The Oak & Holly Kings and HP, Pt. 2
Jun. 14th, 2004 08:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
retro_eidasThere certainly seems to be reason why Harry may represent just one side of Cernunnos: the Oak or the Holly King, namely the Holly King. His green eyes (his mother's eyes), his holly wand, Harry's conception on Samhain but born in midsummer, the height of the waning god's power. The height of Harry's power proceeds into the fall, namely in Samhain (Voldemort's first defeat), etc. However, the nature of Harry's defeat of Voldemort, Harry attaining some of the Dark Lord's powers, puts an interesting spin on things. Harry has displayed both his own magical prowess (often likened to his father, James, in that respect) but also that of the Dark Lord. Is Harry the Holly King (one half of the eternal battling brothers) ... or is Harry Cernunnos? The binity. Two gods in one. The one Great "Stag" God with his stag patronus? An association to both the waxing (his birthday - July 31) *and* waning (the unintentional rebirth at Samhain, October 31, by Voldemort's failed Avada Kedavra) years? By Voldemort attempting to kill Harry when he was a baby... did he unintentionally create the great binity god?
Didn't Trelawney once mistake Harry being born in midwinter? I think it was in GoF, but I might be mistaken. Harry, of course, corrects her saying he was born in July. In regards to my Holly King / Oak King speculatons and a long-standing belief that Trelawney has a much higher accuracy rate than her rather farcical appearance might let on... I think Trelawney may have been right about Harry born in midwinter. It's just that Harry is born in both midwinter (Samhain, reborn from Voldemort's failed Avada Kedavra) *and* midsummer (July 31, born to Lily Potter).
People have asked why James and Harry were seemingly the only ones Voldemort had been intending to kill that night. I don't know what JKR might end up telling us exactly, it's likely some magical ability James or Harry had or Voldemort believed they had. The power of love? Forgiveness? Who knows? Figuratively (or literally?), it could be because James or Harry may have been the equivalent of the Oak King. James, for his stag patronus and Harry was born in July (midsummer). It would make sense. However, Voldemort hadn't been expecting the enchantment Lily put on Harry (whatever the nature of that enchantment was exactly. Maybe she invoked the spirit of the Holly King to protect Harry or something). Because of his mother's sacrifice and protection, Voldemort was vanquished (but not killed). So... one could say that Lily/James gave birth to Harry, but it was through Lily/Voldemort, Harry was reborn.
James / Lily / Voldemort. Oak King / Earth Goddess / Holly King. All are Harry's parents. When James died and Voldemort was "vanquished"... Harry became Cernunnos. Two gods (kings) in one. Voldemort counteracted this in the GoF resurrection ritual (using Harry's blood... the blood of Cernunnos?). Voldemort is now also Cernunnos. Cernunnos vs. Cernunnos.
Harry is both the son and the father. Voldemort is the father and the son. This also is in alliance with the myth of the Holly and Oak Kings. Which also explains the concept of the trinity Earth Goddess. Maid (wife/queen to both the Holly and Oak Kings), mother (to both the Holly and Oak Kings) and Crone (wise woman to the Holly and Oak Kings).
Harry is more "binity" than just the internal "Gryffindor vs. Slytherin" concept. He's also a boy raised at the cusp of two worlds. Harry is a half-blood and is being raised in both the muggle world and the wizarding world. HP is a coming of age story, so we also have the boy gradually becoming a man. Harry as an adolescent, he's sitting squarely in the middle of these two warring sides (child vs adult).
However, the manner in which Voldemort resurrected himself in GoF may also be the parallel to Harry's defeat of Voldemort on Samhain when he was one-year-old. Voldemort may also be a representation of Cernunnos post-GoF. One could also say Voldemort also has his own internal duels. Like Harry, Voldemort is also a half-blood and raised in both wizarding/muggle worlds. He also has the appearance of a man, but the face of a snake (man and beast).
JKR has admitted she's taking inspiration but also major liberties from the various myths and folklore. JKR has lived most of her life in Scotland (Hogwarts itself is often speculated as located in Scotland) and has lived around all these myths. It's possible the battle between Harry and Voldemort is actually a battle between the binity Celtic Cernunnos of old (before he was maligned by the Christians, the "good" Cernunnos consisting of two warring halves. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, etc) and the binity Christianized Cernunnos after the christianization of the pagans (the Satanic Cernunnos. Hitler searching for the Grail. Slytherin vs. Gryffindor? Something that would probably be more accurate however would be Salazar Slytherin who was close friends with Gryffindor versus the Slytherin who abandoned the other Founders. Basically, Good Slytherin vs Bad Slytherin). Once again, Cernunnos vs. Cernunnos, but more specifically... Harry as the original Celtic Cernunnos vs. Voldemort as the maligned christianized Cernunnos.
In the sense that Oak King and the Holly King are actually two halves of a whole (Cernunnos), I use the word "death" and "kill" loosely above. Neither the Oak King or Holly King really die. Cernunnos is omnipresent, he merely consists of two warring halves. In essence, Cernunnos rules BOTH the waning and waxing years. He dies but is immediately resurrected twice a year.
There could be more than one set of Oak Kings and Holly Kings in this story as well. I've wondered if Dumbledore and Voldemort may also represent the battle between the Holly and Oak Kings. Ron/Harry, Ron/Draco, Ron/Viktor, Neville/Draco, Sirius/Snape, James/Snape, James/Voldemort, Draco/Harry and any of the other dueling rivals in the story may also be a representations of them in different senses.
This gets more interesting in regards to my belief of how the books may be structured. Prologue, Books 1-7 and the Epilogue are actually the passing of either one whole celtic year, or maybe three. The plot changes like the passing of the equinoxes. Prologue/Book 1 may have been midsummer. Book 4 may have been midwinter. However, this is a whole other can of worms (and this post is long enough).
The concept of the "Earth Mother" also translates into Greek Mythology. The Greek equivalent of "Danu" is Gaia. She and her husband Uranus (Father of the Heavens) gave birth to the 12 Titans. This is rather amusing in something (hysterical) Trelawney said to Harry in OotP:
Methinks the woman Harry (aka, Celtic Cernunnos, a god of two gods) finally chooses as his mate will also not only be just one element of a multi-faceted god (goddess), but ALL the elements. In the case of the trinity Celtic Earth Mother, all three elements. Maid, Mother, Crone. One has to ask, which female character of the story has embodied or will embody all three elements?
Back to pt. 1, Cont. to pt. 3, The (H/Hr) shipper perspective.
Didn't Trelawney once mistake Harry being born in midwinter? I think it was in GoF, but I might be mistaken. Harry, of course, corrects her saying he was born in July. In regards to my Holly King / Oak King speculatons and a long-standing belief that Trelawney has a much higher accuracy rate than her rather farcical appearance might let on... I think Trelawney may have been right about Harry born in midwinter. It's just that Harry is born in both midwinter (Samhain, reborn from Voldemort's failed Avada Kedavra) *and* midsummer (July 31, born to Lily Potter).
People have asked why James and Harry were seemingly the only ones Voldemort had been intending to kill that night. I don't know what JKR might end up telling us exactly, it's likely some magical ability James or Harry had or Voldemort believed they had. The power of love? Forgiveness? Who knows? Figuratively (or literally?), it could be because James or Harry may have been the equivalent of the Oak King. James, for his stag patronus and Harry was born in July (midsummer). It would make sense. However, Voldemort hadn't been expecting the enchantment Lily put on Harry (whatever the nature of that enchantment was exactly. Maybe she invoked the spirit of the Holly King to protect Harry or something). Because of his mother's sacrifice and protection, Voldemort was vanquished (but not killed). So... one could say that Lily/James gave birth to Harry, but it was through Lily/Voldemort, Harry was reborn.
James / Lily / Voldemort. Oak King / Earth Goddess / Holly King. All are Harry's parents. When James died and Voldemort was "vanquished"... Harry became Cernunnos. Two gods (kings) in one. Voldemort counteracted this in the GoF resurrection ritual (using Harry's blood... the blood of Cernunnos?). Voldemort is now also Cernunnos. Cernunnos vs. Cernunnos.
Harry is both the son and the father. Voldemort is the father and the son. This also is in alliance with the myth of the Holly and Oak Kings. Which also explains the concept of the trinity Earth Goddess. Maid (wife/queen to both the Holly and Oak Kings), mother (to both the Holly and Oak Kings) and Crone (wise woman to the Holly and Oak Kings).
Harry is more "binity" than just the internal "Gryffindor vs. Slytherin" concept. He's also a boy raised at the cusp of two worlds. Harry is a half-blood and is being raised in both the muggle world and the wizarding world. HP is a coming of age story, so we also have the boy gradually becoming a man. Harry as an adolescent, he's sitting squarely in the middle of these two warring sides (child vs adult).
However, the manner in which Voldemort resurrected himself in GoF may also be the parallel to Harry's defeat of Voldemort on Samhain when he was one-year-old. Voldemort may also be a representation of Cernunnos post-GoF. One could also say Voldemort also has his own internal duels. Like Harry, Voldemort is also a half-blood and raised in both wizarding/muggle worlds. He also has the appearance of a man, but the face of a snake (man and beast).
JKR has admitted she's taking inspiration but also major liberties from the various myths and folklore. JKR has lived most of her life in Scotland (Hogwarts itself is often speculated as located in Scotland) and has lived around all these myths. It's possible the battle between Harry and Voldemort is actually a battle between the binity Celtic Cernunnos of old (before he was maligned by the Christians, the "good" Cernunnos consisting of two warring halves. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, etc) and the binity Christianized Cernunnos after the christianization of the pagans (the Satanic Cernunnos. Hitler searching for the Grail. Slytherin vs. Gryffindor? Something that would probably be more accurate however would be Salazar Slytherin who was close friends with Gryffindor versus the Slytherin who abandoned the other Founders. Basically, Good Slytherin vs Bad Slytherin). Once again, Cernunnos vs. Cernunnos, but more specifically... Harry as the original Celtic Cernunnos vs. Voldemort as the maligned christianized Cernunnos.
In the sense that Oak King and the Holly King are actually two halves of a whole (Cernunnos), I use the word "death" and "kill" loosely above. Neither the Oak King or Holly King really die. Cernunnos is omnipresent, he merely consists of two warring halves. In essence, Cernunnos rules BOTH the waning and waxing years. He dies but is immediately resurrected twice a year.
There could be more than one set of Oak Kings and Holly Kings in this story as well. I've wondered if Dumbledore and Voldemort may also represent the battle between the Holly and Oak Kings. Ron/Harry, Ron/Draco, Ron/Viktor, Neville/Draco, Sirius/Snape, James/Snape, James/Voldemort, Draco/Harry and any of the other dueling rivals in the story may also be a representations of them in different senses.
This gets more interesting in regards to my belief of how the books may be structured. Prologue, Books 1-7 and the Epilogue are actually the passing of either one whole celtic year, or maybe three. The plot changes like the passing of the equinoxes. Prologue/Book 1 may have been midsummer. Book 4 may have been midwinter. However, this is a whole other can of worms (and this post is long enough).
Danu/Danann/Dana: Ireland. Major Mother Goddess; ancestress of the Tuatha De Danann; Mother of the gods; Great Mother; Moon Goddess.Danu is one of the more, if not the most, popular goddesses in the Celtic pantheon.
The concept of the "Earth Mother" also translates into Greek Mythology. The Greek equivalent of "Danu" is Gaia. She and her husband Uranus (Father of the Heavens) gave birth to the 12 Titans. This is rather amusing in something (hysterical) Trelawney said to Harry in OotP:
...Professor Trelawney broke into hysterical sobs during Divination and announced to the startled class, and a very disapproving Umbridge, that Harry was *not* going to suffer an early death after all, but would live to a ripe old age, become Minister of Magic, and have twelve children.Emphasis in bold is mine. That could be a coincidence... but then again with JKR's prevalent use of greek myth in this story as well as various Celtic myths? The very close association of Danu and Gaia as the "Earth Mother"? I don't know. Seems a bit convenient (and amusing ;)).
OotP-Sch, ch. 26, pgs. 582-3
Methinks the woman Harry (aka, Celtic Cernunnos, a god of two gods) finally chooses as his mate will also not only be just one element of a multi-faceted god (goddess), but ALL the elements. In the case of the trinity Celtic Earth Mother, all three elements. Maid, Mother, Crone. One has to ask, which female character of the story has embodied or will embody all three elements?
Back to pt. 1, Cont. to pt. 3, The (H/Hr) shipper perspective.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 08:29 am (UTC)(gave birth to the 12 Titans
have twelve children.
*whispers*
Jesus and his twelve disciples?
I also know in some versions Robin Hood has twelve Merry Men.)