Souls and Ghosts
-There are two phrases that Harry Potter hears his first day in the wizarding world that can be quickly missed at first. The bartender at the Leaky Cauldron, upon recognizing Harry as the famous Boy Who Lived, says "Good Lord" and "Bless my soul". First, the term "Good Lord". This is usually used as an address for the Christian God or Jesus Christ, which in today's world is used much more often in a lighthearted context. This term recognizes that God is both Good and that He is Lord. Meaning that at least this wizard, the bartender, has an idea of God as a "Good Lord".
Then there is the phrase "Bless my soul". Some definitions of bless include: to make something or someone holy by saying a special prayer, to ask God to take care of something or someone, and to provide someone or something with a desirable good. Meaning that not only is the use of the word bless a positive statement, but it is also in a way a prayer, which makes it a spiritual statement. This reinforces the idea that there is a spiritual side to the wizarding world that is often quickly glossed over or seen under the surface value.
In this phrase we also are introduced to the concept of a soul in the wizarding world. Wizards throughout this series address the existence of souls (which is manifested in the existence of ghosts). Christians recognize that the soul is the spiritually eternal part of us that lives on even after we physically die on Earth. In the wizarding world, ghosts are proof of the soul.
-As the first year students await to enter the Great Hall, a group of about twenty ghosts enters the room. The ghosts are described as "Pearly-white and slightly transparent". Ghosts make frequent appearances throughout the Harry Potter series and they pretty much match what the modern concept of ghosts is in the terms of looks and abilities. However, we must quickly realize that these ghosts are the living souls of people who died. These are souls that interact with the physically living. Meaning that the wizard understanding of death and the afterlife is connected with the Christian understanding of Heaven (examined in the first post) as well as the soul.
-A major reason why the soul is important to Harry Potter is because of Voldemort. In the hospital after Harry's adventure to rescue the stone, Dumbledore tells Harry "Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort...". The connection between Voldemort and souls comes up throughout the series, but note that Dumbledore clearly speaks about the reality of souls and points out what connected Quirrell's soul and Voldemort's. Both wizards are connected by dark, wicked emotions and that connection leads them towards sinful actions. Speaking of sinful...
Sin
The engraving on the doors to Gringotts Bank begins with the phrase: "Enter, stranger, but take heed of what awaits the sin of greed". We have all probably heard of the seven deadly sins, right, and that one of them is greed? Well, what is sin?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that sin is first and foremost an offense against God and an abuse of the freedom that He gives us. Sin causes damage in one's relationship with God. It goes on to say that sin also damages one's relationship with the Catholic Church, though I think that sin can damage our relationships with all peoples, whether they are part of the Church or not. Sin is an act contrary to reason.
So, in the case of "the sin of greed" and its relation to Gringotts, being greedy could cause someone to try to steal something valuable or powerful. That act of stealing would be contrary to reason (especially with the special security at Gringotts). Greed at Gringotts would damage one's relationship with the people around them, whether it be the people that they steal from or the staff of Gringotts or the staff of Gringotts or anyone directly connected with the thief. And since the wizard's understanding of God, Heaven, and the afterlife has been addressed, acting upon the sin of greed would damage one's relationship with God and probably land them in the same area as Quirrell and Voldemort.
Christmas and Easter
The first of many times that Christmas is mentioned throughout the entire Harry Potter series begins in chapter 12 "The Mirror of Erised". This is the beginning of the Christmas holiday for Hogwarts.
This brings to the surface two interesting connections between the wizard's world and the Christian world. The first connection is the word holiday. In the modern English vernacular, holiday is more defined as vacation, which is how it is applied to Harry's experience in the wizarding world. However, the fact still remains that they use the word holiday. Break that down: holi-day, or rather holy day, as in Christmas-is-a-holy-day, as in "we're on break because we are celebrating a holy day". Christmas isn't the only holiday that the wizards celebrate. The mention of the Easter holidays is in chapter 14 "Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback".
The second connection is the word Christmas, which breaks down to Christ-mas (Christ-Mass). As stated in the first post, the wizards have an awareness of Jesus Christ and now we know that they even set a school break around the time that the Christian people celebrate Christ's birth. However, we never see wizards discussing Jesus Christ and we never see them going to church or even praying for that matter. Yet, they celebrate a holy day anyway, in the fashion of modern times of putting up decorations and giving each other presents on Christmas day.
Saints
While the main trio attempts to catch Snape in the acting of stealing the Sorcerer's Stone, Ron gets frustrated with Hermoine and says "Honestly, Hermoine, you think all teachers are saints or something". Saints can be taken in a couple different ways.
There is the Catholic understanding of saints, which is acknowledging that someone led a holy life of selflessness and charity by helping the poor and the needy and that person has become a part of a special community in Heaven by interceding in miraculous situations on Earth. There is also the more general Christian or worldly concept of saints, in which a saint is defined as a person who is virtuous, benevolent, and overall a good person, meaning that they can do no wrong and are always focused on the good and positive. I think in this case, Ron means to use the word "saints" in the latter understanding. Now, is Severus Snape worthy of being labeled a saint? That's for you to decide.
Now that many things have been defined through The Sorcerer's Stone, it's time to move on to The Chamber of Secrets in the next installment of the series
No comments:
Post a Comment