Godric's Hollow/ The Gryffindor lion

[eloiseherisson at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 42509

I've had a thought about Godric's hollow. Over the last few days, I've had a 
really strong feeling that Godric's Hollow is a real place. No, it's alright, 
I can distinguish fact from fantasy still (just!), I mean I feel that it 
could be a place JKR knows, only she's given it a different name. 

JKR comes from near Chepstow. If you follow the River Wye northwards from 
there, past Tintern, Monmouth and up towards Ross-on Wye, you will pass 
through the village of Goodrich, etymologically the same as Godric, I believe 
(at any rate I believe the surname Goodrich is derived from Godric), and 
nestling in the river *valley*.

Now I confess that I don't know the village, I'm afraid I've only been to the 
spectacular castle there. Perhaps if anyone does know it, they could say if 
they think it could be a possibility.

It's about 30 miles from Bristol as the crow (or motorbike) flies, slightly 
west of north. Again, I don't think you would necessarily fly to Surrey from 
there via Bristol

.................................

In a message dated 11/08/2002 21:39:32 GMT Standard Time, 
jkusalavagemd at yahoo.com writes:


> > ANYway, the point being, Gryffindor's lion may well have been 
> established
> > before Scotland's was. How far back does the usage of the red lion
> > go?Scotland may be the one extending the honor. The differences are
> > small--Gryffindor's lion faces sinister, Scotland's faces dexter; 
> the colors
> > have been flipped, and Scotland has the tressure.
> > 

Since you've quoted this point of Amanda's again, you might be interested in 
this which I found out:

There is no evidence that the lion rampant became "the Arms Dominion of 
Scotland" before 1222, when it appeared on the seal of Alexander II. It may 
have been derived from the arms of the old Earls of Northumbria and 
Huntingdon, from whom some of the Scottish kings were descended, although a 
legendary explanation is that it was carried on the armorial ensign of 
Scotland ever since its first founding by the (mythical) King Fergus I, c. 
300BC.

(Information from the Flags of the World website, 
www.fotw.ca/flags/gb-sc-rb.html#origin)

(Note: 'Scotland' did not exist in 300 BC)

So it appears that the Gryffindor lion could well pre-date the Royal Arms of 
Scotland.

Eloise


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