Horcrux: was Baptism/Christianity in HP

[Peggy Richter]

No: HPFGUIDX 153818

PAR: If James and Lily had been concerned about baptism and it's 
significance as implied, then Harry would have had a GODMOTHER as 
well as a Godfather. He doesn't, according to JKR in the same 
interview as the one where she mentions the Christening.  I don't 
think one can presume that it is a significant issue.    

http://www.etymonline.com/

hors d'oeuvre  
1714, "out of the ordinary," from Fr. hors d'oeuvre, "outside the 
ordinary courses (of a meal)," lit. "apart from the main work," from 
hors, var. of fors "outside" (from L. fortis) + de "from" + 
oeuvre "work," from L. opera, (see opus). Meaning "extra dish set 
out before a meal or between courses" attested in Eng. from 1742. 

hors de combat  
1757, from Fr., lit. "out of combat." 

Crux also means "heart" or "crossroads" (as in railroad crossing)
So Horcrux would mean "out of the heart" or "out of the crossing [of 
lives}" both of which fit FAR better to what LV is up to than any 
reference to a crucifixion cross.

god  
O.E. god "supreme being, deity," from P.Gmc. *guthan (cf. Du. god, 
Ger. Gott, O.N. guð, Goth. guþ), from PIE *ghut- "that which is 
invoked" (cf. Skt. huta- "invoked," an epithet of Indra), from root 
*gheu(e)- "to call, invoke." But some trace it to PIE *ghu-to-
 "poured," from root *gheu- "to pour, pour a libation" (source of 
Gk. khein "to pour," khoane "funnel" and khymos "juice;" also in the 
phrase khute gaia "poured earth," referring to a burial 
mound). "Given the Greek facts, the Germanic form may have referred 
in the first instance to the spirit immanent in a burial mound" 
[Watkins]. Not related to good. Originally neut. in Gmc., the gender 
shifted to masc. after the coming of Christianity. O.E. god was 
probably closer in sense to L. numen. A better word to translate 
deus might have been P.Gmc. *ansuz, but this was only used of the 
highest deities in the Gmc. religion, and not of foreign gods, and 
it was never used of the Christian God. ..... God bless you after 
someone sneezes is credited to St. Gregory the Great, but the pagan 
Romans (Absit omen) and Greeks had similar customs. 

-- so "godric" may refer to "god" but it isn't specific as to WHICH 
god.
 
We have gnomes (see gnome  --"dwarf-like earth-dwelling spirit," 
1712, from Fr. gnome, from L. gnomus, used 16c. in a treatise by 
Paracelsus, who gave the name pigmaei or gnomi to elemental earth 
beings, possibly from Gk. *genomos "earth-dweller."

We also have fairies, giants, dragons, phoenix, centaurs and 
mermaids -- but I don't think that the references to them "prove" 
that JKR is using the HP stories to link to Mithra or the 
but I don't think JKR is using HP as an allegory of non Christian 
beliefs.  

I'm certain that she is using Christian symbolisms as these are 
familiar to many of her readers. The phoenix is actually a pagan 
symbol long before it was a Christian one, dating back to Egyptians 
and Babylonian period http://eclipsephoenix.homestead.com/

I think JKR's themes are intended to be universal ones that are 
found in Hindu, Islam, Judaism, Wiccan and yes, Christian religions 
among others.  I have yet to see anything in her books that is 
unique to Christianity and would be very disappointed if she put 
something of that sort in Book 7.  

PAR