Dipping Into the Universal Well

Do you remember back to your high school days (or maybe you're still in them!), when your English Lit teacher loved to drone on about the subtextual layers in works from authors such as Faulkner or Shakespeare? Did Shakespeare really intend in Hamlet for the poisoning of the old king through his ear to speak to the veracity of what one hears through them?  I mean really, what author could have intended every single one of those thematic details English teachers like to needle out and torment their students with on tests? ;-)

But honestly, I have to say that the sort of minute analysis I suffered through in English class was a drop in the cauldron compared to the frenzy I whole-heartedly engaged with once Harry Potter hit the scene. Talk about your theories and comparisons to every fable, myth, and work of literature ever created! Surely, JK Rowling couldn't have meant but a small fraction of them.

Or could she?

To better analyze how these subtextual references work for a writer, let me do what all writers do. Let me tell you a story...

This one concerns a young man often called the orphan because his father was murdered by an evil lord, who then tried to kill the young orphan as well. Fortunately, the orphan's magical mother was able to save his life, and so he grew to adulthood with the desire to right the great wrongs the evil lord had committed, avenge his father's murder, and reclaim his father's inheritance, which the evil lord had stolen from him. Numerous times the orphan faced the evil lord, but neither was able to finish off the other. For years, they battled bitterly and often violently to prove themselves in escalating challenges, which caused great trouble in their divided lands.  Finally, the orphan triumphed, and with his success, reunited the people.  The evil lord was banished for eternity.

But wait, you say.  You know this story.  It's Harry Potter!

And yet, the story I was conveying is an Egyptian myth several thousand years old.

Osiris was the wise deity ruler over Egypt with his wife Isis by his side. Together they brought prosperity, peace, and order to Egypt.  However, Seth -- Osiris and Isis' brother -- seeing what they had, decided to steal the throne for himself.  He plotted to kill Osiris and then Isis' son, Horus, as well. Powerfully magical, Isis was able to protect her son from Seth's evil attack.

Horus was destined to avenge his father's murder when he was old enough to reclaim his inheritance. Horus and Seth battled for many years until finally the combatants were called before the Ennead -- a council of nine prevailing gods -- to decide the matter by tribunal. Proving himself the better, Horus was awarded his father's position, reclaimed his birthright, and united the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt forever after. Depending on the version of the myth, Seth was either banished or killed.



Many of the details in the myths of Horus, Isis, Seth, and Osiris sound weird and out of place when compared to Harry Potter.  (For example, at one point, after Isis shows mercy to Seth, Horus lops off his mother's head). However, when you step back from the myths and look at their overall meaning, there are many points of comparison -- so many as to make it highly probable that JKR is deliberately weaving the Egyptian myth in as a motif.



Comparing The Osiris-Isis-Horus Egyptian Myth to Harry Potter

1. Osiris and Isis were the benevolent and wise deity rulers of Egypt. -- James and Lily were Head Boy and Girl at Hogwarts.
2. Osiris was murdered by Seth in his attempt to claim the throne of Egypt. -- James was murdered by Voldemort in his attempt to gain power over the wizarding world and immortality for himself.
3. Seth then tried to murder Horus (Osiris and Isis’ son) by transforming himself into a snake and biting the young child.-- Voldemort tried to murder Harry (James and Lily’s son), and we're very familiar with Voldemort's passion for snakes.
4. Isis saved Horus from Seth. -- Lily saved Harry from Voldemort.
5. Horus was hidden away on an island to protect him from Seth until he came of age. -- Harry was hidden in the home of his aunt to protect him from Voldemort until he came of age, and lastly, when the letters started arriving, even onto an island. (In fact, in JKR's 1st draft of Philosopher's Stone, James and Lily lived with Harry on an island, and this is where they were killed!)
6. Seth stripped Horus’ inheritance from him by taking the throne in his defeat of Osiris. -- Voldemort essentially stripped Harry’s inheritance from him by forcing the young Harry into a Muggle existence, completely unaware of the wizarding world, for 10 long years.
7. Horus grew up to avenge his father's murder. -- Harry grew up to avenge not only his father's, but many other murders as well.
8. Horus was represented frequently by a falcon or a hawk and considered a god of the sky. -- Harry can fly brilliantly.

9. Because of his victory over Seth, the lord of Upper Egypt, Horus, the lord of Lower Egypt, was considered the uniter of Egypt. -- By series' end, Harry reunited the wizarding world, both those who have always been open to "Mudbloods," and those who oppose and fear them.  This reunification is most clearly represented by the Malfoy's role in the final battle and their presence in the Great Hall after it was all over.
10. Osiris represented the deceased king, while Horus was the embodiment of the living pharaoh. -- James is dead, but Harry is the Boy-who-Lived.
11. Seth was strongly connected to the serpent Apep, and in later myths the two were considered one. -- Voldemort is strongly linked with the basilisk and Nagini. Plus, he speaks Parseltongue.
12. Seth was believed to have white skin and red hair and eyes. -- Voldemort has white skin and red eyes.

These are but a few of the comparisons that can be made between these two stories separated by centuries, cultures, and continents.  As writers, we can learn how to weave references into our work by studying how JKR wove hers so intricately. She made various points of comparison, but although she does point the reader in the direction of Egypt through Bill Weasley, she never directly refers to the Horus myth.

Please note that the Osiris-Isis-Horus myth is not singular but plural. As the story of their holy trinity was one of the most beloved of ancient Egyptians, and developed and changed over thousands of years, this myth exists in multiple versions.

Indeed this myth struck such a profound chord of meaning among the peoples and storytellers who came later, that it has been retold repeatedly throughout history, merely with costume, scenery, and prop changes to fit the new times.  What is Hamlet if not a story of a young man battling to avenge his father's murder and the usurper of his throne?  And in the animal kingdom, we have Disney's Lion King, where Simba must defeat his uncle Scar, who murdered Simba's father, in order to reclaim his rightful role as king.

These repeated myths are comforting to us. We know the stories; we know how they must end.  Good must triumph over evil; rightful order must be restored.  But because the world around us does not often show the results we seek, we must gain reassurance through our entertainment over and over, time and time again.

The long-enduring, oft-repeated mythic themes resonate because they tap into the universal subconscious that flows between peoples of all centuries, all continents, all cultures. If you, as a writer, tap into these themes, you instantly grow your market.

Harry Potter fans go crazy seeking out all the mythic references within JKR’s world. They can find connections to almost any myth or story ever recorded. Did JKR intend all the myth connections that fans find and thrive on? Of course not! Did she intend some--many--of them? Without a doubt.

The brilliance of using myth is that by using one, you instantly gain links to all the other storytellers who have come before you and referenced that myth as well.  In other words, if with Harry Potter JKR referenced the Horus myth, then she, perhaps inadvertently, also referenced Hamlet and The Lion King and many other stories based on this common mythos, as well.  As a writer, the wealth of the eternal flow of mythic literary connections can pour forth from your pen for the price of one dip.

So, go ahead.  Dip your bucket into your well. Connect through your own portal to that ever-flowing river of human subconscious. Study the myths, their hero’s journeys, their archetypes, their themes and conflicts. Find your connection, your voice, within their stories. Then play with them. Using JKR as an example, see how you can creatively weave myth into your contemporary story.

You, and your reader, will more deeply connect with the results.

Question: What myths have you woven creatively into your own story?

About the pictures: In July 2007, I was fortunate enough to speak at a Harry Potter fan conference in London during the release of Deathly Hallows. The pictures of the Egyptian artifacts were shot at the British Museum while the fans dressed as Harry Potter characters I took at the ginormous release party at Waterstone's in Piccadilly. The line of thousands of fans waiting to purchase the last book wound around several blocks, with gawkers (like me!) and news crews everywhere. It was a blast!

The Wand Chooses the Wizard

A couple of days ago, the first poster for the last Harry Potter movie was released.  I thought it was awesome in its simplicity.  Harry facing off against Voldemort with only the Wand of Destiny clenched between them.

However, can you think of a more cliched article of fantasy writing than the wand?  What witch, warlock, mage, or sorcerer would not be properly attired without the final touch of this powerful weapon, whether it be a traditional stick of wood or a staff of power...or perhaps even a light saber.

And if you're a writer of fantasy or paranormal, you have probably worked a wand of some sort into your own manuscript.  But as writers, we seek to always bring something new to whatever we create.  And breaking out from old cliched devices is incredibly essential to giving our reader OUR fresh perspective.

JK Rowling does exactly this with her creations, even when they come from traditional lore.  We can learn a lot about putting a fresh spin on an overused device by what she does with her magical wands.

From the very beginning we learn that "the wand chooses the wizard."  Not the other way around.  Wands have their own lore, their own power, their own loyalties, and another's wand will not give you the same results as the one that chose you.  Each wand is unique in its craftsmanship, like the owners they choose, and the wand's maker, like Ollivander, take great pride in their craft and remember every wand sold.

As the series progresses, we see hand-me-down wands, broken wands, brother wands, dueling wands, and spells that tell a lot about wands, such as priori incantatem.  With each of these examples scattered throughout the series, the reader's knowledge of the unique place wands have in this world grows.  Thus, JKR prepares her reader for the final showdown and the most important wand of all.

Since ancient times, sticks of one sort or another have been used as symbols of power and authority over people.  From Pharaoh's was to Moses' rod, to a royal scepter, to the Pope's papal staff -- what person can hold power without brandishing a stick of some sort?  Do we imbue these wands with power because of ancient images of a shepherd's guiding crook, or the disciplinary rod of a father over a child?  Or perhaps they go back even further in our collective memory and hint at a primordial time when the holiest of places, the highest authority, was found in a grove of trees?

Whatever the reason, sticks of wood convey authority and power and JKR used this to her full advantage, with her own twist, in the final book, Deathly Hallows.  The Elder Wand that Harry and Voldemort both seek to claim, the symbol of protection against death, lies in a sacred tomb that Harry refuses to disturb, but Voldemort violates.  It is this attitude that no one matters besides me, contrasted against Harry's self-sacrifice for the love of others, that is ultimately Voldemort's undoing.  No totalitarian authority is allowed to live forever when those oppressed finally are roused to rebel.  Not even the Deathstick, that magical ultimate weapon of mass destruction, can save Voldemort from a simple boy's kindness of heart.  For it is Harry's nonviolent disarming of his classmate Draco which has won the loyalty of the Elder Wand.  And it is his casting of a non-lethal spell into the face of Avada Kedavra, that turns the killing spell back onto its caster, and bring the end to He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named.

In her intricate plotting, JKR thought deeply of the themes she pursued throughout her series and how these themes would live in the world she created.  Her wands tell us a lot about how the author views the magical world, and our own.  As Dumbledore said, "Voldemort himself created his own worst enemy, just as tyrants everywhere do! Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress?" (p. 510, HBP)

Recent events in the MiddleEast have shown what Voldemort learned too late -- even in the real world we witness that how ruthlessly a ruler wields his wand of power is often an indication of how brutally he will be brought down by those who've suffered under him.

Writers -- Look at your symbols, your cliched items of your genre.  What fresh spin can you bring to the tired symbols and tropes?  Think deeply about your story, your world, your hero, and your meaning.  Are your themes reflected throughout?  And if not, what can you do to weave your own Wand of Destiny over your creation and make it truly come alive and sing with your Voice?

Deathly Hallows poster credit
Was scepter image credit

Getting Your Themes Across - The Unforgivable Curses

If you want to know what JKR thinks the worst thing one human can do to another is, the answer is right there on the page in Goblet of Fire, chapter 14, "The Unforgivable Curses."  JKR uses a school lesson to give the reader insight into what is to come in the remaining books, as well as a hint toward the deeper meaning underpinning her stories.

Pseudo Mad-Eye Moody, in his first Defense Against the Dark Arts class in Harry's fourth year, uses spiders to teach the students what they need to be on guard against:

1) the Imperius Curse -- Ron mentions this one.  It is cast with "Imperio," and gives the witch or wizard total control over the other person.  Mad-Eye says it takes real strength of character to throw off this curse.

2) the Cruciatus Curse -- Neville names this one, and we later learn that this was the curse which drove his parents insane.  Indeed Barty Crouch, Jr., aka Pseudo Mad-Eye, was one of the Death Eaters who is responsible for leaving Neville essentially an orphan.  Uttering "Crucio" causes total and devastating pain.

3) Avada Kedavra -- As Hermione informs us, is the Killing Curse.  There is no defense against it, and only one person is known to have survived it.  Harry.

Before the end of the series, we will see these curses used by both Death Eaters and good guys.  Harry himself will use the Imperius Curse when he, Ron, and Hermione break into Gringotts in Deathly Hallows.  And at the end of Order of the Phoenix, after Bellatrix kills Sirius, Harry tries to cast the Cruciatus Curse at her, but discovers he really doesn't have what it takes to cause another person serious pain.  Later, he attempts to use it against Snape after he killed Dumbledore at the end of Half-Blood Prince, then succeeds in using it briefly against Amycus Carrow in Deathly Hallows in defense of Prof. McGonagall.

Presented in ascending order of greater offense, JKR thus informs her reader that, in her opinion, the worst things one person can do to another is to control them against their will, cause them devastating pain, and kill them.  She has stated in interviews that she takes death seriously, and that is why you do not see random and casual killing in her stories.  Until the final battle of Hogwarts, each death is presented in such a way as to make the reader truly feel the utter and senseless loss.

JKR has also let her reader know throughout the series what she believes about choice:  "It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities." (PS/SS)  That's why taking away one's free will is including on a list with pain and death.

So, with this bit of creative worldbuilding, JKR has created an effective tool for summarizing some of her own key beliefs, crucial themes to the story, and giving clues as to what is to come.  By studying her technique, we see that not only is it truly great to work with themes as a writer, but what's even more cool is when these themes can be inserted openly into the story in a creative, interesting, and most importantly, non-preachy manner.

As a writer, if you were to create your own list of 3 Unforgivable Curses, what would they be?  Would you include the same ones as JKR, or would yours have a different construction?  How would they fit into your current WIP?

Have you created your own piece of worldbuilding to insert into your story that gives your reader insight into your themes and foretell what is yet to come?  And having created such a tool, who will use it?  How will it look different from use by your hero to your antagonist?

Picture credit.

Dumbledore's Theme Song

"Ah, music...A magic far beyond all we do here!" (PS p. 95)

Music and Dumbledore. The two just seem to go together, don't they? We know from his chocolate frog card that he "enjoys chamber music" as well as tenpin bowling. But the music vibes deeper than that. Music, for Dumbledore, touches his very soul.

Dumbledore, like his namesake the bumblebee, seems to always be humming about the castle. And then there's his pet, Fawkes, the phoenix. Fawkes not only represents Dumbledore's Patronus, but his anima, a projection of his soul, which restores Harry, not once, not twice, but three times with the power of music.

It is with "eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly" music that Fawkes appears in the Chamber of Secrets and drops the Sorting Hat to Harry, thus giving him the sword of Gryffindor and his means to defeat the Basilisk.

Then, in Goblet of Fire:

...an unearthly and beautiful sound filled the air. ... It was coming from every thread of the light-spun web vibrating around Harry and Voldemort. It was a sound Harry recognized, though he had heard it only once before in his life: phoenix song. It was the sound of hope to Harry. . . the most beautiful and welcome thing he had ever heard in his life. . . . He felt as though the song were inside him instead of just around him. ... It was the sound he connected with Dumbledore, and it was almost as though a friend were speaking in his ear. . . .

Don't break the connection.

In HBP:

When Harry passes along to Dumbledore how he'd answered Scrimgeour's accusation of his being Dumbledore's man through and through with a proud affirmative:

Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. Behind Harry, Fawkes the phoenix let out a low, soft, musical cry. To Harry’s intense embarrassment, he suddenly realized that Dumbledore's bright blue eyes looked rather watery, and stared hastily at his own knees. (Bloomsbury, 334-35)

At Dumbledore's death in HBP:

And Harry felt, as he had felt about phoenix song before, that the music was inside him, not without: It was his own grief turned magically to song that echoed across the grounds and through the castle windows.

How long they all stood there, listening, he did not know, nor why it seemed to ease their pain a little to listen to the sound of their mourning...

Why would JKR make these connections between Dumbledore and Fawkes and music? Maybe she's playing on a character theme here, on the essence of Dumbledore.

Most writers are familiar with story themes--the central idea, or meaning, of a story. But you can have themes centered on a character as well. Knowing your character's theme helps you as a writer to convey consistently the essence of that character. And if your essence is Bellatrix, according to Hermione when tasting her Polyjuice, that is quite disgusting.

A character theme is not necessarily a main personality trait, though it can be.  Character themes can also focus on a core belief (such as Draco's privileged disdain for mudbloods), a physical feature if it has a profound impact on that character (such as Mad-Eye's mad eye), or something more esoteric (like in Harry's association with the alchemical Philosopher's Stone and Dumbledore's affinity with music and the resurrecting Fawkes).

For an example of how a character theme can play out in the story, let's look at Ron.  Ron is Harry's loyal friend, and the reader sees this in the many words and images JKR writes for Ron -- his constant support and companionship, his defense of Harry when the rest of the school considered him to be the Heir of Slytherin, his welcoming Harry into his home and family, and his willingness to risk his life to save his best friend's.  Even though Ron's loyalty is put to the test once or twice, it is precisely because loyalty is what Ron is all about that he's tested in this manner.

Other character themes which JKR plays with:

• Hermione -- the Brain (Is that why Ron was attacked by a brain in the DoM? :-) The reader is given numerous references to Hermione's intelligence and love of books.
• Neville -- yes, Neville is forgetful, but I think his deeper theme would be something like "untapped potential."
• Uncle Vernon -- Have you ever noticed how often angry words and a purple face are used to describe Harry's "loving" uncle? I think his theme would be raging intolerance.
• Aunt Petunia -- rigid clean freak--numerous refs to her cleaning, or her spotless home, and think of her reaction to Marge's visit with her dog
• Hagrid -- monster-loving, almost like muggle-loving, but way more dangerous
• Snape -- vitriol--as in repressed anger, resentment, and self-blame eating him out from the inside

And finally, again, Dumbledore -- Dumbledore's theme is not simply music, but Phoenix song, music that restores the soul, that resurrects life. It's Dumbledore's theme song which plays deeply into the heart of the Harry Potter saga and which carries Harry through in his final confrontation with Voldemort.

JKR applied her Polyjuice potion to brew out the essence of her main characters, as well as the secondaries.  She knew intimately what they were all about and wove these tidbits into her story to portray them three dimensionally on two-dimensional paper. If you know the heart of your character, then you can breathe life into their being. JKR used these themes through consistent references describing that character's manner of being, words, and actions.

As a writer, have you thought of the essence of your characters?  If you had to describe the look and taste of their Polyjuice potion, would it be disgusting like Bellatrix's,  "the khaki color of a booger" like Goyle's, or a "clear, bright gold" like Harry's?

What other character themes can you see within the Potterverse?  Or, what is one of your own creation?

** Picture credit for Fawkes.

Snape's Gray Undies

It was one of JK Rowling's most memorable scenes from Order of the Phoenix, one that fans could not wait to see come to life on the big screen, and not just because they were eager to view the four marauders together, alive as teenagers.  No, everyone wanted to see Snape and James go at each other.  And many were dying to laugh at Snape's graying underpants.

    Behind [James], the Impediment Jinx was wearing off.  Snape was beginning to inch toward his fallen wand, spitting out soapsuds as he crawled.
   "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," said Lilly.
   "Bad luck, Prongs," said Sirius briskly, turning back to Snape.  "OY!"
    But too late; Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, spattering his robes with blood.  James whirled about; a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of graying underpants. (p. 647, OotP)

I do not think those gray undies are thrown in casually for a bit of nasty flavor.  Indeed, I think JKR possibly crafted this whole scene around them.

This view through the Pensieve opens Harry’s eyes to the fact that he’d placed his father on a pedestal that was both unhealthy and unrealistic. The world is not filled with good people and Death Eaters, but ultimately most of us are various shades of gray. And that’s where Snape’s exposed undies come in. Snape, like his undies, is one of the grayest.

Snape was deliberately constructed by his creator to be a man of uncertain allegiance, trusted by few, doubted by many, living in a world of shadows, existing on both sides of the Dumbledore/Voldemort divide. A man who intentionally concealed secrets and motivations.  A character of ambiguity.



His never-ending morphing keeps the reader off-guard, on the alert, and constantly wondering. Readers latch onto Snape because the uncertainty of his ambiguity commands it. His mysterious nature demands the reader’s questions and inward exploration. What do I think about loyalty, appearances, the power of trust? Do I believe a person can be nasty and mean and still serve a higher good? Do I agree that a Slytherin and a Gryffindor have anything in common and can work together to defeat true evil? And who am I inside? Where do my loyalties lie? Would I defend Snape, or bully him upside down?

Who you are inside will determine how you interpret Snape. Snape will be understood, in your mind, in direct accordance with your worldview. That's why readers were so polarized. Snape draws the reader’s involvement because that is his very purpose.

As writers, we can challenge ourselves to make sure the real world in all its texture and complexity is reflected within our story.  Once you have constructed your hero and antagonist and defined the themes that differentiate them, have you created a character to embody the vast space of grayness that lies between them?  Have you got a Snape, complete with gray undies, ambiguous in nature, who could be viewed as friend and foe by both sides?  A character, who like most of us, is not totally good or evil, but somewhere in between, who embodies the subtle nuances of your theme.  And can you craft this character with a hint of mystery, to keep both your hero, and your reader guessing, as they did with Snape, until the very end?

One last thing to note regarding JKR's craft in the scene snippet above.  See that other highlighted section, the curse Snape threw at James that caused a gash on his head and made him bleed?  What does that remind you of?  A bit of foreshadowing of Half-Blood Prince to come?  We see here Snape using the curse that caused Harry so much trouble with Draco, and the Prince himself, in the next book to come.

A clue, foreshadowing, character development and theme definition, all in one tidy little memory.  That's JKR for you!

Have you written an ambiguous character into your story?  I'd love to hear about it.

Picture credit.