A Hero's Death - Basis in mythology??

[Caius Marcius]

No: HPFGUIDX 99852

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "antoshachekhonte" 
<antoshachekhonte at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "nkafkafi" <nkafkafi at y...> 
wrote:
> > >Hedwigstalons wrote:
> > > Hi!
> > > Would anyone out there be able to give me the msg. # of a 
posting by
> > > Hans (may be from last summer) that talks about heroes and 
needing 
> > to
> > > die (meaning Harry)? I thought the hero _can't_ die, but it 
seems
> > > that they can - Argh!! Not the fate I want for our Harry!!


Lord Raglan's The Hero: A Study in Myth, Tradition and Drama (1937) 
found 22 thematic elements common to a variety of mythological heroes 

1. The hero's mother is a royal virgin
2. His father is a king and
3. Often a near relative of his mother, but
4. The circumstances of his birth are unusual
5. He is often reputed to be the son of a god
6. At his birth an attempt is made to kill him, but 
7. He is spirited away and
8. Reared by foster parents in a far country
9.  We are told little or nothing of his childhood but
10. On reaching manhood he returns to his future kingdom
11. After victory over the king and/or giant/dragon/wild beast
12. He marries a princess, often the daughter of his predecessor
13. Becomes king
14. For a time he reigns uneventfully and
15. Prescribes laws, but
16. Later loses favor with his subjects and/or God(s), and
17.  Is driven from the city, after which
18. He meets with a mysterious death
19. Often at the top of a hill
20 His children, if any, do not succeed him 
21 His body is not buried but nevertheless
22 He has one or more holy sepulchers

Raglan then gives a score cord for several mythological heroes as to 
how many of these critieria they meet:

Oedipus – 19
Persues – 18
Asclepios – 12
Joseph – 12
Nyikang – 12
King Arthur – 19
Theseus – 20
Jason – 15
Dionysius – 19
Moses – 20
Sigurd – 11
Robin Hood –13
Romulus – 18
Apollo –11
Elijah – 9 
Heracles – 17
Pelops – 13
Zeus – 15
Watu Gunung – 18
Llew Llawgyffees – 17

As can be seen, our Harry meets so far with criteria #4, 6 , 7 , 8, 9 
(sort of- we no info on Harry 0-18 months, and only sporadic info 
from 18 months to age 10 years 11 months), 10 (if we stretch the 
definition of  adulthood to coming-of-age), & 11. Though Harry is not 
reputed to be the son of a god (#5), he is a celebrity, which is 
virtually the same thing in both the contemporary Wizarding World and 
our own. Too early to say on the rest, though I doubt any fictional 
holy sepulchers will be raised for Harry.

   - CMC