I would assume it's something like the scarlet 'A' adulteresses were forced to wear/branded with when caught. Big, humiliating, and just plain old fun for everyone else to look at.

 

You could also combine the two to basically dump Draco's family down the shithole. Then again if you do combine the two it seems more like overly stupid bashing than anything else.

 

Call me a stickler for realism, but one thing that bothers me to no end is this idea that there's a rune for everything under the sun. There's not. There's only about 26 to 33 of them, depending on whether you're dealing with Elder or Younger Futhark, or with Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. Runes aren't like Chinese characters. Runes are a normal alphabet like Phonecian, Greek, or Latin.

Granted, each of the runes does have a meaning of its own, but that comes from the name given to it that was used to express its sound, like the letter T in Futhark being called Tyr (the god of war), and thus being a single character representation of said god. However, there was no "honor" rune, and no "reversal" or "negation" rune.

Here's the Old English word for "dishonorable" (written "arleas" in the Latin alphabet) in Futhorc, which is the version of Runes that would have been used by the English, and subsequently, the Founders:



Best,
Rin

 

Ya.. well.. you know magic wands and stuff aren't exactly realistic..I'm sure readers can accept that there are honour runes in this story..

 

"Well this is magic" isn't the end argument for everything either.
Never really thought much about what the runes would be themselves, only imagined them as glow-in-the-dark scratches carved into something. But yeah, really shouldn't be described as there being 10^10 symbols for every situation just as Harry shouldn't be cutting people up with katanas.

 

This would make a good thread in the general discussion section.

True those runes are alphabets but the runes used by wizards might not have anything to do with the runes used by muggles, they could have developed their own in which case they could be like Chinese characters or they could just be an alphabet, as it is never mentioned in cannon it's really up to the author but nether is in anyway unrealistic (ignoring the fiction bit) as both are possible.

 

Yah but in HPverse there are actually runes that symbolise things other then a different alphabet.. such as specific runes for animals etc

And considering they have a whole range of texts on the subject of runes, and teach it as a subject... well it lends credence to the fact that runes are more then just a language/writing system.

But then again.. I find it more likely that Rowling didn't even bother thinking that deep. And now that I've just typed all that I cbf getting into a discussion on this topic...I mean it doesn't really matter, its not like jbern is going to go into a 3 page explanation on runes in his story just to say "he got the mark "

 

Just to answer Rin, I dug out the conversation with Mordecai and here is what he wrote. I clearly wronged him by just replying from memory without consulting the actual message. So here is his explanation in full detail -

"It occurred to me that the Cur Mark might take the form of an Ancient Rune, if you are going with the theory that they can channel or direct magic in some way, or even if they simply have a strong symbolism. Given the time period the punishment was used in, its entirely possible that they would have ensured the Cur Mark meant something. So I dug out my old A Practical Guide to The Runes (I used to have an interest in that sort of stuff) and looked at the section about using Futhark runes in magic. There are two runes that you could use for the Cur Mark that would be appropriate. First of all is Raidho, which symbolises the cosmic rules of Right and Order, one of its primary uses in magic is obtaining justice according to Right. The other rune would be Thurisaz in reverse, as normally its used in the neutralisation of enemies or opposition. So if you reverse the meaning it could be taken as an indication that the bearer tried to harm someone maliciously. The use of something with deeper symbolism for punishment like that would seem to me to be something that the Wizarding world would go for."

Hopefully that explanation satisfies the level of realism you were looking for Rin. Let me know if it doesn't, because I do strive for a level of realism and there isn't that much difference between two large runes on the back of a hand and the five you displayed for the word dishonorable.

I'm still working on the mechanics of the branding, but my initial idea is that the two runes are emblazoned somewhere on the Goblet of Fire and that someone (a representative of the wronged party - probably Snape) will hold the back of Draco's hand against the Goblet while the runes are forcibily transferred to his hand. The rune will attach itself to Draco's magic so that if the hand is removed the mark will reappear somewhere else. (Tom had to get his idea for the Dark Mark from somewhere.)

Plus, the runes will start glowing right then and there - instant karma and on the spot punishment with no room for appeal or whatnot.

Most likely, I'll fall back on having Hermione chatting about it as it happens since she plays a good role in the fic or the Sorting Hat who has seen it done before will explain it to HJ and the readers.

Three pages? No! However, it'll warrant a couple of paragraphs.

Edit - Of course with HJ knowing a thing or two about runes courtesy of JP, he may not really need the explanation.

 

Thanks for posting my actual explanation Jbern. My actual idea was that you use one or other of the runes, but due to the shapes they take they would actually fit well together. Raidho is basically an R shape, with the loop being triangular and the forward leg stopping slightly before its on an equal level with the rear leg. Thurisaz is sort of like a P, but again the loop is triangular in shape, and is actually placed about 2/3 of the way up the shaft, rather than at the top. To reverse to rune turn it upside down and backwards. This would result in the "loop|" facing to the left, rather than the right, and being 1/3 of the way up the shaft, rather than 2/3 of the way up.

This would result in the "loop" of thurisaz being able to fit into the space provided by the "loop" of Raidho and its forward leg. This would mean you would have a unique mark as the curs mark, rather than it just being obviously two runes. Such a mark would justify the existence of the specific name for it, rather than the punishment being to be branded with certain specific runes.

Just a thought...

 

Nice one, Mordecai

The fun part about this is that while muggles might brand someone so that they're known for their crime by a visual clue (Like how thieves and pirates were branded for centuries all over the world for their crimes) I'd think that wizards would make the punishment magical in nature beyond just being impossible to remove.

Meaning that the mark of the cur might have a full on enchantment on it.

I mean there's soooo many options here.

For example... Once branded, the mark remains, but should the "cur" again perform a similar dishonorable act, the mark flares up and physically burns him (smoking flesh and all) as though he'd just been branded all over again. Sort of a "conditioning and corrective therapy through negative reinforcement" thing.

Or...if he commits some other dishonorable act that it might give him non stop pain or irritation (no sleep for you) until he confesses his crime/act publicly (Sort of a self 'posting' effect. And by that I mean the old practice of literally nailing a person's name to a post in a town square detailing their dishonor. This was a common punishment given to someone for refusing a duel or for someone who actually ran from a duel) Of course it might take him a while to figure out what he has to do... since people have likely forgotten the details of how to deal with this thing. He might even go temporarily crazy from sleep deprivation before someone figures it out.

Or maybe give it a voice that lectures him in his head non stop if he does something the mark feels is wrong. Something to the point where he can't hear anything but the voice

Or...and my personal fav... the hand take on a mind of it's own. Yeah... the "evil hand with a mind all it's own" is a cliche, but the possibilities for it to do evil to Draco are without limit. He might be writing an assignment and without realizing it his hand starts writing confessions for him about things he plans to do or even has done. Having him turn said confessions without realizing that they're in his homework in to teachers other than Snape would be pure lulz. And since it's his wand hand it might even start jinxing him on it's own.

 

You have to remember Garret that this is a lesser punishment. There should be some initial pain in the branding, but there after the punishment should be the shame incurred from wearing the mark. Anything more, with added "magical extras" so to speak, would have to come under Greater punishments.

 

I like the "flare up" punishment for repeat offenses most. My next favorite is the endless irritation ... no sleep would be good. Cursing Draco with an itch in an unscratchable place would be glorious, (if rather common. The wizards who originally enchanted the Goblet probably would consider that beneath their dignity.)

 

But then the Tournament was hosted in the dark ages where punishments often were quite severe, at least in our eyes... Children hung for stealing a loaf of bread, poisoners boiled in scalding oil, heretics burned to give them a taste of hell and the opportunity to recant. The mark of the cur seems to be one of the greater "Lesser Punishments" so it may very well cause pain even after the initial branding if Jbern so desires it.

 

If you look at the list of Lesser Punishments;

They are generally not too severe, and are more humiliating than painful. The Flogging would be painful, but the fact that its a public degradation is what counts. The Cur's Mark would be painful to receive, but its the long term implications of you having done something to deserve it being known to everyone you ever meet. 6 months of serfdom, not too severe, certainly not as bad as it could be, its more the humiliation aspect that punishes. And the public surrender of the object that gives a wizard his power...ultimate humiliation, wouldn't you say?

 

This is the little ferret we are talking about, the idiot will probably think it is a fashion statement or something. His only shame in the whole matter is that he got caught.

 

The punishment is not in what the person themselves thinks of the mark, but in how the people who see the mark then go on to perceive and treat the wearer of it.

 

There is a name for that type of rune...it is called a bindrune and yes, they were really used by Norse peoples.

 

I believe I've heard the term...I was merely referring to the fact that the symbol produced would be its own unique shape, and thus worthy of its own name, rather than simply being a combination of a couple of symbols.

 

Yep, that is exactly the purpose of a bindrune...to combine several runes into a unique symbol representing a word or concept that couldn't be represented by a single glyph. Sort of a runic shorthand. There are many common groupings that have names, often some combination of the names of the particular glyphs used in the construction of it. They were more common in the pre-Viking era and in Medieval times than during the Viking days. Nowadays, a number of "New Age" groups use them for just about everything.

 

Dumb question here
Are the original task going to be used. I know there are Duals, Staff fighting and the Puzzle room, but is that it?
Does the lake task appear? Could help HJ score points with Fleur. Saving the sister, like in canon.