Harry Potter

Symbolism in Harry Potter

There is no such thing as a symbol with a single, objective meaning. A fish, for instance, is not in itself symbolic for anything. It is merely an animal that lives in water. It becomes a symbol when the owner of a bait shop paints a fish on his sign. A sports club for swimmers could also use a fish as its symbol. Fish swim, and the imagery draws attention to that aspect of the fish -- which is irrelevant to the bait shop. A fish was also one of the earliest symbols for Christ. This derives from that the Greek word for fish begins with the same Greek letters as "Jesus Christ Son of God". It does not say anything about the nature of Christ or of fish. The connection is not apparent to anyone who does not speak Greek.

Symbols have whatever meaning we assign to them. Their meanings vary in different parts of the world, and they also change over time. In the West, white color means purity and happiness whereas in Japan, white stands for death. The swaztika was once a symbol for the sun and thus stood for something good; after the Nazi terror, it has come to stand for hatred and evil.

One of the anti-potterist sites, "The Cutting Edge", tries to prove that the Harry Potter books are full of occult and satanic symbols. In fact, occultists and satanists have not invented any symbols at all. They have merely taken symbols from history, myth and human imagination and assigned a different meaning to them. For example, the upside-down cross was originally a "St Peter's cross" because legend has it that St Peter was crucified upside down. Satanists took it as their symbol and use it to indicate that their ideas are the opposite to Christianity. So what does the symbol REALLY mean? Nobody has patent rights for its interpretation. "The Cutting Edge" are keen to accept the occultist's interpretations over and against the Christian ones. Does that not strike you as odd for people who claim to defend the Christian faith?

"The Cutting Edge" interprets symbols in a superstitious way

Anti-potterist text to the left, my comments in the right column.

God declares in Daniel, chapter 8, that the symbol of Alexander the Great shall be a unicorn. Daniel does not speak of any unicorn, but of two he-goats, one with two horns and one with a single horn. The same chapter identifies the latter as "the king of Javan" which is Greece. Unicorns are a whole other deal.

Thus, Bible scholars have known for a long, long time that one of the symbols assigned to Antichrist is the Unicorn. Therefore, we should have no difficulty realizing that the occult, Satanic world has depicted Antichrist as a Unicorn! Quite the contrary. Unicorns are not mentioned in the Bible. In western mythology, the unicorn is a horse-like creature with a horn, which only appears to virgins. It symbolizes the purity of nature and virginity.

Is this the reaction you want your child to have when he or she sees these symbols of Antichrist in Harry Potter? There are no symbols of Antichrist in Harry Potter. All the symbols which occur are Christian. If the "Cutting Edge" wants to stand for Christianity, it is strange that they choose the occultist's perverted interpretation of symbols instead of the Christian interpretation.

"The unicorn here is once again a symbol of transformation, for this unicorn seeks a better world ... through the purifying, purgative powers of destruction. Its purpose, like that of the Hindu god Siva, or Shiva, is to tear down and to renew." [Nancy Hathaway, The Unicorn, p. 161, an occult author] "In both European and Oriental traditions, the Unicorn is identified with a Messiah who comes when the world is in danger and who heralds the coming of a new and better age." [The Living Unicorn, Carver, Minnesota, The Living Unicorn, Inc., 1980, p. 3, as quoted by Burns, p. 145] It's amazing that Christian writers derive their information from occult sources and believe what they read without question. They even quote occult writings as evidence for their own ideas, over and against Christian sources which assign entirely different meanings to e.g. the unicorn.

But, now take another look at the book coverer for the Sorcerer's Stone. Notice that Harry Potter is flying between two columns that are simply crawling with serpents coiled amongst each other. Jesus told us in no uncertain terms that the serpent is a symbol for Satan. "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan ..." [Revelation 12:9; See also 20:2]
Looking further at this book cover, we see three extremely evil-looking demons underneath the school, with snarling teeth. You can just feel the demonic power!
The book is not called "...and the sorcerer's stone". The correct title is "...and the philosopher's stone". Only in the USA, the publishers changed the name because they thought nobody would buy a book with "philosophy" in the title.

The cover art is not part of the author's design, but is chosen by the publishers and often the same book is sold with different covers in different countries. The cover art may change with editions. It has little relevance.

In the local American edition, sold to 5% of the world's population, Harry is depicted as threatened by evil. This does not in any way imply that the books are evil or that Harry is evil; quite the opposite. The cover of my Swedish edition depicts Harry in front of the Hogwarts Express train, with his owl on his shoulder.

The Phoenix Bird is one of the oldest occult symbols in the world, having been invented in the Egyptian Satanic Mysteries. Occultists believe that only one of these magnificent birds lives at any one time, and lives to be about 500 years old. Then, it self-immolates and its body is reduced to ashes; however, a new Phoenix Bird immediately arises out of these ashes, to live another 500 years [Manly P. Hall, The Phoenix: An Illustrated Review of Occultism and Philosophy, as quoted by Dr. Burns, Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated, p. 121]

The phoenix is a mythical beast which occurs in several ancient sagas, without any evil connections. Satanism hardly existed in ancient Egypt, just polytheistic paganism.

The phoenix has been extensively used by the Christian church as a symbol for the resurrection of the dead.

If the phoenix has inherent satanic connections, perhaps all Christians should move out of Phoenix, Arizona?

My conclusion is that "The Cutting Edge" are spreading the very superstition that they purport to be fighting.

The Illuminati early on began using this symbol to represent their planned superman, Antichrist. With this in mind, I find it highly interesting that this occultic legend, the Phoenix Bird, shares several things with the true story of the birth, life, and ministry of Jesus Christ.
(...)
Isn't this amazing? The Phoenix Bird legend now has a fourth Messianic type connotation; it represents a man being "born again". Always remember that most pagan groups, especially the most sophisticated ones, have deliberately created the myth that their members are "born again". Even Roman Catholicism teaches that its members become born again, usually at Baptism. Here is what the dictionary says about the illuminati:
The Order of the Illuminati was founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt (1748-1830), a former Jesuit and professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt. Specific knowledge about the society is scarce. The Illuminati have produced at least as many myths as verifiable facts. The sympathies and beliefes of Weishaupt himself, for instance, have been claimed by countless groups -- atheists, Cabalists, rationalists, democrats, socialists, anarchists. In the 1790s, some credited (or blamed) the society with manipulating the American and French Revolutions. In the United States, Federalists encouraged people to believe Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic Republican Party were controlled by the Illuminati in Europe.

By the end of the eighteenth century, the Illuminati had effectively disbanded, although legends of their continued existence (and influence) persist into the twentieth century. Perhaps some of this confusion is owing to the fact that over time, the word illuminati came to be used more expansively for many enthusiasts of Enlightenment, including the followers of Emmanuel Swedenborg
This clearly has nothing to do with Harry Potter or any alleged satanical conspiracy. "Born again" is a central Christian theme. That occultists misuse it is hardly surprising. Harry Potter doesn't misuse it, so what's the big deal?

God declares in Daniel, chapter 8, that the symbol of Alexander the Great shall be a unicorn.	Daniel does not speak of any unicorn, but of two he-goats, one with two horns and one with a single horn. The same chapter identifies the latter as "the king of Javan" which is Greece. Unicorns are a whole other deal.
Thus, Bible scholars have known for a long, long time that one of the symbols assigned to Antichrist is the Unicorn. Therefore, we should have no difficulty realizing that the occult, Satanic world has depicted Antichrist as a Unicorn!	Quite the contrary. Unicorns are not mentioned in the Bible. In western mythology, the unicorn is a horse-like creature with a horn, which only appears to virgins. It symbolizes the purity of nature and virginity.
Is this the reaction you want your child to have when he or she sees these symbols of Antichrist in Harry Potter?	There are no symbols of Antichrist in Harry Potter. All the symbols which occur are Christian. If the "Cutting Edge" wants to stand for Christianity, it is strange that they choose the occultist's perverted interpretation of symbols instead of the Christian interpretation.
"The unicorn here is once again a symbol of transformation, for this unicorn seeks a better world ... through the purifying, purgative powers of destruction. Its purpose, like that of the Hindu god Siva, or Shiva, is to tear down and to renew." [Nancy Hathaway, The Unicorn, p. 161, an occult author] "In both European and Oriental traditions, the Unicorn is identified with a Messiah who comes when the world is in danger and who heralds the coming of a new and better age." [The Living Unicorn, Carver, Minnesota, The Living Unicorn, Inc., 1980, p. 3, as quoted by Burns, p. 145]	It's amazing that Christian writers derive their information from occult sources and believe what they read without question. They even quote occult writings as evidence for their own ideas, over and against Christian sources which assign entirely different meanings to e.g. the unicorn.
But, now take another look at the book coverer for the Sorcerer's Stone. Notice that Harry Potter is flying between two columns that are simply crawling with serpents coiled amongst each other. Jesus told us in no uncertain terms that the serpent is a symbol for Satan. "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan ..." [Revelation 12:9; See also 20:2] Looking further at this book cover, we see three extremely evil-looking demons underneath the school, with snarling teeth. You can just feel the demonic power!	The book is not called "...and the sorcerer's stone". The correct title is "...and the philosopher's stone". Only in the USA, the publishers changed the name because they thought nobody would buy a book with "philosophy" in the title. The cover art is not part of the author's design, but is chosen by the publishers and often the same book is sold with different covers in different countries. The cover art may change with editions. It has little relevance. In the local American edition, sold to 5% of the world's population, Harry is depicted as threatened by evil. This does not in any way imply that the books are evil or that Harry is evil; quite the opposite. The cover of my Swedish edition depicts Harry in front of the Hogwarts Express train, with his owl on his shoulder.
The Phoenix Bird is one of the oldest occult symbols in the world, having been invented in the Egyptian Satanic Mysteries. Occultists believe that only one of these magnificent birds lives at any one time, and lives to be about 500 years old. Then, it self-immolates and its body is reduced to ashes; however, a new Phoenix Bird immediately arises out of these ashes, to live another 500 years [Manly P. Hall, The Phoenix: An Illustrated Review of Occultism and Philosophy, as quoted by Dr. Burns, Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated, p. 121]	The phoenix is a mythical beast which occurs in several ancient sagas, without any evil connections. Satanism hardly existed in ancient Egypt, just polytheistic paganism. The phoenix has been extensively used by the Christian church as a symbol for the resurrection of the dead. If the phoenix has inherent satanic connections, perhaps all Christians should move out of Phoenix, Arizona? My conclusion is that "The Cutting Edge" are spreading the very superstition that they purport to be fighting.
The Illuminati early on began using this symbol to represent their planned superman, Antichrist. With this in mind, I find it highly interesting that this occultic legend, the Phoenix Bird, shares several things with the true story of the birth, life, and ministry of Jesus Christ. (...) Isn't this amazing? The Phoenix Bird legend now has a fourth Messianic type connotation; it represents a man being "born again". Always remember that most pagan groups, especially the most sophisticated ones, have deliberately created the myth that their members are "born again". Even Roman Catholicism teaches that its members become born again, usually at Baptism.	Here is what the dictionary says about the illuminati: The Order of the Illuminati was founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt (1748-1830), a former Jesuit and professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt. Specific knowledge about the society is scarce. The Illuminati have produced at least as many myths as verifiable facts. The sympathies and beliefes of Weishaupt himself, for instance, have been claimed by countless groups -- atheists, Cabalists, rationalists, democrats, socialists, anarchists. In the 1790s, some credited (or blamed) the society with manipulating the American and French Revolutions. In the United States, Federalists encouraged people to believe Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic Republican Party were controlled by the Illuminati in Europe. By the end of the eighteenth century, the Illuminati had effectively disbanded, although legends of their continued existence (and influence) persist into the twentieth century. Perhaps some of this confusion is owing to the fact that over time, the word illuminati came to be used more expansively for many enthusiasts of Enlightenment, including the followers of Emmanuel Swedenborg This clearly has nothing to do with Harry Potter or any alleged satanical conspiracy. "Born again" is a central Christian theme. That occultists misuse it is hardly surprising. Harry Potter doesn't misuse it, so what's the big deal?