Animagus

[mongo62aa]

No: HPFGUIDX 31939

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "rmatovic" <rmatovic at s...> wrote:

> > > James Potter (the stag)
> And this one is my question -- what are stag-like qualities 
anyway?  A 
> stag evokes grandeur, bravery, strength.  I think there is more to 
be 
> learned about James (and Harry) and that the stag connection hints 
at 
> things we will learn about him as we learn more of who he was and 
what 
> he was like.
> 
> Rebecca

The stag, together with the weasel, is one of the priciple beasts 
opposed to the serpent. Here are some quotes from various websites:

http://www.flash.net/~leimer/symbol.html

Stag: Life, Wisdom, Regeneration and Growth, Virility. Because its 
antlers resemble branches, the stag has been associated with the Tree 
of Life and because of the way it renews its antlers, it's been used 
as a symbol of regeneration. In the West during the MIddle Ages, the 
stag was often shown with a crucifix between its horns where, in 
Christianity, it representd purity and solitude and was the enemy of 
Satan, the serpent. The Celts believed the stag led souls through the 
darkness.

http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/beastly.htm

I was fascinated to learn that the ancient Christians also used the 
stag, or deer as a symbol for Christ. One reason, is because the stag 
is the enemy of the serpent. The stag is thus a symbol of the 
triumphant Christ.

The weasel? Yes the weasel was also used for an interesting reason. 
Since it could pack a punch and win combats with much bigger animals 
than itself, it was perfect for the Christians who , no matter how 
weak in themselves, can still triumph over Satan, the most terrifying 
monster of hell. 

http://www.raven9.freeserve.co.uk/silks/slinkyceltic.htm

The Stag: The stag is a very powerful male symbol, the spreading 
antlers associated the king of the forest with the trees because of 
the similarity in the branches. Like deciduous trees, the shedding of 
antlers in spring and autumn also made the stag the embodiment of the 
cyclical growth-decay-growth of nature.

http://www.kz/usr/ale/eng/intro3.html

On the whole, in the Scytho-Saks world the gold stag was the symbol 
of the sun, of the birth and death cycle in nature, and its antlers 
were shoots of the Tree of Life.

http://www.jackleacock.itgo.com/Archive/2000/Janurary_-
_00/Roots_and_flowers_of_belief/roots_and_flowers_of_belief.html

Serpents are notoriously evil, but the weasel (a cousin of the 
mongoose) was a snake-killer, also having the unusual ability to 
bring to life its own dead babies with the aid of the herb, rue. The 
stag was another serpent-killer who identified the serpent's home 
burrow, took a mouthful of water from a convenient brook and spat it 
into the hole, thereby drowning his enemy.

http://home.arcor.de/mc2/chatterton.html

This is not the only way the basilisk can be overcome. An antagonism 
between the weasel and the basilisk is first found in a third century 
BCE work attributed to Democritus. This antagonism, although not of 
great importance in antiquity, comes to carry more weight as the 
legend of the basilisk travels through time and cultures. This 
rivalry between weasel and basilisk can also be found in the former 
quote from Pliny, "yet to a creature so marvelous as this the venom 
of weasels is fatal" 



It is interesting that both the Stag (Potters) and Weasel (Weasleys) 
are considered to be enemies capable of defeating the Serpent 
(Voldemort?)

William