Mythology, Its ties to Harry Potter |
 Jun 17 2007, 05:21 AM
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#21
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Gringotts Goblin Translator  Posts: 1,230 Joined: 1:14pm July 24, 2005 Location: The Land of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Short-Snouted Dragons   |
QUOTE(You_wont_know_who @ Jun 8 2007, 01:53 AM) [snapback]1245018[/snapback] Heracles/Hercules's destination was to fulfill twelve tasks in order to gain full immortality. Harry doesn't want to be immortal in any way. From ancient heroes he reminds me the most of Prometheus, who loved the humankind so much that he stole fire from gods to make his beloved creatures stronger. He was cruelly punished for his deed though. I've been thinking of Dumbledore for Prometheus... With Hagrid as messenger, it was Dumbledore who sent the Gubrathian fire to the Giants. And in the Cave he suffered inner torture after drinking the potion. QUOTE 'What do you give a giant?' asked Ron eagerly. 'Food?' 'Nah, he can get food all righ' fer himself,' said Hagrid. 'We took him magic. Giants like magic, jus' don' like us usin' it against 'em. Anyway, that firs' day we gave 'im a branch o' Gubraithian fire.' --- 'Dumbledore'd bewitched this branch to burn fer evermore, which isn't somethin' any wizard could do ----' OP20 QUOTE Wikipedia: In Greek mythology, Prometheus (Greek: Προμηθεύς "forethought") is the Titan chiefly honored for stealing fire from Zeus in the stalk of a fennel* plant and giving it to mortals for their use. For that, Zeus ordered him to be chained on top of the Caucasus. Every day an eagle would come and eat his liver, but since Prometheus was immortal, his liver always grew back, so he was left to bear the pain every day. He is depicted as an intelligent and cunning figure who had sympathy for humanity. To this day, the term promethean refers to events or people of great creativity, intellect, and boldness. --- *In Ancient Greek, fennel was called μάραθον, marathon, --- Fennel is thought to be one of the nine herbs held sacred by the Anglo-Saxons. Putting the Wiki quote in here, I suddenly also noticed the resemblance between the name of the mountain Caucasus (where Prometheus was punished) and the name of the Gurg of the Giants who was presented with the fire - Karkas... -------------------- Visit My Blog: The Island of the Voices
"But there I have another name."/Aslan in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (C.S. Lewis) |
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Jun 17 2007, 06:49 PM
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#22
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Newest Housekeeper at The Leaky Cauldron Posts: 736 Joined: 4:41pm September 14, 2006 Location: looking for lost braincells in the L&S Broom Closet  |
This is a fun thread. I've something modest to contribute in regard to Sirius. It's fairly well known in fandom that the ancient Egyptians believed the souls of the dead travel to the star known as Sirius. Since the character Sirius died by passing through the veil, many of us have theorized that he will somehow return to guide Harry beyond the veil. I have recently learned about a creature from Breton myth, the Ki Du, a large black dog said to accompany the dead on the journey to the Otherworld and to rebirth. It does seem as if JKR has married these two traditions in the creation of Sirius Black, and that he will indeed function as some sort of intermediary between the dead and the living. I thought this was a pretty cool connection.
-------------------- Summer's lease hath all too short a date... |
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Jun 24 2007, 08:07 AM
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#23
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Freelance Daily Prophet Reporter Posts: 1,537 Joined: 3:18pm August 30, 2005 Location: Mon pays ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver. |
I think there are two other myths that are connected to the inspiration for HP and that is the Epic of Gilgamesh, mainly because of the plant that confers immortality on whoever eats it and it takes place in Assyria where Neville's Mimbulus Mimbletonia has come from. Assyria has not been a country for 2000 years so it is odd to see it named like it still exists. And Jack the Giant Killer which is a fable from Arthurian times that takes place in the Cornish coast. Jack has to kill seven giants, the last of which is protected by a very fierce and strong wizard but he has four weapons to help him - a sword that cuts through anything, shoes that when he wears them makes him very fast (like the Firebolt), an Invisibility Cloak and a Hat that, when he wears it, tells him what he needs to know (Sorting Hat and Sword going out for an adventure with Harry?)
-------------------- "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." Hunter Thompson
"Shun the non-believers! Shun! Shun!" from Charlie the Unicorn |
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Jun 29 2007, 02:54 PM
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#24
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Monster Book Stacker Posts: 387 Joined: 7:26pm July 27, 2006 Location: Somewhere in North America |
Are there any myths about Horcruxes? On a different thread someone brought up the movie monster house, the movie is about a house that is brought to life by the soul of the wife of the old man that lives there (she died while they were building the house). In order to release her soul and keep the house from continuing to haunting the neighborhood, the had to destroy the heart of the house, the fire.
The house's heart was compared to Harry stabbing the heart of the diary with the snake's fang. I was just wondering if there are other examples of objects that could be considered Horcruxes. 
-------------------- Jk, the book was great, but about the epilogue... don't you think it needs a few more chapters? Oooh! I have an idea!!! There could be another book (Hint, Hint)! : ) Thanks
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Jul 5 2007, 08:28 PM
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#25
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Trying to Resell a Used Comet Two-Sixty Posts: 2,574 Joined: 6:16pm October 4, 2005 Location: Reading the Lexicon |
So I was poking around the internet as I often do and just was completely amazed to find something I've been thinking summed up in about three sentences.
I have felt for a while that Snape resembles Asclepius-the god of medicine also called the serpent-bearer as the constellation Ophiuchus. We learned two important things about Snape in HBP-he's a healer and his mother was called Prince. One translation of Asclepius (found here) is "cut open" which is obviously very similar to Severus. And Asclepius's mother was called Coronis from which we get the word crown but she is also associated with crows or ravens. Unfortunately, as with all mythology, there are competing tales and one can not be certain of which one to follow when trying to formulate any sort of theory, but I do try. 
-------------------- “Sweet is true love that is given in vain, and sweet is death that takes away pain.” -Alfred, Lord Tennyson |
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Jul 20 2007, 12:08 PM
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#26
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Newest Housekeeper at The Leaky Cauldron Posts: 736 Joined: 4:41pm September 14, 2006 Location: looking for lost braincells in the L&S Broom Closet |
QUOTE(Notit @ Jun 29 2007, 03:54 PM) [snapback]1281400[/snapback] Are there any myths about Horcruxes? On a different thread someone brought up the movie monster house, the movie is about a house that is brought to life by the soul of the wife of the old man that lives there (she died while they were building the house). In order to release her soul and keep the house from continuing to haunting the neighborhood, the had to destroy the heart of the house, the fire. The house's heart was compared to Harry stabbing the heart of the diary with the snake's fang. I was just wondering if there are other examples of objects that could be considered Horcruxes. There are a lot of folk tales which feature the hiding of a soul for the sake of security or immortality - often within an egg, but sometimes also within an animal; there's actually one about a young man who fights a demon whose soul is hidden within a snake (sounds like Nagini, eh?) If you want to read about these folk tales, get Sir James Frazer's "The Golden Bough" from your local library, and read the section on "External Souls." Besides HP, another great modern story featuring the external hiding of a soul is Barry Hughart's "Bridge of Birds." This is a fantasy book set in ancient China, and it's really fun! -------------------- Summer's lease hath all too short a date... |
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Jul 25 2007, 03:37 PM
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#27
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Knight MacMod The Great Protecting The Memory Of Sense  Posts: 2,513 Joined: 7:17pm February 17, 2006 Location: 3rd door on the left, Hogsmeade  |
QUOTE(merrythought @ Jul 20 2007, 10:08 AM) [snapback]1322451[/snapback] [...] There are a lot of folk tales which feature the hiding of a soul for the sake of security or immortality - often within an egg, but sometimes also within an animal; there's actually one about a young man who fights a demon whose soul is hidden within a snake (sounds like Nagini, eh?) If you want to read about these folk tales, get Sir James Frazer's "The Golden Bough" from your local library, and read the section on "External Souls." [...] I am always impressed by the length of Frazer's shadow. Yes, merrythought, that would be a good place to start for anyone just beginning to examine the mythical elements of the world of HP. But it will hardly be the end, will it?--------------------  click the Q "And, if there is need to speak in brief summary of this power, we shall find that none of the things which are done with intelligence take place without the help of speech, but that in all our actions as well as in all our thoughts speech is our guide, . . ." Isocrates, Antidosis |
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Jul 26 2007, 07:50 PM
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#28
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Official Singer of the Sorting Hat Song Posts: 6,606 Joined: 3:12pm July 22, 2005 Location: Lost in Hermione's beaded bag |
I've just been reading that Dumbledore was based on JKR's classics professor at Exeter: Peter Wiseman.
And apparently she's been talking about writing a reworking of Orpheus in the Underworld as her next project. -------------------- Come the words that bubble
Up through broken laughter, Sweeter than spring-water, "Gods, I am so happy!" |
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Jul 27 2007, 10:53 AM
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#29
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Buying a Half-Kneazle Posts: 527 Joined: 12:24pm January 7, 2007 |
I just found a great resource site for medieval bestiaries. Is has this to say about stags:
"The stag is the enemy of the snake. When the stag discovers a snake, it spits water into the hole where the snake hides, draws the snake out with its breath, and tramples it to death. If the stag is ill or old, it draws the snake out of hiding and swallows it. The stag then finds water and drinks large amounts of it to overcome the poison, and is renewed. When the stag is renewed it sheds its horns. Some say that the stag cures its ills by eating crabs it finds in the water. Stags live for a long time; their teeth reveal their age. When Alexander the Great wanted to see how long stags lived, he captured many and had them marked. The marked deer were capture one hundred years later and were still healthy. When stags must cross a river to find food, they swim in line with one stag's head resting on the rear of the one in front; when the front stag tires, it moves to the end of the line to rest. When stags are struck by arrows, they can shake them off by eating dittany. Stags hear well when their ears are erect, but not when their ears are lowered. They marvel at the sound of a reed pipe, and can be caught by a hunter playing one. Stags are lustful, but the female deer can only conceive at the rising of the star Arcturus. The deer gives birth in dense woods, and teaches her young to flee over high places. When they hear hunting dogs bark, they change direction to the other wind to keep the dogs from scenting them. People who eat venison are protected from fever because stags are never feverish. The smoke from burning stag antlers is deadly to snakes. A drink made from the tears and the heart bones of a stag is a cure for troubles of the heart." The site is here: http://bestiary.ca/ I found the use of dittany particularly interesting! |
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Jul 27 2007, 01:16 PM
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#30
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Director of Nicholas Flamel Laboratories Posts: 11,087 Joined: 11:06am January 28, 2005 Location: Lighting the mountain path for Llewellyn ap Gryffudd |
QUOTE(davidenglish @ Jul 26 2007, 07:50 PM) [snapback]1352968[/snapback] I've just been reading that Dumbledore was based on JKR's classics professor at Exeter: Peter Wiseman. And apparently she's been talking about writing a reworking of Orpheus in the Underworld as her next project. Can't wait to read that one! I always saw Harry as more or less an Orpheus character. QUOTE(Henrietta @ Jul 27 2007, 10:53 AM) [snapback]1354436[/snapback] Stags are lustful, but the female deer can only conceive at the rising of the star Arcturus. The deer gives birth in dense woods, and teaches her young to flee over high places. When they hear hunting dogs bark, they change direction to the other wind to keep the dogs from scenting them. This is interesting. Regulus's middle name is Arcturus, not that it probably means anything. And the name of the basilisk is Regulus. -------------------- The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity.--Harlan Ellison
My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.--Aldous Huxley |
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