Faith: The House-Elf Liberation Front (Book 4, Chapter 21)
In this episode of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, we start by recapping how our crowdfunder is going. Some of the crowdfunder is going to pay Casper and Vanessa a salary for all their work in creating the podcast. Another part of the crowdfunder money is for Not Sorry Productions, the new production company that Vanessa is starting. Not Sorry Productions’ first project is a new podcast called Hot & Bothered, which is launching in October 2018. Thank you everyone who has donated already!
Speaking of exciting announcements, Casper and Vanessa are doing live shows in Pittsburgh and London in the coming months. Buy tickets for the live shows and donate to the crowdfunder by clicking the big orange buttons on the website.
For this week’s theme, Vanessa and Casper discuss faith. Vanessa tells a story about her crush on Ethan Embry, so if any listeners know him, please get in touch! Vanessa compares the faiths of Dobby and Winky in the chapter, and how personal agency can affect people’s faiths. Vanessa brings up how internal faith is, and that while you can be ripped from your devotional life, your faith itself cannot be wholly regulated.
Casper makes the comparison between House-Elf-dom and religion with Dobby as a reform figure in the House Elf community. They then go into a discussion about different ideas that people have faith in – a political institution, Dumbledore, science or your family.
In Flora Legia, Vanessa and Casper explore the phrases “Dobby has been hoping and hoping” and “he threw Pigwidgeon out of the window.” They also look into the intersection of hope, wishes, and the clarity of presence.