What is the source of Mary Poppins' powers?

Question

In the movie she seems to sit on a cloud, exhibits magical powers, and is sent to help a family come back together. She seems to be operating on a mission of sorts as she helps a lot of people. Bert in the movie is actually multiple characters in the stories which Mary Poppins has been associated with. She also doesn't appear to age, as the grownup Bert has known her presumably since childhood (and they are roughly the same age).

I always assumed she was some heavenly being (such as an angel).

[UPDATE]
The title of the question has been changed to hopefully improve the question.

I don't think this is answerable since there's no accepted definition of an "angel" provided. — DVK-on-Ahch-To, Jan 12 '12 at 16:28
Also, based on magically-expanding bag, she's obviously a time-traveling grown-up Hermione Granger — DVK-on-Ahch-To, Jan 12 '12 at 16:29
@DVK I think everyone can agree on a general definition: Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew Bible, Christian Bibles and the Quran.. — LarsTech, Jan 12 '12 at 16:34
@DVK re: Hermione Granger, that's probably one of the best explanations. — Xantec, Jan 12 '12 at 16:47
@LarsTech - IIRC, Abrahamic angels had wings, though I'm not exactly an expert. — DVK-on-Ahch-To, Jan 12 '12 at 17:05
@DVK Clarence from "It's a Wonderful Life" had to earn his wings. :-) — LarsTech, Jan 12 '12 at 17:07
@LarsTech - didn't you specify Abrahamic angels? Different canon. — DVK-on-Ahch-To, Jan 12 '12 at 17:08
@dvk there's no biblical canon to suggest angels had wings, that came about much later as a way for painters to point out which of their subjects were angels. — Kevin, Jan 12 '12 at 17:20
If she is an angel, how come she never did a guest shot on Touched by an Angel? — Tango, Jan 12 '12 at 17:32
First she's a Time Lord, now she's an angel? Why not a general "What is Mary Poppins?" question? — Iszi, Jan 12 '12 at 20:44
@Iszi I was considering modifying this question to be generic. — Jack B Nimble, Jan 12 '12 at 20:46
@JackBNimble But now, that would sort of invalidate the given answer. — Iszi, Jan 12 '12 at 20:47
The books contain far more fantasy and fantastic situations than the film. Wikipedia tells me that P.L. Travers, the author, was also a fan of Gurdjieff - Hopefully someone can find a bit more substance, as that link may explain a lot. — , Jan 12 '12 at 23:29

score 37 · Accepted Answer · edited Feb 11 '12 at 15:57

37

According to the books, all infants have magical powers but Mary Poppins is the only one who retains these powers into adulthood. Hence she is referred to as "The Great Exception" by a jackdaw.

Source: Wikipedia.

edited Feb 11 '12 at 15:57

Cajunluke

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answered Jan 13 '12 at 09:51

Reinstate Monica - Goodbye SE

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I think this is the one true answer. – AncientSwordRage Jan 13 '12 at 10:16
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@Pureferret: Well, we all know "There can be only one." – Tango Jan 14 '12 at 00:55
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@TangoOversway: the correct tag is, "There should have been only one!" – Reinstate Monica - Goodbye SE Jan 14 '12 at 08:49

score 4 · Answer 2 · edited Feb 11 '12 at 15:11

@Wikis seems to have the core answer, but it is important to read the books, not just rely on the film. The film stands alone as a fantastic work (it is one of my all time greatest films), but the books have a far darker side to them, which makes a difference in terms of how she it properly understood.

At heart, she seems to be able to do the right thing at the right time. She is a combination of the wish-fulfillment of the children and their parents - firm but fun. So her "powers" seem more like stimulating the children's imaginations than anything else, but that is, in itself, a significant achievement.

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 08 '15 at 20:56

I always consider books and their adaptations as different stories. What works with one doesn't work with the other.

In that case, we have no explanation to the powers of Mary in the film, because the explanation given in the books doesn't work. This idea of Mary being an angel is comical, but I'm not sure it really works. She describe herself as "a perfect person", and she seems very human, as she seems able to be in love with Bert (yes, by the way, this idea of Bert having known Mary during his childhood doesn't convince me so much). Perhaps she's a kind of magician, a person who is basically human but who won/was born with some powers, and that, as a spiritually perfect person, decides to use it for the Good.

score -3 · Answer 4 · answered Jan 13 '12 at 09:50

What is the source of Mary Poppins' powers?

Your belief in her.

I always assumed she was some heavenly being (such as an angel).

Following, the previous sentences, if that's what you believe her to be, then for you she is a heavenly being, like an angel.

The notion that something exists if you believe in it was very popular in children's movies and books of the time. I think I remember a Disney movie with a car traveling through a forest inhabited with gnomes with a similar idea. And tons of others: Peter Pan, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, you name it...

What is the source of Mary Poppins' powers?

4 Answers4