Happy Birthday, Filius
Oct. 16th, 2006 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stuttermoanFlitwick, for all his visibility, is one of the professors we know just a little about. He's not a complete mystery (like Professors Sinistra or Vector) but he's nowhere near as detailed as, say, Snape, Hagrid, McGonagall, etc. Since all of the astrological birthday comparisons I've done so far have seemed to match their characters rather well, I figured it might be fun to use this info to fill in the blanks. Here's what The Secret Language of Birthdays by Gary Goldschneider and Joost Elffers has to say about Flitwick.
Libra - October 17 - The Day of Precarious Balance
"Strengths: Self-confident, Resilient, Daring
Weaknesses: Overconfident, Reckless, Stubborn"
Heh, I like how self-confident and overconfident are both listed.
"Like a cat, those born on October 17 usually manage to land on their feet. No matter what difficulties or dangers they face, it is their balance above all which they strive to maintain. This might be a simple matter were it not for the fact that they love to take chances. Instability may be their worst enemy, but most often it is of the self-induced variety."
Well, he is a professor and a Head of House (Ravenclaw) so it's pretty safe to assume he keeps his professional life in balance with his personal life, whatever that might be like.
"There are two distinct types of October 17 people: on the one hand the quiet, seemingly stable kind who appear to have it all together, and on the other hand the daredevils to whom life without risk-taking is dull and tedious. Some of these latter individuals may think nothing of taking life-threatening risks, attracted by the skill required to win at long odds. Others less extreme will nevertheless be gamblers of a kind, whether money, property or even love are the stakes. The more stable of October 17 people may enjoy a fairly settled life, but closer examination makes it apparent that they are often attracted to highly artistic, nervous or unusual people who bring an element of uncertainty with them. Both October 17 types love drama and lively events -- the more stable ones as observers and the risk-takers as participants."
Of the few insights we have about Flitwick's past, there is definitely one that suggests risk-taking in his earlier years. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young..." says Hermione during the dueling club scene in CoS. There's definitely danger in dueling, even if supervised (especially if you're Lockhart, heh). I can totally picture Flitwick playing off the fact that people might underestimate him because of his stature.
"October 17 people find it hard to change their ways. They often fall victim to hubris, as if they put themselves above laws of ordinary human experience. Alas, they do make mistakes, and big ones, costly in terms of finances or physical health. Yet they go on -- resilient, confident that they can recover from setbacks or accidents no matter how major. In this respect they treat fate like a lover of long standing or, at the very least, an old friend. Perhaps they are up to this dangerous game, but they must particularly beware all forms of self-deception."
Well, overconfidence can get anyone in trouble, but I think it'd be especially unwise in a competitive setting. I'm thinking if he has pursued dueling long enough to be known years later (by second year students, no less) as a champion, he's probably kept a realistic view of his abilities.
"Most October 17 people are quite unrestrained when defining themselves and their talents, thus artists born on this day can incorporate the ideas of others in their work and make them their own. Masters at taking old or time-honored themes and reworking them, October 17 people are traditionalists, and no matter how modern or advanced their thinking, remain conservative in their basic approach to life. Caution, limitation and detailed research based on experience are what enable them to take such apparently dangerous risks in so cavalier a fashion."
We know far from lacking, intelligence-wise, being a professor. We've been shown in several instances that not only are Charms underrated by some (think Neville's Gran calling them a 'soft option' as compared to Transfiguration), but they also offer some ingenious ways to get around physical limitations (like being short). Assuming Charms was always his strong subject, Flitwick probably used them in his dueling as well. Overall, he seems to have taken this particular branch of magic and molded it to his advantage ("...taking old or time-honored themes and reworking them..."). JKR even makes reference to the potential for imagination that Charms offers: "With Charms there would be a little more leeway for a little more personal creativity."
"On the other side, October 17 people generally act in a measured, considerate manner with their colleagues, friends and family -- but don't get their back up! Their tempers can explode when their authority is threatened or their intentions brought into question."
From what we've been shown, he does get on well with his colleagues, and the students (even Malfoy) seem to respect him. He seems to display patience in the classroom (which seems like it'd be necessary to teach something as mutable as Charms to accident-prone students). And, in the words of John Dryden..."Beware the fury of a patient man."
Libra - October 17 - The Day of Precarious Balance
"Strengths: Self-confident, Resilient, Daring
Weaknesses: Overconfident, Reckless, Stubborn"
Heh, I like how self-confident and overconfident are both listed.
"Like a cat, those born on October 17 usually manage to land on their feet. No matter what difficulties or dangers they face, it is their balance above all which they strive to maintain. This might be a simple matter were it not for the fact that they love to take chances. Instability may be their worst enemy, but most often it is of the self-induced variety."
Well, he is a professor and a Head of House (Ravenclaw) so it's pretty safe to assume he keeps his professional life in balance with his personal life, whatever that might be like.
"There are two distinct types of October 17 people: on the one hand the quiet, seemingly stable kind who appear to have it all together, and on the other hand the daredevils to whom life without risk-taking is dull and tedious. Some of these latter individuals may think nothing of taking life-threatening risks, attracted by the skill required to win at long odds. Others less extreme will nevertheless be gamblers of a kind, whether money, property or even love are the stakes. The more stable of October 17 people may enjoy a fairly settled life, but closer examination makes it apparent that they are often attracted to highly artistic, nervous or unusual people who bring an element of uncertainty with them. Both October 17 types love drama and lively events -- the more stable ones as observers and the risk-takers as participants."
Of the few insights we have about Flitwick's past, there is definitely one that suggests risk-taking in his earlier years. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young..." says Hermione during the dueling club scene in CoS. There's definitely danger in dueling, even if supervised (especially if you're Lockhart, heh). I can totally picture Flitwick playing off the fact that people might underestimate him because of his stature.
"October 17 people find it hard to change their ways. They often fall victim to hubris, as if they put themselves above laws of ordinary human experience. Alas, they do make mistakes, and big ones, costly in terms of finances or physical health. Yet they go on -- resilient, confident that they can recover from setbacks or accidents no matter how major. In this respect they treat fate like a lover of long standing or, at the very least, an old friend. Perhaps they are up to this dangerous game, but they must particularly beware all forms of self-deception."
Well, overconfidence can get anyone in trouble, but I think it'd be especially unwise in a competitive setting. I'm thinking if he has pursued dueling long enough to be known years later (by second year students, no less) as a champion, he's probably kept a realistic view of his abilities.
"Most October 17 people are quite unrestrained when defining themselves and their talents, thus artists born on this day can incorporate the ideas of others in their work and make them their own. Masters at taking old or time-honored themes and reworking them, October 17 people are traditionalists, and no matter how modern or advanced their thinking, remain conservative in their basic approach to life. Caution, limitation and detailed research based on experience are what enable them to take such apparently dangerous risks in so cavalier a fashion."
We know far from lacking, intelligence-wise, being a professor. We've been shown in several instances that not only are Charms underrated by some (think Neville's Gran calling them a 'soft option' as compared to Transfiguration), but they also offer some ingenious ways to get around physical limitations (like being short). Assuming Charms was always his strong subject, Flitwick probably used them in his dueling as well. Overall, he seems to have taken this particular branch of magic and molded it to his advantage ("...taking old or time-honored themes and reworking them..."). JKR even makes reference to the potential for imagination that Charms offers: "With Charms there would be a little more leeway for a little more personal creativity."
"On the other side, October 17 people generally act in a measured, considerate manner with their colleagues, friends and family -- but don't get their back up! Their tempers can explode when their authority is threatened or their intentions brought into question."
From what we've been shown, he does get on well with his colleagues, and the students (even Malfoy) seem to respect him. He seems to display patience in the classroom (which seems like it'd be necessary to teach something as mutable as Charms to accident-prone students). And, in the words of John Dryden..."Beware the fury of a patient man."
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Date: 2006-10-21 06:46 am (UTC)Yeah, creepy accuracies aside, I think anything concerning astrology contains some ideas so universal that they could apply to almost anyone. Whether or not there's any actual validity to it (for real people, at least, as opposed to characters which can be created from it) I've always approached it as a tool of self-contemplation and nothing more.