of all the things in the world...why a lightning bolt?? speculate now

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maybe the scar IS an horcrux ???


or maybe the shape of the scar is only different so it can be distinguished from others ??
probably the shape is not important

WELL I FOUND THIS Jo conference call in march 2001 :
" I gave him a scar and in a prominent place so other people would recognize him. It is almost like being the chosen one, or the cursed one, in a sense.Someone tried to kill him, that's how he got it. I chose the lighting bold because it was the most plausible shape for a distinctive scar. As you know, the scar has certain powers, and it gives Harry warnings. I can't say more than that, but there is more to say "

yes but there's bound to be a deeper meaning than having Harry stick out. I mean the way the scar is described at length so much must have a bigger meaning. It could have been ANYTHING but it's a lightning bolt >.<

Ok this is just a guess so don't call me out negatively...ok?
I think the shape of the scar is not that important, however there are possible meanings behind it it suck as

1. Lighting represents a storm, a terrible storm, and this storm has been brewing Harry's whole life and when ever he feels pain withen the scar it mean that there is a 'storm' like someone is in trobule because Voldemort is hurting them? Like also, mabey it's a foreshadow to a war in wich Harry's scar saves his life?

2. Lighting contracts dont it? It can connect two things together thur a stream of electricity and mabey prehaps it is in the shape of a lighting bolt is because it connects voldemort and harry together?

3. It could also mean that harry is a power house ready to 'zap' Voldemort out of existence!!!!

I don't know....

Perhaps the scar is just made in that shape because he survived the killing curse. Thats the mark that is given to someone who has...or what the after affects look like if you lived through such a thing. Wasn't the tower Dumbledore killed on called 'the lightning struck tower'? (aka: the astronomy tower)?

Well, I think Harry's scar could be an horcrux or not. Sometimes I think it would be amazing, it would be right... but sometimes I think that if Harry was an horcruz, Voldemort'd never wants to kill Harry.
It's such a complex thing to think... It can be or not. We'll just see it in the 7th book. Let's wait!

Voldemort tried to kill Harry because he didn`t know that the scar or the boy himself is a horcrux. This thing is explained on Pre-Book 7 Disscutions.

Well.. Until now I haven`t gave any importance to the shape of the scar but now.. I don`t know.. If JKR said that it is more to say, but she won`t say, it means that it really has an importance. If it hasn`t, she would tell us everything about the scar.. dunno.. I just belive so...

Oh my od there are such a lot of things that I am curious of.. I can`t wait anymore.. so many secrets.. so many mysteries.. so many theories.. Book 7 will be the most sold book ever )

It could be a horcrux but like as xtina_malfoy_f quoted from a conference it is just a way people could tell him apart from all the other normal wizards. But also as someone else said, why would Voldemort want to kill harry so badly if he was? So i am not saying it isn't a horcrux because it may be, but in my opinion i don't think it is. I think it was just simply there to make him unique; stand out from all the other normal wizards because harry is a very special wizard in the wizarding world.

Hmm...
Maybe the scar is like a reminder or something... Like if you have ever read Daughters of the Moon, if you haven't then you should, the girls have amulets shaped as a moon as a symbol of the power inside them and they glow when danger is near, the amulets were given to them at birth... When I first read this I immideatly thought of Harry Potter, his scar was given to him when he was young and it hurts when Voldermort is near, so it could be a symbol of the love inside him that will help destroy Voldermort... just a thought... Tell me what you think!!

I think harry lightning bolt scar is not a horcrux instead it symbolises power since harry is a very powerful wizard


or it just makes harry unique so everyone can look up and see that there's the boy who LIVED

These are all good theories you have here, but I don't think that the lightning shape has too significant a meaning. The "storm" that Felix "lucky" Felicis mentioned was a good idea. But I don't think that it's that big of a thing. It could be, but that's just my opinion.

My thoughts:


1. Duh, cause its hot! hahaha. JK.

2. On dictionary.com one of the definitions for "scar" is: A lingering sign of damage or injury, either mental or physical. and A mark, such as a dent, resulting from use or contact.

3. Voldemort definently came in contact with Harry, therefore there is a scar.

4. Don't ask me about the lighting bolt, haha, I guess its just cool.

it is lightning bolt - shaped because IT IS THE SAME SHAPE AS THE AVADA KEDAVRA CURSE WHEN IT'S CAST! (see book 4, when Moody teaches the fourth-years the unforgivable curses). also, the lightnig bolt symmbolises great power (DUH, the curse kills, naturally it's powerfull). for those who would like to know: Lightning is an atmospheric discharge of electricity, usually, but not always, during a rain storm. storm also equals power and great devastation. just like harry's life was marked by Voldy's deeds, his body is marked by the scar.

i think its on his head and shaped like a lighting bolt just to stand out from other scars and to be noticable like said above.! thats why i think its shaped like a lighting bolt..but there is deffinatly some deeper meaning to harrys scar other than all the warnings and connetion to voldemort..also i think that theres no way that harry is a horcux

i definitely agree on the horcrux part. it's too improbable, too far off (even more than usual). it just doesn't tick.

It appears that most everyone that has posted is dismissing that the actual shape of the scar is of little or no significance, which may be true. However, I am inclined to think that the shape may actually be of some importance, due to a quote from DD made in book one, after McGonnagal, I think, suggested that he have Harry's Scar removed. Dumbledore was against the idea saying:

"Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground."

Dumbledore's scar is shaped apparently like a map of the London Underground and that shape came in handy for him. Perhaps as alluded to in the statement, Harry's scar will continue to come in useful to him. We already know that it has been a useful "window" into the mind of Voldamort, but will the actual shape of the scar come in useful as DDs did? Maybe.

I am musing here, but on Lightning:

My attention, too, is drawn to the lightning struck tower, and to the Tarot Card, The Tower that is often depicted as being struck by lightning. The Tarot Card represents sudden endings and is a warning that too many risks are being taken. It also represents sudden, unexpected drastic changes. And the lightning is the cause of the changes.

Lightning is a result of the the build up of 1) electric potential (or potential energy per unit charge) and 2) charges within the static electromagnetic field. Once the electric potential and EM field are strong enough, there is an electric discharge or lightning. The physics of it are all quite complicated yet very interesting.

So here is my lightning/Harry Potter analogy:

Harry is the Electric Potential and The Charges within the Static EM Field are the forces of good and evil that are at work and building around him. One his potential is strong enough and the tension between the opposite charges is strong enough Harry will take an action that will be the drastic change that is needed to restore equilibrium/peace.

So yes the shape of the scar could be very significant in that it defines and is essentially the map of Harry's Lifes and the sudden drastic action that will need to be taken in order for Peace or Equilibrium to be restored.

The only question is where does the unexpected part fall into it? and what is the unexpected action/ change that will occur? Are the roots of that action to be found on the lightning struck tower itself?

Any Thoughts?

heya spirallabyrinth after reading your post it made alot of sense! the part about how people think that is has very little significance to the book but when refered to the frist book with dumbledore where he is explaining about howthey can come in handy like dumbledore himself has one could be relavent to the 7th book but im still not sure why it is a lightning bolt but i like spirallabyrinth's explanation of the shape of the scar could be very significant in that it defines and is essentially the map of Harry's Lifes and the sudden drastic action that will need to be taken in order for Peace or Equilibrium to be restored - which is a realli good explanation in my view so im going to stick by that too because it is such a good analigy

I think the lighting bolt does infact have to do with what you were talking about spirallabyrinth.

How the potential is what comes down...or something to that effect? Well, maybe Harry has the POTENTIAL to be the best, and defeat LV. The lighting bolt might just be representing that he can defeat LV and ultimatly giving away the ending (although I'm unfortunalty a beliver of Harry dying, or both of them dying...like i said unfortunatly ).

To elaborate; he has all this energy that he's conserving, unknowingly, that once it builds up enough...it'll be huge. like in PoA, the Patronus he conjured? When he tried before he was good, but I don't think he could produce a fully matured patronus. Then when he wanted to save his godfathers life, and his own, more than anything, he was able to draw upon this hidden reserve and be great.

This would also connect to his "bravery" and how everyones always mentioning how harry has a "saving-people-thing". When he's trying to save people, he uses this "potential" and is brave. And also this can predict the ending; maybe LV will have someone as his prisoner and Harry will try and save them by letting all of this "potential energy" out and finally defeating LV.

Okay, I know i dipped in a few other topics...but they were all related to his scar. So I hope I didn't tip too far

<3 michelle

i agree with spirallabyrinth. Ithink that when harry needs to, he will be able to live up to his potential. And its not possible that hary is a horcrux, because LV had made them all before he tried to kill harry, and some of LV's power was transfired to harry, not part of LV's soul/

Apparentally, the most signifigent thing about Harry's scar is not it's shape. Hmmm ... wonder what it could be ... possibly the horcrux theory, but i don't think so.

But that's just me.

Let's see ... why a lightning blot:

1: Because it's a cool shape.

2: Because JKR wanted to.

3: Why not?

4: Because a lightning blot is cowinkydinkly the same shape as something else we're going to find out on DH.

5: Because at the point JKR was writing it, there was a thunder storm and it inspired her to use a lightning shaped scar.

6: Because in DH Harry's going to be struck by lightning.

Ok, so i don't have good reasons. I think it's just because it's what JKR chose to write about.

Why does Harry have a lightening bolt scar? I have no idea! But...it's maybe a symbol of how powerful HP is? OR...maybe it symbolises something important which we'll find out in DH? Soz if this has been said already! lol XxXxXxXxXxXxX

hmmm.....interesting harry's scar. I agree, i think that the shape will have some significance, that might be explained in HPDH. Until then, we'll just have to wait

I think this is half right. I too noticed this : I agree with this that the tarot card and the scar are linked. The scar seems like a sign - Harry's life has been building up to this one storm - battle with voldy - and all his life drastic changes and risks have been taken and now the most drastic and dangerous of all is going ot happen. Maybe the scar - in a way - is cursed, so that it almost draws Harry into trouble, if he didn't have to scar he wouldn't be fighting voldy (well he'd b dead) but JKR didn't have to give him a scar - but she choose to. So it must be relevant somehow. I guess we'll find out in the next boook.
.X.

Thats what I was saying too. Only Harry survived so it left a mark/scar on his head. Those who do die, just look as if they died for no apparent reason and have no after marks because they were supposed to die. Harry was supposed to die and this created a reaction, leaving the lightning bolt, or the mark left on a person if they survive a killing curse.

The lightning struck tower is very similar, too. If Dumbledore had lived, it is my belief he would have had a lightning bolt scar too. However, he was struck and from history we know that if you get struck by lightning, chances are you are going to die and it leaves almost no mark on you.

RIP_Sirius

i cant find anywhere in the fourth book when moody teaches the class about the inforgiveable curses that avada kedavra is in the shape of a lightning bolt. Is it really there somewhere? it might be that i have a swedish copy and maybe they didnt put that thing in but that would be rather strange as well. i dont think they leave anything out when they translate it

ok this paragraph made me have a brainwave.

maybe there is a more scientific way to this.

so first of all, lightning is the build up of static electricity. this is negative and posotive atoms. when lightning occurs, the two types of atomes even out.
maybe this means that the scar on harry's head represents a sort of half way point. part good part bad. maybe it is the way of evening out. like posotive and negative atoms do when struck by real lightning.

just a thought

To me, it's not a lightning bolt, but a zigzag S: the "Mark of Slytherin" upon the locket the Gaunts had. Voldemort somehow marked Harry with Slytherin's mark because he put some of himself, the last heir of Slytherin, into Harry on that fateful Halloween night. That's my theory, anyway, and why I am adamant that they have the scar backwards in the movie. They show it as a zigzag Z, but in order to get an easter egg extra on JKR's site, you need to draw a lightning-bolt scar, and it has to be one like an S, not one like a Z. So I'm sure that they've got his scar all wrong, and that it's actually important to the plot (just like how they got Harry's eye color wrong and that is important to the plot!).

if it would be a mistake in the movies wouldnt you think that jk would tell them to do it right if its really important to the plot? jk does have very much influence in the films and they ask her what things to put in the movies.
and with the eyecolor, maybe its hard to find someone with supergreen eyes and dont want to fake the eyecolour of daniel. but to make it up to the lack of "greenness" they always talk about his eyes as his mothers eyes.

I really don’t think the shape of Harry’s scar is that significant. It’s the fact that it’s there that really matters. But I there was a reason for it being a lighting shape these could be a few.

If you think about it a lighting bolt happens very quickly but is very powerful and dangerous. So is the Avada Kadavra curse so instead of killing Harry the curse just kind of left its mark on Harry.
Second you are going to notice a lightning bolt more than say, just a line so this makes Harry much more recognisable.
Lastly, a lightning bolt to the eye is nothing more than a flash of bright light, the same as the Avada Kadavra curse, bringing back the theory that it was just leaving its mark on Harry since it couldn’t kill him.

These are just some things I came up with but if you think about them, they could be true.

Recently, I've searched and looked at some symbology behind lightning bolts and what they mean, originate, and such and I was suprised at what I found. If I remember correctly I think some website stated that lightning bolt shaped objects or things held power, greatness, and strength. It's interesting because we find that not only in Harry, but in Voldemort as well. Maybe the reason why Harry's scar is a lightning bolt may be revealed in book seven.

perhaps it just so happened to scar that way and the shape doesnt have to do with anything lol has anyone thought of that or is tht just too hard to belive?

Hey, I noticed a quote of some one saying that the scar could be related to the tarot card. That is absoultely correct in the fact that The Lightning Struck Tower relates to sudden turns and twists. It might have foreshadowed, in a vague way, Dumbledore's death, because, after all, he did die on the tower did he not? Perhaps the final battle will be on the Tower too. As the tarot card symbolizes sudden ENDS, it may just be fitting...

Harrys scar cannot be a horcrux because why would voldemort want to kill a part of his soul. Unless he does not know it is...

you guys the symbol of lighting bolts = power

im shure u ppl know Zues, the greek god ruler blah blah
his power envolved fryin ppl's but's with lighting bolts.

so harry scar has power, the end.

I think this scar is not in Harry's forehead only because he could live the night when Voldemort killed his parents.This scar has to hide a very important power for the final fight between Harry and Voldemort and everybody will know what kind of power is in the Deathly Hallows book.I've got two theories about what this scar hides:

Love:Perhaps Lily introduced the power of love in Harry when Voldemort wanted to kill him that night and Harry will use it in the final battle to beat the Dark Lord.

An horcrux:Perhaps Voldemort introduced accidentally an horcrux that night because of Lily protected Harry with all her love and it was a big death to create a new horcrux.

In all the cases Harry would have a good weapon to fight to voldemort,and he wouldn't need a wand (remember that he doesn't appear with one in the US cover).

Dugiefrsh08
i can see where you are coming from.. i never thought the lightening scar was of any significance..and i am still open to that pretty much. because surely not everything in Harry Potter is symbolic? surely not everything is more in depth then it appears. but hey! if it does mean something then jeez J.K is really intrested in this sort-of thing so she must find it important or i don't know.

lightening bolt = power apparently so it could be like a symbol as a few of you have suggested. so that could be why.

Wolfberry

i thought of the Lightening struck tower well only when i saw people making a big deal out of this so erm maybe
but erm Lightening struck tower and well i though could it be linked to Dumbledore's death. and maybe it was just foreshadowing.

ahem... I'm probably going to be the only person who speculates this... But dosen't Harry's Lightening bold scar kind of remind you of the N@zi SS troop symbol? I mean, I know My WWII fairly well, and I couldn't help but notice that Harry potter and WWII have a significant ammount in common... for example..

Harry's scar = the SS troop symbol
Voldemort= Hitler
Muggle-borns= whoever Hitler is out to kill(jews/gypsies/non-aryan/etc..)
Dumbledores Army= Forces against Hitler

etc etc... okay so maybe I'm the only one... but I think J.K rowling may have had deeper inspiration for Harry's scar than just a "dark mark" from Voldy =P


*runs back to her History/Harry Potter books like the dorky nerd she is*

harrys scar is a part horcrux by mistake voldy dosent know

by part horcrux i mean the scar is somehow holding on to a part of voldys soul that has already been destroyed,but harry still holds some of the powers,ill explain how this happened

voldy kills harrys parents and is about to kill him when the love protection from lily kicks in,voldy fires of his curse, but its not deflected back it is absorbed and turns into a straight scar on his forehead then out of the scar comes the curse and it flies back at lv,then the scar that was staight went lightning shape all in milli seconds,what i mean by that is lightning is the design of a destroyed horcrux like the ring of slytherins,and it was like lightning when harry desrtoyed the diary and tom riddle was ripped apart,so the harry horcrux is also destroyed

josh

Did anyone else notice that on the childs cover of the english version of Half Blood Prince we see Marvolos ring. It has a lightening bolt shaped crak donw it and we know from Dumbledore that it was a horcrux. so does this mean Harry could be a horcrux. If he was then that's good news for the people like me that don't like Harry and hopes he dies (Sorry to anyone that disagrees lol)

If Harry was a horcrux then that would explain a lot. Why Snape hasn't killed him yet. If Snape kills him then that would mean that Voldemort becomes more weak. I know not a lot of people want Harry to be a horcrux but I think it would make very good reading. If Harry dies then someone else *coughs Ron* has to kill him and gets all the fame they deserve for having to out up with stupid Harry all these years.

Wow, i never noticed that. good point.

But the theory on Ron, killing? No way, sorry. Wrong. there's no way.

I think that i remember i was reading a review and it said( from JKR) that her friend had a lightning bolt shaped scar on her, but i cant exactly remember, it might have been that her friend just had a scar on her forehead, and then JKR made it into a lightning bolt shape, but i really cant remember- i am probably getting the 2 mixed up.

I think that Harry's shape of the scar may hold a deeper meaning that only J.K. knows. Or maybe the curse always makes that mark, but it fades on dead people? I'm just speculating here.

Like most people are saying it has a hidden meaning in it!Which I think its kind of werid, at least its better then a flower scar that would make him very....werid .
What I think is that Harry is the lighting and Voldemort is metal.They come in contact there is going to be some sparkes

just cause jk rowling wanted it do be! thank god it wasnt a pentagram!

I just thought that it was just a mark to show that he had been affected by a curse, and it was lightning-bolt shaped because, maybe the curse that hit him was like a bolt of lightning? I never really dwelled on why it was a bolt of lightning.

But then JKR said this in her webchat:

QUOTE

Koen Van Der Voort: Why is the scar on harrys forehead lightning shaped
J.K. Rowling: To be honest, because it's a cool shape. I couldn't have my hero sport a doughnut-shaped scar.

So I guess it isn't really significant. She's right though... a doughnut-shaped scar just doesn't really look like a curse scar the way a lightning bolt scar does.

Well, Harry's lucky that his scar isn't a heart >_> Well, I like the lightning bolt idea. I really couldn't think of another good scar shape for something that Voldemort gave Harry.

didnt have time to read all the posts,so dont call m out,ok?

Harry's scar is a wonderful thing (NOT in a +ve sense,I mean!! )!

the lightening shaped scar is a memorial of the thunderous blow had torn apart his family.The lightening shape is thus a symbolic shape,I think!Again,Its in a place visible to all so that Harry becomes an instantly recognisable figure,even a public figure!It alwys reminded him of the great loss he had to suffer for The Evil's uprise to power and makes him more n more avert to The Evil.

ive always wondered that... why would the scar look like that? its not like he got out a knife and carved it.

My opinion is its unimportant or.....maybe it was symbolic to JK....
It might just be because it would be noticeable.
I have a small scar on the side on my forehead and its not oddly shape and no one ever asks about it. Harry's scar is in the middle of his forehead and very noticeable..(except in the movies where his bangs cover it!!! )

True, I dont understand why it was a lightning bolt, it would have been better if JK Had explained it more thourouly. But I'm not saying she didnt explain things well enough, I just meant if she could explain that one thing better it would be cool, if that makes sense.