Snakes & Ladders

[Heather Moore]

No: HPFGUIDX 31872



Forwarded with permission: Mahoney caught that I sent
a reply to her privately by mistake, when I had
clearly intended it to be public. THANKS, MAHONEY -
you're a pal!!


> 
> Hi Heather!  
> 
> I think you sent this (fabulous and extremely
> intriguing) post just to me, as opposed to the list
> at
> large.  In case you wanted to forward it on, I'm
> leaving the whole thing in, below.
> 
<snip private 'attagirl' reply, blushing furiously --
thanks, Mahoney! :) > 

> Take care,
> Mahoney
> 
> --- heathernmoore <heathernmoore at yahoo.com> wrote:
--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "ftah3" <ftah3 at y...> wrote:
> > > heather (uma) wrote:
> > 
 <snip interesting commentary on Vishnu and the moral
relativity of snakes> 

> > > Mahoney 
> > 
> > 
> > 

 Maybe there's essay material in all of this
discussion, although it would probably be prudent to
wait for OotP to see how things play out.
 
 ADMINS: Please give the two minute warning when and
if you feel this has strayed far enough out of
boundaries to get kicked over into OT-Chatter. 
> > 
> > 
 Really, aside from the Babylonian image from
Gilgamesh, snakes aren't all that strong as a symbol
for rebirth. They're more overwhelmingly used to
represent the duality of wisdom vs secrecy/deceit and
to represent eternal secret wisdom (as Ourobouros) --
which isn't quite the same concept as the purified,
perfected and reborn soul schtick of the Phoenix. You
picked up on this in your post, in fact -- snakes used
in roles of duality and moral relativism, rather than
purity and rebirth.
 
> Even here in Hindu cosmology, the snake is sort of
an also-ran: Shiva gets to do the destroying and
rebuilding, and Vishnu gets to do the cyclical
rebirth. Seshnaga, while a very cool figure, is
support staff.  And it goes back to what I was saying
before, in alchemy, the snake/serpent/dragon/basilisk
is not a symbol of attainment. It's a tool.
 
> I agree with your assessment that the serpent is the
correct symbol for Tom Riddle, for all the obvious and
symbolic reasons.  
> > 
> BUT, as we have seen, Voldemort wants *more.* He is
actively trying to transmute himself into something
more "perfect" and thereby attain immortality as this
perfected being so that he can rule an also-perfected
society based on purity and power (thus no muggles or
sentimental weaklings). He is trying to become a
(psychotic) Messiah, and the zeal of some of his
followers (Quirrell, Barty, the Lestranges -  Cue "#1
Crush" by Garbage) suggests that his more inner
associates have a cultlike fervor for him and his
Cause.  
> > 
 He *is* the serpent, and he seems to me to be trying
to utilize or create the Living Stone (who he would
appear to believe is Harry Potter due to some
symbology he has mapped onto Harry's parents) in order
to become the Phoenix. (And from here, I further
extrapolate that he has promised to extend the
benefits to his most loyal, accomplished capos.
Probably doesn't intend to honor it, though, the slick
talker.)
> > 
> >  -- heather (uma)
> > 


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