Abstract of Paper to be Presented at Accio 2008

The Hallowing of Death: Sacrifice, Salvation, and the Death of the Superman in Harry Potter

Jamie Paris and Susan Johnston

This paper explores the role of sacrifice in covenantal relationships in Harry Potter, concluding that the binding of the self to a loved other is a necessary condition for custodialism and community in these novels; as such, the paper sees the text in terms of the culture wars, rejecting both Voldemort's self-worship and moral atomism in favour of a model of community founded on the belief in good greater than the self.