SHP#34 – The Secret Sign
Today, we explore chapter 21 of The Deathly Hallows: The Tale of the Three Brothers. We talk about the secret sign, about fools and faith; about the quest for eternal life and about the story behind the story of the Three Brothers.
- Bob McWilliams on Twitter and Plurk | Bob’s blog
- Maria Johnson on Twitter and Plurk | Maria’s blog
- Jim Beeghley on Twitter and Plurk | Jim’s Blog
- Fr. Roderick’s Daily Breakfast, blog, Twitter, Facebook, Plurk
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I’m a long time fan, thank you for your podcast.
The symbol of Ravenclaw is an Eagle. Ravenclaw was the last name of the head of this house. Griffendor’s symbol is the lion, not a Griffon because the founder of the house’s name is Griffendor.
In the Old Testament, I understand, the Eagle stands for “renewal.”
I will now leave and vote for “The Secrets of Harry Potter.”
Mary,
You are correct about the eagle being the Ravenclaw symbol. If you follow the alchemy themes in the book then the Ravenclaw eagle would relate to the air symbol.
I also found this article on the Eagle very interesting: http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/~alchemy/eagle.html
Jim
Thanks for the speed!!!
I wanted to add, that according to Celtic symbolism, the raven was a sign that something special, but unexpected would happen, and in this case, JKR using other Celtic symbols, such as the wand woods, it would totally make sense, especially how crucial the Ravenclaw’s ghost turns out to be. The raven is also a very smart bird, which still appeals to the intellect of the house, and the winged/air symbols. Also, when I read the book, and started listening to the podcast and reflected on the religious themes, I sort of took the Deathly Hallows sign to be the trinity(triangle), the Celtic beliefs(circle), and the individual(the wand). It could be a stretch, but I love the Celtic cross for that reason, sort of bridging the gap between Paganism and Christianity.
Hi HP team
Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the SHP podcast. I especially enjoyed seeing a representation of the much discussed symbol, since I wasn’t able to really grasp what it looked like just by reading about it in the novel. The connection with the three brothers and the hallows should have been obvious, but wasn’t to me until you explained it!
I look forward to future SHP podcasts. I especially enjoy when you make connections with other literary images and forms.
I think you’ll be blown away by John Granger’s take on the Deathly Hallows symbol. He spells it out well in his book, The Deathly Hallows Lectures. You can also get a really good introduction to the triangular eye symbolism by listening to the interview I did with him a month or so ago.
I’d definitely recommend you get him on your show.
The discussion about the fairy tale within a fairy tale is particularly interesting. I think about Chesterton’s view of the fairy tale – that the fairy tale philosopher (the one who learns about the world from the fairy tales instead of from so-called scientific “laws”) is filled with wonder at the world, because it is magic, and because it could have been so many other different ways. The fairy tale teaches us this, but I think it’s assumed it does so largely because it exposes us to an obviously magical world. We learn to think magically from magical fairy tales.
But what do fairy tales accomplish in a world that’s already magical? Certainly the wizarding community isn’t surprised by the magic in Beedle the Bard’s tales! We’ll get more insight into that next week when the Tales are released. Till then, my speculation is that this falls right in line with Rowling’s statement that she wanted to “subvert the genre” of fantasy fiction, making a world where magic doesn’t really make anything better. (She sort of fails in that particular subversive attempt, since magic didn’t make the world better in Narnia or Middle-earth, either). Ultimately, it’s love that is the only real magic, transcending the Muggle/Wizard divide, and every other falsely-imposed social divide propped up in the Wizarding World to keep Wizards in power at the expense of others.
In other words, expect moral lessons, but told in powerful and magical ways. Just as Harry Potter’s world enters us as we explore it, I’m betting Rowling wrote fairy tales that she envisioned would enter and transform people in the Wizarding World, to make them think differently about their own world, and to get them to imagine a better one.
Just got my Amazon collector’s edition of “The Tales of Beadle the Bard” (ordered thought the SQPN Amazon link) which also contains 10 separate prints of the illustrations for the book, two of which contain the “secret sign”.
I have a moral dilemma, so if the people on this podcast could help, that would be great.
Last night, while I was surfing the web, I checked the amazon page for The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and it turns out that they have sold out except for a few copies. While I was glad that they had finally sold out of the books, I was curious if the U.S.A. amazon had any left. They did, but their average cost was $450 dollars! Now I am trying to think whether or not i should sell my book too. The problem is that since I am a huge fan, I don’t know if I should sell it for the money, or keep it so I can read it to my children when I have kids.
So what do you guys think i should do? Sell it, or Cherish it?
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“A different set of troubles is as good as a vacation!”
From “Wizard’s Holiday” (part of the “Young Wizards Seiries”)
By: Diane Duane
( P.S. She is My All Time Favorite Author! )
(P.P.S. Yes, even more than J.K. Rowling!)
Nicholas F.
Nicholas,
It is obvious that you don’t have children. If you did you would know that seeing their eyes light up and sparkle when you are reading to them is worth more than any amount of money you could get. Keep the book and share the wonder when you get to read these wonderful stories to your children and grandchildren.
Blanca
Just curious when the next show will be…I miss it! I know the holidays are hectic, but hopefully after the first of the year *wink wink* *nudge nudge* Thanks!
If you want to contact me, please go to this profile i finally finished on windows live
http://cid-aeb80d1acf8fbe02.profile.live.com/?mkt=en-ca&sa=70179388
If for some reason you want to become friends, then leave a comment with your email and i will contact you when i next get the chance.
P.S. Thanks for all the comments regarding The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
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“A different set of troubles is as good as a vacation!”
From “Wizard’s Holiday” (part of the “Young Wizards Series”)
By: Diane Duane
( P.S. She is My All Time Favorite Author! )
(P.P.S. Yes, even more than J.K. Rowling!)
Nicholas F.