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Reader Comments: (Page 3)

I think ly Hallows is just another way of saying Horcruxes.

Posted by Andy from Korea on December 21, 2006 5:36 PM

The Oxford English Dictionay says for HALLOW:

"noun archaic: a saint or holy person;
origin: old English, related to HOLY".

So I think that "the ly hallows" means "the ly saints". JKR likes old and archaic English words.

Posted by HALLOW from Mallorca on December 21, 2006 5:36 PM

The use of "hallows" surely must be a UK device, as the word "hallow" (no pluralization) is a transitive verb in the States, and requires an object. We'll just have to see how it is used. Every title so far has been explained in the corresponding book.

Posted by Avery from Florida Keys on December 21, 2006 6:39 PM

'All Hallows Eve' is the night upon which spirits wander freely and which led to Halloween. 'ly' does not have to mean more than 'pale, appearing as if ' or similar.

The phrase 'beyond the veil' means that someone has d. In the Department of Mysteries we have a 'veil'. Luna and Harry have both heard 'whispering' just on the other side of the veil. There have been suggestions that Harry has pieces of the 'two way mirror' and might communicate with Sirius. It may well not be Sirius that he is to meet.. it can be Mom, Dad, Dumbledore, Sirius... even all of them. The 'Half Blood Prince' after all, though important, was not the main event in the book of its name. Similarly, the meeting with the Hollows may be important to the plot, and yet not the main event in the piece.

And, the same style definition applies to Inferi by the way. The 'army of the ' can just as easily be the army of the 'ly hollows' which, as Voldemort makes his 'big push' towards power he is using his 'army of the ' (references to the use of things which all fear in his armies). That would fufill the requirement that the title relates materially to the story, gives a clue, but does not, in any way, tell us the outcome of the story. Half Blood Prince certainly had a similar relationship to the story in its book.

Posted by Charlie Tarbox from Gettysburg, Pa on December 21, 2006 7:52 PM

I think that 'ly Hallows' refers both to Godric's Hollow and the Horcruxes.... Or, it could be something else entirely, as a possible synonym would be 'dangerously holy' or 'ly saints' as some of you have said. Whatever it is, I'm sure it have all of us running ourselves in circles until we've read the book.

Posted by Rhylinn from TX on December 21, 2006 8:12 PM

Thanks to Al from Glasgow for the kind comments!

"Hallow" certainly is a transitive verb meaning "bless" or "sanctify" and is the root of the adjective "hallowed" as in "hallowed halls of Hogwarts." And, yes, there is a form without an "s" that means "saint" or "holy person." But those aren't the words that JKR used.

"Hallows" is a noun that happens to end in "s," even though it is not plural. In that sense, the word is connected to early (and perhaps still for some) Celtic beliefs relating to the end of the year, and symbolically, the end of life.

While the verb and noun have a connection, their meanings are notably different. I personally doubt that the word has been used as a verb to mean "ly blessing someone/" I envision "hallows" as an event or series of events that take place in the seventh book.

I think it's also important to note JKR's choice of adjective. She used "ly" rather than "ly." If she had used "ly," I would have concluded that there was something about the "hallows" that made them fatal. But in choosing "ly," I believe she is describing the "hallows" as being filled with or having the appearance of . If they merely have the appearance of , then there is definitely hope for Harry's survival--whether the "hallows" happen to be a physical location (I still doubt this) or some sort of season. This would also open the possibility for Harry to be able to communicate with the spirits of those who have passed on beyond the veil.

A final thought: it occurs to me that the Dementors have been reproducing. Perhaps the fog and overall sense of despair that they have been creating is somehow related to the "ly hallows." EXPECTO PATRONUM!

Posted by Janis from Fayetteville, NC, USA on December 21, 2006 8:27 PM

I'm not really a " hard fan," just passing through, but I thought I would add my 2 cents. Just looking at the title, we can see that it's not one of the normal "Harry Potter and the (Object, Person or Place)" that we know. This is something completely different, something we may not be prepared for. It's kind of hard to analyze a title that we know nothing about. I mean, since the title itself is something completely different, I'd be ing to bet that the book itself is going to end up being something completely unexpected. You've got some really good ideas, though, so keep it up.

Posted by Garath Miller from Earth, hopefully, on December 21, 2006 8:32 PM

I checked a bit further into the word "hallows" and found that it is a word often used in the Arthurian legends in a couple of ways.

In one sense, the word refers to the symbols of royal office--the royal regalia.

"Hallows" can also mean the four symbols of magical elements: the sword, the spear, the cup, and the pentacle representing the suits in a deck of tarot cards.

So, this opens up another can of worms. Harry is certainly on a quest--not for the Holy Grail, but for the horcruxes. Much of his story parallels Arthur's story. Does JKR see Harry as Arthur in her own way?

In the Arthurian legend, the Hallows were often shown to those on a quest while attending a meeting or a feast. It was a sign of respect to show them and to view them as well.

Arthur was supposed to have traveled to Annwn in order to recover the "Hallows of Britain." The Hallows could only be used by the king or his representative in battle. Only a truly worthy person had the right to handle and guard these objects. Merlin was supposed to have guarded them and Arthur was worthy of being entrusted with them.

There were 13 Hallows of Britain:

1. Dyrnwyn, the Sword of Rhydderch the Generous'; Possessing the ability to burst into flame.

2. The Hamper of Gwyddno Garanhir';
Possessing the ability to turn one meal into one-hundred meals.

3. The Horn of Bran';
Possessing the ability to provide any drink.

4. The Chariot of Morgan the Wealthy';
Possessing the ability to travel at great speed to any location.

5. The Halter of Clyno Eiddyn';
Possessing the ability to provide a horse of the seeker's choice.

6. The Knife of Llawfronedd the Horseman';
Possessing the ability to cut enough food for twenty-four men.

7. The Cauldron of Diwrnach the Giant';
Possessing the ability to heat the food for a hero but not a coward.

8. The Whetstone of Tudwal Tudglyd';
Possessing the ability to ensure would follow wounding.

9. The Coat of Padarn Red-Coat';
Possessing the ability to identify those of noble birth.

10. The Crock of Rhygenydd';
Possessing the ability to provide favourite foods.

11. The Dish of Rhygenydd';
Possessing the ability to provide favourite foods.

12. The Chessboard of Gwenddolau';
Possessing the ability to play by itself.

13. The Mantle of Arthur'.
Possessing the ability to make the wearer invisible to any observer.

While some of these may not come up, surely we've already seen an invisibility cloak, the Hufflepuff cup, the Sword of Gryffindor--all possibly connected to the Hallows. Perhaps there are Hallows of the Wizarding World. In that case, maybe Harry have to use them to destroy the horcruxes.

Posted by Janis from Fayetteville, NC, USA on December 21, 2006 9:08 PM

My first thought when I read the title was that it was related to Voldemort...

I believe Harry locate where Voldemort has been 'hiding out' since his rebirthing in GOF... I think this place is the ly Hallows... not a title of a village or suburb as such... more a label for the place.

Posted by Char from Sydney, Australia on December 21, 2006 11:28 PM

Janis, what an interesting sugestion! But I like most the one you've posted first - about the Celtic connections to the word "hallows". As we know, Jo tends to use Celtic assignations (as it was with wands, for example), so it's possible she is reffering to Celtic traditional meaning of "Hallow". I realy hope so, bacause I just love the idea of the Veil between the Worlds becoming thin and the spirits of the returnig to Earth...I also hope it's reffering to the Veil in The 's Chamber in Department of Mysteries [I can't wait to hear from Sirius, you know;)]
But it's also possible that "hallows" mean something we don't really know, because it can have a special meaning in magical world, a meaning we can't guess without some information from book 7. It's significant that every title of HP book reffers to something we cant't figure out properly without reading the book (maybe except The Philosopher's Stone), like "The Prisoner of Azkaban", "The Goblet of Fire", "The Order of the Phoenix" and so on...I mean, we have always needed an extra information right from the book to understand the meaning of it. Until the books were published we didn't really know what the goblet or the order could be. So I expect Jo can possibly surprise us once more:)
But, of course, why not having fun guessing?

I hope I expressed myself pretty clear...

And I have to add that I love this website entirely:)

Posted by Marta from Poland on December 22, 2006 12:22 AM

WOW! thats a brilliant title! i was thinking more on the lines of godrics hollow. thats where it all started for harry.... and voldy's downfall. but also remember voldy went out to harry and his parents on the night of halloween. aslo, ive been thinking, godric's hollow.... godric- perhaps referring to godric gryffindor the village in which he once lived in? (perhaps harry may find a horcrux there too)!

Posted by Shelley from S. Yorks, UK on December 22, 2006 12:45 AM

Someone made the commit about "Hallows" & the "veil between the worlds"
This got my mind turning..It also makes me think of the veil in the MoM office and somethings pop into mind...Could Harrys Cloak be away for Harry to cross over into the Veil and could this be where the Final Battle takes place? Could Harry get help from all who crossed over to fight LV? AKA The souls of the people who were ed by LV)
I beleve Godric's Hollow is where Harry find the door so to speak to cross) IF this is how the end is to come..
My 2cents

It was Janis that touched on this..

Posted by Sean from Corbin, KY on December 22, 2006 03:56 AM

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