The Deathly Hallows

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 164597

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "snow15145" <kking0731 at ...> wrote:
 
> I've been thinking since the title had been released what or where 
> the Deathly Hollows could be, as have we all. There have been many 
> great suggestions some of which have led me to my own far-fetched 
> thinking


<snipped>

> My proposal therefore is: that the Deathly Hollows are good persons 
> who were killed by evil; empty (hollow) of life; like death (deathly) 
> but with ability beyond the boundaries of death because of the way in 
> which their life was taken...who will be a powerful force that will 
> protect Harry. 

Geoff:
If I might add in my own twopennyworth, I think that I am inclined to 
take a diametrically opposite view to yours. If I might quote from a 
couple of posts I sent in the first threads on this topic, in post 
163123, I wrote:

"On the subject of "Hallow"
 the word can be a noun, a verb or an 
adjective.

We can dispense with the adjective since that is usually only found 
as "hallowed" and as a verb, "hallows" only occurs as a third person 
singular whereas the structure of the book title really only supports 
its use as a noun.

It is not a word which you would find thrown around idly in everyday 
conversation, except currently on HPFGU :-), but I would think that 
UK English speakers would only latch onto Hallowe'en or place names 
such as Allhallows-on-Sea if the matter was raised with them.

As has been often pointed out, Hallowe'en is a contraction of All 
Hallow's Eve - the night before All Hallows Day, better known as 
All Saints Day.

So usage might dictate that we are looking at deathly saints or a 
deathly place with connections to saints. So, will Harry be able to 
call on the help of now-deceased wizards, perhaps through portraits 
or information left by them or will things come to anend at a place 
of historical wizarding significance?

It's a bit early to get too deeply into speculation; I think a number 
of people burnt their fingers over HBP this way but my gut feeling 
leans towards the latter scenario."

and, later, in message 163332, I added:

"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...."