An in-depth "analysis" about the cover art
I had some in-depth thoughts of the covers, and I wasn't sure if I should post them as a comment to the original cover post or as a new post... I picked new post, but apologies if this seems redundant to you.
U.K. Children's Cover
Link here.
Front:
1. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all look pretty banged up. They all have cuts, bruises, ripped robes, so obviously wherever this cover scene is taking place they had to fight to get to. Or perhaps they've been travelling a long way?
2. The trio look extremely surprised. Wherever they've stumbled into, I think they weren't expecting to find what they did, or perhaps they entered completely by accident... it actually looks like they've fallen into the room, and Hermione looks like she's still falling.
3. They're all looking in different directions. Wherever they are, there seems to be a lot going on, or at least a lot of different things to look at. Ron and Hermione look really out of it, but Harry looks extremely focused. This could possibly be just because the artist spent more time on Harry, or it could be significant.
4. There is something gold-ish reflected in Harry's glasses/face. This looks to me either like some sort of fire, or perhaps just a reflection from all that shiny stuff in front of him.
5. There's something on Harry's back. It looks to me like either a house-elf or a goblin, but my bet is on the house-elf... most likely Dobby. He's holding something, and I'm pretty sure it's Godric Gryffindor's sword-- mainly because there are rubies set in the handle, and since Voldemort has such an obsession with things from the founders, it makes sense that Harry would bring it along to help him (especially because that sword has saved him from Voldemort once before!).
6. The silvery-looking things in that room seem to both have either snake or dragon designs on them. The one on the right looks to be a metal helmet, with a dragon on it and rubies... possibly belonging to Godric Gryffindor? The one on the left looks like some sort of plate armour for the chest. Perhaps this was a suit of armour belonging to Gryffindor? If so, those are probably dragons on it. If those are snakes, it could perhaps be a suit of armour belonging to Slytherin.
7. Finally... where ARE they? There's some sort of archway behind them, which could mean a few different things. Does it have something to do with the veil Sirius fell through? Some sort of portal? I kind of like the portal idea, since the background of the archway doesn't seem to display whatever is outside the archway, it's sort of a misty coloured background. My first reaction is that they've somehow discovered Hepzibah Smith's collection of shiny things-- in HBP she's described as a great collector of things of great value, and she also posessed Hufflepuff's cup at one time, so maybe Harry is going there to research the Horcuxes?
I've heard people theorizing it to be Gringotts, so that creature on Harry's back could possibly be a Gringott's goblin, I suppose. I, personally, don't think it's very likely... what would they be looking for in Gringotts? But it's definitely worth thinking about.
Back:
1. It's... a castle. I am thinking it is most likely Hogwarts. We can see an open doorway (another archway?) with the lights on and spilling out. I honestly have no idea what this means, or if it means anything.
2. We have this big shiny castle, but it seems to abruptly lead into a gnarled old tree and dark grey clouds. If this is Hogwarts, perhaps that is the Forbidden Forest?
3. I've heard theories that this is Hogwarts, overlooking some sort of cemetary where the founders are buried. I'm not sure if this is true, because in HBP, when they are discussing the burial of Dumbledore...
"I - I know it was Dumbledore's wish to be laid to rest here, at Hogwarts-'
"Then that's what'll happen, isn't it?" said Harry fiercely.
"If the Ministry thinks it appropriate," said Professor McGonagall. "No other headmaster or headmistress has ever been--" (Half-Blood Prince, pg 587, UK edition)
So why would there be a cemetery? Unless the founders were the only people buried there... McGonagall does say "headmaster or headmistress" so that could mean the founders are sort of "separate."
Leaves:
Snake:
1. A snake in an orb. Is this a crystal ball? Or possibly one of the orbs containing prophecies? A magical encasement of some sort? Is the snake just reflected in it? Is it even a real snake? I think the snake is somehow actually inside, as you can actually see reflections on the orb.
2. The reflections. You can see a window, or possibly a door, and stars, but the stars could also just be glints of light.
3. Is the snake Nagini? I think so. My personal theory is that it's one of the prophecy orbs, and Nagini is part of the prophecy, although perhaps there will be no more prophecies revealed since we already have such an important one. :P
Glowing Stag:
1. Well, I think it's pretty obvious that this is Prongs. In Prisoner of Azkaban, Dumbledore tells Harry, "You think the dead we have loved ever truly leave us? You think we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?" (Prisoner of Azkaban, pg 312, U.K. edition) In Goblet of Fire, James (and Lily, and etc) come back to protect Harry. I think James, and the dead people Harry has cared about, will come back (well, not back to life, that sort of shadow form) and play an important role in that final battle.
Summaries:
The summaries on the cover tell us a few things.
1. Harry is at Privet Drive, so we can assume that this is at the very beginning of his summer-- in HBP, Harry said he'd go back to Privet Drive at first, one more time, since it was what Dumbledore wanted.
2. The Order is coming to escort Harry away. We don't know where to, but we do know Harry is not on his own, at least not yet.
3. On the inside flap, it discusses Harry leaving the safety of the Burrow... but the back cover just told us he was at Privet Drive! Obviously, these aren't finalized yet, but I think this tells us that Harry probably goes from Privet Drive to the Burrow.
U.K. Adult Cover
Link here.
1. Slytherin's locket. I can't see what else it could be. All of the adult covers have featured an object that has been intrinsically important to the plot even if they didn't seem so at first(such as in HBP... before it came out no one could figure out what a potions book would have to do with anything, and it ended up being incredibly important), so I think it's a logical prediction to think that Slytherin's locket is going to be very important.
U.S. Cover
Link here.
The full scene:
1. Well, right from the start we can tell that this is a battle between Voldemort and Harry (duh). I'm inclined to think that this is the last battle, but I don't really have any reason to think that other than a gut feeling.
2. No wands! Interesting. I've heard theories that this is wandless magic, and I think I'm inclined to agree with it. Harry is obviously not a more "technically" talented wizard than Voldy, he has more of a "raw" talent. If Dumbledore couldn't beat Voldemort with wand magic, how could Harry possibly do that? I think Harry has to tap into another source of magic in order to defeat Voldemort. This is most likely the "love" Harry posesses. I'll be interested to see if JKR manages to pull that bit off without making it incredibly cliche and cheesy.
3. Both Harry and Voldemort seem to be looking in the same direction. Voldemort seems to have his hands out to push something away, whereas Harry looks more like he's going to catch it. I think it's pretty likely that's there's something coming towards them... I think Fawkes might be a good bet there.
4. Harry is wearing what appears to be Slytherin's locket. This raises interesting questions. Has he found the Slytherin locket horcrux and destroyed it(this is likely, if this is the final battle between Harry and Voldemort)? Or is this the R.A.B. locket?
5. Voldemort and Harry are wearing what looks like to be the same fabric for their robes, although in slightly different styles. Just the artist, or something relevant?
6. An interesting note: The sky here is roughly the same colour as the background in the U.K. cover. Coincidence? Or is there some sort of statement in the text about the colour of the sky in the places where they are. Does it mean the places are related? Am I reading too much into this? :P
7. What I find the most interesting here is the fact that the scene is framed by curtains... or... dare I say... the veil? I think it would make a lot of sense for the final battle (again, assuming this IS the final battle) to take place somewhere "otherworldy" and possibly where Voldemort is weakest... he's afraid of death, remember. I definitely think we haven't heard the last of the veil in OotP, and I do expect it to play a role in Deathly Hallows, somewhere.
8. If you look closely, you can see shadows standing around in sort of a ring. If you look at the gigantic version, they look like the silhouettes of people. If this IS the final battle, that one quote of Dumbledore's ("do you think the dead we have loved ever truly leave us?") may be a good explanation of Voldemort's downfall. He's killed so many of Harry's loved ones, which could have just been giving Harry ammunition here at the end of all things.
9. Finally, (again), where ARE they? I'm pretty sure this is through the veil... but are there different veils? Is this where the veils come out? Sort of a Land of Dead type thing? The architecture looks almost like some sort of coliseum. There are a lot of individual archways, which may give evidence to the fact that there is more than one veil.
Of course, all of this is pure speculation. I mean, I'm reading into artwork done by artists after they read a small portion of the book. Half of this could mean nothing, except for maybe the artist felt like using orange instead of pink that day or something. I've read a few comments on what people think of the cover art, but I wanted to get all my thoughts down first and then work from there. I mainly wrote this for me, but I thought you guys might be interested. I'm just about to listen to the new PotterCast about it, so that might add some new thoughts to my brain.
Thoughts? Comments? Criticisms?
Cross-posted to my personal journal.
U.K. Children's Cover
Link here.
Front:
1. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all look pretty banged up. They all have cuts, bruises, ripped robes, so obviously wherever this cover scene is taking place they had to fight to get to. Or perhaps they've been travelling a long way?
2. The trio look extremely surprised. Wherever they've stumbled into, I think they weren't expecting to find what they did, or perhaps they entered completely by accident... it actually looks like they've fallen into the room, and Hermione looks like she's still falling.
3. They're all looking in different directions. Wherever they are, there seems to be a lot going on, or at least a lot of different things to look at. Ron and Hermione look really out of it, but Harry looks extremely focused. This could possibly be just because the artist spent more time on Harry, or it could be significant.
4. There is something gold-ish reflected in Harry's glasses/face. This looks to me either like some sort of fire, or perhaps just a reflection from all that shiny stuff in front of him.
5. There's something on Harry's back. It looks to me like either a house-elf or a goblin, but my bet is on the house-elf... most likely Dobby. He's holding something, and I'm pretty sure it's Godric Gryffindor's sword-- mainly because there are rubies set in the handle, and since Voldemort has such an obsession with things from the founders, it makes sense that Harry would bring it along to help him (especially because that sword has saved him from Voldemort once before!).
6. The silvery-looking things in that room seem to both have either snake or dragon designs on them. The one on the right looks to be a metal helmet, with a dragon on it and rubies... possibly belonging to Godric Gryffindor? The one on the left looks like some sort of plate armour for the chest. Perhaps this was a suit of armour belonging to Gryffindor? If so, those are probably dragons on it. If those are snakes, it could perhaps be a suit of armour belonging to Slytherin.
7. Finally... where ARE they? There's some sort of archway behind them, which could mean a few different things. Does it have something to do with the veil Sirius fell through? Some sort of portal? I kind of like the portal idea, since the background of the archway doesn't seem to display whatever is outside the archway, it's sort of a misty coloured background. My first reaction is that they've somehow discovered Hepzibah Smith's collection of shiny things-- in HBP she's described as a great collector of things of great value, and she also posessed Hufflepuff's cup at one time, so maybe Harry is going there to research the Horcuxes?
I've heard people theorizing it to be Gringotts, so that creature on Harry's back could possibly be a Gringott's goblin, I suppose. I, personally, don't think it's very likely... what would they be looking for in Gringotts? But it's definitely worth thinking about.
Back:
1. It's... a castle. I am thinking it is most likely Hogwarts. We can see an open doorway (another archway?) with the lights on and spilling out. I honestly have no idea what this means, or if it means anything.
2. We have this big shiny castle, but it seems to abruptly lead into a gnarled old tree and dark grey clouds. If this is Hogwarts, perhaps that is the Forbidden Forest?
3. I've heard theories that this is Hogwarts, overlooking some sort of cemetary where the founders are buried. I'm not sure if this is true, because in HBP, when they are discussing the burial of Dumbledore...
"I - I know it was Dumbledore's wish to be laid to rest here, at Hogwarts-'
"Then that's what'll happen, isn't it?" said Harry fiercely.
"If the Ministry thinks it appropriate," said Professor McGonagall. "No other headmaster or headmistress has ever been--" (Half-Blood Prince, pg 587, UK edition)
So why would there be a cemetery? Unless the founders were the only people buried there... McGonagall does say "headmaster or headmistress" so that could mean the founders are sort of "separate."
Leaves:
Snake:
1. A snake in an orb. Is this a crystal ball? Or possibly one of the orbs containing prophecies? A magical encasement of some sort? Is the snake just reflected in it? Is it even a real snake? I think the snake is somehow actually inside, as you can actually see reflections on the orb.
2. The reflections. You can see a window, or possibly a door, and stars, but the stars could also just be glints of light.
3. Is the snake Nagini? I think so. My personal theory is that it's one of the prophecy orbs, and Nagini is part of the prophecy, although perhaps there will be no more prophecies revealed since we already have such an important one. :P
Glowing Stag:
1. Well, I think it's pretty obvious that this is Prongs. In Prisoner of Azkaban, Dumbledore tells Harry, "You think the dead we have loved ever truly leave us? You think we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?" (Prisoner of Azkaban, pg 312, U.K. edition) In Goblet of Fire, James (and Lily, and etc) come back to protect Harry. I think James, and the dead people Harry has cared about, will come back (well, not back to life, that sort of shadow form) and play an important role in that final battle.
Summaries:
The summaries on the cover tell us a few things.
1. Harry is at Privet Drive, so we can assume that this is at the very beginning of his summer-- in HBP, Harry said he'd go back to Privet Drive at first, one more time, since it was what Dumbledore wanted.
2. The Order is coming to escort Harry away. We don't know where to, but we do know Harry is not on his own, at least not yet.
3. On the inside flap, it discusses Harry leaving the safety of the Burrow... but the back cover just told us he was at Privet Drive! Obviously, these aren't finalized yet, but I think this tells us that Harry probably goes from Privet Drive to the Burrow.
U.K. Adult Cover
Link here.
1. Slytherin's locket. I can't see what else it could be. All of the adult covers have featured an object that has been intrinsically important to the plot even if they didn't seem so at first(such as in HBP... before it came out no one could figure out what a potions book would have to do with anything, and it ended up being incredibly important), so I think it's a logical prediction to think that Slytherin's locket is going to be very important.
U.S. Cover
Link here.
The full scene:
1. Well, right from the start we can tell that this is a battle between Voldemort and Harry (duh). I'm inclined to think that this is the last battle, but I don't really have any reason to think that other than a gut feeling.
2. No wands! Interesting. I've heard theories that this is wandless magic, and I think I'm inclined to agree with it. Harry is obviously not a more "technically" talented wizard than Voldy, he has more of a "raw" talent. If Dumbledore couldn't beat Voldemort with wand magic, how could Harry possibly do that? I think Harry has to tap into another source of magic in order to defeat Voldemort. This is most likely the "love" Harry posesses. I'll be interested to see if JKR manages to pull that bit off without making it incredibly cliche and cheesy.
3. Both Harry and Voldemort seem to be looking in the same direction. Voldemort seems to have his hands out to push something away, whereas Harry looks more like he's going to catch it. I think it's pretty likely that's there's something coming towards them... I think Fawkes might be a good bet there.
4. Harry is wearing what appears to be Slytherin's locket. This raises interesting questions. Has he found the Slytherin locket horcrux and destroyed it(this is likely, if this is the final battle between Harry and Voldemort)? Or is this the R.A.B. locket?
5. Voldemort and Harry are wearing what looks like to be the same fabric for their robes, although in slightly different styles. Just the artist, or something relevant?
6. An interesting note: The sky here is roughly the same colour as the background in the U.K. cover. Coincidence? Or is there some sort of statement in the text about the colour of the sky in the places where they are. Does it mean the places are related? Am I reading too much into this? :P
7. What I find the most interesting here is the fact that the scene is framed by curtains... or... dare I say... the veil? I think it would make a lot of sense for the final battle (again, assuming this IS the final battle) to take place somewhere "otherworldy" and possibly where Voldemort is weakest... he's afraid of death, remember. I definitely think we haven't heard the last of the veil in OotP, and I do expect it to play a role in Deathly Hallows, somewhere.
8. If you look closely, you can see shadows standing around in sort of a ring. If you look at the gigantic version, they look like the silhouettes of people. If this IS the final battle, that one quote of Dumbledore's ("do you think the dead we have loved ever truly leave us?") may be a good explanation of Voldemort's downfall. He's killed so many of Harry's loved ones, which could have just been giving Harry ammunition here at the end of all things.
9. Finally, (again), where ARE they? I'm pretty sure this is through the veil... but are there different veils? Is this where the veils come out? Sort of a Land of Dead type thing? The architecture looks almost like some sort of coliseum. There are a lot of individual archways, which may give evidence to the fact that there is more than one veil.
Of course, all of this is pure speculation. I mean, I'm reading into artwork done by artists after they read a small portion of the book. Half of this could mean nothing, except for maybe the artist felt like using orange instead of pink that day or something. I've read a few comments on what people think of the cover art, but I wanted to get all my thoughts down first and then work from there. I mainly wrote this for me, but I thought you guys might be interested. I'm just about to listen to the new PotterCast about it, so that might add some new thoughts to my brain.
Thoughts? Comments? Criticisms?
Cross-posted to my personal journal.