Tell me more ×
Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 5 down vote favorite

What does the centaurs Ronan and Bane's statement of "Mars is bright tonight" mean?

Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. ‘Mars is bright tonight.’

Philosopher's Stone - page 184 - Bloomsbury - chapter 15, The Forbidden Forest

AND

Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skywards.

‘Mars is bright tonight,’ he said simply.

‘We’ve heard,’ said Hagrid grumpily.

Philosopher's Stone - page 185 - Bloomsbury - chapter 15, The Forbidden Forest

What does this mean? What does this mean in relation to Harry? Was there some kind of significance behind "Mars is bright tonight"?

A canon-based answer would be great!

share|improve this question
3  
I imagine it has more do with astrology canon than HP canon. – Tacroy Nov 28 '12 at 20:11
@Tacroy - Is it fair of me to take "I imagine" to mean you're giving an opinion? Which is totally fine, but I'd just like to know. :) – Slytherincess Nov 28 '12 at 21:06
Considering the level of ambiguity to which JKR assigns centaurs, especially when dealing with astrology, I highly doubt there is a canon answer. Even from the "horse's mouth" so to speak, the best answer one could hope for would likely be "humans do not understand enough of the skies to comprehend...etc. etc." – NominSim Nov 28 '12 at 21:23
@NominSim - Well, for example, the last thing Firenze says as he lets Harry off his back is, "‘Good luck, Harry Potter. The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times.’ And there are several other things the centaurs say. I'm just curious if it's possible to piece these bits together for an idea of what the centaurs meant. Perhaps a better way to put it is "an answer based in the spirit of canon would be great." And you always doubt there is a canon answer ;) :D I'm joking with you ... :) – Slytherincess Nov 29 '12 at 1:52

2 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

The answer actually comes four years later in The Order of the Phoenix chapter 27: The Centaur and the Sneak, when Harry goes to his first Divination class with Firenze:

Firenze pointed to the red star directly above Harry.

"In the past decade, the indications have been that wizardkind is living through nothing more than a brief calm between two wars. Mars, bringer of battle, shines brightly above us, suggesting that the fight must soon break out again. How soon, centaurs may attempt to divine by the burning of certain herbs and leaves."

So in Harry Potter, the centaurs view Mars "burning bright" pretty much the same as it has been viewed in astrology historically. It's a "bringer of battle" (probably because it's red) and a symbol of war.

In relation to Harry, Mars burning bright that night may specifically have been a warning of his encounter with Voldemort the same night, which was a sort of battle. I doubt, however, that the centaurs would ever say anything so certain.

share|improve this answer
So he points to a red star talking about Mars? Rowling really needs to learn the difference between a star and a planet. – phantom42 Dec 4 '12 at 21:11
@phantom42 Mars the planet or Mars, bringer of battle? – Pureferret♦ Dec 4 '12 at 21:32
Third base! (Sorry, it had to be said.) We start getting into the metaphors again. Clearly Mars, the god and the bringer of war is not literally blazing above them - but Mars the planet is not a star and it irks me to see Rowling referring to it as such. – phantom42 Dec 4 '12 at 21:35
@phantom42 On the other hand, to the average person who looks up at night and sees it, Mars looks like a red star. Poetic license, if you will. Harry probably did just think of it as a red star until it was named by Firenze... – Izkata Dec 4 '12 at 23:55
up vote 7 down vote

I have no canon references to back me up, but there are a number of conversations across the web which generally agree with my thought:

"Mars" is a reference to the Roman god of war. In these scenes, they have recently learned of Quirrel sneaking through the forest and drinking unicorn blood. The centaurs know war is coming. Metaphorically, the god of war is starting to show himself.

share|improve this answer
IIRC, Mars has no direct war connotation in astrology. IANAA, though – DVK Nov 28 '12 at 23:51
2  
@DVK Does JKR know that? – Dason Nov 29 '12 at 0:12
I think if the answer depends on what JKR knows about astrology, then the question might be Not Constructive... – Ward Nov 29 '12 at 3:48

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.