Mysteries (was: Truth, Lies and GIGO)

[Barry Arrowsmith]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "nkafkafi" <nkafkafi at y...> wrote:

> Ah, yes... again we are at the question of Truth. The truth is, until
> Kneasy brought up this subject I didn't imagine that it's so developed
> in the series. This time it's the Truth of magical devices, rather
> than of characters. Do they lie?
> 
> From the World Book Day chat
> http://www.wizardnews.com/story.20040304.html :
> 
> Arianna: Can we believe everything the sorting hat says?
> 
> JKR: The Sorting Hat is certainly sincere.
> 
> 
> And here's a quote regarding the Marauder's Map, this time from one of
> the makers:
> 
> 
> PoA, Ch. 18, p. 351 US:
> "Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter," said Lupin, nodding. "I
> believed it myself — until I saw the map tonight. Because the
> Marauder's map never lies... Peter's alive. Ron's holding him, Harry."
> 
> 
> Interesting how he words this, isn't it? He doesn't say "the map is
> never wrong" but "the map never lies". Might magical devises in the
> Potterverse, like the baddies, be obsessed with Truth?
> 
> 
> 

Hmm. "The Truth shall set  ye Free".
Perhaps.

Like yourself (or so I assume) I'm having increasing reservations about
some of the stuff that these so-called inanimate objects present to us.
So much so that I'm tending to consider them as being capable of being
as truthful or misleading as the Prophecy. They may not lie but the truth
they tell may not be as obvious as it appears at first sight. Interpretation
may well be advisable, especially since we generally are limited to Harry's
view who, let's face it, is pretty good at jumping to conclusions. Add in 
the possibility that there are individuals who have reason to skew  what
Harry and therefore we see and potentially we have a real rat's nest. 
Lovely!  

All in all the centaurs may be the best paradigm for the discerning reader.
"The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs." 

The Forbidden Forest/Centaur episode in PS/SS gives us the impression
that the centaurs believed that Harry should have been left to the tender 
mercies of Quirrell!Mort (and therefore probably death) because to
interfere would be to thwart the future *as they read it* in the stars. Harry
gives confirmation (as he sees it):

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done ... Bane was furious ... he
was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen 
... they must show Voldemort's coming back ... Bane thinks Firenze should
have let Voldemort kill me ... I suppose that's written in the stars as well."

(Note that the "they must show Voldemort's coming back" is Harry's making
an assumption (though a  reasonable one). Although we know that Voldy
could probably not have killed Harry - there's that protection that at the
time neither he nor we knew about. Nor did the centaurs. Mm. Would later 
events be significantly altered if Voldy had dis-corporated in the Forest 
rather than in the dungeons?
Far fetched but intriguing. Did Firenze's in some way act *ensure* Voldy's 
return? 
Experts on cause, effect and unintended consequences might like to comment.)

OK. The centaur episode - which way do you want to take it?
1. It's a clue - Voldy will kill Harry at some time in the future even though
characters attempt to deny the inevitable.
2. It's a clue - no forecast or prophecy is an inevitability and the interference
of Firenze (and others in other situations?) has nullified the future as foretold.

If the latter then how many of the 'givens' of the plot can we be confident of?
If the former - it'd be nice to know exactly what the stars said, wouldn't it?

Kneasy