Sirius revisited

[a_reader2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 104371

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lavaluvn" <lavaluvn at y...> 
wrote:
 
Carolyn:
But James the stag? What's that all about? Male deer only 
> > grow their horns for the mating season, and then they spend many 
> > months roaring at the top of their voices, engaging in deadly 
head-butting fights with rivals, and jealously guarding their herd of 
> > does, which they have singled out for mating with.
> > 
> > All typical alpha male behaviour in spades, but what on earth 
does 
> it tell us about James?
> > 
> 
> Andromeda:
> 
> Carolyn, I loved your post.  I, too, had recently been thinking 
about 
> the Sirius-the-dog aspect. Loyalty to pack, above all, bite anyone 
> else.  He said, quite clearly, that he would willingly have died to 
> protect his friends and I believe him.  That was, in fact, my 
> favorite non-canon part of the POA movie, Sirius' comment about 
being 
> loveable as a dog, James advising him to make the change permanent, 
> etc.
> 
>  As for the symbology of a true stag, well.... obviously James was 
> rutting after Lily for years.  And whether any of his "pack" liked 
> her or not, they wouldn't have dared get between them, except the 
> rat, who was clearly jealous of Lily.  Creepy.  I really can't 
> understand why Sirius would have trusted him over Lupin... tell us 
> why Jo!!!!

Carolyn:

Thinking on James-the-stag a bit more this morning, it's possible we 
are being asked to make a connection with the many iconic images of 
stags, particularly in Scotland, knee deep in the purple heather. In 
particular, the Victorian animal artist Landseer painted two famous 
pictures: 

The Monarch of the Glen, view here:
http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/item/item_photograph.jsp?item_id=4336

and The Stag at Bay, view here: 
http://www.antiquemapsandprints.com/p-0691.jpg

The sad thing about the pictures is that these proud, wild animals 
have been the sport of man since the beginning of time, indeed, are 
the chosen prey of royalty, although they are now farmed to be shot 
when we choose. I wonder if this is supposed to have any 
significance, James, the magnificent beast, born to die, king only of 
a tract of land fenced by man? Doesn't bode well for our boy, who 
found his father inside him that night in POA, does it?

Going back to Sirius, you caught a good comment there from the movie! 
And she couldn't have laid more symbolism on with a trowel in the 
books if she tried. What dog would not have gone mad, cooped up in a 
house for months? And JKR is a dog-lover, no wonder she wept buckets 
when she had to have him put him down, which she made sure was as 
painless and quick as possible..