Which J.K. Rowling book presents five wizarding tales supposedly translated by Albus Dumbledore?

The story behind the answer

The Tales of Beedle the Bard presents five wizarding tales supposedly translated by Albus Dumbledore.

The book is introduced in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where Hermione receives a copy in Dumbledore’s will. Its stories include “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” which explains the legend of the Deathly Hallows, as well as tales such as “The Fountain of Fair Fortune” and “Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump.”

Rowling published the book as a real companion volume in 2007. The edition includes commentary attributed to Dumbledore, while notes from Hermione and a foreword by Rowling frame the collection for real-world readers.

The title is often confused with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them or Quidditch Through the Ages. Those are also Hogwarts-related companion books, but they are reference-style works rather than a collection of five fictional fairy tales.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

Add question to a list

Choose a list to keep this question in: