Snake Lore

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 161584

Pam:
> [Looks up Bullfinch's Mythology, Chapter 36]

> "...Jonston, a learned physician, sagely remarks: "I would 
scarecely believe that it kills with its look, for who could have 
seen it and lived to tell the story?"  The worthy sage was not aware 
that those who went to hunt for the basilisk of this sort took with 
them a mirror, which reflected back the deadly glare upon its author, 
and by a kind of poetical justice slew the basilisk with its own 
weapon."

Ceridwen:
If we can take some things liberally, then LV must be 'the basilisk' 
in this case.  If it wasn't for his horcruxes, he would have had 
his 'look' (his AK) reflected back at him and so be destroyed by his 
own weapon.  As it was, his body was destroyed and it was only the 
unnatural steps he took toward immortality which kept his soul on 
earth.

Another parallel is in the Johnson quote: '...who could have seen it 
and lived to tell the story?'  The Avada Kedavra, LV's 'basilisk 
look', is an unblockable spell - who could be hit with this spell and 
live to tell the story?

Harry could have, and did, of course.  Both of these events happened 
the same night, when LV went to kill Harry.

And, I would also say that Harry would be 'the weasel' here, not one 
of the Weasleys.  The weasel doesn't care about the basilisk's deadly 
stare or poisonous fangs, but goes straight into the fray.  When he 
needs to regroup, he takes rue and immediately returns to the fight.  
Rue is an herb, but the verb 'to rue' means to regret.  Harry has 
regrets in the different books, but he gets over them and returns to 
fight.  The weasel defeats the basilisk, it is Harry's prophesied 
destiny to either defeat LV or be defeated by him.  In other words, 
it is his unique job in the WW to defeat LV, no one else's.  So the 
weasel would have to be Harry if the basilisk is LV.  In my opinion, 
of course.

Interesting find, Pam!

Ceridwen.