PotterMore: J. K. Rowling Discusses Alchemical Colors

October 1, 2013 by 8 Comments

Michael B writes that Ms Rowling is discussing her use of alchemical symbolism at her PotterMore web site:

In the [PotterMore] section The Campsite, Jo has written some new information on colors. The first part talks about the importance of purple and green in the Wizarding World, then there’s more on the association of the house colors and their respective elements. Then, she talks about Alchemy!

The passage on alchemy specifically reads:

Colours also played their part in the naming of Hagrid and Dumbledore, whose first names are Rubeus (red) and Albus (white) respectively. The choice was a nod to alchemy, which is so important in the first Harry Potter book, where ‘the red’ and ‘the white’ are essential mystical components of the process. The symbolism of the colours in this context has mystic meaning, representing different stages of the alchemic process (which many people associate with a spiritual transformation). Where my two characters were concerned, I named them for the alchemical colours to convey their opposing but complementary natures: red meaning passion (or emotion); white for asceticism; Hagrid being the earthy, warm, physical man, lord of the forest; Dumbledore the spiritual theoretician, brilliant, idealized and somewhat detached. Each is a necessary counterpoint to the other as Harry seeks father figures in his new world.

Michael then asks me, “ Has she ever confirmed anything like this before? I was under the impression that the alchemy theory was always well informed speculation. All the best, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on this reveal.”

Thank you, Michael, for sharing this news. To answer your questions, yes, Ms. Rowling has admitted that her understanding of alchemy played a large part in how she set “the magical parameters” and “internal logic” of the Hogwarts Saga, and, my response to her comments here is something like bemusement. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes, Literary Alchemy

Christine Wesley: Literary Alchemy in Allegiant – Rubedo

September 17, 2013 by 6 Comments

For part one of this series of Divergent literary alchemy posts by Christine Wesley, Divergent as Nigredo, click here. For part two of this series, Insurgent as Albedo, click here.

Allegiant: “One Choice Will Define You”


Welcome to the final installment of a three-part “Unlocking” series on the allegorical, alchemical artistry behind Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy. In this post, we will attempt to predict the plot of the series finale, Allegiant, as the rubedo to Divergent’s nigredo and Insurgent’s albedo.

When we last left the pages of Insurgent, Tris and Tobias were crouched on the bottom floor of Erudite headquarters, watching a video file of Amanda Ritter/Edith Prior’s revelation that the Factions are in fact a grand experiment in human behavior, set apart to develop minds capable of rebuilding a world destroyed by moral decay. A growing concern for Tris over the course of Insurgent was whether or not to pursue the truth of what lay beyond the fence; at the cliff-hanger conclusion, we discover that the Factions, enclosed within the ruined city of Chicago, were protected from three things in the outside world:

1. The water supply

2. Technology

3. Societal structure


One hallmark of literary alchemy is the presence of soul triptychs, a trio of objects or persons that each embodies an essential aspect of human existence that, when working in harmony, produce righteous living and thinking. Intriguingly, in these three non-human elements, there exists such a tripartite division: body (water), mind (technology), and heart (society structure). The Five Factions were, in essence, separated bodily from the outside world via an enclosed water system (remember the Amity’s water filtration system and hydroponic agriculture, and Lake Michigan’s reduction to the Marsh), a yet-unknown form of technology, and a yet-unknown pattern for human relationships. These reasons for the Factions’ separation will serve as major plot points for Book 3, and I will incorporate my theories as to their explanation over the course of a larger exegesis of how Allegiant might satisfy the requirements as the Tris Prior rubedo.


As John examined in this post about the alchemy of Suzanne Collins’s Mockingjay, we can expect Roth’s rubedo novel to follow the “allegory of the soul’s transformation” in the “story of the soul’s life in the world” post-baptism, a world she finds “unrecognizable.” Alchemy is chiefly concerned with the resolution of contraries: throughout the first two books, Tris unraveled the divisions inherent in her status as one of the Divergent. In Book 1 she sorted out her conflicted understanding of Dauntless and Abnegation, and in Book 2 between Candor and Amity.  Duality and mirroring have already proved a significant theme in Divergent and Insurgent, so look for this idea to find its greatest manifestation in Allegiant, when Tris and Tobias to wrestle with their faculties for Erudite (more on that below).


Based on interviews and blog posts from Roth, Allegiant teasers released by HarperCollins, and  surface-level clues from the close of Insurgent, a few ideas can be inferred about the contraries to be resolved in Book 3. Perhaps the most interesting fact that has been revealed about Allegiant is that the book will have not one, but two narrators: Tris AND Tobias. First, Roth’s thoughts on this deviation:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Divergent, Guest Posts, Literary Alchemy

Literary Alchemy via ‘Harry Potter’ — An Introduction

September 3, 2013 by 8 Comments

For those needing an introduction to the black, white, and red stages of literary alchemy or a pair of magic spectacles to grasp what Christine Wesley is describing in her exegesis of the Divergent trilogy, there’s the Wikipedia entry, of course, but here is a quick introduction from Deathly Hallows Lectures. I gave a talk at Biola University’s Torrey Honors College in the fall of 2007 and ran through five keys to unlock the artistry and meaning of the Hogwarts Saga finale, then hot off the press. One of those keys was literary alchemy.

Here, after the jump, is an excerpt from the first chapter of Deathly Hallows Lectures that I hope will bring the serious reader of Divergent up to speed on the hermetic tradition Christine Wesley assumes you know. If you want more, please see chapter devoted to this subject in Lectures, Harry Potter’s Bookshelf, and How Harry Cast His Spell.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Divergent, Literary Alchemy

Literary Alchemy in ‘Mortal Instruments’ — Of Course!

August 21, 2013 by 3 Comments

‘Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and Alchemy’ – a Guest post by Valerie Estelle Frankel, respected Potter Pundit and author of the new book about the artistry and meaning of the Mortal Instruments books, Myths and Motifs of The Mortal Instruments.

City of Bones is hitting movie theaters today. The first book and movie in Cassandra Clare’s bestselling Shadowhunters series uses world myth, the Bible, classical literature, and symbolism to weave a powerful epic of teen heroes and heroines, a subject I address in my new Myths and Motifs of The Mortal Instruments, the book from which parts of this essay are adapted.


The Shadowhunters also operate in a world of literary alchemy: This rhyme, released in advance before it appears in Clare’s 2014 conclusion to the bestselling saga, details her use of color coding for Shadowhunter Ceremonies:


Black for hunting through the night


For death and mourning the color’s white


Gold for a bride in her wedding gown


And red to call enchantment down.


While it continues through other colors used less often in the series, a few particular color choices stand out here.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes, Literary Alchemy

Mailbag: “Alchemical Backfire” in Sookie Vampire Finale!

April 25, 2013 by 4 Comments

News from the Sookie Stackhouse fandom — the ending isn’t what the ghoul gallery expected or wanted, if it is faithful to alchemical story formula. Here is the HogwartsProfessor authority on the Southern Vampire Mysteries, Renee Jones, with the just breaking news:

Hi, John,

I wanted to let you know about the nuclear explosion going through the Southern Vampire Mysteries/True Blood fandom today.

In 2009 when I first contacted you about Charlaine Harris‘s series, I speculated that the protagonist, Sookie, was progressing through the alchemical stages, which were demarcated by her relationships with two vampires and a shape shifter. An enormous fandom revolves around the nigredo vampire, Bill and the albedo one, Eric. While rubedo shapeshifter Sam has a small following, no one has considered him a credible contender for Sookie’s happily ever after since book 3.

Bill’s window of opportunity ended early on, and debate in recent years has been about whether Sookie and Eric would have a happily ever after, she would wind up alone, or find someone new.

Today portions of the 14th and last book in the series were leaked on the internet, and the fandom has been blindsided with the rubedo ending of Sookie and Sam. The gnashing and wailing of teeth is really something. This is a huge alchemical backfire.

Filed Under: Literary Alchemy, Mailbag