The Breast Plate in the UK cover

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 166851

Kemper wrote:
>
> On the breast plate there looks to be a mirror image of an 'S'.  And
it looks like the 's' is a snake... though it could be the
ridiculously long neck of a dragon.
> 
> Could the printers (or whoever) have mirror imaged the artist's
original intent?  If I painted, and I don't, I would have placed Ron
on Harry's left (emotional) and Hermione on his right (logical).  Ron
his voice of id.  Hermione his voice superego.
> 
> I know.  Freud.  But what can you do...  JKR has one of his books on
the shelf behind her on the Adult back cover.

>
Carol responsd:
I'm not sure about the backwards S, but it does look like a snake. If
it is backwards, though, that would explain the left-handed house-elf
(this isn't Mary Grandpre). On a sidenote, I wonder if the cover art
for the American edition of HBP is also reversed, since Dumbledore's
right hand is uninjured and his left hand is hidden. (But that could
just be Mary GrandPre perversely making Harry left-handed.)

I suggested earlier that the helmet ornament was a griffin, but I
retract that idea, based on the feet. It must be a dragon, maybe a
baby Norwegian Ridgeback. ;-) I still think, however, that it must be
Godric Gryffindor's vault (not necessarily at Hogwarts since the
opening appears to be circular rather than arched) given the
proliferation of rubies and no other precious stones. There's a lot of
gold, as well, except, of course, for the armor. Gold would be too
soft (and too expensive) for armor, right? On a sidenote, Wizards must
have fought against, or alongside, Muggles in Gryffindor's day, or why
use armor? (cf. Merlin and Arthur, if we go back a bit farther.) I've
always wondered why Wizards would wear armor, anyway (Sir Cadogan, the
suits of armor in Hogwarts). Would armor deflect an AK or explode if
hit by one? (Maybe it was for the Muggle Wars, which Professor Binns
might have reached if he ever got past Goblins and Giants. ;-))

Regarding rubies, the symbolism varies according to the source I
consult, but everywhere they seem to be connected to love (or
passion), to blood and fire and courage and sometimes to healing or
protection. Pretty good stone to have on your weapon. Best to have
some on your armor, too. (There are rubies on the helmet.)

The cup, I just realized, can't be Helga Hufflepuff's since the one
Hepzibah Smith had isn't described as being inlaid with stones, and
they wouldn't be rubies if there were any--more likely topazes or
whatever the yellow stones are in the Hufflepuff hourglass.
(Slytherin's stones would be emeralds, of course, and Ravenclaw's,
sapphires.)

I'm becoming more and more convinced that this Gryffindor treasure
hoard is one of the many secrets of Hogwarts that Dumbledore has
mentioned more than once and of which we've seen only the CoS and the
RoR. What a suit of armor with a snake on it would be doing there, or
why Godric Gryffindor would have a dragon (as opposed to a griffin,
sigh!) on his helmet, I can't guess, but the rubies have to mean
Gryffindor. Look at the Gryffindor hourglass (now shatteed to
foreshadow shed Gryffindor blood?) and the stones in the Sword of
Gryffindor, after all.

Any ideas as to why Hogwarts is tilting rather dangerously to the
right? And could the ominous grey cloud that reaches clear to the
ground be Dementor-induced "mist"? At least the many lit windows seem
to suggest that Hogwarts is still open.

Carol, wondering why Ron and Hermione seem to be wearing dress robes
while Harry isn't and leaving Freud out of the discussion, thank you!