Alchemy, the Epilogue and Slytherin (long)

[elfundeb]

No: HPFGUIDX 176156

Erm.  Where do I begin?  The focus of this post is to draw on the principles
of alchemy, which JKR read extensively before writing HP, and to take
another look at some of the issues we've been debating these last few weeks,
particularly the continued isolation of Slytherin house and what the
epilogue has to say about it.  (There are a couple of other observations
about alchemy at the very end of this post.)

On first reading, the epilogue appears superficial, and the
message contradictory.  However, when I began to read up on alchemy
(something I'd never done before) and view it through that lens,
the indicators of reconciliation became much clearer to me.  I now believe
that the sole function of the epilogue is to provide a window into the
future, not 19 but 25 and 30 years down the road, using alchemical
references and principles to convey the notion that the children we meet in
the epilogue will continue the alchemical process of spiritual purification
of the WW which has been going on at least since the generation above
Harry's.

I doubt I'll convince anyone who is convinced that JKR sees Slytherin traits
as negative.  Her view of ambition is ambivalent at best, and I recall
writing a post on this subject when I was a fresh-faced newbie on this list
back in 2002.  The story of the Elder Wand seems to confirm her distaste for
ambition; however, I believe the message is that any one of the defining
house traits, if not tempered with other traits, is dangerous.  The line
between the ambitious and the power-hungry is thin, but so is the line
between bravery and foolish recklessness, and recklessness kills.

If anyone wants to quit reading right now, I'll understand.  ;-)

QUICK ALCHEMY SUMMARY

I'm no alchemy expert.  Everything I know I picked up from this list, from
John Granger's book Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader
(Zossima Press 2007), and a couple of alchemy websites.  (I have not read
Granger's analysis of the first part of DH, which is posted on his
website.)  Since it's been discussed many times, and I'm not qualified
anyway, I'm going to start with a *very* oversimplified summary.

According to Granger (John, not Hermione), the alchemical process is a
series of purifications of a base metal into gold, accomplished by
dissolving and recongealing the metal via the action of two reagents
representing two polar opposites.  These opposites are alternatively
described as:

Sol and Luna (sun and moon, or night and day)
masculine and feminine (power and wisdom)
 Sulfur (S) and Mercury (Hg), also seen as -
Ruddy Man and White Woman (Red King and White Queen)
Hot/dry and cool/moist (i.e., fire and water, or in HP terms, Gryffindor and
Slytherin)

The chemical purification process functioned as a metaphor for spiritual
purification through the resolution of forces in conflict.   This
purification process culminates in the chemical wedding, at which the polar
opposites are resolved and merged, followed by their death and the birth of
the "philosophical orphan."  The death referenced is the death of the
differentiated state of the two marriage partners, and the birth is the
product of their merger and reconciliation.  Thus, it is not necessarily a
literal death.

End of summary.

THE ALCHEMICAL CYCLE IN THE POTTERVERSE

It's fairly evident, at least in the Potterverse, that the alchemical
process is iterative and repeats itself in successive generations.  Harry is
an obvious philosophical orphan born following a wedding of opposites -- the
pureblood James and Muggleborn Lily -- after a period of conflict (amply
documented in Snape's memories), and their deaths at Voldemort's hand.

Harry, in his role as philosophical orphan, functions as the base metal for
the next cycle of purification.  As the product of a union of pureblood and
Muggleborn, it was his job to defeat Voldemort, principal proponent of the
pureblood supremacy cancer that Salazar Slytherin inflicted on his house.
By defeating Voldemort, there are no more heirs of Slytherin to carry on
Salazar's ignoble work, and the WW has been made safe for Muggleborns.

It wasn't Harry's job to achieve unity between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
His job was to purge the cancer that prevented Slytherin from achieving
unity with the other houses.  Completion of the task of reunification,
however, is left for the new philosophical orphan(s) and the rest of the
new generation, whom we meet briefly in the epilogue.

 ALCHEMICAL WEDDING(S) AND PHILOSOPHICAL ORPHANS IN DH

It seems pretty clear that it was Lupin and Tonks that drew the short straw
in DH and were made to take part in the symbolic chemical wedding; give
birth to the new philosophical orphan, Teddy; and die.  Teddy's role as
philosophical orphan is foreshadowed by the newborn infant's immediate
changes in hair color through the various stages (black, white, red) of the
alchemical process; all three colors are mentioned by Lupin in his report.

As Harry, the offspring of a muggleborn and pureblood, did battle against
the pureblood ideology, if Teddy, the next philosophical orphan is to
achieve house unity, he should ideally be the offspring of a
Gryffindor/Slytherin relationship.  While we don't know for certain what
house Tonks was in, she is a Black (though a disowned one) and the Black
family have historically been sorted into Slytherin.

Viewing Lupin and Tonks as alchemical symbols does a great deal to explain
Lupin's actions in HBP and DH.  JKR presents a quarreling couple that
ultimately resolves their differences; although Lupin and Tonks had a quiet,
offstage wedding ceremony at the beginning of DH (probably to make sure
there would be no out-of-wedlock pregnancy in the books), Lupin's doubts
created opposition and estrangement that was not resolved until Teddy's
birth.  The peaceful appearance of Lupin and Tonks in death symbolizes their
final alchemical union (and perhaps explains Tonks' single-minded
purpose upon her arrival in the RoR to go join Lupin in the fighting).

DOPPELGANGERS:  MORE QUARRELING COUPLES AND PHILOSOPHICAL NON-ORPHANS

HP is full of doppelgangers.  Harry, as philosophical orphan, has several.
There's Neville, another virtual orphan, whose similarities to Harry are
exemplified in the prophecy.  Riddle is another, only in reverse.

The obvious doppelgangers for Lupin and Tonks are Bill and Fleur.  Like
Lupin, Bill has had a werewolf encounter that scarred him for life.  Fleur's
part-veela status is a counterpart to Tonks' Metamorphmagus abilities (the
veela at the QWC became birdlike when angry).  As Granger and others have
pointed out, Fleur has her own Slytherin connection in her Phlegm nickname;
she is cool and moist, in contrast to the hot, dry, passionate
Weasleys.  And while we don't see her quarrel with Bill, her relationship
with the women at the Burrow (all Gryffindors) is unquestionably strained.
To underscore the connection between the two couples, JKR has Fleur and
Tonks, both 'young and whole,' publicly declare their love for their
'damaged' men in the hospital wing scene at the end of HBP.

Ron and Hermione comprise a third (or perhaps the primary) quarreling
couple.  Though not obvious doppelgangers, Ron is Bill's brother and the one
he chooses to stay with when he leaves the camping trip (he looks to Bill
and Fleur for pointers on romance, too).  For her part, Hermione
demonstrates more than a little bit of Slytherinish cunning and ambition.
Moreover, they are clearly alchemical symbols -- sulphur and mercury
(Hermione stands for mercury, and her initials are the chemical symbol for
mercury, Hg), Red King and White Queen (they even wore crowns in a dream of
Harry's in OOP), and the resolution of their conflicts in their chemical
wedding -- in the form of a symbolic kiss with the philosophical orphan as
witness -- is essential to completing Harry's own purification.

Fortunately, the doppelganger couples don't need to die to complete the
alchemical purification (although Ron and Hermione got a symbolic death and
resurrection when they went to the Chamber of Secrets for the basilisk
fangs).  Lupin and Tonks' death sufficed for the entire generation.

 THE EPILOGUE (FINALLY)

JKR wasn't exactly forthcoming in the epilogue.  To the uninitiated it reads
like a hodgepodge of useless information.  Who cares if Ron and Hermione
named their firstborn Rose, or if Teddy is snogging Victoire?   The little
information it provides seems trivial, but virtually every component points
to the next level of purification to take place in the WW, the healing of
the Slytherin/Gryffindor rift.

 First, the epilogue functions almost exclusively as an introduction of the
philosophical orphans and non-orphans in the next generation whose own
purification will achieve house unity, and only incidentally on the
principals of the main action in HP.  Virtually everyone we meet or hear
about has alchemical significance:

*We meet Scorpius Malfoy, whose Slytherin heritage is reflected in his name,
taken from an astrological water sign, and his resemblance to Draco.

*We meet Rose Weasley, who is what I'll call a philosophical non-orphan (the
product of a chemical wedding, but not an orphan) with a name rich in
alchemical meaning.  The rose in alchemy symbolizes the mystical marriage of
opposites and thus is a symbol of unity.  Ron's comments set up a conflict
between her and Scorpius ("Make sure you beat him in every test") and link
her romantically to Scorpius by negative inference ("don't get *too*
friendly with him").  Even before I checked out the alchemy angle, I assumed
this exchange foreshadowed a Rose/Scorpius marriage.  Add the alchemy, and
it's a chemical wedding celebrating the resolution and merger of the polar
opposites Slytherin and Gryffindor. And, since we're talking about alchemy,
it's an equal merger, not Gryffindor swallowing Slytherin.  Both houses are
validated.

 *We meet Albus Severus Potter, whose (obviously Gryffindor) brother likes
to tease him about, among other things, becoming a Slytherin.  But he says
there's nothing wrong with that.  His dad thinks it would be fine, too.  His
dad also tells Al that the Sorting Hat would take his choice into account,
thereby removing Al's fear of Slytherin.  I bet 10 to 1 he goes to
Slytherin, notwithstanding the ambiguity of Harry's comment, where Al
will provide the salt, the alchemical catalyst for the chemical reaction
between Gryffindor Rose and Slytherin Scorpius.

*We meet Hugo Weasley.  Potioncat made an excellent joke that he was named
for Victor Hugo, but secretly for Hermione's old flame Victor Krum.  In
fact, I believe he *was* named for Victor Hugo.  The Hunchback of Notre Dame
contains numerous references to Nicholas Flamel and to alchemy in general,
and Victor Hugo himself apparently claimed to have spoken directly to Flamel
in a seance.  In our one glimpse of him he is engaged in an earnest
discussion with Lily II about what houses they would be sorted into.  Again,
Ron's comment ("If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you") seems to
suggest that they will not automatically become Gryffindors.  They also seem
to be good candidates for purifying agents in this next stage of alchemical
purification.

*We meet James and Lily, who (as John Granger pointed out in his books long
ago) also have alchemical names (James is the patron saint of alchemists,
and Lily is, among other things, the name of a comic book alchemist).  James
is a teaser, but hopefully not a bully like his namesake.

*We meet Teddy Lupin, the philosophical orphan, and learn that he is being
mentored by the last such orphan *and* that he's enamored of another
philosophical non-orphan, who is also the daughter of his parents'
doppelgangers. Both arguably blend Slytherin and Gryffindor elements.  And
since they merge pureblood, muggleborn, metamorphmagus and veela heritage,
perhaps their offspring will take on the next step toward purifying the
WW by restoring proper relations with non-human magical beings.

The fact is, every one of these characters has alchemical significance, and
the one theme of the epilogue is Hogwarts houses.

 Second, we get evidence of an existing truce among the houses, evidenced by
the exchange of nods between Harry and Draco.  Really, this is progress!

Third, Harry recognizes and respects Severus Snape, another Slytherin.  Yes,
he says Snape is brave, but his comment is a recognition that the best of us
embody qualities of more than one house; they are ambitious and cunning,
wise and intelligent, brave and chivalrous, and loyal and just.  Like Harry.

We don't know what will happen next, but this is what I'd predict:  Young Al
will find himself in Scorpius' compartment, where they will share sweets and
Chocolate Frog cards.  Al will not ask any favors of the Sorting Hat and he
will find himself in Slytherin, because he is ambitious, and compassionate,
and smart and cunning and brave.  And Rose will drop by to see Al in his
compartment, whereupon she will inform young Scorpius that he has dirt on
his nose . . . .

CONCLUSION

 Obviously, the promise that the alchemical process will accomplish the
purification necessary to complete the healing of the Gryffindor/Slytherin
rift is little comfort to those who read the Sorting Hat's song in OOP to
mean that house unity would be essential to defeat Voldemort.  The challenge
of literature is to provide satisfaction within the pages of the novel,
and the denouement and epilogue of DH may obscure the message too deeply for
it to be understood fully by one not in possession of the alchemical key.
For me, though, it's enough.

************

The rest of this post consists of thoughts on other ways in which alchemy
permeates DH which really don't fit into the main thesis of the post.  But I
thought they might be interesting, so have left them in as an afterword.

 ANTI-PURIFICATION

Tom Riddle as evil psychopath, unable to love or be loved or repent,
represented by the flayed infant whom nobody can help, seems harsh and
unnecessarily Calvinistic.  However, alchemical principles would seem to
decree that this must be so.  Tom Sr. and Merope's marriage was the opposite
of the chemical wedding which merges and resolves the two opposites.  Merope
essentially took Tom Sr. by trickery and when he found out, Tom Sr. left,
the union was dissolved, and Merope was left to die.

Because muggle and magical were in conflict, Tom is an anti-philosophical
orphan.  Instead of purification his magical transformations debase him
further, making him less human.  He is not purified, but corrupted, and he
must be destroyed because he cannot repent and reform.

This doesn't make the Calvinistic theology embedded in Riddle's demise any
less harsh, but I do think it helps to understand the literary construct JKR
was using.

MORE ON LUPIN AND TONKS

 In addition to the quarreling couple or Gryffindor/Slytherin pairs of
opposites, JKR also makes Lupin and Tonks exemplify the male/female
alchemical dichotomy, except that they do so in reverse.  Instead of a male
sun and feminine moon, Lupin is the moon to Tonks' sun (what other
explanation for those luridly bright hair colors?).  Lupin, with his monthly
illness, passivity and unemployability, carries obvious feminine markers.

Many, if not all, of Tonks' quirks point to this dichotomy.  Tonks'
masculine markers include (i) wanting to be known by her surname; (ii) utter
lack of feminine grace; (iii) lack of housekeeping skills; and (iv) her
tough-guy law enforcement job.  In HBP, however, this begins to reverse:
Tonks becomes depressed over a man, a more stereotypically feminine thing to
do, and in DH, Tonks stays home while Lupin wants to go off on a macho
adventure with the Trio instead of fulfilling his role as a father.  And, as
an aside, it's possible to argue that their doppelgangers Bill and Fleur
also reverse the masculine/feminine dichotomy: Fleur competed in the rather
macho Triwizard Tournament; Bill's not exactly feminine, but he does sport
long hair and an earring.

While Tonks' character makes sense in an alchemical context, whether it
makes sense from the perspective of the story is another matter.  If not for
the alchemy, I don't know what she adds to the book.  I also often felt that
the Lupin we see in DH was a square peg being forced into this triangular
role.

THE END.  REALLY.

Debbie
also noting that some passages become funnier once you realize their
alchemical significance and suggesting ch. 31


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