[HPforGrownups] Guy Fawkes day

[eloiseherisson at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 46263

In a message dated 07/11/2002 16:30:18 GMT Standard Time, 
tiara_askew at yahoo.com writes:


> 
> 
> I'm new here, so I don't know if this has been discussed before, but 
> the connection of Fawkes the phoenix and Guy Fawkes is one that has 
> troubled me for some time. The bonfire similarity to the phoenix 
> rising from the ashes seems pretty clear - the troubling part is that 
> Guy Fawkes was a traitor.
> 

Hi there! Cool name!

Barb's answered pretty thoroughly on this. 

I'd just add that there aren't exact parallels here.
Yes, poor Guy Fawkes was horribly executed as a traitor, but he himself 
wasn't burned (although I have no idea what they did with his body).

These days we do burn effigies of Guy Fawkes (or the Pope, I believe, is a 
traditional alternative, still unfortunately used in some vehemently 
Protestant parts), but they don't rise from the ashes.

In other words, I think JKR's just playing in naming Dumbledore's phoenix 
Fawkes. I don't see that you can take the symbolism too far.

Eloise

A (not RC) Guy Fawkes sympathiser who absolutely hates the symbolism of 
burning Guys and whose six-year old's after-school club decided to make a 
Dobby instead this year - children's decision - as they don't really care who 
they burn, they just like making them.


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