# Do the house elves in Harry Potter have sexual relations with each other? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855 "2005-12-03T03:05:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/41 "2005-12-04T17:08:44Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > Snape and Hermione is surprisingly popular. Surprising in that anyone’s written about that at all. Or even thought about it without a mental “yuk” straight after. > > I have a friend who writes Draco/Ginny. Why does she not see the wrongness? Why? Well, given that there’s going to be a strong element of non-consent in both those pairings, and that’s one of people’s top fantasies, apparently, it isn’t that surprising. It’s still extremely wrong with a side of wrong sauce, though. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/42 "2005-12-04T17:10:34Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > Snape and Hermione is surprisingly popular. Surprising in that anyone’s written about that at all. Or even thought about it without a mental “yuk” straight after. > > I have a friend who writes Draco/Ginny. Why does she not see the wrongness? Why? Aw, I think Draco/Ginny is cute. Then again, I’ve always had a soft spot for Draco. I actually know of a fanfic that’s Draco/Ginny and very good. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/43 "2005-12-04T17:58:11Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > It’s Snape in a dirty 'fic. Obviously male, and Snape called him either Draco or Harry. **shut up SHUT UP _SHUT UP!!!_** _:::runs screaming in horrior into the street outside:::_ ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/44 "2005-12-04T18:01:32Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > **shut up SHUT UP _SHUT UP!!!_** > > _:::runs screaming in horrior into the street outside:::_ Well, at least it wasn’t scat. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/45 "2005-12-04T18:36:20Z")
Getting sort of back to the main topic (or at the least, away from the current side-topics, on which the less said the better): It’s interesting to note that in both cases we know of an elf family being associated with a human family, the descent appears to be matrilineal. Winky says that her mother and grandmother previously served the Crouches, and Kreacher’s mother (and other unspecified ancestors) served the Blacks. No mention is made of either’s father. This suggests that newborn houselves are considered the property of whomever owned the elf’s mother, the same situation as with slavery in antebellum America. I don’t know how much Rowling has studied of American history, or the degree to which American slavery paralleled that in other parts of the world, but the comparisons certainly seem to be there. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/46 "2005-12-04T18:44:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Getting sort of back to the main topic (or at the least, away from the current side-topics, on which the less said the better): It’s interesting to note that in both cases we know of an elf family being associated with a human family, the descent appears to be matrilineal. Winky says that her mother and grandmother previously served the Crouches, and Kreacher’s mother (and other unspecified ancestors) served the Blacks. No mention is made of either’s father. This suggests that newborn houselves are considered the property of whomever owned the elf’s mother, the same situation as with slavery in antebellum America. I don’t know how much Rowling has studied of American history, or the degree to which American slavery paralleled that in other parts of the world, but the comparisons certainly seem to be there. Hmm, I hadn’t considered the slavery parallels, but I did notice that we don’t seem to hear about the fathers of house-elves. Do house-elves marry? I would think not. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/47 "2005-12-04T19:22:06Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > Snape and Hermione is surprisingly popular. Has anyone done Snape/Draco? ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/48 "2005-12-04T19:24:34Z")
Yes. Not as popular as Snape/Harry, but it’s definetly been done. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/49 "2005-12-04T19:28:16Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > Yes. Not as popular as Snape/Harry, but it’s definetly been done. Oh I dunno about that. There are quite a few of Snape/Draco ones. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/50 "2005-12-04T19:49:04Z")
Are there any conceivable pairings that **haven’t** been done? ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/51 "2005-12-04T19:51:49Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Are there any conceivable pairings that **haven’t** been done? I doubt it. I’ve found Ginny/Arthur/Molly, Dumbledore/McGonagall… ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/52 "2005-12-04T20:01:41Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Are there any conceivable pairings that **haven’t** been done? If they’re humanoid, **it’s been done**. If not…eh, there’s about a 50/50 chance it’s been done. Incest, characterisation, and general ickiness are no boundaries when it comes to HP fan fiction. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/53 "2005-12-04T20:06:05Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > If they’re humanoid, **it’s been done**. If not…eh, there’s about a 50/50 chance it’s been done. > > Incest, characterisation, and general ickiness are no boundaries when it comes to HP fan fiction. Yeah, even centaurs are included when it comes to HP fan fiction. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/54 "2005-12-04T20:06:30Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > If they’re humanoid, **it’s been done**. If not…eh, there’s about a 50/50 chance it’s been done. . . . What was the name of that centaur? Has anyone done Hagrid/Aragog\*? \*The giant spider. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/55 "2005-12-04T20:09:06Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > . . . What was the name of that centaur? > > Has anyone done Hagrid/Aragog\*? > \*The giant spider. Firenze I believe. I haven’t seen any Aragog ones, but Hagrid is most certainly included in fanfics. As for Hagrid/Aragog, there prolly are a few. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/56 "2005-12-04T20:11:10Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Has anyone done Hagrid/Aragog\*? > \*The giant spider. I read a very touching one once, where Aragog was helped to get over his fear of Basilisks by…er, sleeping with the basilisk. Ironically it was actually a very well written story. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/57 "2005-12-04T20:27:30Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > I read a very touching one once, where Aragog was helped to get over his fear of Basilisks by…er, sleeping with the basilisk. Ironically it was actually a very well written story. …Well then. I haven’t seen \*that \* before. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/58 "2005-12-04T21:20:51Z")
An Aragog/Basilisk fic, or a well written fic? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/59 "2005-12-04T21:31:09Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > An Aragog/Basilisk fic, or a well written fic? 😛 Oh come now, there really are some good ones. They’re just hidden by the slutty Luna\* fics. \*Who has sex with Hagrid and Firenze. Thankfully, not at once. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855/60 "2005-12-04T21:36:36Z")
> [@flamingbananas](#): > > Oh come now, there really are some good ones. They’re just hidden by the slutty Luna\* fics. > \*Who has sex with Hagrid and Firenze. Thankfully, not at once. Boo. She’s my favourite character - damn the writers for making her slutty! Anyway, back on the topic (i’m sure there was one, at some point), it’s probably that house-elves have sexual organs, at the very least - why else would they take to wearing tea-towels, tea cosies etc instead of actual clothes? If they didn’t have anything to hide, they wouldn’t need to cover up at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-house-elves-in-harry-potter-have-sexual-relations-with-each-other/333855.md?page=4)