Rowling Studies The Hogwarts Professor Podcast

Nick Jeffery and John Granger do a Compare and Contrast test of the latest Cormoran Strike novel, The Hallmarked Man, and the previous seven books in Rowling-Galbraith’s longest series of novels. Adapting a list of ‘Greatest Hits’ moments from the first ‘Reading, Writing, Rowling’ podcast John did with Katie McDaniel and a panel of Potter Pundits in Roanoke, Virginia, Nick and John share their favorite moments first from the series and then from Strike 8 before contrasting the quality of these highlights.The point of the exercise? Besides being a fun review of Strike-Ellacott adventures, a Greatest Hits collection of their highs and lows, Agency cases and sub-contractors included, the absence of any Hallmarked Man moments that merit a ‘Best in Series’ badge suggests that Strike 8 will be remembered best for how it set up Strikes 9 and 10.Whatever your thoughts about that thesis, please share the scenes on your Greatest Hits list, both for the series and Hallmarked Man, per the numbered categories below. Nick and John have a few more to run through that they couldn’t get to on their first ‘go’ at this; feel free to share categories they should discuss in addition to the ones listed here:* Top Strike-Ellacott Moments* Ellacott taking care of wrecked Strike* Strike taking care of wrecked Ellacott* The Two having a frank conversation about the Agency, their vocation* The Two having a frank conversation about life and their relationship* Top Mystery Reveal* Top Agency Subcontractor moment* Top Agency case not the focus of the novel* Top Strike Confront-the-Killer moment,* Top “Magical” Moment (heart-rending/opening)* Top Moment-that-We-didn’t-know-was-a-Moment-until-later* Top Saving People MomentJohn is working on his charting of Hallmarked Man for the paid subscriber list as well as reviewing and revising his 2017 online course, ‘Wizard Reading Formula.’ More on those projects and the Kanreki Series in his next conversation with Nick; stay tuned!Links to Ideas, Posts, and Theories Mentioned* Roanoke ‘Reading, Writing, Rowling’ Harry Potter Review[‘reading, Writing, Rowling’s] first episode was recorded at CoLab in Roanoke, Virginia, at the May 2017 Roanoke Harry Potter Fest and celebrates 20 years of Harry Potter. Listen to a stellar crew of Hogwarts professors discuss [with hosts John Granger and Katy McDaniel] their favorite moments in the Harry Potter series, inspired by Bloomsbury Publishing’s recent reader poll. Guests Louise Freeman, Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Emily Strand, and Lana Whited identify the best moments featuring the trio friendship, surprises and narrative misdirection, wizard magic, Snape, texts-within-the-text, and those inspirational messages that make the Harry Potter series profound and emotionally resonant to readers worldwide.* Rowling’s Favorite Painting and What It Suggests about Her Artistry and Meaning: Caravaggio’s ‘Supper at Emmaus’Professor Groves suggests strongly that what Rowling took away from her “mesmerised” “slow mining” of Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus was the central Mystery of the Incarnation of Christ, the “guiler beguiled” idea of Aulen’s Christus Victor. I find that argument compelling and want to build on it. There are embedded symbols in Supper at Emmaus that I think the fascinated Rowling would have noticed as she looked at the painting in the National Gallery, at the print on her wall in Exeter and London, and at the image on her first website, symbols beyond the “realism” of the Christ as imagined by Caravaggio and the revelation at the breaking of bread of His divinity.* Robin is Sterile Prediction: Chlamydia to Ectopic Pregnancy (December 2023)The thesis of this Hogwarts Professor essay — what I hope will be the subject of our second ‘Rowling Studies’ podcast here — is that Robin Venetia Ellacott will not have children with Murphy, Strike, or any other partner, because she cannot, at least not without some extraordinary efforts via in vitro conception and surrogacy. I will attempt to explain how this infertility is possible, to detail the ‘Lake’ suggestions from Rowling’s life and personal experience that shows she is more than familiar with this condition among women, and to share the ‘Shed’ literary markers in Running Grave and Rowling’s other novels that this is indeed what she has in mind for Strike’s partner Robin.Means Before Motive: How is it Possible that Robin is Sterile?In a word, “Chlamydia.”* The Hallmarked Man’s Mythological Template ‘Cupid and Psyche’s importance for grasping the depths of Strike 8, from the “necessity” of the Silver Vault and the three men in Robin’s life, to spaghetti carbonara and ‘Maid of the Silver Sea’ (links list to previous posts, 2021-present on this subject)* Charlotte Was Murdered, Mate; It Wasn’t a Suicide* The Strange Death of Charlotte Campbell: Could the Psycho-Ex be the Focus of a Murder Investigation in Strike 8? (Nick Jeffery, November 2023)* Strike8: The Charlotte Campbell Murder Mystery: Nick Jeffery’s Idea Checks a Lot of Boxes (John Granger, November 2023)* The Mysterious Death of Charlotte Campbell: Was It Suicide or Was It Murder? The ‘Rowling Studies’ Pilot Episode (December 2023)* J. S. Maleksen’s Re-read of Running Grave in Search of Ryan MurphyAfter reading HM twice, I re-read ‘Running Grave’ with this theory in mind. It occurred to me that RFM might have read Charlotte’s suicide note because it was in the police file. He might have even read through statements made by Charlotte’s family members about Charlotte’s relationship with Strike. At the very least, he would have read that Strike was in love with Robin and may have even bought into the ‘Strike was abusive to Charlotte’ narrative and the ‘Strike has been in a romantic relationship with Robin since he broke up with Charlotte’ narrative. This would explain why RFM is significantly more chippy towards Strike after Robin returns from Chapman Farm than he was at the beginning of ‘Running Grave.’ Come to think of it, if Nick’s theory is right and the suicide was a murder, it’s quite possible that RFM may have been the lead investigator because, as we now know, he kinda sucks at his job. RFM would have had no reason to disclose any of this information to Robin because “she gets ratty every time he says anything against Strike.” Details identifying the investigating officer may not have been published. Alternatively, Iverson could have been the investigating officer and she could have shared this information with RFM and RFM can’t tell Robin how he got the information because he had a fling with Iverson while Robin was at Chapman Farm.This might lead to an explanation as to why/how RFM fell off the wagon (guilt about having cheated on Robin and/or fear that Robin hasn’t been honest about her relationship with Strike and/or his perception that Robin is being cowed by an abusive Strike)It makes sense to me that the period of time when Robin was at Chapman Farm is the most plausible and likely spot for JKR to have buried details about RFM, and his true character and motivations. The story as told from Robin and Strike’s respective points of view intentionally distracted us from what RFM was up to during Robin’s time at Chapman Farm. Indeed, he was often an afterthought of Robin’s if she even thought about him at all.Incidentally, this makes the ‘RFM as gorilla man theory’ more plausible because walking around with all of this information in his head could have motivated RFM to take extreme measures to get Robin to abandon Strike and the agency.I love your Substack and Podcast. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Nick and John have posted eight Hallmarked Man conversations since its publication last month and, as interesting as their back-and-forth talks have been, South Wales to American Fly Over Country, Lake to Shed, much of the best theorizing and interpreting of Strike 8 has been happening in the comment threads beneath those posts and in email messaging with John. Determined that these insights wouldn’t be lost or invisible to Serious Strikers, they chose ten of the most challenging for a fun introduction to the fandom conversations readers not privy to the backchannel moderators network or who neglect the comment threads are missing.In addition, Nick shares the credible speculation that Rowling’s weeklong absence from tweeting has been because she is on her Samsara yacht in the South Pacific, circling Bora Bora, believe it or don’t. John quizzes Nick, too, about the election in South Wales, Caerphilly to be exact, and the reason the results in that dependably Labour area have the UK buzzing (and why Strike readers might expect the populist party victories will color Strikes 9 and 10).A quick ‘table of contents’ for their hasty review, then, followed by links and transcripts! Enjoy — and, yes, have at in the comment threads, please, the locus of Strike fandom conversations.* Ed Shardlow: Gorilla Ryan* Vicky: Boxes and Plush Toys* Sandra Hope: Traditional Symbolism* Justin Clavet: Only Fans Gaffe (Ed Shardlow -- ‘Not Proven’ error)* Bora Bora* Justin Clavet: On Manhood* Ed Shardlow: Ickabog Parallel Book Theory* Sandra Hope: Hallmarked Man as Rowling’s ‘Greatest Hits’ allusion collection* LC - Dorothy Sayers* Kathleen O’Connor -- Alternative Incest* Caerphilly elections -- UK meaning* Ring Composition ProjectPromised Links and Transcripts:* Ed Shardlow’s ‘Gorilla Ryan’ TheoryThe Ryan the Gorilla theory came to me at the point in the book where Robin has an epiphany following an impulse to look up the meaning of a name. I think this was the Jolanda-Violet realisation, but I thought she’d suddenly realised the full extent of Ryan’s dark side, with the significance being the previously noted meaning of his name “Sea King” suggesting a connection between him and Wade King.That theory seemed very flimsy at first, but on further examination it might have some mileage. There are some notable differences between the attack in the Land Rover and the previous ones. Although we imagine the attacker wearing a gorilla mask, there’s no mention of it, and in fact it says she can see his face. Also the Land Rover attacker makes no demands that she, “Stop” or, “Leave it”. She hits Wade with the pepper spray, which of course, would be difficult for Ryan to cover up, but she didn’t inflict any such injuries on the gorilla attacker. Wade clearly intends to hurt her, whereas the other attacks had no physical violence and look very much like they were just intended to scare her.1) It’s hinted that Branfoot knows about Robin’s rape, and she says it’s on the internet, but we never get any indication that King or Griffiths know about it. Strike and Robin never consider that the attacker might be someone who knows about it because they’re close to Robin. That seems like an oversight.2) The gorilla attacker never refers to a specific case. Murphy may be scaring her into quitting the job and getting away from Strike, whereas a suspect would want her to stop investigating their specific case.3) The police don’t take the rubber gorilla and dagger for DNA testing. That’s pretty strange, unless there’s someone on the inside blocking the investigation.There’s a bit of an issue with the guy in the green jacket, who presumably Robin can see isn’t Ryan when he’s on the industrial estate and outside her flat. Presumably that was Wade.So, there would need to be some explanation for how or why Murphy is wearing the same jacket when he accosts her with the ceremonial dagger. But that’s not insurmountable.Murphy would have been very surprised to encounter Matthew (sic, he means ‘Martin’ -ed.), who he knows from Masham, outside Robin’s flat. The narrative very much prompts us to think there’s something going on with Murphy, but then we put this down to his work issues and associated relapse, but perhaps that blinds us (and Robin) to another possibility. And if it is the case, then Strike hasn’t just let Robin go to dinner with his romantic rival, but she’s heading into mortal danger. Were his instincts subconsciously alerting him to the threat? Did he leave it too late to shout, “Brake!” again?Nicola Reed’s Objection to ‘Gorilla Ryan’ (Sandy Hope, too)Kathleen O’Connor’s Cogent Counterpoint to John’s Incredulity about No One Noticing How Short Faux-Wright was in the Ramsay Silver footageVicky on the Interpretation of Robin’s “Stuffed Toy” DreamBrenna Hill asks ‘Why is the New Ellacott Puppy Named Betty?’Sandra Hope Jumpstarts Conversation about Traditional Symbolism in Hallmarked Man* Masonic Orb Pendant for sale on Etsy ($795)* Jacob’s Ladder Mosaic in Masonic Hall, London (Alamy)* The Bohun Swan (‘Chained Swan’) (Wikipedia)Justin Clavet: The ‘Only Fans’ Gaffe· I commented on the Hogwarts Professor gaffes pillar [Placeholder, ed.] post about the OnlyFans error - that the OnlyFans website was launched in November 2016, but in the book, the murdered Sofia is said to be a prolific OnlyFans poster before her disappearance in June of that same year. The OnlyFans account is only a small point in this large plot, but one that is repeatedly referred to, and Sofia’s OnlyFans account is what ultimately brought her to the attention of her killer. For such a meticulous plotter and, as John would say, “OCD” author as Rowling is, does this real-world chronological impossibility give you pause? What other big historical error like this can be found in her books?· Did you notice that the interview with the pornstar occurs in chapter 69? I think Rowling was having a bit of (structural) fun and winking at the observant reader with that one.* Justin Clavet’s 3 September ‘Gaffes’ posting about ‘Only Fans’The reference to OnlyFans in chapter 33 (p. 269) felt anachronistic to me, as I don’t remember ever hearing about the website before the pandemic era. And sure enough, according to Wikipedia (citing a New York Times article), the website didn’t launch until November 2016. Therefore, Sofia – who was murdered in June 2016 – could not have been a prolific OnlyFans poster. Sofia’s supposed OnlyFans account is referenced several further times throughout the book. Based on data from Google Trends, it seems incredibly unlikely that Strike and Robin would have readily known what OnlyFans was in late 2016/early 2017. So Where is Bora Bora?The Caerphilly 2025 Election: Victories for Left and Right Wing Populist Parties* 2025 Caerphilly Bi-Election (Wikipedia!)* UK’s Ruling Labour Suffer Crushing Defeat Against Political Insurgents at Ballot Box (Breitbart)Justin Clavet ‘On Manhood in Hallmarked Man’The biggest thing that struck me in this book was the persistent themes of manhood woven throughout: the responsibilities, relationships, and hardships of men. * The central crime is linked with a secretive fraternal organization. * It opens with the death of Strike’s father figure Ted, a “proper man” (p. 38), by whose maxims Strike is newly resolved to live. * We learn that Ted would’ve murdered (or been murdered by) his father Trevik if he hadn’t left home and joined the army (p. 39), just like Strike would have come to blows (or worse) with his step-father Whittaker if he hadn’t left home and joined the army. * While he loses the man he called his dad, he has a real meeting with his natural father for the first time. Rokeby shares that, in Strike, he had produced a proper man” (p. 747). * Strike celebrates not having fathered a child (while Robin is distraught in the wake of her own lost child, and devastated that the option to be a mother may no longer be hers to choose).* Richard de Leon says that his brother Danny was made the way he is because of his father’s mistreatment. * Strike is bewildered that Danny (who integrates his brother’s Christian name into his porn name, Dick de Lion) and Richard could be so close and share so much with each other, contrasting this with his own relationship with Al. * Leda and Rena are both shown to have suffered because of the absence of their more stable brothers. * Strike observes that “men are seen as disposable in certain contexts” (pp. 107f).* Wardle, who is shown to be a caring and dedicated father to his young child, opens up to Strike about his depression and his marriage troubles. * Strike reflects on the shallow friendships he has with other men, and later sees how this kind of friendship can be toxic with the wrong personalities (in Powell, Pratt, and Jones, p. 860). * Strike fears Wardle may be at risk of suicide. Niall is found to have committed suicide after his brother in arms was horrifically executed by Islamist combatants. The public can’t be bothered to care about the tragic loss of this man who heroically put his life on the line for his country - preferring instead to lend their attention to the spectacle of another man, Branfoot, who went to extreme lengths to indulge his basest and most perverse desires (p. 873).Like many events in this book, this theme - with characters showing genuine concern and thoughtful consideration of complex men’s issues - is a mirror image of one presented in Troubled Blood with the character of Carl Oakden and his cynical men’s rights grift.This barely scratches the surface of the notes that I took on this theme, which I saw running deep through the whole book. I wondered if I was just seeing this in the text because of my own perspective as a man, or if it really was there. Indeed, you could find hints of this theme in each of the preceding seven books. But the structural clues left me convinced it was intentional. And when I watched this video (https://robert-galbraith.com/robert-galbraith-disc

Nick Jeffery and John Granger continue their Q&A conversations about Rowling-Galbraith’s Hallmarked Man (if you missed the first discussion, click here to catch up). As usual, the pair promised to send links and notes along with their recorded back and forth for anyone wanting to read more about the subjects they discussed. Scroll down for their seven plus one questions and a bevy of bonus material they trust will add to your appreciation of Rowling’s Strike 8 artistry and meaning. Cheers!Q1: What is the meaning of or artistry involved with Pat Chauncey’s three fish in the Agency’s fish tank, ‘Robin,’ ‘Cormoran,’ and ‘Travolta/Elton’?Mise en Abyme (Wikipedia)In Western art history, mise en abyme (French pronunciation: [miz ɑ̃n‿abim]; also mise en abîme) is the technique of placing a copy of an image within itself, often in a way that suggests an infinitely recurring sequence. In film theory and literary theory, it refers to the story within a story technique.The term is derived from heraldry, and means placed into abyss (exact middle of a shield). It was first appropriated for modern criticism by the French author André Gide. A common sense of the phrase is the visual experience of standing between two mirrors and seeing an infinite reproduction of one’s image. Another is the Droste effect, in which a picture appears within itself, in a place where a similar picture would realistically be expected to appearSnargaloff pods (Harry Potter Wiki)“It sprang to life at once; long, prickly, bramble-like vines flew out of the top and whipped through the air... Harry succeeded in trapping a couple of vines and knotting them together; a hole opened in the middle of all the tentacle-like branches... Hermione snatched her arm free, clutching in her fingers a pod... At once, the prickly vines shot back inside and the gnarled stump sat there looking like an innocently dead lump of wood“— The trio dealing with the Snargaluff plant in sixth year Herbology classSnargaluff was a magical plant with the appearance of a gnarled stump, but had dangerous hidden thorn-covered vines that attacked when provoked, and was usually best handled by more than one person.Juliana’s Question about the Oranda Goldfish:did anyone else notice - I confess to only noticing this on my second re-read of THM- that Travolta, Pat’s third fish, dies?What do we think about this? Could this mean Mr. Ryan F. Murphy dies…? Or could it just be foreshadowing of the fact that him and Robin don’t end up together? I think the fish symbolism was quite humorous and delightful paralleling such a deep and intricate plot. Just wanted to know if anyone noticed this tinge of humor towards the end of the book… As for the fish theory, Pat’s three fish in the tank: Strike, Robin and the third, she calls, Travolta — ironically, named after a “handsome” man. I’m thinking JKR meant Travolta, the fish to symbolize Murphy…What I was referring to in my original comment: the three fish = the love triangle between Ellacott/Murphy/Strike. I was asking: since Travolta died in Chapter 113, do we think this foreshadows Murphy either dying physically, or just that Robin and Murphy do not end up together?John’s ‘Fish and Peas’ Response:It’s a relief to learn that Travolta’s most famous role wasn’t a character named Ryan Murphy that everyone in the world except myself knows very well. Thank you for this explanation!There’s more to your idea, though, I think, then you have shared. Forgive me if you were already aware of this textual argument that suggests very strongly that these Oranda goldfish have been an important part of Rowling’s plan from the series from the start. In brief, it’s about the peas.In Part 2, Chapter 3, of ‘Cuckoo’s Calling,’ Robin and Matt are having their first fight about Strike and the Agency. The chapter ends with an odd note that this disagreement has blemished the Cunliffe couple’s engagement.“She waited until he had walked away into the sitting room before turning off the tap. There was, she noticed, a fragment of frozen pea caught in the setting of her engagement ring.” (73)Your theory that the fish bowl is an embedded picture of the state of Robin’s feelings for Murphy and Strike, a Mise en abyme of sorts, is given credibility in the eyes of this reader by the appearance of frozen peas as the cure for the dying Cormoran goldfish. It is hard for a Rowling Reader to believe that these two mentions of frozen pea fragments were coincidental or unrelated, which means that (a) Rowling had the office Oranda goldfish scene-within-the-scene in Strike 8 foreshadowed by the Strike 1 tiff, and (b) therefore of real significance.There is another pea bit, of course, in ‘Troubled Blood’ at Skegness, a passage that links Robin’s heart or essence with peas.Strike was still watching the starlings when Robin set down two polystyrene trays, two small wooden forks and two cans of Coke on the table.“Mushy peas,” said Strike, looking at Robin’s tray, where a hefty dollop of what looked like green porridge sat alongside her fish and chips.“Yorkshire caviar,” said Robin, sitting down. “I didn’t think you’d want any.”“You were right,” said Strike, picking up a sachet of tomato sauce while watching with something like revulsion as Robin dipped a chip into the green sludge and ate it.“Soft Southerner, you are,” she said, and Strike laughed. (807-808)If you tie this in with the fish symbolism embedded in Rowling’s favorite paintings and the meaning of ‘Oranda,’ this is quite a bit of depth in that fish bowl -- and in your argument that the death of Travolta signifies Murphy is out of consideration.You’re probably to young to remember this but Travolta’s most famous role will always be Tony Manero in ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ the breakout event of his acting career. Manero longs for a woman way out of his league, attempts to rape her after they win a dance contest, she naturally rejects him, but they wind up as friends.Or in a book so heavy in the cultish beliefs and practices of Freemasonry, especially with respect to policemen that are also “on the square,” maybe the Travolta-Murphy link is just that the actor is, with Tom Cruise, as famous (well...) for his beliefs in Scientology as for his acting ability.So, yes, it’s fun, your ‘Peas and Fish’ theory, but there’s something to it.Check out this note on ‘Peas’ in the Strike novels from Renee over at the weblog: https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/hallmarked-man-placeholder-post-index/comment-page-1/#comment-1699017 The fish symbolism embedded in Rowling’s favorite painting: https://hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/p/rowlings-favorite-painting-and-what And the meaning of ‘Oranda:’ https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/rowling-twixter-fish-and-strike-update/Follow-Up by Julianna:I’m not sure what exact chapter this is in, but let’s also not forget that on Sark, Strike procures a bag of frozen peas to soothe the spade to his face injury. I also want to add that he has used frozen peas before, to soothe his aching leg too, but I could be wrong about that…I cant remember where I’ve read that, so it might not be true….Lastly, after reading Renee’s comment, I have to say, that now I do believe that the peas might have been an ongoing symbol for Strike (a la…the pea in the engagement ring) and…stay with me here….peas are potentially, what save Cormoran, the goldfish, from dying.“The black fish called Cormoran was again flailing helplessly at the top of the tank. ‘Stupid a*****e, you’ve done it to your f*cking self’.” And the very last line of the book being: “Then pushed himself into a standing position ear and knee both throbbing. In the absence of anything else he could do to improve his present situation, he set off for the attic to fetch the empty margerine tub…and some peas.” (Chapter 127).My point being: this could be a way of Rowling saying, that Strike saves himself from himself…another psychological undertone in her stories. (Lake reference: Rowling has pulled herself up out of poverty ‘by her own bootstraps’ we say.) Thoughts? Thanks for induldging me here, John! I am enjoying this conversation. Apologies for the grammar and potentially confusing train of thoughts.And from Vicky:Loving the theories and symbolism around the peas and fish! Just had a thought too re John quoting the Troubled blood scene. Robin calls mushy peas by a familiar term “Yorkshire caviar”. Caviar is of course fish eggs, and poor Robin, Yorkshire born, spends much of THM agonising over the thought and pressure of freezing her eggs. Giuliana mentioned the frozen peas Strike puts on his swollen face after the spade hit...maybe this is foreshadowing to their intimate and honest dinner conversation later with Robin baring her heart to Strike about her ectopic pregnancy griefQ2: Why didn’t the Strike-Ellacott Agency or the Metropolitan Police figure out how the murderer entered the Ramsay Silver vault to kill William Wright the first time they saw the grainy surveillance film of the auction house crate deliveries?Tweet UrlFrom ‘The Locked Room Lecture’ (John Dickson Carr) It’s silly to be disappointed in a border-line absurd Locked Room Mystery such as Hallmarked Man because improbability is close to a requirement in such stories:“But this point must be made, because a few people who do not like the slightly lurid insist on treating their preferences as rules. They use, as a stamp of condemnation, the word ‘improbable.’ And thereby they gull the unwary into their own belief that ‘improbable’ simply means ‘bad.’“Now, it seems reasonable to point out that the word improbable is the very last which should ever be used to curse detective fiction in any case. A great part of our liking fofr detective fiction is based on a liking for improbability. When A is murdered, and B and C are under strong suspicion, it is improbably that the innocent-looking D can be guilty. But he is. If G has a perfect alibi, sworn to at every point by every other letter in the alphabet, it is improbable tha

While John Granger labors with the paid subscribers to chart each of Hallmarked Man’s ten Parts and one Epilogue (in preparation for a charting of the whole book structure), there will be a break in the series of conversations they have had about Strike 8 in which they have focused on a single Shed tool per episode. They will be discussing instead during the charting period a series of Q&A discussions about topics that have come up on the moderator back-channels, email from paid subscribers, and news from Rowling World.They had fourteen questions for the recording above and only managed to get through five. Deo volente and trans Atlantic work schedules permitting, they’ll record a second show this week to discuss the greater remnant of the original fourteen and questions that subscribers ask in the comment boxes below this post. Ask away! And share those theories and corrections of mistakes Nick and John have made!John referenced quite a few texts and resources in his answers to some of Nick’s questions. He’s taken pictures and provided urls for those who want to see what he was talking about. Enjoy!Links to and Pictures of Conversation PointsQ1: The Universal Humanitarian Church and FreemasonryThe Alchemical Dictionary (Abraham) entries for:* Griffin* Red Lion* QueenQ2: Freemasonry Library ‘Discoveries’Introductions:* The Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry - John Calvin and GAOTU* The Freemasons — Pictures of Third Degree Initiation in Freemasonry: From Hallmarked Man:* Morals and Dogma - Hiram as Model Mason* Liturgy of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite* Bridge to Light — ‘Legend of Hiram’Histories:* The Craft - Baphomet!* The Templars* That Religion in Which All Men AgreeThe Secret Depths* The Hiram Key - Picture of Third Degree Initiation in Freemasonry: * The Book of HiramOccultist Guides:* Studies in Freemasonry and Compagnonnage (Rene Guenon)* The Lost Keys of Freemasonry (Manly Hall)Picture of Third Degree Initiation in Freemasonry (above, book’s frontispiece) Note Subtitle* A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (Arthur Edward Waite)Saint-Martin and Freemasonry: pages from A New EncyclopediaCarmen, the Opera: Wikipedia synopsisMeaning of ‘Dirk’ A woman named ‘Carmen’ names her son after the weapon that kills Carmen in the Bizet opera. With a husband whose signature characteristics are rage and impulsive violence. Beyond satire.Q3: Hallmarked Man as Rowling’s Welsh NovelQ4: The Murder of Hiram Abiff as the Strike 8 Story TemplateSee pages from Freemasonry guides above.Q5: The Meaning of ‘Calvin Osgood’Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry: John Calvin and GAOTUNotable Osgoods: WikipediaThe Meaning of ‘Osgood’* EtymologyThe name Osgood has its roots in Old English. The first part of the name, “Os,” is derived from the Old English word “god,” which means “god.” The second part, “good,” is a common English word that means “good” or “virtuous.” Therefore, when combined, the name Osgood can be interpreted as “God is good” or “virtuous god.”* Venus!Astrologically, the name Osgood is linked to the planet Venus. Venus is the planet of love, beauty, and creativity, suggesting that individuals with this name may have a strong appreciation for art, aesthetics, and relationships. They may also possess a charming and diplomatic nature, finding pleasure in harmonious interactions with others.* Oggy!Oggie: A fun and unique variation that can be used as a nickname.Jacob Osgood: American Esoteric Christian Sect Leader This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Nick Jeffery and John Granger were asked in the first week after the publication of Hallmarked Man what they thought of Rowling-Galbraith’s twitter storms after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. They promised to devote a conversation to just thast subject and today they deliver on that promise.Is it just about the tweets? No, it’s really about their importance or insignificance of those messages with respect to the author’s Lake inspiration, their tangential use as keys to her thinking as reflected in Hallmarked Man (and Christmas Pig!), and what they tell us or at least suggest about her struggles with “religious faith” and the seriousness of her thinking on theological subjects.It’s a wild conversation between friends who don’t agree on foundational issues of religion and politics — and a decent example of how men of good will respect and trust one another in a real discussion of tough issues to help reach a shared understanding of the other’s positions if not agreement. With a lot of Harry Potter, Robin Ellacott, Jack Jones, and Krystall Weedon thrown in; enjoy!Links to Resources Referenced in Today’s Post and Screenshots of the Rowling Tweets‘Get JK Rowling next’: Bluesky users celebrate death of Charlie KirkUsers of the social media platform have been warned after some shared ‘hit lists’, with calls to eliminate Elon Musk, Donald Trump and the Harry Potter authorSocial media platform Bluesky has been forced to warn users that “glorifying violence” is against its rules in the wake of a spate of posts celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk.The platform attracted millions of users as a left-wing alternative to X, after Elon Musk threw his support behind President Trump. Numerous posts shared this week have glorified the shooting of conservative commentator Kirk in Utah.Some users have even posted hit lists of other potential targets, including the British author and activist JK Rowling.’The Witch Trial of J. K. Rowling, Episode 5 (The Rowling Library)One of my very dearest friends is a committed and practicing Catholic, and he’s also pro life. Now, I’m a feminist, I’m pro choice. I understand exactly what his arguments are. And I respect his argument, and he is prepared to make his argument. I don’t agree with his argument, but he respects my argument. And we are both able to find shades of grey within our beliefs. I think that is healthy. I think that is productive. I am not going to cut that person out of my life because we disagree on something, albeit something that is very important to me. We have lost that [respect and ability to agree to disagree] in this particular debate.The Emma Watson Take-Down Truth TellingPeople Magazine: Emma Watson Says She ‘Profoundly’ Misses Acting Except for One ‘Soul-Destroying’ Part of the JobThe Jay Shetty Podcast’s ‘Emma Watson Exclusive’ (YouTube, cued to relevant part)* Daily Dot: Watson was being cancelled by TRAs for her conciliatory notes post podcast before Rowling gave her both barrels* And afterwards? LA Times: The TRAs went after Rowling for her “continued transphobia.”* Emma Watson Becomes Online Meme and Satire Target as a token Woke Zealot Waking Up to Not Being Cool Anymore vis a vis TransgenderismThe Rowling Response on Twitter:Rowling Confronted for Being as Clueless and Privileged as Watson: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

It’s been a month since the publication of Hallmarked Man so Nick and John decide to have a ‘Pit Pony Pickleball’ match in which they serve and volley Strike 8 examples of Shed tools and Lake springs as fast as they can. After a round of back and forth between Team Lake and Team Shed, they do a flash round of Golden Threads against the clock and then John is given a ‘Final Jeopardy’ tie-breaker question about the most controversial perennial plot point in Rowling’s work.It’s a reverse Kanreki exercise, in other words. In their conversations about each of Rowling’s novels, screenplays, play script, text books, and short story collection, Nick and John discussed one Lake spring, a source point of story inspiration from Rowling’s life experience and core beliefs, and one Shed tool, her deliberate artistry to craft that inspiration into edifying and engaging story. Here they have a ‘Blitz Chess’ match, to switch sporting metaphors, to try and cover as many Lake, Shed, and Thread points with examples from Rowling’s latest as possible.Perhaps the most important take-away, though, is the three conclusions about Hallmarked Man they’ve come to after a month of reading that they think will be the consensus view of Strike 8 after we have Strikes 9 and 10. Make some popcorn, find your score card and a comfortable place to watch and take notes; this is an episode for the ages! (Insert your preferred Wrestle-Mania or like programming promotional hyperbole here.)The Kanreki Index of Rowling’s Shed Tools, Lake Springs and Golden ThreadsIn July 2025, Nick Jeffery and I logged a marathon of Kanreki ‘Lake and Shed’ video posts at this site in celebration of Rowling’s life and work at her 60th birthday. For listeners of this ‘Blitz’ Lake and Shed reading of The Hallmarked Man, I repost below an easy-to-access-and-reference single place for readers to find much longer discussion of each Shed tool, Lake spring, and Golden Thread, as well as an introduction to Fourth Generation Rowling Studies hermeneutics. Enjoy!Introduction to the Kanreki Project* The Goal and the Methodology of the Hogwarts Professor Tag-Team Month-Long Birthday Party for Serious Readers of Rowling-GalbraithOn 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, celebrated her 60th birthday. This specific celebration is considered a ‘second birth’ in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR’s Kanreki, 還暦, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, read through Rowling’s more than twenty published works and reviewed them in light of the author’s writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphor. The ‘Lake’ she said in 2019 and 2024 is the source of her inspiration and the ‘Shed’ is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age.Join us after the jump for the complete compendium of the Harry Potter, Cormoran Strike, Fantastic Beast, ‘Stand Alone’ stories, and Golden Thread posts!The Lake and Shed Conversations about the Harry Potter Novels and Extras* Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s StoneNick discusses Hogsmeade Comprehensive School, as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry should be properly called, and John explains the ten different genres that Rowling uses in Philosopher’s Stone* Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsJohn explores the Freudian parallels that Rowling paints into Chamber of Secrets, and Nick talks about her oldest, and probably best friend Sean Harris, the inspiration for Ron Weasley.* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanNick shares the London institution of the (k)night bus. Part drunk carriage, part dormitory for the homeless in foul weather, zig-zaging across London between midnight and five in the morning. John shares the Parallel Series Idea (PSI) and compare Prisoner of Azkaban with Robert Galbraith’s Career of Evil.* Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireNick talks about the trip Rowling made as a teenager to Cornwall as a young woman in which some Quidditch World Cup camping may have been involved and about her core beliefs about bigotry and prejudice. John reviews Rowling’s tagging Goblet as a “crucial” and “pivotal” part of the seven book series and introduces how the ‘story turn’ in a ring composition reflects the beginning and end of the story.* Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixNick talks about the darkest period in Jo Rowling’s life, namely, her return to the UK from Portugal as a single mother in Edinburgh. With Order of the Phoenix in full nigredo mode John talks literary alchemy.* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceNick reveals the real life model for Severus Snape, Rowling’s Chemistry teacher at Wydean Comprehensive, and his remarkable story and melancholy end. John reviews Rowling’s version of the so-called ‘Hero’s Journey,’ how she re-makes it into a life-after-death ‘Harry’s Journey’ ten step dance we see in every book — except for Half-Blood Prince with its two chapters before we begin at Privet Drive and its ending without a Dumbledore Denouement or trip to King’s Cross.* Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsJohn and Nick discuss the ‘Deathly Hallows’ symbol, a triangulated and vertically bisected circle, from both its biographical point of inspiration to its anagogical or sublime depths. Nick reveals Rowling’s story about how she was watching the 1975 John Huston film ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ the night her mother died and that believes the “Masonic tag” of the story-line was her sub-conscious source for the Deathly Hallows ‘“triangular eye.” John thinks Rowling is really reaching here, akin to her claim that the name ‘Hogwarts’ came from a trip to a public garden rather than the Molesworth books. He reviews the five eyes of Deathly Hallows and explains how Rowling embeds both a key to the four-level interpretation of symbols in how characters respond to that image and a model of how we are to interpret and understand her ‘transformed vision’ mission as a writer.* Newt Scamander’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemNick and John return to the books at a reader’s suggestion in order to give a Lake and Shed reading of the original Newt Scamander textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Nick relays everything you need to know about the genesis of this work and John talks about Rowling’s comments to Stephen Fry in a 2022 interview about “archetypal” animals and the importance of understanding them because human beings are story-telling animals. Her discussion of the Lethifold and Niffler are especially challenging and illuminating.* The Tales of Beedle the BardNick and John fulfill a reader request to discuss the book inside Deathly Hallows (one of three actually…), ‘Tales of Beedle the Bard,’ a text that Albus Dumbledore leaves Hermione in his will for her to read and apply to the Horcrux Hunt. Nick tells the story of Rowling’s creation of six hand-written copies as six-of-a-kind gifts for those who brought Harry Potter to life. John dives into the center story of the five tales, ‘The Hairy Heart,’ and tells the meaning of Harry’s heart to draw out what Rowling meant by describing Beedle as “the distillation” of the Hogwarts Saga.The Lake and Shed Conversations about the Cormoran Strike Novels* The Cuckoo’s CallingThe ‘Lake’ point that Nick explores is the identity of the real Deeby Mac, namely, Di Brooks, Rowling’s former security director and currently her office manager, a veteran with years of experience in the SIB. John’s ‘Shed’ point is his pushback against the idea that Calling wasn’t really the first book in the series because Rowling has said she had the idea for it after Silkworm and only chose it because the case would make her detective famous.* The SilkwormThe ‘Lake’ point that Nick reveals is the probable identity of ‘Jenkins,’ the mystery person to whom Strike 2 is dedicated, a revelation consequent to no little detective work (and a very close reading of Louisa May Alcott!). He also discusses some real-life literary infighting in contemporary London that might have been lifted from the pages of Silkworm. John argues that this ur-novel of the series, its point of conception, is Rowling’s not especially opaque guide to how to understand a novelist’s life and to appreciate their work, in short, her first ‘Lake and Shed’ discussion (albeit one embedded in story).* Career of EvilThe ‘Lake’ point that Nick explores is Rowling’s personal experience of violence against women and her determination to push back against the misogynist age she believes we have been living in for decades. John details the litany of crimes committed against women in the third Strike novel and suggests that in time, when we have the series as a whole, appreciation of the artistry involved will counter-balance the shock first-time readers feel on entering this boucherie.* Lethal WhiteNick discusses the embedded class struggle in the book and its roots in Rowling’s background before dropping the bomb of the real world identity of Jack O’Kent and his unhappy family. John is so taken aback by this revelation that Nick has to prompt the Shed portion of the conversation with a fun history of the Sonia Friedman production of Ibsen’s Rosmersholm on London’s West End, a show starring Thom Burke as Rosmer and which ended just before Bronte Studios beginning the filming of Lethal White.* Troubled Blood (A)Nick discusses Rowling’s history with the divinatory art of astrology and the occult resources and reference works she brought into play in writing a novel whose primary embedded text is a murder scene’s astrological chart. John talks about the astrological clock structure of twelve houses in which Galbraith tells this remarkable story.* Troubled Blood (B)Nick discusses Rowling’s history with the Clerkenwell neighborhood. John talks about Troubled Blood as a double re-tell

Url to TweetNick Jeffery and John Granger focus their Hallmarked Man Week Three conversation around the mythological content of Strike 8, a subject prompted by Rowling’s 8 September tweet above. They briefly review the author’s background in mythology, from her study in school to her use of it in Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, and Cormoran Strike. John explains the relationship of myth with Rowling’s ‘triple play’ combination of Shed tools and her ‘G-spot’ Lake and Shed wizardry that has enchanted readers for the last 25 years.The heart of this week’s conversation, though, is John’s work since 2021 in explaining the centrality of the myth of ‘Cupid and Psyche’ to the Cormoran Strike series. Nick and John discuss its role in understanding the otherwise mysterious Hallmarked Man, especially the murder of Tyler Powell and the imprisonment of Sapphire Neagle, the various trials of Psyche in the myth and correspondences with Robin’s agonies, and the critical distinction between ‘Eros’ and ‘Anteros’ as it plays out in the lives and relationships of Cormoran and Robin. John theorizes that the Ramsay Silver murder in the vault had to take place where it does, Strike’s location “necessity,” not for any logical reason but for a profoundly allegorical one.Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.It’s a relatively brief conversation, but to get the importance of ‘Cupid and Psyche’ — and Rowling is either hat-tipping, confirming sans acknowledgement, or having some fun about John’s exegesis of this myth — there is a lot of material on the subject to read! Enjoy the review or first reading of this material via the links provided and let us know what you think in the comment boxes below.Paid subscribers to Hogwarts Professor have already received an only-in-book-form essay I wrote about the mythological template of Harry Potter, Paul Diel’s treatment of the Eros and Psyche myth per ‘Banalization’ and ‘Sublimation,’ and their invitations to a Q&A session about Hallmarked Man. If you’re a free rather than a paid subscriber, please consider upgrading that subscription to join the Hogwarts Professor Moderator Backchannels!Referenced ‘Cupid and Psyche’ Posts:Rowling Points to Myth of Cupid and Psyche in order to Console Strike Fans Disappointed with Hallmarked Man (8 September 2025, Nick Jeffery)Nick shares the context of Rowling’s tweet (fan disappointment!) and the background information about the illustration she chose for it.The Most Pleasant and Delectable Tale of the Marriage of Cupid and Psyche (Apuleius)A translation of the Silver Age Latin tale from Apuleius’ Golden Ass.A Mythological Key to Cormoran Strike? The Myth of Eros, Psyche, and Venus (22 April 2021, John Granger)The first post to discuss Rowling’s use of this specific myth within Cormoran Strike, it is essential reading and comes in four parts:* a discussion of Rowling’s stated beliefs about the soul and how it is the focus of her story-telling,* a review of her psychological artistry in Potter and the post Potter novels and screenplays,* a synopsis of the Eros and Psyche myth, and* a point to point look at the parallels in the story thus far with speculation about novels to come.Robin’s Two Perfumes: The Meaning of Philosychos and Narciso (9 June 2021, John Granger)The names of Robin’s baseline perfume, Philosychos, and the one she and Strike choose at story’s end, Narciso, both point less to the bedroom than to Robin’s allegorical, psychological, and mythological role as Psyche in the series.Erich Neumann in his Amor and Psyche: The Psychic Development of the Feminine describes this discipline as a “prohibition against pity” which “signifies Psyche’s struggle against the feminine nature.” …Psyche’s last trial involves her having to confront death, a “marriage” to which she was condemned as a sacrifice at the story’s start, a meeting she can only survive by transcending her feminine qualities of nurturing and pity. She must become, if only temporarily, a narcissist to pass through Hades and return to the world of the Sun and to Cupid. The myth, in Jungian lights, is about her transcending the accidental self, here her feminine and sexual relation to Eros or Cupid, for “ego-stability” leading to “individuation,” ascent to the greater, immortal Self.Robin as resident psychologist and loving soul is the Psyche-cipher of the Strike mysteries. She differs from the relatively passive Human Beauty of the myth in her active and determined “struggle against the feminine nature,” her “What. I. Do!” She not only wrestles with her desires for domesticity and maternity in her thinking but stands up to Strike-Cupid in their Valentine’s Day Street Fight and demands his respect or at least more considerate behavior. But she is still struggling with her difficulty to be the narcissist rather than the Great Mother when circumstances and her heroine’s journey of psychological individuation demand that.Ink Black Heart: The Mythic Backdrop (10 September 2022, John Granger)What Rowling is depicting in Robin’s journey through the events and mystery of Ink Black Heart include a trap set by Venus, one that takes Robin to a personal and professional underworld or hell, her survival and endurance of every temptation by her determination to be steely rather than empathetic, especially with respect to a certain “lame fellow” (!), and her re-surfacing from hell a changed person, one worthy of begrudging Venereal approval (or Zeus’ intervention — Rokeby!).Ink Black Heart: Strike as Zeus to Robin’s Leda and Cupid to Mads’ Psyche (10 November 2022, John Granger)These traditional portrayals of the every person’s human and divine aspects, soul and spirit as man and woman in dynamic, cathartic relationship — think Romeo and Juliet, Redcrosse Knight and Una, Cupid and Psyche — are perhaps, with her alchemical symbolism, sequencing, and coloring, Rowling’s greatest literary ‘reach’ and achievement in the Strike series, albeit one largely lost on her her vast reading audience. The deliberate conjunction-melange of archetypal psychology, mythology, and spiritual allegory in these novels is, especially in combination with her hermetic artistry, intertextual playfulness (Aurora Leigh!), and chiastic structures, testimony to the author being one of the most accomplished and challenging writers of the age in addition to the most popular (and least well understood, even by her fans).Hallmarked Man: Freemasonry and J. K. Rowling (7 February 2024, Nick Jeffery)The Royal Arch degree is unique in England for including the ceremony of “Passing the Veils” symbolising the path to enlightenment that a mason undergoes as he progresses in the craft. Given Peter Rowling’s upward social mobility from working class apprentice to engineer and moving from the Bristol suburbs to middle class Tutshill, it isn’t beyond reason to wonder if Peter might have been tempted by the social and career advantages that freemasonry might have offered him and exposed a young Joanne to some of the symbolism.Edinburgh, as well as being the home of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, is also home to if not the oldest lodge in the world, then at least the one with the oldest records. Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel) No. 1 has minutes of meetings from 31st July 1599. There have long been arguments between this Lodge and the one in Kilwinning on the other coast of Scotland as to which is the oldest. (see IVº of the Rite of Baldwyn above)J. K. Rowling’s ‘G-Spot’ and ‘Triple Play:’ The Lake & Shed Secret of Her Success (21 September 2024, John Granger)I want to try tonight to explain as succinctly — and as provocatively — as possible why I think Rowling’s ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphorical explanation of how she writes offers a compelling reason for both why she writes and why readers around the world love her novels the way they do. I call this her ‘G-Spot’ and ‘Triple Play’ because it is her point of singular genius, the defining quality that separates her from contemporary story-tellers, which involves ‘Shed’ artistry of three particular literary tools, all subliminal, which work together to achieve her aims.The Hallmarked Man’s Flood of Names, Characters, and Plots (22 September 2025, John Granger)Rowling’s seven Shed tools — psychomachia, literary alchemy, ring composition, misdirection towards defamiliarization, Christian symbolism, mythology, and inter-intratextuality (writing about reading and writing) — are all about the transformation of the human soul by cathartic experience in the imaginative heart, i.e., our spiritual reorientation. These traditional tools alone don’t do it, of course; her capacity for creating archetypal characters that we care about in profound fashion is what gives the tools their grip on the heart.But, if a writer uses these tools in his or her Shed, the game being played and its stakes are not in question. Everything Rowling has written to date, with greater or lesser success (largely dependent on her control of the final product, cough*Warner Brothers*cough), shares this aim. Her global popularity testifies that much more often than not she hits her target to the delight of her readers.I assume this was her aim in Hallmarked Man. It’s early days on the full exegesis of Strike8 in light of Rowling’s Shed tools, Lake springs, and Golden Threads, but there are encouraging signs. My third reading of the book included my first ‘Aha!’ moments with respect to the mythological template of the series, the Shed tool Rowling was openly urging her readers to think about in her recent Cupid and Psyche tweet.Jungian Interpretations of ‘Cupid and Psyche:’* Erich Neumann: Amor and Psyche: The Psychic Development of the Feminine (A Commentary on the Tale by Apuleius)* Paul Diel: Symbolism in Greek Mythology: Human Desire and Its Transformations (A “psychological study of the symbols condensed in the fate of the mythological hero”)* Rob

Nick Jeffery and John Granger opened the Orthodox New Year with a conversation about, you guessed it, Rowling-Galbraith’s Hallmarked Man. Both of them confessed that they were struggling with the most complex and carefully integrated novel in the author’s oeuvre, with five different candidates for the body in the silver vault, a cast of characters for each candidate, all of them spun together with the Strike-Ellacott cum Murphy-Bijou ‘shipping madness as it unfolded. Neither of them was ready to talk about the book’s structure in any detail.They chose instead to discuss the most obvious and most neglected of Rowling’s Seven Shed tools, the signature writing elements she uses to craft the inspiration from her Lake springs and from her touchstone Golden Threads into the stories that fascinate her admirers around the world. That tool is her ‘Big Twist’ finish, the surprise ending that shocks the reader caught in Rowling’s narrative misdirection, the story clues sprinkled throughout a story to foster believing something that isn’t true. Every Rowling reader knows this is what she is doing, but very few are conscious of the set-up until the narrative trap is sprung.One thing that readers can be looking for, consequently, are the ‘pushes’ Rowling puts into her story to have us accept as facts that we have some reason based on textual evidence (and Tools, Springs, and Golden Threads) to think may not be true. Whence John’s prediction post Running Grave that Robin was sterile. Whence Nick’s theories that Charlotte was murdered and that Cormoran and Robin will forever be best mates, not husband and wife.The ‘pushes’ in Hallmarked Man that John felt were positioning of a Strike-Ellacott reader for a judo move in Strike 9? There are five, three of which turn on paternity):* Per Ed Shardlow, that Murphy is not a good guy deserving of Robin’s sympathy but a very bad man, in fact the man behind the gorilla mask (and if his surname has any mythological weight, the likely murderer of Castor and Pollux in Strike 10);* That “proper man,” Edward ‘Uncle Ted’ Nancarrow, is Cormoran Strike’s biological father consequent to an incestuous union with his much younger sister, Margaret (aka ‘Peggy,’ aka ‘Leda Strike’);* That Cormoran Strike is the biological father of Bijou Watkins, Esq.’s daughter, Ottolie, and that he was risibly reckless in his DNA testing for paternity;* That Jonny Rokeby was fooled by Peggy-Leda and Ted’s management of his positive paternity test the way that Cormoran was hoodwinked by Bijou’s sleight of hand with his negative result; and* Peggy-Leda told her older brother that she was going to tell Whittaker that Rokeby wasn’t Cormoran’s father, which led to her execution staged as a suicide.On to Week Three of Hallmarked Man! Next week we’ll discuss Rowling’s consolation tweet to Strike and Robin fans in “extreme trauma” from Strike 8’s last chapter, a message that included a Cupid and Psyche painting, in addition to conversation about the importance (and difficulty!) of getting the surface story straight before diving beneath it Thank you for your support!The Quadrigal or ‘Reading at Four Levels’ (John Granger, December 2021)The ‘Locked-Room Mystery’ or ‘Impossible Crime’ Subset of Detective Fiction (Wikipedia)Boris Akunin (Gregori Chkhartishvili) and the Erast Fandorin novels (Wikipedia)Who Killed Leda Strike? Uncle Ted Did It (John Granger, January, 2020)Who Killed Leda Strike, Suicide Victim? Leda, Rokeby, Whittaker, Ted, or Dave? (John Granger, December 2020)The Value Of Interpretive Speculation or “Why We Know Dave Didn’t Kill Leda” (John Granger, January, 2021) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Spoilers Warning! If you haven’t finished reading the 900 pages of The Hallmarked Man and don’t want to hear details from the novel, you will not enjoy this conversation about Strike8.John read the latest Strike-Ellacott novel by Thursday morning using the pre-publication head start, the Robert Glenister audiobook dropped early Tuesday morning, a bootleg epub version on his wife’s iPad, and the codex hardcover that arrived at 5:00 on the day of release. Nick didn’t finish until early Saturday but was already half-way through his second reading via audiobook by Sunday night.John didn’t especially enjoy reading the book as fast as he did; Nick was frustrated that he could not read it faster than he did. Both were delighted by Rowling’s work and are looking forward to the coming weeks of re-reading and ‘Tools, Springs, and Threads’ analysis of its artistry and meaning.In this week’s conversation, they touch on fandom disappointment with the new book before discussing how three predictions they’d made about Hallmarked Man played out, the three Real World targets of Rowling’s wrath in her current work, John’s preliminary work on the novel’s epigraphs (and the Aurora Leigh-esque forgotten tome of epic poetry that may be Strike8’s Rosmersholm or Faerie Queene), and what’s next in their reading of Cormoran Strike.As is their wont, Nick and John refer to ideas and to people that Serious Readers will want to check up on or learn more about. Here are a selection of links to many of these subjects with their apology for those they’ve missed and their invitation to share counter-sources or requests for other links.They thank everyone who listens to these Lake and Shed conversations, those who join in the discussions in the comment thread below (how was your first reading of Hallmarked Man?), and especially for our paid subscribers who were polled for their questions and concerns last week for our consideration before we put our notes together.Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Anteros-Eros Distinction in Cormoran StrikeCormoran & Robin and Odysseus & Penelope (Joanne Gray, 2019)I found out that this is actually the statue of Anteros—not Eros as it is popularly called. Anteros is the subject of the Shaftesbury Memorial in Piccadilly Circus, London, where he symbolizes the selfless philanthropic love of the Earl of Shaftesbury for the poor. The memorial is sometimes given the name The Angel of Christian Charity and is popularly mistaken for Eros, cf., Lloyd & Mitchinson (2006) The Book of General Ignorance “Because of the bow and the nudity… everybody assumed it was Eros, the Greek god of love.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anteroshttps://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/ErosAnteros.htmlEros is the brother of Anteros and also pretty much the opposite of Eros.Reading Rowling at Four Levels (John Granger, 2021)Robin and Cormoran, even if you want to include Sam Barclay, are not a soul exteriorization akin to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The psychomachia of the Strike novels is built on the Shakespearean soul-Spirit romantic model rather than the Platonic-Patristic body-mind-spirit soul triptych of ancient, Medieval, and contemporary film and written fiction. In this model, the man and woman lede players take the part of soul and spirit, Coomaraswamy’s duo sunt in homine human and divine aspects, either as fixed roles as in Othello and The Tempest or in relation to the other, each being soul and embracing the other as supra-natural as in Romeo and Juliet and Antony and Cleopatra (see Lings and Pogson for that). Rowling’s embedded models for this exteriorized drama of human sanctification are the myths of ‘Leda and the Swan‘ and ‘Psyche and Cupid‘ and the psychomachia spiritual allegories of Eros and Anteros, true and false Cupid, within Spenser’s Faerie Queen, the Redcrosse Knight and Una as well as Britomart and Artegell.On Valentine Longcaster as the Erotic Cupid (Strike being the Anterotic Cupid)Valentine Longcaster is a hilarious cryptonym for Cupid, for whom Valentine is a second name (see the post on Valentine’s Day in the Psyche and Eros post) and ‘Longcaster’ is a reference to his weapon of choice, the bow and arrow of the god of love. He pricks Strike at the direction of Venus-Charlotte, in some myths his mother, in others a lover and cousin or brother (murky waters!), and sets in motion the long-range plan of the envious ex to destroy Robin and Cormoran’s budding relationship.Add ‘Valentine Longcaster’ to the pile of evidence for this particular backdrop and let’s continue to look for parallels and links Rowling has playfully embedded in the psycho-spiritual, neo-mythological allegory of the soul’s journey to perfection, and specifically the souls of women.For much more on this Eros-Anteros distinction and its importance in grasping the allegorical meaning of the Strike-Ellacott relationship, see Ink Black Heart: Strike as Zeus to Robin’s Leda and Cupid to Mads’ Psyche (John Granger, 2022)Fandom Response to Hallmarked Man:From the Reddit r/Cormoran Strike page:Hogwarts Professor Predictions for Hallmarked Man:* Charlotte was Murdered (Nick Jeffery), Really, It Wasn’t a Suicide (John Granger)‘Charlotte’ mentioned twice as often in Strike 8 as ‘Cormoran’ and Valentine Longcaster’s interview with Robin Ellacott has a major ‘tell’ at its finish (cf. p 451, ch 62).* Robin Ellacott is Sterile (John Granger), Rowling Studies podcastEctopic Pregnancy consequent to PID and Murphy Pregnancy Trap leading to de facto sterility prediction appears as story-line in Chapter 3 of Hallmarked Man* The Baby in the LakeHallmarked Man is Rowling’s ‘Baby Novel.’Rowling’s Three Targets in Hallmarked Man’s Surface Story* The Ideologically Captured Police and Media and the ‘False Religion’ of Freemasonry’s Control of the Police in Hallmarked ManRowling’s Week of publication tweets and retweets about UK police taking the side of Trans Activists and against Gender Critical feminists: * https://x.com/iain_masterton/status/1963545948711219320 (JKR retweet)* https://x.com/joannaccherry/status/1963547738722668666 (ditto)* https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1963528602164555894* https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1963297139905167722* https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1962847107343139014* https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1963465628053848363* https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1963299236365140305* https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1963298726417457300* https://x.com/soniasodha/status/1963185964630647295 (JKR retweet; nota bene)* https://x.com/Jebadoo2/status/1962959405160239135 (JKR retweet)* https://x.com/joannaccherry/status/1962930361035374703 (retweet)* https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1962932333025067268* https://x.com/JohannLamont/status/1963658557007749364 (retweet)Boris Johnson and Lord BranfootBoris Johnson hosting the show. 2003 (YouTube)Boris Johnson’s Personal Image or Brand (Wikipedia)Max Hastings referred to Johnson's public image as a "façade resembling that of P. G. Wodehouse's Gussie Fink-Nottle, allied to wit, charm, brilliance and startling flashes of instability",[4] while political scientist Andrew Crines stated Johnson displayed "the character of a likable and trustworthy individual with strong intellectual capital".[5] Private Eye editor Ian Hislop has defined him as "Beano Boris" due to his perceived comical nature, saying: "He's our Berlusconi ... He's the only feel-good politician we have, everyone else is too busy being responsible."[6] To the journalist Dave Hill, Johnson was "a unique figure in British politics, an unprecedented blend of comedian, conman, faux subversive showman and populist media confection".* “Mentally Ill Islamophobes”2021-22 Census ~ Islam in the UK Demographics: 6% UK, 6.7% England, 15% LondonUK 'Grooming Gangs': Deriving Per-Capita Offence Rates by EthnicityInstitute for Social Policy Research (UK) An independent, data-driven social-policy research institute focusing on UK political affairs.We therefore conclude that consistent with widespread public perceptions, whilst available evidence is not exhaustive, the mean rate derived from four of the most comprehensive studies available to date on share of CSEGG crimes by ethnicity does affirm the picture that Asians and Blacks are overrepresented in such crimes. Curiously, with much of the attention devoted to “Asians” (predominantly Pakistani gangs), it is notable that Blacks are similarly overrepresented, with our weighted rate providing limited evidence of even greater over-representation than Asians.Please note, however —For the CEOP study that ISPR use, footnote 1 shows the selection criteria, excluding all abuse initiated in a familial or fraternal (house based) relationship:"Where “localised-grooming” is defined as: “a form of sexual exploitation – previously referred to as ‘on street grooming’ in the media - where children have been groomed and sexually exploited by an offender, having initially met in a location outside their home. this location is usually in public, such as a park, cinema, on the street or at a friend’s house. Offenders often act together, establishing a relationship with a child or children before sexually exploiting them. some victims of ‘street grooming’ may believe that the offender is in fact an older ‘boyfriend’; these victims introduce their peers to the offender group who might then go on to be sexually exploited as well. abuse may occur at a number of locations within a region and on several occasions. ‘Localised grooming’ was the term used by CEOP in the intelligence requests issued to police forces and other service agencies in order to define the data we wished to receive.” (footnote 1, p. 7)"They also exclude the 39% of cases where race was not included in the data. It would be sensible to assume that ethnicity was not recorded when the ethnicity of both perpetrators and the victim were the UK default.Removing the selection criteria shows th

What can you say about Hallmarked Man that doesn’t include anything beyond epigraph authors from the latest pre-publication drops from the leak-ing ship of Rowling, Inc.? Nick and John elect to discuss their respective plans for reading the latest Cormoran Strike-Robin Ellacott murder mystery cum Modern Romance. Enjoy that conversation in the hours left before the books arrive — and tune in here this time next week for our first thoughts on another epic-length novel from the world’s most popular author! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

We’re counting down the days until the publication of The Hallmarked Man! Nick Jeffery and John Granger take perhaps the last look at Rowling’s most recent postings before they dive into discussion about the meaning and artistry of Strike8.In today’s conversation, they review Rowling’s relationship with Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series, a New York Times feature article ‘The Wizard’s Everlasting Spell’ about the growth of Potter fan fiction with a romantic twist, and Rowling’s acerbic review of Nikola Sturgeon’s memoir Frankly. Nick and John discuss along the way the initial response of cultural gatekeepers to the quality of the writing in Harry Potter, the history of Rowling’s relationship with the writers of romantic fan fiction using her characters in light of Fifty Shades of Gray, and Hogwarts Professor’s role in making ‘Rowling Studies’ legitimate and the culture-wide acceptance of Rowling as a writer of merit “something we’ve always known” rather than a controversial assertion.And what does all that have to do with the imminent release of Hallmarked Man? Nick and John share their more-than-tentative plans for reading Strike8 and the best way — not the only way, of course, but a much better way than, say, cataloging predictions everyone will forget by mid-September — to prepare for our first reading of an epic Rowling-Galbraith title.We hope you are as excited as we are to the advent of Hallmarked Man and that you’re looking forward to exploration of its breadth and depth beneath the surface plot with us in the coming month!Links To Subjects Discussed Above:The Wizard’s Everlasting Spell Why Magic, Dragons and Explicit Sex Are in Bookstores Everywhere: Romantasy is propping up the fiction market. Thanks to a generation that grew up reading about a boy wizard. (The New York Times, 20 August 2025, Alexandra Alter)The new version of the [‘Dramione’ Potter fan fiction] story that so captivated Ms. Stallone will soon be released as “Alchemised,” and the novel’s publisher, Del Rey, is betting that the feverish devotion to its fanfiction predecessor will translate into blockbuster sales. Del Rey has ordered a first printing of 750,000 copies for the novel’s release in late September; translations are lined up in 21 languages.Besides appealing to hordes of existing fans, “Alchemised” has another advantage: It taps into the raging appetite for romantasy, a subgenre that blends fantasy elements like magic, fairies and dragons with love, yearning and explicit sex.In a way, the romantasy explosion — driven by the success of blockbuster authors like Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, whose series have sold millions upon millions of copies — stems from the legacy of popular young adult series like “Twilight” and “Harry Potter.” Those books molded generations of young readers who have grown up but still crave big fantasy novels — now with a dose of erotica.“They grew up with the characters, and the stories ended, but there’s still such a huge appetite,” said Leah Hultenschmidt, publisher of the romance imprint Forever. “They’re still hungry for that magical world building, an epic cast of characters and heroism, and maybe they just want it a little spicier.”Publishers are frantically searching for the next breakout romantasy series. Last year, romantasy sales topped more than 32 million copies in print alone, a 47 percent jump over the previous year, according to Circana Bookscan. Five of the 10 best-selling adult fiction titles this year are romantasies. At the same time, adult fiction sales overall have stagnated.The kind of romance that’s selling like crazy now — erotically charged genre mash-ups — first took off in fanfiction before publishers recognized there was an appetite for it.“For a long time, you had to go to fanfiction to find that,” said Anne Jamison, a professor of English at the University of Utah who has studied fanfiction. “Romantasy basically is what fanfiction made.”* Alchemized Sen Lin Yu* ‘Romantasy’ Novels on Amazon, Etc.The twilight of Nicola Sturgeon: J.K. Rowling reviews FranklyI know I’m stating the obvious, and I’ll probably be one of countless reviewers making the same point, but it’s impossible to read Nicola Sturgeon’s memoir without remembering the smash hit fictional franchise, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. For those who don’t know (ie, everyone who wasn’t a tween or teenage girl, or living with one, 2005-2015), Twilight was massively popular for roughly a decade, each new book or film being greeted adoringly by its devoted fans. [opening paragraph)Rowling and Romantasy:* ‘The Twenty Richest Authors in the World:' Rowling #2 (!), Meyer #18, Collins #20* The Sunday Times’ List of the “100 Bestselling Books of the Last Five Decades:” Rowling #23, Meyer #42, 58, 59, and 64* Twilight Book Sales * Stephen King: “Stephenie Meyer Can’t Write Worth a Darn”* Speaking of Disappearances – Whatever Happened to Stephenie Meyer?* Fifty Shades of Grey Book Sales* ‘Fifty Shades Outsells Harry Potter’* ‘Rowling Refuses to Read Fifty Shades’* Rowling about Sales of Fifty Shades: “Just think how many books I could've sold if Harry had been a bit more creative with his wand.”Rowling August 2025 Tweet about Writers who are All Lake No Shed (and Vice-Versa) The Silkworm and its Women Writers:* Kathryn Kent: “I write fantasy with a twist… It’s fantasy slash erotica really, but quite literary” (416) “She makes Dorcus Pengelly look like Iris Murdoch” (232)* Dorcus Pengelly: “She writes pornography dressed up as historical romance” (225)* Elizabeth Tassel: All Shed, No Lake (per Strike)You told Quine that Bombyx Mori sounded brilliant, that it would be the best thing he’d ever done, that it was going to be a massive success, but that he ought to keep the contents very, very quiet in case of legal action, and to make a bigger splash when it was unveiled.And all the time you were writing your own version. You had plenty of time to get it right, didn’t you, Elizabeth? Twenty-six years of empty evenings, you could have written plenty of books by now, with your first from Oxford… but what would you write about? You haven’t exactly lived a full life, have you?… (442)Did it feel good, raping and killing your way through everyone you knew, Elizabeth? One big explosion of malice and obscenity, revenging yourself on everyone, painting yourself as the unacclaimed genius, taking sideswipes at everyone with a more successful love life, a more satisfying — (440)* Michael Fancourt about women writers (298):I said that the greatest female writers, with almost no exceptions, have been childless. A fact. And I have said that women generally, by virtue of their desire to mother, are incapable of the necessarily single-minded focus anyone must bring to the creation of literature, true literature. I don’t retract a word. That is a fact.* Hobart’s Sin, Owen Quine’s first and best novel, the “Key” to Tassel’s Bombyx Mori, the “book within a book:” “The plot of Hobart’s Sin turns on Hobart, who’s both male and female, having to choose between parenthood and abandoning his aspirations as a writer: aborting his baby, or abandoning his brainchild” (229)* “It’s all about a hermaphrodite who’s pregnant and gets an abortion because a kid would interfere with his literary ambitions” (242)* Rowling about The Silkworm: It is the Story that Inspired the Series, the Lake OriginActually, the plot for Silkworm predated the plot for Cuckoo’s Calling. I’d had the idea for that plot, the book within the book, for seven or eight years before I wrote it. That often happens with me, I have an idea and I keep it and sit on it. But I keep it and I play with it like a Rubik’s cube and there’ll come a point where everything clicks and it’s ready to be written. I have a lot of notebooks filled with these kinds of things. Silkworm was like that. I sat on that plot for a long time before using it.* “It’s a novel about novels with another novel inside it” (~1;15)Reading for Wisdom and JolliesAn Introduction to and Example of Reading Rowling at Four Levels: A Quadrigal Reading of The Christmas PigReading Rowling the Hard, Right Way versus Enjoying the Surface Story and Discussing Themes: An Introduction to Perennialist ReadingTraditional Symbols in Harry Potter and Cormoran Strike: A Perennialist ViewHarry Potter’s Bookshelf — What to Read to Understand Rowling’s Artistry and How to Read Her Work to Grasp Her Meaning and IntentionThe Deathly Hallows LecturesHarry Potter as Ring Cycle and Ring Composition* ‘How Does Ring Composition Work Anyway?’Darke Hierogliphicks: Alchemy in English Literature from Chaucer to the Restoration (Stanton Linden)How to Think About The Ink Black Heart Pre-Publication – Seven Tools for Serious Readers to Review (February 2022)And Don’t Forget!* In Praise of Friendship - a Robin and Strike Heresy This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Nick has been reading his way through Anthony Powell’s twelve volume Dance to the Music of Time because Rowling mentioned it in a 2017 tweet and he thought there were interesting connections between that Roman Fleuve and Rowling-Galbraith’s series-writing. And it turns out he was right! Rowling tweeted about her favorite book in Dance and her favorite character in the epic (see links below).Two weeks ago, Rowling tweeted at some length about her ‘Lake and Shed’ writing process. Nick and John dive into those messages that muddied the water considerably about what exactly she means by her ‘Lake’ and the possible meanings of ‘Universal Psyche,’ a phrase new to Rowling’s descriptions of her writing process, not to mention of her core beliefs. Jung? Coleridge? Anaxagoras? St Maximos the Confessor? Again, see the links below.Nick and John then share their reading lists for the short time remaining before the publication of Hallmarked Man and talk about three options for how we will read the book here at Hogwarts Professor. Those options in thumbnail sketches are:* Read It Like Everybody Else — Straight Through — and Write a Review* Read It As If It Were a Dickens Novel Release, One Part at a Time* Read It Straight Through and then Read It As If It Were a Dickens NovelNick and John discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each and decide to post a poll inside this post for readers to voice their preference (please share your thinking in the comment boxes and place your vote in the poll below!).Next time out, we’ll be (1) trying headsets to improve the audio quality, (2) discussing the results of the poll with comments as well as our tentative plans for the release, and (3) the most important tools to have in hand (in mind?) when reading a Rowling-Galbraith novel for the first time.Until then, thank you for listening and for your support! Links To Subjects Discussed Above:Rowling’s 15 August Tweet about Anthony Powell’s Dance to the Music of Time* Rowling 2017 tweet about Dance (‘Rowling’s Admitted Literary Influences’)* A Dance to the Music of Time (Wikipedia)* ‘Roman-fleuve’ (Wikipedia)* Anthony Powell (Wikipedia)* Casanova's Chinese Restaurant (Wikipedia)* ‘Hugh Moreland’ aka Constant Lambert (Wikipedia)* ‘Dr Trelawney’ aka Aleister Crowley (Wikipedia)* S. J. Perelman (Wikipedia), The Most of S. J. Perelman, 1957 (Amazon)* Fred Tremallo (‘Exeter Unafraid’)Rowling’s 7 August ‘Lake and Shed’ Tweets* Writing Characters is “a doubly subconscious process,” Lake as “subconscious part of my process”* The Lake as “mysterious source of inspiration, ability to tap into something in the universal psyche that animates the best stories”“Universal Psyche”?* Rowling belief in “permanent soul” (El Pais, 2008)Q: You said that you saw your soul as something undeniable.A: Yes, that’s true. But I also have said that I have many doubts regarding religion. I feel very attracted by religion, but at the same time I feel a lot of uncertainty. I live in a state of spiritual flux. I believe in a permanent soul. And that is reflected in the last book....* Rowling belief in “indestructible soul” (Leaky Cauldron, 2007)Do you see death as the end of everything?No. I lead an intensely spiritual life, and even though I don’t have a terribly clear and structured idea about it, I do believe that after you die some part of you stays alive some way or other. I belief (sic) in something as the indestructible soul. But for that subject we should reserve about six hours: It’s something I struggle with a lot.* Universal Mind (Wikipedia)* Panpsychism (Wikipedia)* Anima Mundi (Wikipedia)* Jungian Archetypes and the Universal Patterns of the Psyche (Psychologs)* Coleridge’s Philosophy: The Logos as Unifying Principle, Perkins, 1994 (Amazon)* St Maximus the Confessor on Essence, Energies, and Logoi (Jean-Claude Larchet)Louise Freeman Davis about ‘John Oxenham’ Sark Novels* First Epigraph posted: John Oxenham* A Maid of the Silver Sea* Carette of Sark, Part One and Part Two* Oxenham and HoffmanElsie Oxenham ‘Abbey Girls’ Novels* The Thirty Eight Books in the Series (Fantastic Fiction)* Elsie J. Oxenham (Wikipedia)* Abbey Series (Wikipedia)* Elsie Oxenham Appreciation Societies (Wikipedia)Cormoran Strike Ten Book Series Structure Ideas* Why the Cormoran Strike Novels are a Ten Book Series: Mythological Clues and Tetractys Parallelism with a Touch of Tarot (Evan Willis, July 2023)* Is Tetractys Theory the Best Explanation of Why the Cormoran Strike Series is Ten Books in Length? (July 2023)* The Double Wedding Band Model (Louise Freeman Davis, October 2023)* The First Seven Strike Novels as a Closed Ring Composition (November 2023)* Rowling’s Parallel Series Swan and Heart Structure: Happy Valentine’s Day! (February 2025) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

In the last two episodes of our Kanreki tribute last month to the life and work of Joanne Rowling Murray, a.k.a., ‘J. K. Rowling’ and ‘Robert Galbraith,’ as celebration of her 60th birthday, we first explored perhaps the most ubiquitous and mysterious ‘Golden Thread’ that runs through her work, namely, that of a ‘Lost Child.’ We reviewed the forty plus appearances of this plot point in the just over twenty books she’s written and searched for possible ‘Lake’ sources in her life for this persistent, prevalent, and essential plot point.The most credible but entirely speculative possibility was that Rowling had had an induced abortion during her relationship with ‘Michael,’ her off-and-on for seven years boyfriend from Exeter. On Rowling’s birthday, we discussed the value this possibility has for interpreting her work, specifically in understanding the Harry Potter novels; most notably, the hypothesis would explain why every book features the exteriorization of something dangerous or deadly within and its beneficent elimination. In brief, the Hogwarts Saga, when read through this unresolved issue of Rowling’s unconscious mind, seems to have been inspired and written as a defense for the intentional death of her child. In addition to explaining how this view of induced abortion as simultaneously necessary for women and the murder of an innocent, defenseless, and voiceless human being is the view of contrarian feminists such as Germaine Greer and Camille Paglia, we offered the Induced Abortion Hypothesis as the most obvious explanation for the Lost Child Golden Thread and demonstrated its potential critical value, if true. We asked repeatedly for listeners to share their objections to the hypothesis as well as alternative explanations for the Lost Child Golden Thread.And you did!The listeners who had followed us through the thirty-one Kanreki Lake and Shed conversations voiced in the comments beneath those posts both their discomfort with the idea and their admiration for the sober way we presented it. There were three challenging responses, as well, to our request for alternative explanations to the Lost Child Golden Thread: an argument from the biological make-up and consequent concerns of women everywhere, the point that “exteriorization of an evil within for elimination” is at least as easily read allegorically for the Christian doctrines of original sin and grace, and a find that the Gloria Conti story, the only explicit abortion narrative in Rowling’s work, was lifted straight from The Godfather, Part 2. [See below for links to the sources of these three alternatives.]We discuss these three alternative ideas in the video above, their strengths and weaknesses, and applaud the one listener who shored up[ the weakest part of the Induced Abortion Hypothesis reading of Harry Potter, namely, how Prisoner of Azkaban fits the ‘exteriorization for elimination’ pattern in that series. We close with thoughts about the imminent arrival of Hallmarked Man and our first thoughts of how we will be reading it at Hogwarts Professor — the subject of our next conversation in addition to our thoughts about the first releases and conflicting synopses for Strike8 that are in circulation.Please share your thoughts about alternative theories for the Lost Child Golden Thread and your ideas about how you would like us to cover Hallmarked Man. Thank you, as always, for joining us and for your support!Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Links to Alternative Explanations for the Lost Child Golden ThreadNikolaus Wandinger, Christoph Drexler, and Teresa Peter: The Christian Alternative Theory to the Induced Abortion Hypothesis (June 2004)* Harry Potter and the Art of Theology 1: A Theological Perspective on J. K. Rowling's novels - Part One: Healing, Grace and Original Sin* Harry Potter and the Art of Theology 2: A Theological Perspective on J. K. Rowling's novels - Part Two: Sacrifice and MissionAurore’s argument from the Biological Facts of Life about Being a Woman:* Whether or not Rowling herself has had an abortion, I think it makes sense she’d want to comment on the topic given her golden threads about violence against women & girls, pregnancy traps, and mothers’ love.* It occurred to me after writing that comment: I don’t think a woman has to have personally experienced an abortion to have spent most of her life thinking about the subject… I reckon a big part of the female psyche, from the time one is a girl, is a strange combination of awe and terror at the fact that falling pregnant is a power we have, but not necessarily one we can guarantee will always be in our control. * In my country, a 2023 landmark study showed 1/3 girls are victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse. But much more mundane than sexual and domestic abuse, I’ve known straight friends to fall pregnant by accident, even while using contraception. * I think it’s a very unique issue in a girl or a woman’s psyche because, on the one hand it is one of the worst possible consequences of rape, and therefore is part of women’s (as Mad Eye would say) constant vigilance about the threat and reality of male-pattern violence. But on the other hand, and however an individual woman feels about children, it is something both inspiring and grave. As Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben said, “with great power comes great responsibility!”.David Martin about The Godfather 2 as the Model for Gloria Conti’s Abortion in Troubled Blood* In re Gloria Conti’s abortion that Margo arranged for her: You will recall that Gloria Conti became interested in what seemed to her to be the “glamourous” Mafioso lifestyle by seeing the film The Godfather (1972). It may be worth noting that at the end of the film The Godfather: Part II (1974) Michael Corleone believes that his wife, Kay Corleone, has had a miscarriage and that her sorrow over that miscarriage is what has made her depressed. In an angry rant Kay tells him instead that she had an abortion, aborting what would have been his son, because she does not want his crime family to go on and she wants out. So – We have two (fictional) women, each seeking to limit or escape their involvement with a mobster and using the same means to do it. Even if Gloria Conti did not see The Godfather: Part II it’s perfectly possible – perhaps even likely – that JKR did and so may have borrowed a bit of the plot.* "Strike paid in pain for the walk through the woods at Chiswell House the next morning. So little did he fancy getting up out of bed and heading downstairs to work on a Sunday that he was forced to remind himself that, like the character of Hyman Roth in one of his favourite films, he had chosen this business freely. If, like the Mafia, private detection made demands beyond the ordinary, certain concomitants had to be accepted along with the rewards." Lethal White ch 45Ed Shardlow’s Prisoner of Azkaban Notes supporting Induced Abortion Hypothesis* Hi ladies and gents, I've been on holiday and just catching up on the end of the Kanreki series. I see that Snake Wood wasn't the big reveal because you were saving that for the final chapter!* Even the penultimate episode enumerating all the lost children and speculating on that theme's lake origins didn't dilute the impact of seeing how the classic Rowling themes of coercive relationships, motherly love, pregnancy traps, the protection of family and so on, not only come together in that one golden thread, but how it does indeed illuminate the whole HP series. * It certainly has the ring of truth for me. It certainly explains why morality and mortality are the crucial core to its meaning. The last episode was definitely one of those lightbulb-moment experiences for me. Love it!* I feel like there may be more abortion analogies in Azkaban... Perhaps the wolf inside Remus? I think there's something quite uterine about the shrieking shack... And maybe something obstetric? There's also the execution of the innocent Buckbeak. And the Dementors taking the souls of their victims, against whom the remedy is a reassuring and inspiring Patronus. Perhaps that's the embodiment of the good dad, saving the innocents under their guardianship.* This thread also offers another interpretation of The Christmas Pig - the traumatically obliterated DP, forever consigned to the land of the lost, and the replacement CP, carrying the love of his lost brother. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

We collected all the questions and comments posted last month beneath our daily Kanreki Lake and Shed videos and sat down to answer them live with paid subscribers sitting in on the conversation. That discussion drew the Kanreki celebration-marathon to a close (Phew!) and opened the door to our next efforts. We’ll be writing weekly posts about Rowling’s life and work, filming video conversations about those posts, and beginning a series of classes about Lake ‘springs’ and Shed ‘tools’ that will, when finished, by presented as an online course for serious readers of Harry Potter, Cormoran Strike, and the various stand-alone stories. Paid subscribers will be able to participate in the video conversations and watch the classes as they come out.Thank you to everyone who watched (or is watching) the Kanreki series and thank you in advance for joining us in our new ventures here at Hogwarts Professor! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Happy 60th Birthday, Joanne Rowling Murray! Thank you for close to thirty years of challenging, even edifying fiction, for the joys of community your serious readers enjoy in discussing your work, and for your philanthropic efforts on behalf of women and children everywhere. The faculty at HogwartsProfessor all wish you many, many years.As a birthday gift of sorts, Nick and John close off their month-long celebration of Rowling-Galbraith’s life and work with a follow-up look at yesterday’s review of the ‘Lost Child’ Golden Thread that runs through her stories. After cataloging the almost forty ‘for instances’ taken from the opera omnia in the penultimate entry in this series, Nick and John ask, “So What?” How does the possibility that Rowling had an induced abortion and is sufficiently unsettled by it that it inspires many even most of her books at least in part make any difference in understanding their artistry and meaning?John’s answer is that, if read through the induced abortion lens, one can see shades of character reflecting Rowling’s thought on this subject. More importantly, each Harry Potter novel can be read as a defense of induced abortion, i.e., that each features something evil within a person having to be exteriorized and eliminated, a process that readers celebrate as a ‘win.’A Kanreki celebration is a time when friends and family recognize the ending of a cycle and the beginning of a new life to the 60 year old celebrant. Here’s hoping Rowling Studies, as with Rowling herself, will enter another era with this idea, one that the author can confirm, deny, or ignore. Regardless of her answer, Serious Readers are left with the mysteries of the Pregnancy Trap and Lost Child Golden Threads for them to ponder.Please do share your thoughts and questions in the comment boxes below. Nick and John hope to put together a Q&A post to answer the questions listeners have asked this month that they haven’t answered and new ones sent in by Monday. Paid subscribers will be invited to join them live for that discussion.New to the Lake and Shed Kanreki Birthday series? Here’s what we’re doing:On 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, will be celebrating her 60th birthday. This celebration is considered a ‘second birth’ in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR’s Kanreki, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, are reading through Rowling’s twenty-one published works and reviewing them in light of the author’s writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed’ metaphor. The ‘Lake’ is the biographical source of her inspiration; the ‘Shed’ is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age. You can hear Nick and John discuss this process and their birthday project at the first entry in this series of posts: Happy Birthday, JKR! A Lake and Shed Celebration of her Life and Work.Tomorrow? The hope is that, after sleeping in for the first time in a month, that we can put together for easy reference an Index post that has links to every Lake and Shed post we’ve sent out this month — and news of our plans for August and beyond. Stay tuned! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe