Harry Potter-esque Brown Bag Talk 4
Thursday October 7, 12-1:30 pm, Alumni Auditorium
Hosted by: Steve Wehmeyer

“My Daemon can beat up your Patronus!” — Visions of the magical “Second Self” in Western fantasy literature, art, mythology, and folklore.

This presentation explores the deep cultural roots of one of the most compelling concepts in recent fantasy literature – J.K, Rowling’s protective Patronuses and Phillip Pullman’s shape-shifting animal Daemons have their origins in ancient Western mythic traditions like that of the Roman Genius, the Greek Daimon, the Icelandic Fylgja, and the Anglo-Scottish Fetch. Through a multi-media presentation, we’ll examine some of these lesser known traditions which modern fantasy authors have mined for inspiration, and explore some of the reasons this idea of a “Double Self” continues to fascinate and intrigue us.

This presentation, while intended to appeal to a wide general audience, is particularly suited as a compliment to the questions being raised in COR 110 – “Concepts of the Self.”