Important Colors During Rebirth

[Boing]

As I was re-reading the rebirthing scene in the graveyard, it struck me that there were three different colors that stood out during the making of the cauldron mixture where Voldemort was brought back to a body.

First, when Wormtail puts the dust from the bones of Tom Riddle, Sr. into the cauldron, it "sent sparks in all directions and turned a vivid, poisonous blue."

The color blue has been discussed in other places as possibly relating to the dead and this seems to be another link that may prove that to be true. The dead man's bones were put into the cauldron and the mixture turned blue.

Second, Wormtail takes his own flesh and puts it in the cauldron. The potion "turned a burning red."

This is most likely explained by the presence of an amount of blood in the cauldron at this point, but I think it means something else as well. The potion immediately turned red, so it seems to have something more to do with the spell/the ingredient and not the blood as blood would not have turned it that burning red color straight away.

Third, Wormtail puts Harry's blood into the cauldron and "the liquid within turned, instantly, a blinding white."

Is this white any relation to Albus (white) Dumbledore, the search for goodness, or the idea of a new day? There are so many meanings behind the color white. Perhaps it signifies the changeover, the new beginning for Voldemort, the start of a new time for wizards, etc.

I did a little quick research on the various colors and came up with some interesting results:

RED

Color of energy and passion, drive to succeed, but also of survival, power, and vitality

BLUE

Color of tranquility, intuition, trustworthiness, also wisdom, integrity, communication

WHITE

Color of thought, perfection, integration, unity with the divine, also enligtenment and universal consciousness

The one thing that struck me was the idea of white as "integration" as this is the color the potion turned when Harry's blood went into it. It was the integration of Voldemort and Harry together - bringing parts of them together once again - as in the first time when the spell went wrong and imbued Harry with some traits of Voldemort.

[Alz]

..Also it is the colours of the British flag - red, white and blue ;)

Well done Boing that is some great investigation - you retain your Miss Factuality title!
I really like the investigations you made there - it is well though out and balanced and actually fits in well with the circumstances and significance at the time!

Really like it - thanks for sharing Boingy :D

[Hermione]

Wow Boing, I am impressed!

I agree with you, it makes sense that Tom Riddle Sr. would turn blue, as blue has come into play in times of death. That makes perfect sense to me. The color blue also can represent sadness, and Tom Riddle caused his son a lot of sorrow in leaving his wife. Therefore the potion turned blue, because they were recreating Voldemort, and that was what his emotions were.

Red makes sense, as it is a violent act towards himself, that Wormtail commits. It also makes me think of anger and hate, something Wormtail must feel towards his former frieends, thus making him go to Lord Voldemort.

White actually made me think of Jesus and the Easter story. When Jesus rose, you always see white blinding light. And the flowers they always have at Easter are Easter liles, which are white. White is a key color tied into the ressurection of Christ.

When I mulled over the three colors red, white and blue, besides being the American and British flags, something struck me about those colors in the pattern of the sun's rise.

We begin at night. It's dark outside, the sky is a dark blue. The sun is not up, there is nothing there.

Dawn comes, the sky begins to glow red, harolding the sun's arrivial. The colors are rich.

The sun has risen. White, blinding light fills the sky. The sun itself, is a ball (round, never ending, eternal, like the dream Voldemort's immortality) of radiant white light.

[Boing]

Good thinking there Meredith - it is interesting to think about especially in terms of the cycle of life or the rebirth of Voldemort - that his life seems to be cyclical like the sun. What he hopes is a never-ending cycle as well.

Red is the color I'm not sure of yet. Red can be so many things to different people, but mostly I think of it as a very volatile color - a passionate color symbolizing love, hate, energy, etc. I don't see Peter Pettigrew as very passionate about much of anything, but I can perhaps see a relation between his volatility and the way he seems to be able to switch sides so quickly. It could be a mirror to his relationship with Voldemort - love/hate, passion/revulsion. And could perhaps signify another switch - when he fulfills his debt to Harry . . .??

[Hermione]

Here is everything I have found out about the color Red:

-Many people believed the color red protected them from evil spirits.
-Red charms or gems were used as protection from the "evil eye"
-In Greek mythology red rose was a symbol for the cycle of growth and decay, but also for love and affinity.
-Israelites in biblical times painted their doorframes in red blood to scare demons.
-Red in ancient Egypt was the color of the desert and of the destructive god Seth who inpersonated the Evil.
-"Making red" was synonymous with killing someone, evil doings were refered to as "red affairs".

Though some of my findings may be helpful for other aspects of Potter, I thought the last two most significant. When Voldemort was trying to re-enter his body, that could certainly be called a "red affair." I think it interesting that the Seth god is one who impersonates evil. It is not evil itself, but a farce of evil. Can we relate this to Lord Voldemort, if we think of him as a victim of his circumstances instead of an evil wizard?

I proceeded to look up blue. Here is what I found:
-blue stands for the vertical and the spatial, in other words height and depth
-blue is considered to be "between black and white", also commonly identified with two opposing forces, good and evil.
-It is also commonly used to represent religious feeling, devotion and innocence.
-The Egyptians had two theories about the creation of the world; one, that is was created by Thaut, who when he uttered any word caused the object to exist, and two, that it was the work of Ptah, The Great Artificer. Ptah's father was called Kneph, (also Cneph or Nef), and while many of the Egyptian Gods were adorned with different colors, Kneph is always depicted in blue.
-Blue is also considered the color for the spirit and the intellect.
-In French, the word "bleu" is used as a substitute for the word "Dieu", which means God, as swearing was punishable in the middle ages by death.
-The French royal family was associated with the color blue, because blue was associated with a celestial origin, and the royal family, like many royal families, also claimed to stem from this origin. Even today, a substitute expression for aristocracy is "blue blood".

I thought it was interesting that blue is considered the medium between good and evil, black and white. With Harry and Voldemort, it is clearly a clashing of black and white. I also think it's interesting that this is the first color the potion turns, the blending of evil and good happens first.

The bit about Ptah's father, Kneph being portrayed in blue was interesting. It is the bones of Tom Riddle's father that turn blue. While Ptah was given credit for creation, Voldemort gave birth to a new evil regime.

"Blue blood" is also noteable here, as Voldemort is obsessed with the pedigree and lineage of his followers and all others in the magical world.

I found this link to a chart of colors and their symbolic meaning, even their meanings in different cultures. You can go to the
color chart (http://www.wired4success.com/colorsymbolism.htm).

Oh and by the way, look what I found tucked into one of the articles about the color red:

"Good and bad qualities [of the color red] are combined in Phoenix, the firebird. In Egypt, China and Central America it was associated with cleansing and revival. In China its name was the 'Vermilion Bird' or the 'Substance of Fire' and promised luck and longevity."

Interesting.

[Alz]

Just wanted to add an 'excellent' to Meredith's post :D
This is actually really interesting to read - so well done all :D

[Padma Patil]

Well done all! I dont' think I ever would have thought of this. Though red, white, and blue are the colors to tons of different flags... America, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Russia, and more.

This really makes me want the sixth book to come out. :)