TBAY: Stoned Harry/Mother's Love

[cmf_usc]

No: HPFGUIDX 38542

Cindy wrote:
<<Answer me this, though. Where did Stoned Harry's potential for 
eternal life come from? Is it embodied in his scar? Does it have 
something to do with parseltongue, do you think? Is it related to 
the analysis of alchemy you mentioned (which I don't remember so you 
might have to repeat)?>>

Stoned Harry!  I love it!

::rustles papers importantly::

Ok, here goes.  The proof behind the theory.  I've got charts. (shame 
they aren't on disk, it's easier to follow that way.)  I've got 
citations to a reference book.  And, oh yeah, some canon too.

*All interpretations of symbols taken from The Dictionary of Symbols, 
pub. by Penguin, 1994*

First, the alchemists started the whole idea of a person *becoming* a 
philosopher's stone, through some spiritual process; it was one of 
the things they were into, along with turning metal into gold & 
developing an elixir of immortality.  I don't think it's too far-
fetched that JKR might take this fact & twist it into her story; 
she's done that with other stuff, right?

So.  The alchemists believed that Mercury + Sulphur = Philosopher's 
stone. 

JKR's planted *lots* of symbols around Harry that relate to these two 
elements. 

Things associated, alchemically, with sulphur: stag, phoenix, color 
red, lion

With mercury: color green, serpent, unicorn

In art, the alchemists showed the creation of the philosopher's stone 
as a stag & unicorn coming together in a forest.

So, I figure James + Lily = living Philosopher's stone

(I, for one, will be looking for hints that Harry was conceived in 
the forbidden forest :--)

We know *as canonical fact* that the stag is related to James.  If 
you'd like to go with the heir of Gryffindor combo meal, you can add 
the color red & the lion.

We know *as canonical fact* that the color green is related to Lily 
(and that it'll be important.)  I don't think adding the unicorn is 
too much of a stretch:  unicorn = purity; lily = purity; willow (like 
in her wand) = purity.

And if you want to super-size that combo, you can add that Lily was 
an heir of Slytherin (remember the wording in CoS was a "deliberate 
error," JKR says), and that Harry inherited the Parseltongue (serpent 
connection) through her.

There.  Bangy enough for you?  Complicated enough?  That's why I 
really like this theory, actually.  I think it's JKR's style.  Plus 
it would provide the series with a real sense of continuity.

*************
Cindy wrote:
<<I've never been entirely comfortable with the wobbly explanation 
for Harry's unique ability to survive AK -- that his mothers' love 
was so unique that it protected him, and AbsentMinded!Voldemort 
forgot all about this.>>

Me, too.   In fact, I went through SS & CoS pretty carefully to see 
where that whole theory came from.  And it's not Dumbledore that 
tells us this: it's Harry, when he's talking to Riddle in the chamber.

Dumbledore only says "Your mother died to save you."  And this is in 
answer to the question "Why couldn't Quirrell touch me?", (SS p. 299) 
not `how did I survive?' I figure this can be interpreted as, Lily 
died in the attempt to save Harry, but that's not necessarily why he 
lived.  (And I also am quite suspicious that we only have 
Crouch/Moody's word for it that Harry has survived AK.  Maybe V. was 
up to something completely different that night?)

Caroline
(Bonus tidbit: Another word for the Philosopher's stone is cinnabar: 
this means dragon's blood in Persian.  Remind anyone of a certain 
chocolate frog card??)