Plugging my theory (was Re: A BIAS in the Pensieve: A Batty

[nkafkafi]

> Naama:
> 
> The main difference is that vampires have to feed on humans, but 
> Voldemort doesn't need to possess in the same way. As we saw in 
OoP, 
> the possession is a form of attack - and, there's no evidence that 
he 
> draws strength from it. (I'm referring here to regular, embodied 
> Voldemort - not vapor or diary!Voldemort.) 
> 

Neri:
I agree that the snake allusion is very obvious in Voldemort's case, 
and the vampire metaphor much less obvious. We don't really know what 
it is the mechanism of Voldy's immortality – is it possession? Death 
eating? Both? Something else? But in any case JKR seems to suggest 
that it is something parasitic in nature. A snake is not a parasite. 
It brings death on others and it (in the mythical sense) cheats 
death, but these are two separate properties. The snake does not 
cheat death by killing others, and certainly not by stealing life 
from others. It's the vampire that does that. 

> Naama:
> BTW - on what do you base the notion that Voldemort takes power 
from 
> people's fear of him? From the name taboo? 
> 

Neri:
This is a very vague notion, but it is suggested by both Bella and 
Snape that the connection between Voldy and the DEs has something to 
do with not pronouncing his name. BTW, both this name taboo and the 
possession thing don't remind us of a vampire much, but also not of a 
snake. They remind us more of a demon. As I wrote, JKR probably 
created something special of her own here by mixing materials from 
mythical snakes, vampires, demons and most likely other things as 
well. But my main point was: Voldy and Snape seem to be connected by 
some Dark Arts magic. It will be simpler and more economical to 
assume that this connection is the same thing that the vampire!Snape 
allusions refer to. If it's not then you either have to supply two 
different explanations (one for the connection and another for the 
vampirism) or you have to assume that all the Snape vampire allusions 
have no meaning in the story. 

> 
> Neri (previously):
> 
> I'm not sure how to combine the snake connections with the vampire
> connections, mainly because I'm still not clear about what is the 
> role the snake connection. For example, how does Harry freeing the 
> Boa Constrictor in SS/PS fits into this?
> 
> 
> Naama:
> 
> My interpretation is that it grounds the Parseltongue revelation 
> later in CoS, and otherwise is an amusing adventure that serves to 
> show the reader, in real time, Harry's magical abilities. I don't 
> think that it necessarily has deeper meanings.
>

Neri:
My personal impression was that the Boa represented Harry himself in 
this case. The Boa was born in captivity and never knew Brazil, the 
same way Harry didn't know his parents and the WW. Setting the Boa 
free was symbolic of setting Harry free from the Dursleys (and maybe 
also setting Harry's magical powers free). In any case, the Boa was 
presented as a nice creature, and this doesn't work well with a 
central Snake!Voldemort theme, but it does fit with JKR typical 
refutation of biological determinism: no kind of creatures is 
presented as all bad (except for things like dementors that are not 
really creatures but representations of pure evil). So this would 
suggest that it's not the snake element in Voldy that makes him evil. 
But if so, what does make Voldy evil? 
 
Neri