The Tales of Albus Dumbledore

by Victoria T.

Abstract: Could Albus Dumbledore be Beedle the Bard? Both are strong advocates of Muggle rights, have luxurious beards, are incredibly trusting, and are connected with the Deathly Hallows. We know that Dumbledore’s past was already mysterious… would anybody have noticed if he went back in time to the 15th century, and was Beedle?

Could Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore be Beedle the Bard? When we first met Albus Dumbledore, he was portrayed as whimsical, kind, ingenious, and just a bit crazy. When Beedle the Bard was described in the introduction to the fairy-tale volume, he was mysterious; his stories were playful, curious, and sharp.

Both Dumbledore and Beedle not only had luxurious beards but also similar sets of values. Beedle believed in the rights of Muggles, rather than others in his time period, who weren’t so willing to forgive and forget. Dumbledore had the same opinion on this subject. During Dumbledore’s time, hatred and mistreatment of muggles in the wizarding world were far less common, and such behavior was looked down upon by almost everyone. However, most wizards still thought of muggles as inferior, as the Magic is Might campaign suggested, and throughout his adult life, Dumbledore took a firm stance that muggles should be treated equally to wizards.

Before Dumbledore went back in time to become Beedle the Bard, perhaps the world was in ruins. And so, being the genius that he always was, he decided to go back in time to change things for the better. Most likely, it was because wizards were mistreating muggles, and he needed to express pro-muggle sympathy before the anti-muggle behavior began.

When Dumbledore gave Hermione the Tales in his will, most think it was so Harry could either be warned that Voldemort was trying to get the Elder Wand, or that it was to tell him – Harry – to get the Elder Wand to defeat Lord Voldemort. However, Dumbledore could have also been leading them into the past. Was Dumbledore trying to hint that Beetle was him and that the trio could go into the past – to a former Dumbledore – and seek out his advice?

Finally, the last trait that Dumbledore and Beedle share is trust. Dumbledore trusted so many people along the way, including Severus Snape and Sirius Black. Almost no one would have trusted them – but Dumbledore did, and they turned out to be trustworthy. To publish the ‘Tale of the Three Brothers’, letting anybody read that, means that Beedle had to have trusted people. He decided that the world would benefit from experiencing this story, and so he published it…trusting the wizarding community to use its message (and its props) for good rather than for evil.

Dumbledore and Beedle were not only similar in looks, but also in beliefs. The two both had fantastic beards, affiliation with the Deathly Hallows, pro-Muggle values, and much, much more. They could have been twins, except for the time difference! So why couldn’t they have been the same person? Why couldn’t one have been the other? Why couldn’t Dumbledore have traveled back in time, been Beedle the Bard long enough to publish the Tales, and returned to the present day, changing the world for the better?