May Prompt: Flying Ships of Yore

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

We have so many different kinds of transportation in all kinds of various books.

With our Harry Potter books, we have Harry, himself, flying on a hippogriff. We've another example in the HP books, that of Beauxbaton's carriage pulled by the Abraxan horses. And, of course, we have broomsticks! Zooming along on a Comet 260 is fun, right? When we branch out to different kinds of transportation written about by other authors and in other books, what about airships of steampunk lore? That flying ship which gathered up lightning in Stardust (by Neil Gaiman) is incredible.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, by Roald Dahl, continues the story of young Charlie Bucket (written about in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and chocolatier Willy Wonka. They have many adventures in the flying Great Glass Elevator.

What is one of your favourite fictional modes of transportation? What book, or books, do you find it in? If different authors use the same general style transportation, are there variations on a theme in how it is used, or do the authors pretty much write it as if there is just one main way of using it?

Your write-up needs to be at least 200 words to count towards Beans (and any possible award)! If you post a graphic, please keep it to 600x600 or smaller, and write a brief description underneath what the graphic depicts.

You will receive 20 Beans when you post. Any replies in here, through the school year, will be credited towards a possible award. As always, please keep to HOL appropriate sources for your post.

There is no deadline as such for these prompts but if you’d like it to count towards your chance of earning the award for a specific year, we’ll need it by the end of that school year. If you’re comfortable sharing, then post below. If not, email your story to us via hol.bookclub @ gmail.com (without the spaces).

Remember to click preview before posting to look for spelling and grammatical errors -- or see if auto-correct changed what you wanted to write to something entirely else!

[Hiya Debnath]

My favorite mode of transportation is definitely a dragon. So many books have the theme of dragons being used as a mode of transport. While any of the characters in the Harry Potter books and the wizarding world in general would recommend not trying to ride these ferocious XXXXX beasts as they are untameable, the theme of actually riding a dragon has been explored in several books and artworks as well. One great example and my favorite example is that of Daenerys Targaryen in the Game of Thrones books. She is the mother of 3 dragons and she helps them hatch. While dragons are still untameable in whatever story we are reading, they definitely are the most majestic form of transport to ride.
Another common mode of transport that I have seen commonly explored in different books, especially fairytales and fantasy dramas is the flying horse or winged horse. While the Abraxan horses in the wizarding world are certainly intriguing, flying horses are a very common theme in most fictional and fairytale stories. In fact, I have rarely read one that does not involve a flying creature of some kind, but in most cases it is a flying horse. The thought of soaring through the sky on the back of a living and breathing creature is after all, certainly intriguing.



2.10.2024 - Beans sent - Tarma

[Galena May]

One of my favorite modes of fictional transportation would be the flying carpet. I find the idea of being able to conceal it as the carpet on the floor, very intriguing, and I think that it would be the most comfortable form of flying transport possible, given that there is enough place for many individuals or quite some luggage to fit and for one to even lie down if they so wish. If the broomstick is somewhat like a motorbike in terms of seating and luggage capacity, then the flying carpet is like a car on that front, more comfortable and spacious.
I first came across mentions of the magical flying carpet in the fairytale Aladdin, which is part of the famous Arabian folktales "One Thousand and One Magical Nights" or "Arabian Nights" ( there are also passing references to the flying carpet in other tales of the collection popularly called Arabian Nights, but none in which so important a role is played by the flying carpet as in Aladdin). Research indicates that the original author of "AIaddin" was a Syrian storyteller and writer named Antun Yusuf Hanna Diyab, and the first ever westernized version was the translation by a French author named Antoine Galland who claimed to have heard the folktale from a Syrian storyteller. Of course, now it is a popular fairytale, and even has a Disney film adaptation. Princess Jasmine is also one of the official line-ups of Disney princesses and is a princess of color like Pocahontas and Merida.
The other major mention of magical flying carpets that I came across more recently was in the book The Phoenix and The Carpet, a series of children's fantasy stories packed into a novel, by Edith Nesbit. It is about some children who find a magic second-hand carpet with a phoenix egg wrapped in it, after their parents buy the second-hand carpet for them following the destruction of their older carpet by themselves. When they find the phoenix egg, one of their number, a boy (towards whom the phoenix in the story later shows a biased fondness), throws the phoenix egg into the fireplace not knowing what it is. The fire from the fireplace makes the phoenix hatch and it is grateful to the surprised children for reviving it. The phoenix informs them that the carpet is magical and can fly to transport them to different places as well as can grant three wishes a day (As far as I know, Aladdin's magic flying carpet didn't grant any wishes). Throughout the novel, the children and the phoenix go on many adventures on the flying carpet thereafter, visiting different worlds and places, and use the carpet's magical powers to aid them on their adventures. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and loved the allure of the flying carpet in it. I would love to own one (a flying carpet).


11.15.2024 - Beans sent - Tarma

[River Fenwick]

Although this book doesn't showcase typical traveling, I have loved the traveling method in A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab since I first read it. The book depicts traveling between parallel worlds rather than traditional traveling. The main character, Kell, travels between four different London locations in other worlds, all having differing magical degrees within its world, where magic is a sentient thing. The ability to do so is rare, as Kell is an Antari, which is essentially the strongest kind of magician. These Londons correspond to a color: Red, Grey, White, and Black London. Kell is from Red London, which has magic and people by the plenty. Grey London is the most parallel to Muggle life, being practically void of magic. White London has an increasingly deteriorating supply of magic, as they had tried to capture it, but the sentient being fought back by sealing itself away. Black London is extremely dangerous due to their greed for magic; it practically destroyed them. Kell can travel between these worlds by opening a door of sorts, using blood magic and a coin from each of these Londons, which he keeps on a chain around his neck. He must use his blood and smear it on something like a wall, then press the coin of the London he wants to travel to against it. As an Antari, he can talk to magic and command it, which commands it to engage in travel after the previous steps, effectively opening a 'door' and traveling him to his desired London.



edit 4.9.2025 - Beans sent - Tarma