Runespoor

Runespoors were magical beasts, more specifically a snake with three heads or a three-headed serpent. They were a livid orange in color and had black stripes all over their body. Runespoors usually grew up to seven feet long, but there were exceptions. They had three heads, and each head was known to possess a different personality and the sum interaction between these heads gave rise to the natural inclinations of the entire being. Runespoors were easily found in the forests of the African country of Burkina Faso, which is why the Burkina Faso Ministry of Magic decided to make most forests there unplottable. This was done to prevent interference with the Runespoor population by possible poachers and to prevent Muggles from accidentally encountering them in these forests. 

History of Runespoors

Runespoors have long been inhabiting the forests of Burkina Faso. They are mythological creatures known throughout history. They were orange and black in color, and the heads of the Runespoor would constantly be in motion. In the Runic alphabet, the number three is represented by the three heads of a Runespoor. Runespoors were venomous creatures, and their third head, or the right head, carried a very potent venom in its fangs. The right head, being the critical one among the three, was known to constantly hiss and even bite at the other two heads when they made mistakes. 

The Runespoor was the only magical creature in the magical world to lay its eggs through the creature’s mouth. Runespoor eggs came out of the Runespoor’s heads and had great value in the black market. Runespoor eggs were used to make potions that helped in mental agility. The Runespoor’s use is not only restricted to its eggs. Several wizards and witches tried making “faux Floo powder” by using Runespoor fangs. Although it was partially successful, it was considered highly dangerous as it caused injuries.

The Ministry of Magic in Burkina Faso made forests unplottable to prevent encounters with Runespoors for Muggles as well as the magical population. However, the writings of Parselmouths, who encountered Runespoors, have shed a lot of light on these interesting yet elusive beings. Most Runespoors were known to aid dark wizards. Furthermore, although rare, the Runespoor Patronus was sometimes a possibility.

Newt Scamander, the famed magizoologist and protagonist of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series, had two Runespoors in his suitcase. One of them was an apparently normal-sized individual, while the other was considered a gigantic specimen.

The Three Heads

The three heads of a Runespoor were known to possess significantly different personalities. With the help of Parselmouths, who conversed with the Runespoors on different occasions in history, it was possible to establish that the three heads, although they functioned as one being, had different proclivities. 

From the point of view of a wizard or witch standing facing a Runespoor, the left head was known to be the planner. It was a planning head, and it ensured what the course of action for the Runespoor should be in time based on context. The middle head served as a dreamer, a dreaming or visionary head in that it was very freethinking and had its most impulsive requirements and desires presented directly. The right head served as the critic that pointed out flaws and possible shortcomings in the thought processes of the other two heads. It served as a cautionary head that told the other two heads what was a good idea and what was not.

In most cases, the third head of the Runespoor was almost always in danger of being harmed or, in extreme cases, even bitten off. One who encountered a Runespoor was almost always likely to see the right head engaging in a continuous irritable hissing, looking disapprovingly at the other two heads. 

Runespoors in the Harry Potter Universe

Runespoors existed in the Harry Potter universe and were mostly studied by Parselmouths, who could communicate with the Runespoors. Runespoors were known to be affiliated with many Dark Wizards, probably because most Parselmouths were Dark Wizards.

There were two Runespoors in the suitcase that Newt Scamander brought with him to New York in 1926. One of the Runespoors in the suitcase was of a normal size, but its right head was wearing a protective cone. The other Runespoor was a very large one and was considered to be of an exceptional size, especially since normal Runespoors grew only up to seven feet in length.

Reimagining the Runespoor as a Representation of Freud’s Id, Ego, and Superego

One of the interesting analogies for the different purposes that each Runespoor head possesses is that of Sigmund Freud’s concept of the Id, Ego, and Superego. According to this concept, known as the Psychoanalytic theory, the human mind can be seen as a combination of the Id, Ego, and the Superego. The Id is very impulsive and craves immediate satisfaction from its base desires. This can be seen as similar to the middle head of the Runespoor, which was considered a dreamer with glorious visions and dreams that it wanted to be true. Even though immediate gratification is different from visionary dreaming, they both possess great risk to the being if satisfied constantly without review. 

The right head of the Runespoor can be seen as being similar to the Superego as both the Superego and the right head serve as critics to the other two. The efforts of the left head can be seen as being similar to the Ego because the left head is a planner, and based on the inputs from the other two heads, it maintains a healthy balance and acts accordingly.

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