Death is an important theme in the books – the death of Harry's parents; Nicholas Flamel and the Stone; the ghosts in CoS; the phoenix; Cedric's death – although nowhere does it become so significant as in OotP. It quite fits that the main antagonist in the books would be after immortality.
I have no sufficient explanation as to why Voldemort's immortality is evil and the phoenix's is good, apart from the fact that it's rooted in tradition. But why? Maybe because humans feel that one has to truly die, like the phoenix does when it bursts into flames, before one can be reborn?
For me it's very simple: the phoenix's immortality is 'good', because for the phoenix, it is natural to die and then to be reborn from its ashes. Apart from going through all the cycles of life, it is also not overstepping Nature in any manner when it is being born again. Whereas Voldemort, who is mortal, is trying to over-reach and over-step Nature in his pursuit of immortality, and therefore, acting unnaturally. By some philosophies – although I'm not sure if that is JKR's intention - Voldemort is also committing a heinous sin in trying to cling on to his mortal body (he is also of a fixed mind, and quite refuses to see things any other way – another flaw), when death is a gift given to mortals, an opportunity to free themselves from the mortal frame.
This also leads to the Nicholas Flamel question. Obviously, he was using the elixir of life, which, traditionally, is something only the evil or the deluded do.
Yes, but didn't Dumbledore also mention something about some work that Flamel had to finish? Perhaps intent matters too? (We know it matters in HPverse – many of the so-called double standards rise from the question of intent) Voldemort wanted the elixir for his own selfish purpose.
However, in spite of the fact that the elixir is said to make the drinker immortal, we know that Nicholas Flamel didn't become immortal. He died when he stopped drinking it.
I'm not very well-versed in this myth – does drinking it make someone immortal, or does it just keep postponing death as long as you keep drinking it?
And now I'm wondering what Dumbledore meant when he said that there are things worse than death.
no subject
Death is an important theme in the books – the death of Harry's parents; Nicholas Flamel and the Stone; the ghosts in CoS; the phoenix; Cedric's death – although nowhere does it become so significant as in OotP. It quite fits that the main antagonist in the books would be after immortality.
I have no sufficient explanation as to why Voldemort's immortality is evil and the phoenix's is good, apart from the fact that it's rooted in tradition. But why? Maybe because humans feel that one has to truly die, like the phoenix does when it bursts into flames, before one can be reborn?
For me it's very simple: the phoenix's immortality is 'good', because for the phoenix, it is natural to die and then to be reborn from its ashes. Apart from going through all the cycles of life, it is also not overstepping Nature in any manner when it is being born again. Whereas Voldemort, who is mortal, is trying to over-reach and over-step Nature in his pursuit of immortality, and therefore, acting unnaturally. By some philosophies – although I'm not sure if that is JKR's intention - Voldemort is also committing a heinous sin in trying to cling on to his mortal body (he is also of a fixed mind, and quite refuses to see things any other way – another flaw), when death is a gift given to mortals, an opportunity to free themselves from the mortal frame.
This also leads to the Nicholas Flamel question. Obviously, he was using the elixir of life, which, traditionally, is something only the evil or the deluded do.
Yes, but didn't Dumbledore also mention something about some work that Flamel had to finish? Perhaps intent matters too? (We know it matters in HPverse – many of the so-called double standards rise from the question of intent) Voldemort wanted the elixir for his own selfish purpose.
However, in spite of the fact that the elixir is said to make the drinker immortal, we know that Nicholas Flamel didn't become immortal. He died when he stopped drinking it.
I'm not very well-versed in this myth – does drinking it make someone immortal, or does it just keep postponing death as long as you keep drinking it?
And now I'm wondering what Dumbledore meant when he said that there are things worse than death.
Swatkat