Sunshine: Fauns in a HP World
Jul. 19th, 2021 11:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
paulamcgI haven't tried to plan any responses before seeing the description of each prompt at the Sunshine Challenge. Now I'm happy to realise that the fifth prompt, Pan gives me another chance to post about Remus Lupin and the Revolt of the Creatures.
I proudly present some original characters who are fauns! Yes, back in 2004, a few months after starting to share fanfic as WiP on a small Harry Potter forum, I (didn't know much about how other people wrote fanfic and) was proud to be creative enough to develop a lot of original characters, some of them part-human and non-human creatures, as well as original settings, also hidden areas inhabited by magical creatures beyond real places in Britain. I let my post-OotP Remus interact with goblins, half-goblins, half-giants, a half-veela, elves, hags etc. Even fauns and a half-faun! (And in some chapters, there are a lot of scenes where the only other canon character is Hedwig or Mundungus Fletcher).
Why not? I found it only natural to add fauns to the motley crowd of creatures from mythology and folklore that had been shown to us in the HP books by that time. My fauns were certainly not the first ones in stories written in English and set in the English landscape. I wonder if any other fauns have been spotted in this fandom, though.
The first excerpt is from a scene in which a theatre troupe takes Remus unawares by offering to join in his rebellion and asking him to join them in their performances. Here I introduce my least minor faun character, Peck, and his partner, half-faun Tumble.
The other two excerpts are from the chapter following the scene I shared for prompt three, the scene set in the werewolf village.
Thisby the half-veela sat down on the edge of the stage. The light left her. She bent her head and wrapped her rags tighter around herself.
Remus felt that his face was wet of tears. Suddenly he was aware of the faces and the sounds of the audience around him. Each expression was different. Still, all the creatures were weeping for the one who had reflected the beauty of creation and was burdened by the uncertainty of her own life.
At the big table closest to him two half-giants were comforting each other and squeezing the little bearded waiter in their hug. Next to them a faun climbed onto the table and played a mournful tune from his flute. A lanky youth joined him, grabbed one of his horns and turned his head to get his attention.
“Play a merrier tune to comfort the damsel,
play a tune to dance! I can dance if you can’t.”
The youth bowed to the audience, turned and bowed three times more, and Remus saw that he had horns, too, little ones half hidden in his thick curly auburn hair. He lifted the frayed hem of his robes and revealed hoofs, which started to move in a quick rhythm across the table. The clatter of the hoofs almost covered the sound of the flute. The faun persistently continued to play the lament, but the rhythm of the dancing hoofs intertwined with it and enticed it to change. Yet, at times the flute forced the dancer to follow its lead.
The rest of the audience had hushed. The half-giants had placed their bulky arms on each other’s shoulders and lifted the little waiter up to sit on their shoulders between the two huge shaggy heads. Suddenly the three of them burst into laughter, and it was echoed across the room.
Now the faun with the wailing flute was running around the table after the half-faun, whose steps were weaving more and more intricate patterns. The faun was trying to trip him, but he jumped ever higher on every other step. Now he started to aim kicks on the faun. The faun seemed to flee in panic, which could be heard in his tune. But again he grinned and a playful tune escaped from his flute, and he finally tripped the dancer.
While falling, the half-faun turned a somersault and hit with his hoof the faun’s tail, and the faun fell in no less skilful manner. The half-faun landed on the bench, and the faun’s somersault brought him to his knees on top of the red head and holding the tiny horns.
The audience exploded to applaud. But a shrill elated laughter like a cry of a bird suddenly silenced them.
Thisby had stood up; she was jumping up and down and clapping her hands. Her face was shining again, although there was no silver on her tattered robe now. She spread her arms, and with a few springy steps the dancer leaped to her embrace. He knelt to kiss her hand, while the faun, still on top of his head, quickly kissed her on the mouth. The applause rose like a storm again, and the two stood on either side of Thisby to bow.
She had frozen with a hand on her mouth. A complete silence followed in anticipation of her reaction.
“No, no! Not on the mouth!
...
The moon was waving and winking at him between the wild clouds. He was wrapped in the famous flying blanket, and Mundungus in the tattered overcoat, and with the grimy black pipe in his mouth, was moving among the company, making an inventory of drinks. They had all gathered in a tight circle around a campfire, and Dave the half-giant was like a rock, radiating the warmth of the day, but remarkably more comfortable for Remus to lean against.
Across the fire he saw some more fauns entering the circle of golden light from out of the shadows. One leaped over Peck’s shoulder to sit on his lap and was introduced to Tumble. A couple of others gathered very close to Mr Grubber so as to watch him giving the final touches to a bow cut of yew. Only for a moment did the old half-goblin seem irritated by the distraction. He started to lecture and to demonstrate the superior qualities of his self-made new weapon, and in a moment Remus heard him laugh out loud. Grap and Urgy stood up and their dragon leather boots shone in the flicker of the flames. The steady stronghold that Dave had formed now suddenly trembled, as he fitted an arrow on an enormous bow, too.
“‘Igh time to start makin’ some dinner, don’t you think?” The words were whispered by Mundungus, who had returned to Remus and now offered him a hand to help him stand up.
At that moment Robin’s beaming face got everyone’s attention, as he sang a strange spirited melody before giving the instructions. “We’ll proceed in a wide semicircle to drive them towards that clearing under the ridge. Let’s spread out now.”
...
By the time he had, supported by Mundungus, managed to walk back to the campsite, there was an enticing fragrance of a square meal emanating from cooking pots on the fire. Dave welcomed him back to the shelter of his bulky figure and handed him a large soup plate. The meat had been spiced with herbs and cooked with sweet roots. Satisfying his hunger with this food gave him the astonishing sensation that he had never eaten anything real before.
The moon waved him goodbye, and gentle darkness surrounded the red glow on the circle of faces. The contented murmur got interspersed by more and more frequent bursts of laughter as well as by less and less fumbling attempts at melodies. Just when Peck’s shawm had invited Tumble to jump up to start a dance, the tune was disrupted to remain a fanfare announcing the arrival of the messengers. The message itself was the most triumphant music.
A flock of amazanthines sprinkled the clearing with the lustre of jewels in unattainable flashes, as if too precious to be captured into anyone’s possession. But their song was a continuous hymn, built up in a canon. And it still echoed in the fragrant air, after the birds had hushed and risen high up to remain above the company, like circling stars with a warm twinkle.
The solemn atmosphere changed, when each faun launched into translating the message to the other creatures. The fragments of excited conversations caused a mixture of proud amusement and embarrassment in Remus. Hedwig had apparently described the events in the village to the little birds. He felt like communicating a gentle reproach to her, when she now flew straight to him and perched on his knees. She looked so happy, however, to find him, for once, with no pain, happy and well-nourished, that he did not muster any complaint, after all. But he yearned for detailed news concerning possible casualties. He looked around expectantly and was relieved to see one of the fauns approach him.
The faun squatted himself in front of Remus and bent his head low, covering his horns with his right hand and reaching out his left open palm slantwise down and towards him. The silent homage got everyone’s attention, and all the fauns joined in it, albeit remaining at their places in the circle – while the other creatures exploded into a remarkably less restrained applause.
Remus did not know what else to do but close his eyes for a moment and bend his head, too. “Please tell me about the damage the werewolves caused,” he asked as calmly as he could.
I proudly present some original characters who are fauns! Yes, back in 2004, a few months after starting to share fanfic as WiP on a small Harry Potter forum, I (didn't know much about how other people wrote fanfic and) was proud to be creative enough to develop a lot of original characters, some of them part-human and non-human creatures, as well as original settings, also hidden areas inhabited by magical creatures beyond real places in Britain. I let my post-OotP Remus interact with goblins, half-goblins, half-giants, a half-veela, elves, hags etc. Even fauns and a half-faun! (And in some chapters, there are a lot of scenes where the only other canon character is Hedwig or Mundungus Fletcher).
Why not? I found it only natural to add fauns to the motley crowd of creatures from mythology and folklore that had been shown to us in the HP books by that time. My fauns were certainly not the first ones in stories written in English and set in the English landscape. I wonder if any other fauns have been spotted in this fandom, though.
The first excerpt is from a scene in which a theatre troupe takes Remus unawares by offering to join in his rebellion and asking him to join them in their performances. Here I introduce my least minor faun character, Peck, and his partner, half-faun Tumble.
The other two excerpts are from the chapter following the scene I shared for prompt three, the scene set in the werewolf village.
Thisby the half-veela sat down on the edge of the stage. The light left her. She bent her head and wrapped her rags tighter around herself.
Remus felt that his face was wet of tears. Suddenly he was aware of the faces and the sounds of the audience around him. Each expression was different. Still, all the creatures were weeping for the one who had reflected the beauty of creation and was burdened by the uncertainty of her own life.
At the big table closest to him two half-giants were comforting each other and squeezing the little bearded waiter in their hug. Next to them a faun climbed onto the table and played a mournful tune from his flute. A lanky youth joined him, grabbed one of his horns and turned his head to get his attention.
“Play a merrier tune to comfort the damsel,
play a tune to dance! I can dance if you can’t.”
The youth bowed to the audience, turned and bowed three times more, and Remus saw that he had horns, too, little ones half hidden in his thick curly auburn hair. He lifted the frayed hem of his robes and revealed hoofs, which started to move in a quick rhythm across the table. The clatter of the hoofs almost covered the sound of the flute. The faun persistently continued to play the lament, but the rhythm of the dancing hoofs intertwined with it and enticed it to change. Yet, at times the flute forced the dancer to follow its lead.
The rest of the audience had hushed. The half-giants had placed their bulky arms on each other’s shoulders and lifted the little waiter up to sit on their shoulders between the two huge shaggy heads. Suddenly the three of them burst into laughter, and it was echoed across the room.
Now the faun with the wailing flute was running around the table after the half-faun, whose steps were weaving more and more intricate patterns. The faun was trying to trip him, but he jumped ever higher on every other step. Now he started to aim kicks on the faun. The faun seemed to flee in panic, which could be heard in his tune. But again he grinned and a playful tune escaped from his flute, and he finally tripped the dancer.
While falling, the half-faun turned a somersault and hit with his hoof the faun’s tail, and the faun fell in no less skilful manner. The half-faun landed on the bench, and the faun’s somersault brought him to his knees on top of the red head and holding the tiny horns.
The audience exploded to applaud. But a shrill elated laughter like a cry of a bird suddenly silenced them.
Thisby had stood up; she was jumping up and down and clapping her hands. Her face was shining again, although there was no silver on her tattered robe now. She spread her arms, and with a few springy steps the dancer leaped to her embrace. He knelt to kiss her hand, while the faun, still on top of his head, quickly kissed her on the mouth. The applause rose like a storm again, and the two stood on either side of Thisby to bow.
She had frozen with a hand on her mouth. A complete silence followed in anticipation of her reaction.
“No, no! Not on the mouth!
...
The moon was waving and winking at him between the wild clouds. He was wrapped in the famous flying blanket, and Mundungus in the tattered overcoat, and with the grimy black pipe in his mouth, was moving among the company, making an inventory of drinks. They had all gathered in a tight circle around a campfire, and Dave the half-giant was like a rock, radiating the warmth of the day, but remarkably more comfortable for Remus to lean against.
Across the fire he saw some more fauns entering the circle of golden light from out of the shadows. One leaped over Peck’s shoulder to sit on his lap and was introduced to Tumble. A couple of others gathered very close to Mr Grubber so as to watch him giving the final touches to a bow cut of yew. Only for a moment did the old half-goblin seem irritated by the distraction. He started to lecture and to demonstrate the superior qualities of his self-made new weapon, and in a moment Remus heard him laugh out loud. Grap and Urgy stood up and their dragon leather boots shone in the flicker of the flames. The steady stronghold that Dave had formed now suddenly trembled, as he fitted an arrow on an enormous bow, too.
“‘Igh time to start makin’ some dinner, don’t you think?” The words were whispered by Mundungus, who had returned to Remus and now offered him a hand to help him stand up.
At that moment Robin’s beaming face got everyone’s attention, as he sang a strange spirited melody before giving the instructions. “We’ll proceed in a wide semicircle to drive them towards that clearing under the ridge. Let’s spread out now.”
...
By the time he had, supported by Mundungus, managed to walk back to the campsite, there was an enticing fragrance of a square meal emanating from cooking pots on the fire. Dave welcomed him back to the shelter of his bulky figure and handed him a large soup plate. The meat had been spiced with herbs and cooked with sweet roots. Satisfying his hunger with this food gave him the astonishing sensation that he had never eaten anything real before.
The moon waved him goodbye, and gentle darkness surrounded the red glow on the circle of faces. The contented murmur got interspersed by more and more frequent bursts of laughter as well as by less and less fumbling attempts at melodies. Just when Peck’s shawm had invited Tumble to jump up to start a dance, the tune was disrupted to remain a fanfare announcing the arrival of the messengers. The message itself was the most triumphant music.
A flock of amazanthines sprinkled the clearing with the lustre of jewels in unattainable flashes, as if too precious to be captured into anyone’s possession. But their song was a continuous hymn, built up in a canon. And it still echoed in the fragrant air, after the birds had hushed and risen high up to remain above the company, like circling stars with a warm twinkle.
The solemn atmosphere changed, when each faun launched into translating the message to the other creatures. The fragments of excited conversations caused a mixture of proud amusement and embarrassment in Remus. Hedwig had apparently described the events in the village to the little birds. He felt like communicating a gentle reproach to her, when she now flew straight to him and perched on his knees. She looked so happy, however, to find him, for once, with no pain, happy and well-nourished, that he did not muster any complaint, after all. But he yearned for detailed news concerning possible casualties. He looked around expectantly and was relieved to see one of the fauns approach him.
The faun squatted himself in front of Remus and bent his head low, covering his horns with his right hand and reaching out his left open palm slantwise down and towards him. The silent homage got everyone’s attention, and all the fauns joined in it, albeit remaining at their places in the circle – while the other creatures exploded into a remarkably less restrained applause.
Remus did not know what else to do but close his eyes for a moment and bend his head, too. “Please tell me about the damage the werewolves caused,” he asked as calmly as he could.
