Transferred soul (was Re: What did Riddle want from Ginny?)

[dungrollin]

No: HPFGUIDX 111482

Dungrollin:
> If Voldemort's soul was transferred to Harry, and his body was 
> destroyed, then what part of him was wandering around that forest 
> in Albania, possessing small mammals, and wondering if his beloved 
> (*sniff*) Death Eaters would ever find him?

caspenzoe:
> If Vm didn't die because his body and soul weren't together, 
> then his soul, per se, wasn't transferred to HP, although some of 
> his powers were, because his soul wasn't there to be transferred.
<snip>

fanofminerva:
> For a broader explanation, read the original "Changeling Hypothesis" 
> on redhen and the two North Tower essays on Mugglenet.  Some food for 
> thought, even if it's not your favorite dish.


Now Dungrollin:
Okay, I've now read the Changeling Hypothesis and the two North Tower 
essays.  Shamelessly borrowing from His Dark Materials, I'll just 
paraphrase Lyra: There must be a something else, because I can think 
about my body, and I can think about my daemon (=soul), so there must 
be a third part to do the thinking!

So rather than using the rather vague `memories' that's used in the 
Changeling Hypothesis, I'll say `mind'.  I'm no philosopher, but 
however you want to define it, I think most people (and please 
correct me if I'm wrong) would agree at least, that the soul is the 
bit that continues to exist after the death of the body and the mind.

Bearing this in mind (ho ho), You Know Who's body was destroyed when 
the AK rebounded at GH, and it was his mind (containing his memories, 
knowledge and magical abilities) that fled to an Albanian forest and 
was able to possess small animals.  That leaves his soul.  

Reading it this way, I have to go back and apologise to all and sundry.  
It's entirely possible that his soul is hiding within Harry. However, 
if the reason that he wasn't killed by the Akrebound was that he'd 
misplaced (or intentionally hidden) his soul, it can't be within Harry, 
as it wouldn't have been with him when he went to GH in the first place.  
And, going right back to the title of this thread, he would have had to 
have hidden his soul before he was sixteen, otherwise he wouldn't have 
needed Ginny's.

Oh dear, my two knuts-worth turned into a handful of sickles.

Dungrollin
(He who slings mud generally loses ground.)