Reader: How did you come up with [symbolism, allegory, theme, etc.]?
Normal Author: Lol I didn’t even realize I did that??? Haha that is so funny.
JKR: This was my plan from the beginning. I have been formulating symbols for 20 years. Before I even came up with my characters, I was contriving plot twists to be revealed online after, and only after, my work had been published and the story is finished. I knew from the beginning, in the 1990s, that this was a possibility and that I would be world-famous because I am a genius. Also, Hedwig is a reincarnation of Lily Potter.
is a korean woman who has her identity surpressed at literally the same time of the rise of fascism and when koreans lost their country to imperial japan
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
suffers from a curse that is ONLY passed through women
had a piece of a man’s soul forced inside of her
has become completely submissive to this same man
have we all forgotten that wormtail MILKED nagini to feed voldemort jshdjahsjdaj
eventually gets beheaded by a teenager
what the hell was going on when nagini was in bathilda’s rotten body
so when harry saw nagini attack arthtur in OoTP because voldemort possessed her, nagini had voldemort’s consciousness, harry’s consciousness, nagini’s human consciousness, voldemort’s horcrux and her snake brain all inside her ??????
what kind of snakeception
an asian woman who eventually ends up a white man’s slave pet and kills human beings at his will (”nagini, feed.” ??)
nagini is a korean woman with an indian name who eventually turns into an albanian snake :)
“i’ve been keeping this for 20 years” says JKR yeah so is the tidbit that you shared about wizards relieving themselves anywhere and just vanishing the evidence
Definition & Appropriation Issues: Nāga and nāgiṇī (henceforth referred to as “naga” for convenience) are a specific species of spirits mentioned initially in Indian mythology as well as Hinduism and Buddhism. In pop culture and fantasy, the term naga has been used to describe any magical creature that is serpentine, often conflated with lamiai. However, naga is a Sanskirt word that really refers to the specific spirit species mentioned in this post. Calling any other type of spirit - even if they are part snake or look similar to nagas - a “naga” or “nagini” is not only inaccurate but appropriative of Indian culture and Dharmic religions. I recommend calling such spirits “serpentine” or “ophidian” instead since both of these terms are non-culturally specific ways of saying “snake-related.”
Species Classification: Sidi, ophidian, deva, nature spirit, *dragon (?)
It is without a doubt that the naga are nature spirits. They inhabit natural environments, typically watery ones, and they are widely known to have power over rainfall, storms, natural disasters, and fertility.
Based on my personal experiences having worked with many fae and several naga, I consider naga to be a species of water sidi spirits for the following reasons…
Naga have extremely long lifespans that may as well be “immortal” from a human perspective
They are considered very wise and knowledgeable
They are nature spirits and very closely tied to nature
They inhabit certain natural environments on Earth but also reside in the astral realms of Patala and Cāturmahārājikakāyika (the latter of which I believe to be a sidirealm)
They are regarded as having magical powers and being of a magical nature (talented particularly at illusion magic)
Some naga live in a collective society ruled by a monarch (King Virupaksha) that bears resemblance to a fae court
When I have been around naga spirits, they radiate sidi energy (UPG)
Asking nagas if they identify as sidi, I received affirmative answers (UPG)
*In mythological lore, the term naga is sometimes translated into English as “dragon” or used interchangeably with other Asian language words for dragon, but I suspect that any “nagas” depicted more like Asian dragons than cobra snakes may be a conflation of two different interrelated species (as the word nāgaitself means cobra). Sometimes serpents are classified under the broader category of “dragons,” and since some nagas also guard treasures and live in caves, it is understandable why they are associated with dragons.
Locations:India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines (as spirits in physical world), Cāturmahārājikakāyika - “The World of the Four Heavenly Kings” (in the Sumeru realms), Patala (also known as Nagaloka, the underground realms of the naga and asuras)
Habitat:Natural bodies of water (mostly rivers, lakes, springs, and the ocean), sometimes wells, caves (such as the underground caverns of Patala), forests (including the forests of Cāturmahārājikakāyika on Mt. Sumeru)
Personality:Secretive, protective of their natural environments as well as physical or wisdom treasures they may possess, chaotic neutral, not all but many follow the Buddhist dharma, many are great warriors
Appearance: The naga’s base form is a great hooded cobra snake (with no human features or parts whatsoever), and most sources mention them appearing either with one or multiple heads. Many nagas also have the ability to shift into a completely human form (passable as a regular human), partial human form (i.e. “half” human, “half” cobra), or human form with multiple snake heads attached. I have seen both single-headed and multi-headed naga in their base forms as well as shifting into all the mentioned variations of humanoid forms.
Society & Government: The forests at the base of Mt. Sumeru is the astral realm of Cāturmahārājikakāyika, which means “the World of the Four Heavenly Kings.” These “heavenly” kings are lokapalas, a type of Buddhist deity called devas who are tasked with guarding the four directions of the universe according to the Buddhist dharma. The kings also rule over four different spirit species in Cāturmahārājikakāyika: nagas, kumbhāṇḍas, gandharvas, and yakṣas. Not all, but a vast number of nagas are members of King Virūpākṣa’s “court,” or monarchically ruled society. These nagas are all followers of Buddhist dharma and work together to protect Mt. Sumeru from asura attacks as well as influence and assist the lives of human beings.
There are also “wild” nagas who do not serve King Virūpākṣa and live alone or in small groups. I do not know much of the Patala realm where there is also a large naga population, but there are so many legends of many great naga kings that I suspect there are other societies and monarchies among the naga beyond Virūpākṣa’s domain in Cāturmahārājikakāyika.
Behavior:Nagas who serve King Virūpākṣa are either a part of his army protecting Mt. Sumeru or live peacefully in Cāturmahārājikakāyika. Humans would likely be safe encountering them because as followers and protectors of the Buddhist dharma, they practice compassion towards all living beings. They are also sworn to protect and look after Buddhist humans.
Wild nagas are more dangerous and may be inclined to harm humans or help them depending on how they treat them and their natural homes. In some places, nagas are worshipped as minor local nature deities and given offerings in exchange for helping with women’s fertility or good weather for farming. Nagas are often blamed for natural disasters and disease when they don’t receive proper treatment and care for the environment.
I do not know enough about the nagas of Patala or other places to speak for how they behave, but there are many legends that speak of cave-dwelling nagas and the nagas of Patala guarding treasures, especially spiritual treasures. If discovered, these nagas might be willing to share wisdom with those they deem worthy, but may also be fiercely protective of that which they protect.
Buddhism:Nagas appear in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology, but here I will touch on a few examples of the naga’s special role and status within Buddhism. In the Maha-samaya Sutta of the Pali Sutta-pitaka, Shakyamuni Buddha protected nagas from an attack by their nemesis spirit species, the garuda. Afterwards, in gratitude, both garudas and nagas were said to take refuge in the Buddha, becoming Buddhists. There is a famous story of a naga who in human-passing form asked to join Shakyamuni’s monastic order.
In the Muccalinda Sutta (Khuddaka Nikaya, Udana 2.1), the Buddha was sitting in deep meditation as a storm approached. A naga king named Muccalinda spread his great cobra hood over the Buddha to shelter him from the rain and cold. In the Himavanta Sutta and Lotus Sutra, nagas are used as parables or examples. There is even a legend that the Prajnaparamita Sutra was given to Shakyamuni Buddha (and later to the philosopher Nagarjuna) by nagas, protectors of scripture as wisdom treasure.
In early August 2017, I was in a new age shop browsing the wares. There was a shelf of Buddhist statues and a fountain tinkling with water next to it. Much to my surprise, there was a cobra chilling in the fountain. Mod Fire mentioned nagas before I encountered this entity so I chatted to it out of curiosity if it was a naga or not.
It asked if I was a seeker of the dharma and I said no. I mentioned being annoyed at the appropriation in the new age store but the naga viewed it as another outlet for those seeking the path. The entity claimed it was born in India but their family has a home in King Virūpākṣa ‘s court. They seemed suprised I knew about his name.
The fountain cobra viewed it as their duty to help guide people into Buddhism after it spread throughout the world.
I was IMing Mod Fire during this encounter, to verify if it was a naga, since I’m not Buddhist and not familiar with these entities.
I am a Vajrayana Buddhist, and I met nagas for the first time after I petitioned King Virūpākṣa to be able to follow and serve him alongside his nagas. With permission granted, I was able to astral travel to Mt. Sumeru and spent time in Cāturmahārājikakāyika meeting naginis in the king’s service.
They shift into different forms - from partially humanoid to completely serpent cobra - depending on what seems most comfortable or convenient to them at the time. Nagas and naginis (males and females) of the king’s army sleep in different spaces from each other. Due to the gender separation, I’ve mostly only met naginis rather than nagas. They exude sidi energy and are sidi, but also feel some sense of kinship with other ophidian beings like lamiai. I am still learning about nagas and hope to continue writing more about them soon.
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