Recommend me a book!

[Darkness]

quote:Originally posted by Shabbaman

It comes with a price though. The store is definately not cheap. If you can get a "normal" bookstore to order it for you it's most likely cheaper.

That's true. Unfortunately...
But the store's definately useful if you can't find the book you want anywhere else...

[Shabbaman]

quote:Originally posted by Darkness

But the store's definately useful if you can't find the book you want anywhere else...

Quoted for thruthery

[Energy]

Aha, I talked to an expert about HP and he thinks that HP himself is one of the seven horacruxes. So, in order to kill Voldemort he will have to kill himself.

[Darkness]

quote:Originally posted by Energy

Aha, I talked to an expert about HP and he thinks that HP himself is one of the seven horacruxes. So, in order to kill Voldemort he will have to kill himself.

That's also a possibility. But, IIRC, it is never said outright that Harry is one of the horacruxes, while the prophecy readily implies survival for one of the two.

quote:Originally posted by The Prophecy

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...

What does this say:

quote:The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...

This is easy: the one that can kill Voldemort will soon come

quote:born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...

Also easy: His parents have obstructed Voldemort's plans three times, and he will be born at the end of july (last day?)

quote:and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...

Gets a bit more complicated, but: The first part obviously relates to the scar on Harry's head. The second part is about Harry having something that Voldemort does not. Dumbledore has referred to the power of love multiple times, and in the flashbacks in Half-Blood Prince, in which Voldemort's past is explored it becomes clearer that Voldemort is incapable of (and does not understand) love. It also hints toward Voldemort's first defeat, by Harry's mother, who sacrifces herself for her son out of love.

quote:and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...

Toughest part: The way I read this is that one must kill the other because they can not both survive the final confrontation. There is no reference to both having to die:
Babelfish translates this part to:

quote:en één van beiden moet bij de hand van andere sterven want geen van beiden kunnen leven terwijl andere overleeft

Which also indicates that one of them will survive. But there is also no clear reference to survival, so Harry could very well end up dead as well...

quote:the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...

Repetition (in part) of the first two sentences.

So, in conclusion: The prophecy does not guarantee survival, but does hint at it.

When we're talking about the Horacruxes: They have to be destroyed for Voldemort to really die, so if Harry is one, than it could indeed be the case that Harry has to die. It would definately be an interesting conclusion to the book, however, since this really started out as a childrens book series (and most authors already know the end of the last book (in their heads) when the first book is published, I think it is unlikely that something like suicide will feature prominently in the conclusion.

[Energy]

The second reason the guy gave me is that HP is based on Greek Methology (I'm not an expert on this) and in lots of those stories the hero dies.

BTW he also claims to know who was the person who stole / destroyed the first of those horacruxes, namely Serius Black's brother.

[Darkness]

quote:Originally posted by Energy

The second reason the guy gave me is that HP is based on Greek Methology (I'm not an expert on this) and in lots of those stories the hero dies.

BTW he also claims to know who was the person who stole / destroyed the first of those horacruxes, namely Serius Black's brother.

I'm not an expert on Greek Mythology either, but as far as I can remember hero's dying is indeed a recurring theme there, so it is quite possible, of course...
But, what part of HP is based on Greek Mythology? I've heard that said before, but I can't really see it. I mean, there is the phoenix rising from its' ashes, but I couldn't really see more.
I may be wrong, of course. It's been a long time since I read the Iliad and the Odessey.

You mean R.A.B., right? Regulus A.? Black... That was my conclusion also. What does the A stand for anyway. There are some references in the books about him dying after trying to stop being a death eater, but never anything really conclusive, I think.

How about Dumbledore? Do you think he's really dead? Something about his body flying through the air after the curse hit him just doesn't seem right. I though Avada Kedavra left no marks on the victim, but if people hit by the curse are hurled away there are bound to be impact-marks on their corpses. Also, the fact that he said: "Severus, please..." like he was begging for his life just doesn't sit right with me. After all, this is the same man that said something about death only being the next great adventure (Philosophers stone) about Nicholas Flamel's upcoming death after he had lived for over 600 years.
And Snape? Still on the good side or not? It'd be a bit disappointing to see Rowling take the easy way out in creating a villain. I kinda liked the "Snape is on our side, even though he is a huge pain in the ass..." sentiment.

[Energy]

Right before Dumbledore dies, he says something (Can;t remember the text now) which Rowling already used a few pages before in the exact same way. This is very strange, though I donnot know why it happens. It does look like Dumbledore is indeed pleading to be killed, instead of the other way. An interesting fling to this all, is that Snape seems to know already that harry is there. When he walks outside he sees the two broomsticks lying there. That means that he actually had two oppertunities to kill Harry.

From a writer's perspective Rowling simply had to kill Dumbledore, the same as why Obi Wan Konobi was killed and Gandalf was delayed under the mountains. They're all in the way of the story, cause they are to powerful and the ending would be to simple. Dumbledore might return bak as a ghost, just like Sirius (Remember the mirror?) might.

And Black's brother indeed stopped being a deatheater and was killed for that. There is also a mention of a missing pendant somewhere in his house. He only seemed to think that there was only one horcrux, not seven.

Some of the Greek methology in HP (Yes, I had to look this up):

• Alastor - Greek God who sought revenge on people.
• Argus - In Greek mythology, Argus was a monster that had a hundred eyes and was ever-so-watchful
• Hermes - The Greek Messenger of the Gods. He was also Patron of Travellers and responsible for taking the dead to Hades.
• Hagrid - Name and tale comes from greek myth. The ancient Hagrid from the myth was the god of Jewels. This god was said to be the kindest of the gods, but Hades framed him for the death of Piraeus's - the killer of Medusa - son. Hagrid was banished from Olympus but Zues allowed him to stay as the watcher of the animals. And, the word haggard means "wild-looking".
• Minerva - In Roman and Greek (as Athena) Mythology, she was the Goddess of Wisdom. She gave strict punishments. She also was a very good weaver and could weave masterpiece tapestries. Once, a pompous mortal known as Arachny had wound up challenging Athena to a contest. Athena, in the end, transfigured Arachny into a creature that wove beautifully, but could never boast again: A spider.
• Nimbus - "Nimbus" means "cloud." Nimbus was also a god in Greek Mythology

• the giant three-headed watchdog: Cerberus
• Orpheus wanted to visit the underworld to see his dead wife. Using the lovely music of his harp, Orpheus sent Cerberus snoozing and walked right in.

• The lightning bolt on Harry's forehead was the symbol of Zues
• In Greek mythology, Hermione was the daughter of King Menelaus of Sparta and this famous beauty:
• When Helen sailed away with the Trojan prince Paris, she left behind nine-year-old Hermione, her only child

• The hippocampus—half horse, half sea-creature—appears not just in Harry Potter but pulling the chariot of this mythological ruler: Poseidon

• In The Goblet of Fire, Harry meets a sphinx who asks him a riddle. Which troubled mortal in Greek mythology meets a sphinx and solves her riddle?
• Here's the riddle Oedipus solved: What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? (The answer: a human. People crawl as babies, walk on two legs in adulthood, and rely on a cane in old age.)

• Centaurs roam the Forbidden Forest by Hogwarts. In Greek mythology, centaurs are half man and half horse

[Darkness]

quote:Originally posted by Energy



Some of the Greek methology in HP (Yes, I had to look this up):

• Alastor - Greek God who sought revenge on people.
• Argus - In Greek mythology, Argus was a monster that had a hundred eyes and was ever-so-watchful
• Hermes - The Greek Messenger of the Gods. He was also Patron of Travellers and responsible for taking the dead to Hades.
• Hagrid - Name and tale comes from greek myth. The ancient Hagrid from the myth was the god of Jewels. This god was said to be the kindest of the gods, but Hades framed him for the death of Piraeus's - the killer of Medusa - son. Hagrid was banished from Olympus but Zues allowed him to stay as the watcher of the animals. And, the word haggard means "wild-looking".
• Minerva - In Roman and Greek (as Athena) Mythology, she was the Goddess of Wisdom. She gave strict punishments. She also was a very good weaver and could weave masterpiece tapestries. Once, a pompous mortal known as Arachny had wound up challenging Athena to a contest. Athena, in the end, transfigured Arachny into a creature that wove beautifully, but could never boast again: A spider.
• Nimbus - "Nimbus" means "cloud." Nimbus was also a god in Greek Mythology

• the giant three-headed watchdog: Cerberus
• Orpheus wanted to visit the underworld to see his dead wife. Using the lovely music of his harp, Orpheus sent Cerberus snoozing and walked right in.

• The lightning bolt on Harry's forehead was the symbol of Zues
• In Greek mythology, Hermione was the daughter of King Menelaus of Sparta and this famous beauty:
• When Helen sailed away with the Trojan prince Paris, she left behind nine-year-old Hermione, her only child

• The hippocampus—half horse, half sea-creature—appears not just in Harry Potter but pulling the chariot of this mythological ruler: Poseidon

• In The Goblet of Fire, Harry meets a sphinx who asks him a riddle. Which troubled mortal in Greek mythology meets a sphinx and solves her riddle?
• Here's the riddle Oedipus solved: What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? (The answer: a human. People crawl as babies, walk on two legs in adulthood, and rely on a cane in old age.)

• Centaurs roam the Forbidden Forest by Hogwarts. In Greek mythology, centaurs are half man and half horse

Right. I never looked at the Greek mythology part that closely. Looks like some pretty heavy "borrowing"/inspiration...

[Shabbaman]

Longest. Post. Ever.

Must. Refrain. From. Making. Derogatory. Comment.

Anyway, if you haven't read any greek mythology aside from the iliad and odyssea, than I'd recomment to get some short greek stories. That's the true classics. Didn't we have a top 10 must read here somewhere?

[Swingue]

quote:Originally posted by Energy

Aha, I talked to an expert about HP and he thinks that HP himself is one of the seven horacruxes. So, in order to kill Voldemort he will have to kill himself.

For some strange reason i believe Neville is one of the horacruxes. In one of the earlier books it is mentioned that Voldemort can only die if the other also dies (or something like that). At that moment both Harry and Neville fitted the picture.
My guess is that Neville will die and Voldemort with him, making Harry the winner of all.