Ritual and Magic in Harry Potter
Jan. 9th, 2006 02:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusRitual and Magic in Harry Potter
This is inspired by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
regan_v's recent essay on Ritual and Harry Potter Magic.
Ritual is canon for advanced Dark Magic. We witnessed this in Peter's ritual to bring back the Dark Lord in the Goblet of Fire (which, whoops, I almost spelled Goblin of Fire). It stands to reason that elaborate ritual is also the method for such things as advanced "light" magic, sex magic, sophisticated potions, and the production of such things as, oh say, the Philosopher's Stone.
Why?
Well, this could be because I just like the idea of Snape participating in the combination of exactitude and emotional abandon of ritual. What Peter Pettigrew created after all was more than a concoction of esoteric, er, ingredients; there was a profound emotional meaning to what was sacrificed in that potion. Voldemort was reborn from the father's bones, and the confluence of an enemy's and a servant's focus that continued his existence. (An enemy only exists so long as he's your enemy, n'est pas? If he becomes your friend, the enemy is gone.) The power of hatred and loyalty (if not love) combined with a sacrifice from each had deep emotional significance. Ritual is like that.
But with the good guys we don't see this ritual. Oh yeah, sure, we know Lily did some sort of old, blood magic connected with love that protected Harry, but surely that wasn't a ritual. Or was it?
It's an assumption on our part that Lily simply made a dying wish as Voldemort killed her, flinging her body over Harry's. We project our own Muggle-like selves into the scene and forget that powerful magic in Harry Potter requires sophistication and skill. They are not Muggles, and would not respond as Muggles. We forget Lily was a well-trained witch, and James an Auror.
How much more likely is it that, recognizing they were doomed, Harry's father bought Lily time as she hastily scrawled Runes in her own blood around Harry's crib, building a magical protection that could only succeed with the sacrifice – through love – of her own life. A spell made more powerful through the closeness of the blood tie. Can't you see those Runes flare white, absorbing into Harry as Voldemort struck?
This is an image more powerful than a simple dying wish.
Why is that?
One reason is that a ritual like this assumes a conscious control. That magic is something that can be, with knowledge and skill, mastered.
Hogwarts is founded on this idea. Young wizards can't control their magic without years of increasingly advanced training. Yes, the world of Harry Potter is filled with magical devices (likely created by masters of some art) that work as easily as a pinch of Floo powder. But there are also more specialized skills such as Healing and, one must imagine, particularly sophisticated and subtle magic must be required to create something like the Philosopher's Stone, or else it would be on sale for ten sickles in Diagon Alley.
But why ritual? Why not… something else? Let's look at the options for "something else."
1 – Some wizards simply have more natural power and so are automatically capable.
This is the premise of many fantasy novels with a "Chosen One," but it's not JKR's world. Although inborn magical ability counts for a lot (Dumbledore is often mentioned as a "powerful wizard") it's made clear that Harry's untrained raw talent is not able to take on Voldemort at full power. The only reason he was victorious in his early years at Hogwarts was that Voldemort was severely limited by the lack of a body. Once he had one, Harry is defeated handily even though he's "marked as his [Voldemort's] equal."
2 – Places and times have inherent natural powers.
Call it the New Age or Native American (or African?) Harry Potter. This however would equalize all wizards and by necessity create a culture that wouldn't be Hogwarts with its egalitarian educational opportunities; to keep such power-places out of the wrong hands would require suppression and control of this knowledge. Such places would be carefully hidden and possibly guarded.
3 – A supernatural being or mystical force controls magic.
Call this the Jedi Harry Potter. However, it imparts a religious aspect because magic in this case has its own will. A supernatural being or force requires an environment of sacredness and veneration, a worship of magic as it were. This doesn't fit with Harry Potter. Love, and Blood, is highly regarded, but not objectified in this way.
4 – Magical ability is obtained through martial discipline and endurance.
This is kung-fu Harry Potter. The toughest, not the most talented or the most intelligent, would become the most powerful. It would preclude witches like Hermione from becoming powerful, and exclude the elderly, like Dumbledore. The magical world would be soldier-like, one of samurais: might equals right.
5 – Magic is purely technological, "flip-a-switch" easy and universal.
Call this the James Bond magical world. So long as you have the cash to acquire the technology, either as a government or as a wealthy pure-blood, you have all the magical power you could want. This kind of world begs for corruption and abuse of power, which we can see clearly in HP. But if magical technology were everything, Lucius Malfoy would be the Dark Lord, not a half-blood orphan like Tom Riddle.
If Tom wanted power in this sort of world, he'd seek money first and foremost. Instead, he has gone after esoteric knowledge from the likes of Slughorn, from old texts. Likewise, so has Dumbledore pursued the will o' the wisp of knowledge. Esoteric knowledge is so powerful in HP, Nicholas Flamel lived for 400+ years; it is so highly regarded, Dumbledore could have easily become Minister.
In Harry Potter we find the ascendancy of the esoteric.
But wait, you say. Before we go tottering down the dangerous path of "ritual" nonsense, shouldn't we consider the possibility that Harry Potter magic might be a combination of all of these? Technology, mystical forces, discipline and endurance, the confluence of magical places and times… and pure raw magical talent?
But my dear, I say. Just what do you think ritual is? The technology of the ritual implements, and the order of ingredients or incantations utilized in a controlled fashion. The discipline and endurance of such things as Lily's or Peter's sacrifice. The mystical force of magical energies, whether triggered or intensified through love or loyalty or anger… or Harry's confidence that he could cast a powerful Patronus because he already had. The confluence of magically significant places, such as the tomb of Tom Riddle's father, or attacking on Hallowe'en.
Ritual is powerful not only because it implies that the magic can be consciously controlled, but also that one abandons that control. Abandon oneself to the magic. Voldemort had to trust enough to be dropped into a pot where he could likely drown, for example. Trust Peter Pettigrew of all people, good heavens.
Ritual utilizes all the capacities of the human (Muggle or Wizard) in a way that steps past the limitations of intellect. There is a reason why not literate cultures rely so heavily on ritual to teach. It aligns the emotions, the senses, the physical body, the engaged mind, and connect with something deep, visceral, and even -- dare I say it? -- profound.
ETA: Okay. How many of you kept stopped at sex magic ("...sex magic? Really?")?
This is inspired by
regan_v's recent essay on Ritual and Harry Potter Magic.Ritual is canon for advanced Dark Magic. We witnessed this in Peter's ritual to bring back the Dark Lord in the Goblet of Fire (which, whoops, I almost spelled Goblin of Fire). It stands to reason that elaborate ritual is also the method for such things as advanced "light" magic, sex magic, sophisticated potions, and the production of such things as, oh say, the Philosopher's Stone.
Why?
Well, this could be because I just like the idea of Snape participating in the combination of exactitude and emotional abandon of ritual. What Peter Pettigrew created after all was more than a concoction of esoteric, er, ingredients; there was a profound emotional meaning to what was sacrificed in that potion. Voldemort was reborn from the father's bones, and the confluence of an enemy's and a servant's focus that continued his existence. (An enemy only exists so long as he's your enemy, n'est pas? If he becomes your friend, the enemy is gone.) The power of hatred and loyalty (if not love) combined with a sacrifice from each had deep emotional significance. Ritual is like that.
But with the good guys we don't see this ritual. Oh yeah, sure, we know Lily did some sort of old, blood magic connected with love that protected Harry, but surely that wasn't a ritual. Or was it?
It's an assumption on our part that Lily simply made a dying wish as Voldemort killed her, flinging her body over Harry's. We project our own Muggle-like selves into the scene and forget that powerful magic in Harry Potter requires sophistication and skill. They are not Muggles, and would not respond as Muggles. We forget Lily was a well-trained witch, and James an Auror.
How much more likely is it that, recognizing they were doomed, Harry's father bought Lily time as she hastily scrawled Runes in her own blood around Harry's crib, building a magical protection that could only succeed with the sacrifice – through love – of her own life. A spell made more powerful through the closeness of the blood tie. Can't you see those Runes flare white, absorbing into Harry as Voldemort struck?
This is an image more powerful than a simple dying wish.
Why is that?
One reason is that a ritual like this assumes a conscious control. That magic is something that can be, with knowledge and skill, mastered.
Hogwarts is founded on this idea. Young wizards can't control their magic without years of increasingly advanced training. Yes, the world of Harry Potter is filled with magical devices (likely created by masters of some art) that work as easily as a pinch of Floo powder. But there are also more specialized skills such as Healing and, one must imagine, particularly sophisticated and subtle magic must be required to create something like the Philosopher's Stone, or else it would be on sale for ten sickles in Diagon Alley.
But why ritual? Why not… something else? Let's look at the options for "something else."
1 – Some wizards simply have more natural power and so are automatically capable.
This is the premise of many fantasy novels with a "Chosen One," but it's not JKR's world. Although inborn magical ability counts for a lot (Dumbledore is often mentioned as a "powerful wizard") it's made clear that Harry's untrained raw talent is not able to take on Voldemort at full power. The only reason he was victorious in his early years at Hogwarts was that Voldemort was severely limited by the lack of a body. Once he had one, Harry is defeated handily even though he's "marked as his [Voldemort's] equal."
2 – Places and times have inherent natural powers.
Call it the New Age or Native American (or African?) Harry Potter. This however would equalize all wizards and by necessity create a culture that wouldn't be Hogwarts with its egalitarian educational opportunities; to keep such power-places out of the wrong hands would require suppression and control of this knowledge. Such places would be carefully hidden and possibly guarded.
3 – A supernatural being or mystical force controls magic.
Call this the Jedi Harry Potter. However, it imparts a religious aspect because magic in this case has its own will. A supernatural being or force requires an environment of sacredness and veneration, a worship of magic as it were. This doesn't fit with Harry Potter. Love, and Blood, is highly regarded, but not objectified in this way.
4 – Magical ability is obtained through martial discipline and endurance.
This is kung-fu Harry Potter. The toughest, not the most talented or the most intelligent, would become the most powerful. It would preclude witches like Hermione from becoming powerful, and exclude the elderly, like Dumbledore. The magical world would be soldier-like, one of samurais: might equals right.
5 – Magic is purely technological, "flip-a-switch" easy and universal.
Call this the James Bond magical world. So long as you have the cash to acquire the technology, either as a government or as a wealthy pure-blood, you have all the magical power you could want. This kind of world begs for corruption and abuse of power, which we can see clearly in HP. But if magical technology were everything, Lucius Malfoy would be the Dark Lord, not a half-blood orphan like Tom Riddle.
If Tom wanted power in this sort of world, he'd seek money first and foremost. Instead, he has gone after esoteric knowledge from the likes of Slughorn, from old texts. Likewise, so has Dumbledore pursued the will o' the wisp of knowledge. Esoteric knowledge is so powerful in HP, Nicholas Flamel lived for 400+ years; it is so highly regarded, Dumbledore could have easily become Minister.
In Harry Potter we find the ascendancy of the esoteric.
But wait, you say. Before we go tottering down the dangerous path of "ritual" nonsense, shouldn't we consider the possibility that Harry Potter magic might be a combination of all of these? Technology, mystical forces, discipline and endurance, the confluence of magical places and times… and pure raw magical talent?
But my dear, I say. Just what do you think ritual is? The technology of the ritual implements, and the order of ingredients or incantations utilized in a controlled fashion. The discipline and endurance of such things as Lily's or Peter's sacrifice. The mystical force of magical energies, whether triggered or intensified through love or loyalty or anger… or Harry's confidence that he could cast a powerful Patronus because he already had. The confluence of magically significant places, such as the tomb of Tom Riddle's father, or attacking on Hallowe'en.
Ritual is powerful not only because it implies that the magic can be consciously controlled, but also that one abandons that control. Abandon oneself to the magic. Voldemort had to trust enough to be dropped into a pot where he could likely drown, for example. Trust Peter Pettigrew of all people, good heavens.
Ritual utilizes all the capacities of the human (Muggle or Wizard) in a way that steps past the limitations of intellect. There is a reason why not literate cultures rely so heavily on ritual to teach. It aligns the emotions, the senses, the physical body, the engaged mind, and connect with something deep, visceral, and even -- dare I say it? -- profound.
ETA: Okay. How many of you kept stopped at sex magic ("...sex magic? Really?")?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2006-01-10 01:42 am (UTC)[Raises hand]
Me.
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Date: 2006-01-10 10:28 pm (UTC)Icarus