The Deathly Hallows
Happy Lughnasadh, everyone.
On July 20, I attended the "Harry Potter Street Festival" on Stephen Avenue, by the McNally Robinson. Thousands of fans filled the mall, which had been transformed into Diagon Alley for the occasion, complete with booths for "Divination Classes" (Tarot reading), maskmaking, and a magical Infirmary. Costumed characters (notably Dumbledore, Hagrid, Snape, Lockhart, Tonks, and Trelawney) roamed the mall posing for pictures, acrobats performed, and the Medicine River Wildlife Centre even brought a live horned owl. Plenty of younger folk appeared in school uniforms (including a trio of teenage Sytherin girls in short-short skirts), and one young woman wore a t-shirt that read,"Trust Snape". There was even a lightsaber-wielding Jedi, one colourfully-robed guy carrying a sign reading, "I don't even like Harry Potter", and one of the Con-Version organizers passing out handbills. At one point, about three young people arrived carrying crude cardboard signs reading "Trust God, not Potter", but as similar signs with sillier messages later appeared, I discounted the incident. As the "witching hour" approached, two long lineups formed on either side of the mall, as people began patiently waiting for their copies of the book. Mine arrived the next morning, and I finished reading it the following Wednesday. So, with hopefully a minimum of spoilers, my brief review:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the darkest and most intense book of the series, for the advent of Harry's seventeenth birthday brings with it his true coming of age as a wizard. With Voldemort's return to power nearly complete, Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves on the run, hunted, and alone. Sworn to secrecy, they are forced to make difficult decisions without any guidance. Their friendship is tested to the limits, and a serious price is paid for every action they take. As they struggle to complete the errand that Dumbledore entrusted to them, the wizarding world prepares for war, and Harry and Voldemort move towards their final confrontation.
The series has come a long way from Philosopher's Stone, which an acquaintance once referred to as a "happy book". Hallows might be too intense for younger readers, and contains (he winked) "scenes of nudity, sexuality, and coarse language". The breadth of Rowling's storytelling is finally revealed, as seemingly minor incidents from previous books now take on critical significance. Faithful readers of the series will be rewarded for their re-reads; the rest of us will be tempted to start again from the beginning. If there is any weakness in Hallows, it's that the comic relief, which often gives the series its charm, here seems sometimes forced and intrusive. Or perhaps, it's just inherent in the "Potterverse". The pressing questions are answered (although at a cost to the pacing), and most of the loose ends are tied up. While a return to the world of Hogwarts may be possible, it will never truly be the same. Harry's saga has been a "hero's journey" in the mythological sense, and the series will live as a classic in fantasy literature.
August's Birthdays: Charles Godfrey Leland (Aug. 15, 1824), H.P. Lovecraft (Aug. 10, 1890), and Raymond Buckland (Aug. 31).
August's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.
Aug. 3-6: Panfest VIII at a lake in central Alberta. Info: http://panfest.org
Aug. 4: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info at cogcoa dot ab dot ca
Aug. 4, 7:00 p.m. Celtic Witchcraft vs. Wicca course (13 weeks), sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes. Info: 293-8339
Aug. 7: EnChantress Practice. Info: http://www.myspace.com/enchantresscalgary
Aug. 10-19: Calgary Fringe Festival. Info: http://www.calgaryfringe.ca/
Aug. 11?: Calgary Community Potluck. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarycommunitypotlucks/
Aug. 12, 5:03 p.m.: New Moon. Coll (Hazel) lunar month begins.
Aug. 13: Pagan Night Out. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
Aug. 13-25: GlobalFest 2007. Info: http://www.globalfest.ca/
Aug. 16, 7:00 p.m.: Pagan Paths, at the Witchery. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_witchery/
Aug. 17-19: Con-Version 23 at Radisson Hotel Calgary Airport, 2120 - 16 Ave. NE. Info: http://www.con-version.org
Aug. 18, 3:00 p.m.: Blood Proud – for pagan women, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Aug. 18, 7:00 p.m.: Terra Firma – for pagan men, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Aug. 21, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Aug. 21, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, with host SpiritNSoul, in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Aug 25-31: BC Witchcamp near Squamish, BC. Info: http://www.bcwitchcamp.ca
Aug. 28, 4:35 a.m.: Full (Sturgeon) Moon.
Aug. 28, 7:30 p.m.: EnChantress Practice.
Bright blessings,
Hergest
On July 20, I attended the "Harry Potter Street Festival" on Stephen Avenue, by the McNally Robinson. Thousands of fans filled the mall, which had been transformed into Diagon Alley for the occasion, complete with booths for "Divination Classes" (Tarot reading), maskmaking, and a magical Infirmary. Costumed characters (notably Dumbledore, Hagrid, Snape, Lockhart, Tonks, and Trelawney) roamed the mall posing for pictures, acrobats performed, and the Medicine River Wildlife Centre even brought a live horned owl. Plenty of younger folk appeared in school uniforms (including a trio of teenage Sytherin girls in short-short skirts), and one young woman wore a t-shirt that read,"Trust Snape". There was even a lightsaber-wielding Jedi, one colourfully-robed guy carrying a sign reading, "I don't even like Harry Potter", and one of the Con-Version organizers passing out handbills. At one point, about three young people arrived carrying crude cardboard signs reading "Trust God, not Potter", but as similar signs with sillier messages later appeared, I discounted the incident. As the "witching hour" approached, two long lineups formed on either side of the mall, as people began patiently waiting for their copies of the book. Mine arrived the next morning, and I finished reading it the following Wednesday. So, with hopefully a minimum of spoilers, my brief review:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the darkest and most intense book of the series, for the advent of Harry's seventeenth birthday brings with it his true coming of age as a wizard. With Voldemort's return to power nearly complete, Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves on the run, hunted, and alone. Sworn to secrecy, they are forced to make difficult decisions without any guidance. Their friendship is tested to the limits, and a serious price is paid for every action they take. As they struggle to complete the errand that Dumbledore entrusted to them, the wizarding world prepares for war, and Harry and Voldemort move towards their final confrontation.
The series has come a long way from Philosopher's Stone, which an acquaintance once referred to as a "happy book". Hallows might be too intense for younger readers, and contains (he winked) "scenes of nudity, sexuality, and coarse language". The breadth of Rowling's storytelling is finally revealed, as seemingly minor incidents from previous books now take on critical significance. Faithful readers of the series will be rewarded for their re-reads; the rest of us will be tempted to start again from the beginning. If there is any weakness in Hallows, it's that the comic relief, which often gives the series its charm, here seems sometimes forced and intrusive. Or perhaps, it's just inherent in the "Potterverse". The pressing questions are answered (although at a cost to the pacing), and most of the loose ends are tied up. While a return to the world of Hogwarts may be possible, it will never truly be the same. Harry's saga has been a "hero's journey" in the mythological sense, and the series will live as a classic in fantasy literature.
August's Birthdays: Charles Godfrey Leland (Aug. 15, 1824), H.P. Lovecraft (Aug. 10, 1890), and Raymond Buckland (Aug. 31).
August's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.
Aug. 3-6: Panfest VIII at a lake in central Alberta. Info: http://panfest.org
Aug. 4: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info at cogcoa dot ab dot ca
Aug. 4, 7:00 p.m. Celtic Witchcraft vs. Wicca course (13 weeks), sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes. Info: 293-8339
Aug. 7: EnChantress Practice. Info: http://www.myspace.com/enchantresscalgary
Aug. 10-19: Calgary Fringe Festival. Info: http://www.calgaryfringe.ca/
Aug. 11?: Calgary Community Potluck. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarycommunitypotlucks/
Aug. 12, 5:03 p.m.: New Moon. Coll (Hazel) lunar month begins.
Aug. 13: Pagan Night Out. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
Aug. 13-25: GlobalFest 2007. Info: http://www.globalfest.ca/
Aug. 16, 7:00 p.m.: Pagan Paths, at the Witchery. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_witchery/
Aug. 17-19: Con-Version 23 at Radisson Hotel Calgary Airport, 2120 - 16 Ave. NE. Info: http://www.con-version.org
Aug. 18, 3:00 p.m.: Blood Proud – for pagan women, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Aug. 18, 7:00 p.m.: Terra Firma – for pagan men, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Aug. 21, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Aug. 21, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, with host SpiritNSoul, in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Aug 25-31: BC Witchcamp near Squamish, BC. Info: http://www.bcwitchcamp.ca
Aug. 28, 4:35 a.m.: Full (Sturgeon) Moon.
Aug. 28, 7:30 p.m.: EnChantress Practice.
Bright blessings,
Hergest
posted by Stephen Hergest at 9:15 pm
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