[HPforGrownups] Re: Was Harry designed as the Anti-LV weapon ?

[Robert A. Rosenberg]

No: HPFGUIDX 117200

At 21:57 -0800 on 11/03/2004, Kelsey Dangelo wrote about 
[HPforGrownups] Re: Was Harry designed as the Anti-LV weapo:

>Kelsey:
>Here's one of my problems with the
>prophesy-literary-function. Personally, I was
>disappointed that the prophesy was the answer to the
>BIG question "Why does Voldie want to kill Harry?" It
>seemed to be a cop-out (but I don't have a problem
>with it following literary tradition).
>
>Prophesies are tricky. People can't tell if the
>prophesy is predicting the future or causing the
>future. Would Harry defeat the Dark Lord if it hadn't
>been for the prophesy? Would Oedipus killed his father
>and married his mother if it hadn't been for the
>prophesy? It's impossible to tell. The Fates may have
>set it up, or they may just be just another word for
>what was already determined by who Voldie and Harry
>were. Free will or none, Parental planning or none,
>Oracle or none, it seems like that's the way things
>are.
>
>Basically, it turns into a mobieous strip of logic.

I agree. I was once in a discussion triggered by a Web Site with 
ground rules for being an Evil Overlord (Basically a list of all the 
Dumb Mistakes the Villain  does in stories phased in terms of "Do it 
This Way'). My comment was about the classic "Someone has been (or is 
soon going to be) born who will defeat you x years from now" type 
Prophesy (as in the HP vs. LV one).

My tongue in check comment was NOT to go out and try to kill him now 
(and thus fail and give him a reason to come after you) but to either 
protect and guard him or just take a hands-off stance. This is 
because the Prophesy implies that you are going to still be around 
(and in power) in X years and by then you might want to retire and 
can cut a deal with him to do so (so long as you can show that you 
did not try to kill him soon after his birth when you had the 
chance/option). Also, he is your survival guarantee since so long as 
he is still alive, so are you (so you both can have that "Final 
Showdown").

I read a story once that had this twist ending. The so called Villain 
was just trying to keep civilization running until it was time for 
the Prophesy to occur and he could turn the job over to the person 
who was destined to "defeat" him.