Written in the Stars: Astronomical names in the world of Harry Potter

Part 2: Bellatrix Lestrange

In the HP series, Bellatrix (Black) Lestrange is a formidable and frightening character. She is a vital part of a faction of purists and elitists known as the "Death Eaters" who serve the evil plots and machinations of their master, Voldemort. Bellatrix can said to be Voldemort's "right hand" woman, fanatical and insane in her blind devotion. She is portrayed as an extremely dark, evil character who richly enjoys the suffering of others, and also as someone who will do anything required of her to appease and help her master. Evilness aside, Bellatrix is an overtly fierce warrior in battle, and on the surface, a generally very strong female character.

Astronomically speaking, Bellatrix is one star in the large and very recognizable constellation of Orion. The name Bellatrix itself is Latin, and means "Female Warrior" or "Warrior-ess". Bellatrix is sometimes known as the "Amazon Star". (The Amazons were a race of skilled and talented warrior women in Greek mythology, and some of their views and attitudes can be compared to those of radical feminists today.) The star itself is of enormous proportions, coming in at roughly six times the size of our sun. It's luminosity, or brightness, is also on a much higher scale than that of our sun, and therefore this star is easily recognizable as the right "shoulder" of the constellation Orion. It is known as a "Blue Giant", meaning it is well on it's way to becoming a "Red Giant" signifying that it's life cycle is slowing down and coming to an end. (Of course, that's still a few million years away; but in space, when dealing with such ideas as conceptual time and infinity, a few million years is the 'blink of an eye'.)

There are not many references to actual myths concerning Bellatrix singly; instead the myth centers around Orion, the constellation in which she is a single, integral part. In Greek mythology, Orion was a hunter and warrior. It seems he was also prone to making mistakes, and like most proud warriors, he is portrayed as a bit reckless. There is no "set" mythology or Orion; his exploits are told in numerous translations, all differentiating on details. One detail on which all accounts seem to agree however, is that he makes mistakes based on the feelings in his heart, or simply, out of love, (or at the very least, lust) *In one account, he is in love with Merope, one of the women making up the constellation of the Seven Sisters, or the Pleiades. She would not give in to him or his affections though, and in his sadness and distraction, he stepped on a scorpion and consequently died from the sting.

In another account, the Goddess of the Hunt/Moon, Artemis, fell in love with Orion. In doing so, she became distracted from her "godly" duties of lighting and keeping the night sky. Orion tried to impress Artemis by swimming far out into the sea, possibly on a hero's mission of some kind. *Apollo, god of the sun and of light, was irritated at Artemis for her neglect of her duties, and played a nasty prank on the possible lovers. When Orion got far into the ocean, Apollo challenged Artemis' pride and told her she would not be able to hit that very small speck bobbing among the waves, even with her warrior prowess. She immediately aimed her arrow, and unknowingly killed Orion. The tragic hero Orion, having the love of Artemis and the sympathy of the other gods, was set up into the heavens along with his hunting dogs (Canis Major, the constellation which contains the star Sirius, and Canis Minor).

Here, we have a very tangled web of contradictions and similarities when comparing these myths to J.K. Rowling's universe. One thing that seems to stand out, is the placement of Bellatrix in the constellation of Orion. She is Orion's "right shoulder", while Rowling's Bellatrix can be considered Voldemort's "right hand". We can also compare Orion to Voldemort in the fact that they both make the biggest mistakes in their lives based in love. Orion wears his heart on his sleeve and is made a vulnerable target by this fact. Voldemort on the other hand, completely underestimates love, and cannot or will not understand it. He is also made into a vulnerable target when his Avada Kedavra curse rebounds off of Harry, who is protected by his mother's love. Voldemort, like Orion, would be dead at the hands of love if not for the "precautions" he took on his quest for immortality. Comparatively, Voldemort and Orion are on opposite ends of a "love spectrum". Just as Harry and Voldemort are opposites; Harry's love makes him strong, yet vulnerable, as Voldemort's hate makes him strong, yet vulnerable. In comparing Orion to Harry, we see another coincidence. Sirius is the brightest star in the Canis Major constellation, one of Orion's faithful hunting dogs that stand by his side. In Rowling's universe, Bellatrix kills Sirius. Yet, she is Orion's (Harry's) "right shoulder" and, in the series, Voldemort's "right hand". We can interpret this in many ways, but the way that seems most evident is, that when comparing Orion to Harry, Sirius is effectively killed by Harry's "own hand" and also by Voldemort's "right hand", Bellatrix. Put into simpler terms, she fills a dual role; on the mythological side of things, she represents Orion's (Harry's) right hand, symbolizing Harry's part in Sirius's death. On the literal, series based side of things, she is Voldemort's "right hand", and taking part in Voldemort's scheme to trick Harry, kills Sirius.

There is also the fact that Bellatrix and Sirius are related, just as they are related constellations in the night sky. There are many other deductions, guesses and assumptions we can make at this point. The star Bellatrix is nearing the end of it's life cycle; could this bode death for Bellatrix in the near future? What other connections can we make specifically between the four characters of Bellatrix, Voldemort, Sirius and Harry? Will the scales of justice balance out? Considering Sirius, one of Harry's most faithful allies was killed, will it be fair to assume that Bellatrix, as one of Voldemort's most faithful allies, will soon be killed as well? Again, only the author knows the truth of the matter, but by paying attention to her knowledge of linguistics, myth, and astronomy, we can make educated guesses, and possibly even decipher some of the many clues given to us.

(*Some of mythology/astronomical information for this article is from www.crystalinks.com)