Halloween Release Speculation (Was:Re: Clue to Release of Book 7?)

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 163332

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "julie" <juli17 at ...> wrote:

Geoff:
> > I agree that to have Hallowe'en 1997 as seeing the end of the war 
> > would be neatly symmetrical but good stories do not always have
> > such a symmetry because this can appear to be contrived. Again, 
> > I believethat the Celtic New Year will not be relevant because JKR 
> > is a Christian and would not necessarily be influenced by that date.

Julie: 
> Yes, it would be neatly symmetrical, and though JKR couldn't
> have deliberately aimed for it, once again seredipity may
> have stepped in, and she must certainly recognize the same
> symmetry we recognize. Whether she wants to take advantage 
> of it, *can* take advantage of it (we don't know when the
> 7th book will even enter the editing stage for sure, do we?),
> or is thinking in another direction entirely is unknown.
> But I hope she wouldn't dismiss the idea only on the basis
> that it might *appear* contrived. That's a stupid reason IMO ;-)

Geoff:
I think there are also plot-driven reasons as to why Hallowe'en 
1997 would not see the end of Harry's fight against Voldemort.

HBP ends somewhere about the end of June or beginning of July 
1997. Harry intimates to Ron and Hermione that he will not 
return to Hogwarts because he feels that he ought to visit Godric's 
Hollow and then set out to find the remaining Horcruxes. The others 
then remind him that he will have to come to the Burrow for the 
wedding before anything else is tackled.

So, it is probably going to be well into August before Harry is free 
to tackle his own personal agenda. With all the luck in the world, I 
cannot see him finalising the identification of and tracking down of 
the remaining Horcruxes, destroying them and then finding 
Voldemort and fighting him iall in the space of about two months....

I commented in another recent post that we all have our own pet 
ideas and, if we are not cautious, can allow ourselves to manipulate 
the facts to fit our theories. This is possibly one reason why the 
"Deathly Hallows = Hallowe'en" hypothesis seems to have taken hold. 
Personally, as I have just said, I cannot see the Hallowe'en '97 scenario 
being feasible and - as someone proposed - if you stretch it to the 
following year, we go the other way and seem to have a lot of time to 
use up in the story line.

Again, just my own gut feeling, I have said that I see the Deathly 
Hallows as being a place, although "Hallowe'en = All  Hallows Eve = 
All Saints Eve" is the interpretation which has been bounced around, 
which leads me to the intriguing point  that in the DVD of the "Prisoner 
of Azkaban", there is an interview involving Jo Rowling and Alfonso 
Cuarón. In it, the latter remarks that he wanted the execution scene 
with Buckbeak to be in a graveyard but JKR vetoed this because, 
although there was a graveyard at Hogwarts, it was not in that 
location and she explained to Alfonso that it had a part to play later.

Suspicious....

Julie:
> As for JKR being a Christian, her religion has never had much
> overt presence in the HP books. While there are certainly 
> concepts and symbols in the books that reflect her religion,
> there are also concepts and symbols from a variety of pagan
> myths and legends, including Greek, Egyptian and Celtic, 
> along with Tarot cards, Astrology...you name it, it's there.
> So I don't know why Samhain wouldn't fit in as easily, should
> JKR chose to reference it. Though she need not, since the
> date is highly significant already as the day Harry's parents
> died and Harry became "The Boy Who Lived."

Geoff:
JKR, like Tolkien, has never made her faith too overt but it can 
be sensed there. Tolkien also used concepts from other sources 
- some from his own Middle-earth creation.

However, the idea of Samhain has never been raised in the books. 
Hallowe'en has usually been celebrated with a feast not unlike the 
parties which are sometimes held in the UK with food and 
pumpkins etc. and little of its significance as a non-Chrsitian 
event is touched on.

JKR has used Hallowe'en for several other events, not related to 
legends. Among the events chronicled on this night are: 
Voldemort's attack on James and Lily; the appearance of the troll 
in the dungeon; Harry first hearing the Basilisk; Sirius attacking 
the Fat Lady's portrait; the Goblet of Fire revealing the names of 
the Champions....

All vital to the story but not venturing into myths, astrology or legends.