[HPforGrownups] David and Sirius

[charme]

No: HPFGUIDX 116435


From: "Hans Andra">
>
> Thanks to Charme for pointing out: Sirius (the star) plays quite a part in
> the culture and religion of ancient Egyptians.
>
> Exactly! To the Egyptians, Sirius was the basis of their calendar and was
> "the bright morning star" for certain times of the year. What times? In
> July!

<snip>

> I quote:
. I believe that our attention
> was MEANT to be drawn to Egypt to give us a clue to what Sirius
symbolises.

<snip>

> Let me ask show you again:
> Sirius, a morning star - OK there are two celestial objects that have that
> name, but for the month of July, in Egypt, where Sirius Black sees
Scabbers,
> Sirius is the important Morning Star - has three friends, James, John and
> Peter. In the Bible there's another Morning Star, namely Christ, who also
> has three friends, with the same name, and one of them, Peter, "does the
> dirty on him". And both Christ and Sirius die at about the same age in an
> act of self sacrifice. You, dear intelligent members of HPFGU, call that
> pure, unadulterated COINCIDENCE?
>

Charme:

You're most welcome, Hans. I love ancient Egyptian history & art and have
studied it for quite a while.  I might mention that the beginning of the
ancient Egyptian calendar year started roughly on, near, or just after June
21st, a fact you'll find on some of the same websites you linked to in your
post. You might want to know there is another reference to Egypt in
Hermoine's letter to Harry on his birthday in PoA, too. However, 1
correction about "seeing" Sirius:  you and Empooress are both right, as
Sirius is "invisible" to the naked eye for a period of about 70 days in the
year when Sirius "rises" after the sun has already "risen."

I *do* believe in symbolism, and I think the Potter series is ripe with it.
I might also mention that it's interesting that in Egyptian astronomy and
mythology, Osiris' (the lord of the dead) soul is represented by 2
constellations used in ancient Egyptian astronomy: Orion and Phoenix.  To
the ancients, the star "Draco" did not signify the name translation I
commonly hear referenced now (dragon), but is instead representative of a
serpent.  Eagles, lions, serpents, bees (yes, I typed "bees"), and unicorns
are all represented by constellations or stars in this astronomy and
mythology.  The ancient Egyptian symbol for "plant" is actually the Tree of
Life:  3 sacred lotus lilies. The glyph for Orion is always depicted as "The
Giant." Sirius is depicted as the "King of Seven Stars" with a pi or tau (a
T square) around his neck;  the Egyptian Book of the Dead describes tau as
meaning  "sacred gateway or opening." (Say hello to Sirius' mirrors,
perhaps?) Egytian astronomy also reveals that by study of the stars and
constellations, the ancients believed that the past and the future are one
and the same and can be read in the stars. (Oh, no more time turners,
please?!?!?) :) Some of this sounds like the centaurs and their observations
of the heavens, doesn't it?

The reason this is all important is because of JKR's background as a
scholar, specifically those subjects she's well versed in relative to
linguistics. Ancient Egyptian words like "mut" (mother) and "baal" (bull)
are all derivatives of the words we still know in English today, and many of
the myths held by ancient Egyptians have been "passed" to other
cultures(Druids, Greeks, etc) as well as religion. It wouldn't be too far
fetched to think some of this might have influenced her writing, in some
fashion or another.

charme