The scar

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 182655

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at ...> wrote:
>
> ---  "Barry" <whealthinc@> wrote:
> >
> > I was wondering why Harry had a scar shaped like lightning 
> > rather than a smudge. A zig-zag lightning shape is, of course,
> > a symbol of power. Yet the power that creates lightning is an 
> > electronic one. Rowling has been quoted here as saying that 
> > magic negates electricity. So a magic person wears a sign of 
> > a power that is negated by magic! Am I reading this correctly?
> > 
> > Barry
> >
> 
> bboyminn:
> 
> I think you are reading way to much into it, and are also trying
> to merge unrelated aspects of the story.
> 
> The scar is lightening shaped because it is from a break or
> cut in the skin which leaves a jagged gash that resembles a
> 'lightening' shape rather that a 'smudge' you might expect 
> from an abrasion or scrap. 
> 
> I also agree with Carol that the gash on Harry's head most 
> likely comes from something bursting out rather than the 
> standard impact of the Avada Kadavra curse which, again as
> Carol points out, usually doesn't leave a mark.
> 
> By coincidence, the scar resembles two Nordic Runes. The first
> mentioned by Carol is -
> 
> EIHWAZ or EOH - This is another rune of protection.
> 
> The other is -
> 
> SIGEL, SIGIL, SOWELU or SYGEL - SIGEL is a rune of victory, health,
> and success. 
> 
> Expanded explanations and actual symbols can be found here -
> 
> http://hem.passagen.se/vsen/public_html/runes.htm
> 
> I think it is incidental that Harry scar also has a rune shape.
> I think JKR just wanted it to be a cut, and have an interesting
> shape. 

Geoff:
The suggestion that the lightning shaped scar was connected with 
the eihwaz rune goes back a long way. 

I entered 'eihwaz' into the Yahoo search engine and got 116 hits, the 
earliest being post 76758 in August 2003. Some are less relevant 
than others but there have been some lengthy threads in the topic 
- which I have avoided because I have never thought that JKR was 
going along that road, but if you're interested, carry out the same 
search.

Some start points to help are posts 81098 in 09/03 then 88103
 and there are later ones beginning at or about 106597,  in the 
107200s, 110116 and most recently in the 121500 range in 
January 2005.