Eastern European HBP?

entropymail entropymail at yahoo.com
Thu Jul 8 12:29:49 UTC 2004


No: HPFGUIDX 105037

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Hans Andréa <ibotsjfvxfst at y...>
wrote:
> 
> Entropy wrote: [4] Prague was *the* alchemical hot spot of the 16th
century (it was once known as "Magic Prague"), and alchemy has been
shown to play a huge role in  both the HP story and story structure.
(Because of this, I'd guess that  Durmstrang's secret location *is*
Prague.) So it seems a pretty good guess to me that JKR intends to
make this area of  the world a significant one to the Wizarding World
of  Books 6 & 7.

> Hans:  <snip> Actually this is the most interesting one  I've heard
so far! Yes indeed Prague was the alchemical hotbed of the 16th
century! This gives me goosebumps<snip>
 
As a matter of fact in 1564 John Dee published a book which was
dedicated to  the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian, King of Bohemia
(as the country was called then). This book, "Monas Hieroglyphica",
features on its title page a  symbol which is also on the letter of
invitation to the Alchemical Wedding  of Christian Rosycross. This
is a symbol of Mercury (Hermes - Hermione) and
consists of a crescent (Luna), sitting on top of a circle, above a
cross.  This symbol can also be interpreted as soul, spirit and body
completely  united, the result of the Alchemical Wedding, which I
maintain is the  purpose of the Harry Potter septenary.<snip>

Near Prague is the castle Karlstejn. From the air it looks very much
like  JKR's description of Hogwarts. <snip>



Entropy:

Great post! I hated to snip any of it!

Alchemy plays such an important role in the HP books (it can't be an
accident that Albus, Rubeus, and Black relate to the alchemical stages
white, red, and black) and Prague plays such an interesting role in
the history of alchemy that I'm sure JKR is leading us to Prague in
some way or another!

I've believed for a while that Durmstrang is located in Prague.  (Why
do the Durmstrang students arrive by ship? Check out the huge
waterway, the Prague River, which runs through it's center), and now
I've got a sneaking suspicion that Lupin may have ties to the city as
well.  

We've heard so little of Lupin's family and history before Hogwarts,
that I think it's highly possible that they  may have come from Prague
originally.  Eastern Europe's, and particularly Prague's, ties to
werewolves is well-established.  How was Lupin bitten, anyway? Could a
young, pampered, half-blooded Prince Remus been frolicking through a
section of the Bohemian Forest unattended? I sure hope so!  ; )


:: Entropy ::





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