[HPforGrownups] Re: Prophecies and fate; writing what you don't believe (was:The Second Prophecy)

[Magda Grantwich]

No: HPFGUIDX 118076

There are two tricks to serious prophecies, in JKR's world and in
myth and legend.  

1.  They always bite you in the butt (which is why I'm sure that
there's something about the current one that we're missing or
overlooking)

and 

2.  They're passive until they're activated by the person(s) they're 
most concerned with.  For instance, Voldemort kicks off the first
prophecy by trying to eliminate baby Harry and ends up bringing about
the very thing he was trying to prevent.  In ancient myth, Oedipus'
father tries to get around the prophecy that Oedipus would kill his
father and marry his mother by abandoning him, thereby setting in
motion the train of events that leads to those very outcomes.  

I believe that (2.) is how JKR can reconcile a prophecy with her
strong belief in people making choices and being in charge of their
own destinies.  

Magda


		
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