was Mrs. Figg, Crookshanks, now snakes

rainy_lilac at yahoo.com rainy_lilac at yahoo.com
Fri Mar 30 22:26:06 UTC 2001


No: HPFGUIDX 15615

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., tobeybickle at a... wrote:


> > What kind of snake is Nagini?
> > 
> > Doreen
> > 
> 
> Nagini couldn't be a Basilisk, because I'm pretty sure she's made 
eye contact 
> with Wormtail or Voldemort at some point...



A Naga is a kind of mythical serpent. Nagini sounds like a variation 
on the name-- I think it would be translated as "little serpent"! 
(Considering that she is 20 feet long, we can see JKR's sense of 
humor at work here...) 

I found the following description on the web:

The word Naga is rooted in Sanskrit and means "Serpent". In the East 
Indian pantheon it is connected with the Serpent Spirit and the
Dragon Spirit. It has an quivalency to the Burmese Nats, or 
god-serpents. In the Esoteric Tradition it is synonymous for Adepts, 
or
Initiates. In India and Egypt, and even in Central and South America, 
the Naga stands for one who is wise. 

     Nagarjuna of India, for example, is shown with an aura, or halo, 
of seven serpents which is an indication of a very high degree of
Initiation. The symbolism of the seven serpents, usually cobras, are 
also on Masonic aprons of certain systems in the Buddhistic ruins of
Cambodia (Ankhor) and Ceylon. The great temple-builders of the famous 
Ankhor Wat were considered to be the semi-divine Khmers.
The avenue leading to the Temple is lined with the seven-headed Naga. 
And even in Mexico, we find the "Naga" which becomes
"Nagal." In China, the Naga is given the form of the Dragon and has a 
direct association with the Emperor and is known as the "Son of
Heaven"...while in Egypt the same association is termed 
"King-Initiate". The Chinese are even said to have originated with the 
Serpent
demi-gods and even to speak their language, Naga-Krita. For a place 
that has no serpents, Tibet, they are still known in a symbolic sense
and are called "Lu!" (Naga). Nagarjuna called in Tibetan, Lu-trub. 

     In the Western traditions we find the sae ubiquity for the Naga, 
or Serpent. One simple example is the Ancient Greek Goddess,
Athena. She is known as a warrior Goddess as well as the Goddess of 
Wisdom; her symbol being the Serpent as displayed on her
personal shield. Of course, in Genesis the Serpent is a Naga who 
instructs the new infant (humanity) in what is called the Knowledge of
Good and Evil. The Christian church has, unfortunately transformed the 
Initiate-Teacher into a tempting and negative demon-character.
An apocryphal tradition says that Apollonius of Tyana, while on a 
visit to India, was taught by the "Nagas" of Kashmir. (See The Life of
Apollonius, by Philostratos.)  It is felt by many scholars of the 
Western Tradition that the life of Apollonius was taken from the New
Testament, or that the narratives of the New Testament have been taken 
from the life of Apollonius. This is felt because of ! the
undisputed and clear similarities of construction fo that particular 
narrative. 

     Naga is one of a handful of rare words surviving the loss of the 
first universal language. In Buddhism, Wisdom has always been ties,
symbollically, to the figure of the Serpent. In the Western Tradition 
it can be found as used by the Christ in the Gospel of Saint Matthew
(x.16), "Be ye therefore as serpents, and harmless as doves." 

     In all mythological language the snake is also an emblem of 
immortality. Its endless representation with its tail in its mouth
(Ouroboros), and the constant renewal of its skin and vigor, enliven 
teh symbols of continued youth and eternity. 

     The Serpent's reputation for positive medicinal and/or 
life-preserving qualities have also contributed to the honors of the 
Serpent as
STILL seen by the employment of the Caduceus. To this very day, the 
Hindus are taught that the end of every Universal Manifestation
(Kalpa) all things are re-absorbed into Deity and the the interval 
between "creations." He reposes upon the Serpant Sesha (Duration) who
is called Ananta, or, Endlessness. (See Ophiolatreiaby Hargrave 
Jennings) 






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