The Living Philosopher's Stone (Was: Re: The Spiritual Symbolism)

[Susan Fox-Davis]

No: HPFGUIDX 56150

Bill collected many posts in this fabulous mystical thread.
I apologize if I have mis-represented attributions, any errors are my
own.

I think it was Bill who observed:

<(And, Dicentra, I'm not too worried about Eloise's protests either.
`Cause even if yews always hang about graveyards, it's still Quite
Significant that yew is V's wand wood.)>

Yew is also a tree of Death.  It is indeed planted in graveyards.  It is
the proverbial wood from which deadly bows are made for archers, for
both war and hunting.

In the Scandinavian runic system, its rune signifies death and endings.
I really connect this Yew=Death aspect with Voldemort.  Likewise, in the
same mythos, Holly is a symbol of eternal life, being a protectively
prickly evergreen with bright berries in the wintertime;  just right for
The Boy Who Lived!

<<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??) >>

I am very keen on the parallels between Cinnabar [an ore of Mercury] and
Dragon's Blood [resin of a certain palm tree].  If you have seen a chunk
of these substances, you notice that they are somewhat similar looking.
Cinnabar is usually much lighter in color but I certainly see how they
could get crossed up.

Susan Fox-Davis