A Hero's Death - Basis in mythology??

[sofdog_2000]

No: HPFGUIDX 99894

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Ivan Vablatsky <ibotsjfvxfst at y...> wr=
ote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "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!!


SOF:

(Apologies in advance for non-HP examples, but I think it's important in or=
der to 
illustrate the points more clearly.)

The death of the Hero is not necessarily literal. It is sometimes a metapho=
r for a 
"descent into the underworld." For example, Orpheus of Greek Mythology desc=
ends to 
the Underworld to retrieve his dead wife, Eurydice. Some more modern exampl=
es 
would be Xena: Warrior Princess who both died and literally traveled to Had=
es, land of 
the dead, several times. Likewise, Buffy the Vampire Slayer suffered two ph=
ysical 
deaths only to be resuscitated/resurrected stronger than she had ever been =
before. 

Sometimes, in the course of the Hero's Quest, the Hero must die or venture =
beyond 
the land of the living in order to achieve/retrieve something that will aid=
e in the 
ultimate triumph (Boon). The "death" is not so much an end as a step in the=
 life of the 
Hero's soul, a test. If the hero does not willingly make this sacrifice, th=
ey will not 
achieve the Boon – the gift to the world. If the Hero can't/won't make this=
 choice, 
they aren't worthy. They are not the One. Think of Neo re-entering the Matr=
ix to save 
Morpheus. He was the one with the plan, the skill and the freedom of though=
t to save 
both Morpheus and Trinity as well as fight Agents hand to hand. This result=
ed in his 
death, which facilitated his rise as The One. Not only was Neo The One, he =
was The 
One that would change the dynamic between the Machines and Humans forever. =


"The descent into the Underworld is a pilgrimage 
which the true hero cannot avoid for only after 
the pilgrimage can the new complete self be born 
in the act of rebirth."
 – David Adams Leeming, Mythology: The Voyage of the Hero 

Several scholars on the subject agree that Heroes frequently end their jour=
neys with 
an Apotheosis or Ascension beyond the circle of life. Sometimes this means =
they are 
made immortal (as with Hercules who became a full god). It could also mean =
that they 
leave the known world and pass into legend (as with Frodo who sailed beyond=
 the 
Mortal world, where word of his death would never be known). In the case of=
 Buffy the 
Vampire Slayer, Apotheosis came in the form of sharing her unique station w=
ith 
legions of females. By spreading the power of the Slayer to all possible ca=
ndidates 
she made her "self" ever-present and created a particular legacy that would=
 outlast 
her own life.   

The nature of the death, resurrection and apotheosis are up to the storytel=
ler, and as 
such are only limited by JK Rowling's imagination. It's within reason to co=
nsider that 
Harry's ultimate fate may be to not only vanquish Lord Voldemort, but to al=
so 
vanquish those powers within himself that he gained from Voldemort. Perhaps=
 Harry's 
function is to counter-balance Voldemort's own in order to remove that powe=
r from 
the world altogether. He just might end up a happy, normal wizard in the en=
d.

One of the things that Harry is coming to terms with is the connection betw=
een 
himself and Voldemort. Meeting young Tom Riddle was an interesting twist. A=
t some 
point Harry will have to recognize the human in Voldemort and so the fact t=
hat he 
was not always a monster. Harry will need to recognize this progression of =
the human 
monster in order to avoid falling into the same trap. (How Vader and Skywal=
ker was 
that? ;)) 

Here's a link to a paper I did a few years back on the Hero's Journey. It i=
s loose 
enough to apply to any story you need to. And there's a bibliography at the=
 end. 
http://www.bibliora.com/P5_0302/html/confluence.html