Harry's parents: was it in the stars?

Harry's parents: was it in the stars?

By JoTwo

Even before JKR started posting the dates on her web site, many fans enjoyed playing guessing games about various characters' birthdays. This wasn't just because of a liking for as much "factual" information as possible but because fans were trying to match characterisations to western astrological star or sun signs. Each sign of the zodiac describes an archetypal personality. Now, sceptics point out that there can't be any validity in this system of classifying personality types, as how can one-twelfth of the people in the world be the same just because they were born between particular dates? Astrologers counter this by arguing that the sun sign descriptions are broad-brush generalisations, and to assess an individual they would draw up a birth chart, which would be modified by unique factors like the exact time of birth and the angles between planets.

Whether astrology is true in the real world is however irrelevant in the Harry Potter universe. What matters is that it is a well-known source of personality typing and I think that JKR has drawn on it in creating her characters. For instance, Virgos are supposed to be perfectionists and worriers, and this can certainly be applied to Hermione whose birthday is 12 September. Sagittarians allegedly like the outdoors and are blunt-spoken, which fits December-born Hagrid. Snape believes in enforcing rules and is the head of Slytherin House, associated with ambition. These traits are typical for Capricorn, which is Snape's sign.

Another influence on JKR is alchemy. Although I do not interpret the Harry Potter series solely as an alchemical allegory, there are references to alchemy throughout. For example, alchemy features animal symbolism, like the stag and the phoenix, that are familiar to JKR's readers. The different stages of the alchemical process are referred to as different colours, such as the albedo (white) and rubedo (red) stage. These are echoed in the names Albus Dumbledore and Rubeus Hagrid.

So, working from the premises that JKR has used astrological and alchemical stereotypes I'm going to attempt to guess the star signs of Harry's parents.

Starting with James, we know that on the day of the DADA Owl on which he tormented and humiliated Snape, that James was 15. In the British examination system, on which Hogwarts is modelled, the public exams are taken at the end of May and the beginning of June. As in the real world, pupils take their fifth year exams in the academic year in which they turn 16. An academic year in England runs from 1^st September until 31^st August in the following calendar year. From this we can deduce that as James was still only 15, he can only logically have been born under one of the following signs:

Gemini c 22 May - 21 June,

Cancer c 22 June - 22 July,

Leo c 23 July - 23 August,

or in the earliest part of Virgo c 24 August - 31 August.

(Please note that the start and end dates of signs are sometimes given slightly differently by astrologers. This is because the time when the sun leaves one sign and enters the next varies slightly. However, for my purposes in this essay, the precise changeover does not matter. Virgo, of course, continues till c 22 September, but this is not relevant to this theory either.)

Out of all these signs I think Leo fits James best. The negative stereotype for Leo is that they are arrogant and they love being the centre of attention. This certainly describes James as portrayed in Snape's Worst Memory. He's convinced that he's gained an Outstanding grade in the DADA Owl. He's a big headed show-off. Firstly, he is playing with the Snitch and lapping up Peter's adulation. Then he begins publicly bullying Snape, culminating in claiming he's going to take off Snape's underpants in front of his audience.

Of course, Leos have positive qualities associated with them too. They are described as charming and likeable. James was the height of cool among his peers and Madam Rosmerta thought he was amusing. He was well liked by Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore and Hagrid, who all speak highly of him.

Leos are also supposed to be brave. James was sorted into Gryffindor, the House where courage is valued. As an adult he fought for the Order of the Phoenix and defied Voldemort three times, which suggests that he possessed, as well as admired, courage. To refer to somebody as lion-hearted means they are brave, and the lion is the symbol that represents Leo, and which JKR may have borrowed for Gryffindor. Leos are often said to behave irresponsibly in their youth but to take on responsibility and leadership as they grow up. This fits James, who went from school bully to Head Boy.

Leo is traditionally the sign of Fatherhood. Its ruling planet, the sun, is associated with fatherhood too. James' primary role in canon is to be the father of the hero.

Thus timing, personality type and symbolism all point to James being a Leo. Given JKR's penchant for choosing names that reflect her character's role and personality, I wonder if I can narrow things down even further. It is possible that James's birthday is July 25. This is the saint's day for the apostle James. In the Middle Ages St James became seen as a warrior saint, especially in what is now present day Spain, where there was popular place of pilgrimage called Santiago di Compostella, Iago being the Spanish version of James. I wouldn't be surprised if JKR based a character known for fighting bravely on this namesake.

When Lily's birthday falls is not implicit in canon, as it was for James. Harry and the reader are not told whether she was still 15 or had turned 16 in Snape's Worst Memory. However I think her character and plot function do give clues to her star sign. From this, I suspect that Lily may have been a Cancerian.

Cancer is the archetypal sign of motherhood. The moon, its ruler, is also linked with feminine traits, including motherhood. Obviously Lily is the hero's mother. As is often pointed out, Harry only survived Voldemort's killing curse because Lily loved him so much that she sacrificed herself for him.

Cancerians are also supposed to be protective in general. This fits with Lily defending Snape when he was being bullied.

There is a whole system of underlying correspondences between different objects that are considered to share a similar quality in astrology and indeed in the theory of magic generally. Moon-ruled Cancer has things that are silver and white associated with it. Many books about astrology state that white flowers are associated with Cancer, particularly the lily. This could be a co-incidence, but knowing how much effort JKR puts into choosing apt names it may well be deliberate and significant.

So, for me, there are hints that imply Lily was born under Cancer. However, what about the fact that Lily was a Gryffindor? For James I argued that the symbol of the house correlated with Leo. Also the characteristic of bravery equally applies to Lily. She was the only one who stood up to the popular, cool kids when they were bullying an isolated, unpopular student. Lily was a member of the Order who personally defied Voldemort thrice.

I agree that Leo could be an alternative for Harry's mother, especially if you subscribe to the theory that James and Lily equals Harry and Ginny. The latter pair are both Leos and they physically resemble the Potters. However the Harry is like James argument took a battering in OOP. Harry has never bullied anyone and was appalled to witness his father doing so. He was more like Lily in that he had compassion at the end for Luna. Also the dynamics of the James/Lily and Harry/Ginny ships are different. James liked Lily but although she was attracted to him she disapproved of his immaturity and bullying. She only started going out with him in seventh year after he had deflated his head a bit. Ginny had a crush on a famous boy who never really noticed her for five years.

The Cancerian and Leonine traits in Lily could be reconciled. If someone is born on the cusp i.e. near to the date of the change of signs, it is often believed that they are a mixture or both signs. Some astrologers say that this isn't possible because you are either one sign or the other, but opinion is mixed on this issue. However JKR is probably not an expert astrologer so perhaps Lily is a Cancerian who was born on the Cancer/Leo cusp.

If James was a Leo and Lily's sign was Cancer then this would fit with a major source of symbolism within canon: alchemy. The sun and the moon are the respective rulers of Leo and Cancer. Sun and moon are often mentioned in alchemical texts. Often they represent a union of opposites. For example, there is an illustration from an alchemical manuscript, Splendor Solis by Trismosin, called The Sacred Marriage. This shows a King and Queen, with sun and moon shining over their heads. In alchemy, often a divine child was born of the marriage of King and Queen. Sometimes this child was identified with the Stone itself, as described in another alchemical text, The Emerald Tablet, that stated, "the said stone is born of First matter. The sun is its father, the Moon its mother."

Although alchemy in Harry Potter is described in traditional magical terms as the quest to turn base metal into gold and to make the elixir of life that confers immortality, it is often interpreted in psychological and spiritual terms. While some alchemists concentrated on trying to achieve physical transmutations, other alchemical adepts interpreted it as a code that gave secret information about a spiritual quest. In this reading the moon/Queen/mother represented intuition and feeling and the sun/King/father symbolised reason and intellect. Both modes of perception had to be in harmonious balance in the alchemist so that his soul (or in psychological language, his consciousness) could develop and gain true wisdom.

I'm not one of those people who interpret every character and event in Harry Potter as part of an alchemical allegory but I think the idea that the plot is about the protagonist's spiritual growth is partly true. In this case, then the marriage of James and Lily represents the union of the solar and lunar principles. The child of this union, Harry, represents the soul/consciousness that seeks knowledge.

To reiterate my conclusions, I predict that James was a Leo and Lily was born under Cancer. If only JKR would tell us when their birthdays were. I hope I have guessed right, but if JKR had something different in mind I'd stand corrected. After all, remember how most of fandom thought Snape was a Scorpio...