and "knitting". Dumbledore said he loves knitting patterns. Narcissa mentioned Twilfitt and Tatting's. Tatting is sort of like knitting. Hermione & Mrs. Weasley knits (and Ron hates his knitted Xmas sweater). Even Dobby knitted.
Then we have lots of spiders in the various books. Spiders weave their webs with "threads" -- like knitting. Ron hates spiders, too.
If plans were carefully knitted patterns of events, is Penelope going to be the one who will unravel them? And whose plans: Dumbledore's? Voldemort's? Harry's? Possibly the planned wedding of Bill and Fleur?
We didn't see Penelope in HBP, though. I don't think we saw her after COS, do you?
Oh, that was me who posted the other comment. I guess I wrote the word verification as my name. LOL
And Hagrid knits, too. Remember what Hagrid was doing on the London Underground trip with Harry in PS/SS? Knitting a canary yellow item that looked to Harry like a circus tent....
Oh, yeah, then there is the chapter title "Spinner's End".
And we have young Tom Riddle stealing all sorts of items, including a silver thimble.
We have names of yo-yo tricks showing up throught the series, too, and some of the components of a yo-yo have names based on spools of thread, which is how yo-yo's were originally made.... from yard spools and yarn.
There's also a reference everytime something is described as "spindly" or having a "spindle".
There are allusions to the three fates, much like the Wyrd Sisters (like the Weird Sisters), who are associated with weaving the tapestry of life.
The series is CHALK FULL of knitting, weaving, and knotting references. BTW, tatting is actually lacemaking, which is making knots. This could even bring the surename Nott into the list of this running bit.
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