Thoughts on the specific wording of the prophecy

[Eddie]

No: HPFGUIDX 171498

> Canon:
> The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. born
> to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month
> dies . and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will
> have power the Dark Lord knows not . and either must die at the
> hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives .
> the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as
> the seventh month dies .'


> dananotdayna:
> The prophecy states that One approaches with the power to vanquish
the Dark Lord. Vanquish means to defeat, conquer, subdue, overcome or
> suppress. None of these necessarily means kill. The Dark Lord is what
> Tom Riddle became after his "horcruxery" (great word, art/bml07646) -
> an increasingly inhuman evil entity, a soul that has been maimed by
> self-inflicted unhealing wounds. If the Dark Lord can be overcome
> without being killed, won't Love be the thing to accomplish that?

Eddie:
Yes.

> dananotdayna:
> Voldemort will be vanquished, but I don't think Harry will kill him. 

Eddie:
Maybe.  I had a theory long ago that Voldemort would die but Tom
Riddle would survive.  Leading to another interpretation of "Neither
can live while the other survives".  Meaning, Riddle could not live
while Voldemort survived.  Also, Voldemort was not fully "alive" while
Riddle survived.  But that was long ago.  Now I think Voldemort will die.

> dananotdayna:
> Any other thoughts about the wording of the prophecy and how it will
> play out in the end? I can't even wrap my brain around the confusion
> of "
either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live
> while the other survives
"  Who?  Huh?  An hour of searching and
> reading  the posts on this stuff has confounded me.

Eddie:
I think "either must die" could be read as "both must die".  In this
case, "either" would be an adjective as in "rings on either hand" --
meaning, on both hands.  It also parallels the meaning of "neither" in
the next phrase, which refers to both people.  Or "neither", LOL.

So I'm predicting that both Harry and Voldemort will die at the hand
of the other.  Simultaneously.


Possible Spoiler Ahead, based on book cover:
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*S
*P
*O
*I
*L
*E
*R
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*A
*H
*E
*A
*D
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The Scholastic American book cover at
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/books/covers/art7.htm
shows Voldemort and Harry simultaneously reaching for maybe, accio'ing
something maybe, repulsed by something maybe, but both definitely
acting/reacting to the same stimulus.  So this leads credence to my
"simultaneous" prediction.


Eddie