Storybook Plan: Borgin and Burkes

Through my storybook project, I hope to give readers an experience that makes them feel like they are in Knockturn Alley. So that means feelings of unpleasantness and spookiness. My stories will probably be in the third person, and each will emphasize a specific Indian myth object that a character finds in Borgin and Burkes. The storytelling style I will be using is kind of like an anthology, although the overall topic/location will be the same.

I'm still not sure if I'm going to use the actual Indian characters who originally had the object, or if I'm going to adjust them to be Harry Potter characters that we already know about.

As mentioned in my previous project post, here are the three stories I am planning to write:

1. Cintamani Stone: For this one, I'm thinking Lucius Malfoy will enter the shop seeking out an object that can aid Voldemort in gaining strength. Borgin would explain the history behind the stone, who sold it to the shop, and how it has been used over the past few centuries. I think it'd be fun to mention Nicholas Flamel in there somewhere. Maybe he studied it to learn how to make his philosopher's stone? 
• Potential sources:
• Here is the wikipedia article about the stone.
• This article on alchemy and Rasayana seems really helpful!
• Here is information about Nicholas Flamel.
2. An astra (probably the Brahmastra?): The idea for this one is that Bellatrix (or some Death Eater) comes into the shop seeking a weapon that could help Voldemort (this would be near the end of the series). She would see the astra and harass Borgin about it. Borgin would be weary in explaining it because it's so destructive, but eventually he would tell her the history of it. 
• Potential sources:
• Pages 120-123 of my copy of Narayan's Ramayana mentions some astras (the Maya, Brahmastra, and Garuda) and provides some good background information on them. 
• Here is the wikipedia article about the Brahmastra.
• This is a helpful list of astras. 
3. Ashwatthama's gem: My basic idea for this one is that Tom Riddle will be working at Borgin and Burkes when he sees the gem. He'll ask Burke about it in the same way he was trying to learn about horcruxes from Slughorn (so Tom will be slightly manipulative and will try not to seem too eager). Burke will then explain what he knows about the story behind the gem and how it got to the shop. (Maybe Grindelwald was using it but then gave it to someone who sold it to the shop?? I'm not completely sure yet.)
• Potential sources:
• Here is the wikipedia article about Ashwatthama. 
• The Mahabharata

Topic Research: Borgin and Burkes

For my storybook topic, I am going to use the antique shop Borgin and Burkes from Harry Potter. This shop has a reputation for selling dark and shady objects, but it also sells old, strange, and powerful magical objects. Those objects would be from Indian Epic stories. They would tell the story of the person who sought after or owned it. The customer (Tom Riddle, the Malfoys, Bellatrix, etc.) would come in either seeking that specific object or they would look around and it would catch their attention. The shop owners--Burke (who hired Tom Riddle) and Borgin (who seemed to solely operate the shop after 1992)--would tell the story of the item through answering the customer's questions. Also, just for fun, I'll keep a list of all the objects I come across while reading Indian epics so that I can include them as background details/description while customers are looking around.

• Story 1: Ashwatthama's jewel - According to that Wikipedia page, "Ashvatthama is born with a gem on his forehead which gives him power over all living beings lower than humans; it protects him from hunger, thirst, and fatigue." I believe we will read about this when we get to the Mahabharata, so I would use that as my story source (here is the public domain version). This jewel would be a perfect item for Tom Riddle to encounter while working in Borgin and Burkes. He could ask Burke questions about it but try not to seem too eager so that Burke wouldn't be suspicious. 

• Story 2: Cintamani Stone - This stone fulfills wishes, and its a great candidate for an object in the shop. I think I would use Lucius Malfoy for this one, and Borgin would explain the stone's history to him. I found this reading guide that mentions the stone, but the actual book is 450 pages... so I'm not sure about that. I was having a really difficult time finding a succinct story about the stone, but I'll keep searching because it's definitely an object worth reading and writing about. 

• Story 3: Brahmastra - Reading K of this version of the Ramayana mentions the brahmastra. This would be an ideal weapon that a Death Eater would seek out for Voldemort. I would definitely have Borgin be overly cautious and weary about selling it, seeing as it is so destructive. 

In my research, I also found the Syamantaka Jewel (reading guide here), which could make for a fun story. Also, for my own reference, I think I'll find this page useful in the future (I'm especially interested in astras).

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Image information: Entrance to Borgin and Burkes antique shop. "Borgin & Burkes" by HarshLight is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Topic Brainstorm

(I hope these aren't too vague! Since I don't know anything about Indian epics yet, I had a hard time being descriptive about how exactly I would apply the ideas. I'm just hoping I'll figure it out along the way.)

Idea 1: Harry Potter - I'm extremely tempted to do another Harry Potter storybook, where I take HP characters and apply Indian Epic plots/motifs to them. I just had so much fun with it last semester. I still have so many ideas, and my HP obsession is still as strong as ever. If I choose this idea, I might do a Parvati or Padma story this time to reflect the content of the class. Something from The Sons of Rama: Luv and Kush — The Invincible Twins could be applied to them. It could be really interesting to write a backstory for them based on that story. Another idea is that I could use the pensieve for all of the stories, or I could do something with Filch's files of past students and the chaos they've caused.

Idea 2: Museum or Pawn Shop - I had a super fun time with this story I wrote last semester, where I created a museum and put objects from the story on display to tell the story. I'm interested in the idea of using objects/memorabilia from Indian Epic stories and creating a virtual museum with them. I would tell each object's story on a "display card." Similarly, I could instead do a pawn shop where a character or a file tells a story through an item that has been sold to the shop. For example, there might be an object someone was desperate to get rid of. One story, for instance, could come from the jewels in Vasantasena, A Dancer and Her Most Precious Jewel. The display card, museum curator, merchant, etc. (whoever the storyteller is) would tell the story of Vasantasena through them. This gem would also be really interesting to write about here!

Idea 3: Standing trial in the afterlife - I would take a character and describe their story/stories through them defending themselves in an afterlife trial. They would try to get into heaven by telling a judge all the good things they had done and defending themselves for all of their bad actions. The judge would then decide if they were worthy of heaven. I'm not exactly sure if I could do this one since I'm sure many of the beings in Indian Epics are immortal or reincarnated, but it seems like a fun idea. I'm really interested in the afterlife and how people's lives are going to be measured, and I feel like writing about a normal court doesn't have enough of a consequence (compared to writing about a court in the afterlife, where the consequence is either eternal happiness or pain).

A story for this one could be from any character who has led a particularly bad life, or someone who has made a horrible mistake. The story of Krishna and Shishupala: He Was Forgiven a Hundred Times could be a candidate for this one.

Idea 4: Psychic reading / Fortune teller - For this one, characters would come in to the shop of a psychic or fortune teller (I'll have to do research to figure out what the difference is between those two...) and ask to have their future told. The psychic/fortune teller would tell the character's story through predictions and various psychic techniques (palm reading, crystal ball, tea leaves, etc.). The character would give their various reactions (anger, frustration, glee, etc.) throughout the reading, and the predictions would sometimes be very vague and nondescript. I'm interested in this idea because of the psychic characters in one of my favorite series The Raven Cycle, as well as Trelawney from Harry Potter (will I ever stop mentioning Harry Potter? Probably not, haha). Their ways seem so ludicrous but can actually lead to self-fulfilling prophecies. Also, psychic stuff is just fun. Subhadra: Beloved Sister of Krishna and Balarama could be used here. Krishna could seek out the psychic to solve the dilemma mentioned in the summary.

Psychic Shop image from Joel Kramer on flickr