Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort was a fictional character created by J.K. Rowling for the Harry Potter books. He is the main antagonist or enemy in the series. Lord Voldemort cast a grim shadow and created fear and doom and gloom. He had names like You Know Who, He Who Must Not Be Named and Dark Lord. His mere presence brought fear and trepidation.
In the allegory The Summit, our protagonist Mallery faces her own Lord Voldemort adversary of fear, cowering and distraction. Even her name, Mallery, which meant ill-fated, reminded her that she was not good enough. Many people live their lives in fear of a Lord Voldemort. They’ve put names on their fear, like war, a plague, or even a virus. It has the power to overtake their lives as they focus on impending doom and gloom.
Who Was Lord Voldemort, Really?
Lord Voldemort’s original name was Tom Riddle, born December 31, 1926. He was an English half-blood wizard considered to have been the most powerful and dangerous Dark Wizard of all time. His superior was Albus Dumbledore, who ended up providing guidance for Harry Potter as the headmaster of Hogwarts, school for wizards.
With any fantasy, including a realistic fantasy, there needs to be an antagonist, or enemy, to face the protagonist, or hero. I think it fascinating that J.K. Rowling as the author created a whole lineage and history with multiple characters in the Harry Potter series. Because she did so, she created a framework for a number of sequels with characters that were intertwined with backstories to eventually meet its climax with the complete destruction of Lord Voldemort
Adversarial Characters in The Summit
The Summit’s characters who play adversarial roles are not nearly as dark as Lord Voldemort, though they also spread fear and cast a grim shadow. Mallery’s prideful brother, Treston, aimed to discourage her from continuing her journey by setting out to save the day and bring her back to her small town of Baybel where she could continue to live in obscurity and cowardly. However, his self-assurance based on his pride often backfired with creating confusion, adding to his own personal failures.
Beeshman, his name meaning strong man and formidable, was another character who’s aim was to dissuade Mallery from continuing her journey. He bullied her as she was building a bridge and also tried to steal the jewels she had obtained on her trip, which were to be ultimately spent to invest in a future full of possibility. His own failure in reaching his summit propelled him to use his personal strength to intimidate her, though her inner strength won out as she had at this point in our story, grown stronger.
Fragments of Fear in Your Life
Lord Voldemort split his spirit into eight fragments, creating seven Horcruxes. Of course, this is all fiction and fantasy, but there are fragments of fear in our lives and we can treat them as Horcruxes, or part of our being. There is fear of taking a risk, fear of failure, fear of rejection and ultimately, fear of death.
Whether fighting a fictional Lord Voldemort or the real-life feelings of fear, we all have the power to choose what and how to think and respond. Fragments of fear occurring in the book The Summit took shape as self-doubt, self-condemnation and feelings of giving up. How often have you faced those same feelings? I would guess quite often. They never fully go away but can be managed and used constructively.
How to Defeat Your Lord Voldemort to Get to Your Summit
Fear is a part of life. It will never totally disappear, but you can use the energy fear produces in a healthy way to create a healthy fear to propel you forward. The first step is to recognize fear for what it is. Fear’s aim is to make you take your eyes off your main purpose. It is to distract and discourage you. It is to hinder you from getting to your Summit. By giving in to this fear, your chances of failure have just increased.
Harry Potter knew who his enemy was with the shadow and legend of Lord Voldemort and persevered through ridicule, hardship and extreme isolation. He was definitely fearful but kept his focus on the goal of defeating the enemy, even when few believed in him. When you face those feelings of ridicule and hardship, do you recognize their source? Are you able to keep your eyes focused on your main purpose or are you easily distracted and discouraged?Growing Stronger
As our character Mallery grew stronger through her journey in The Summit, she did so not only by overcoming, but by journaling her thoughts to remember where she had been and to keep her eyes on where she was going. She created the type of language that could combat the negativity and self-doubt she was facing.
It takes persistence, dedication and the willingness to not give up. The message with the emerald, one of the jewels Mallery discovered, was to never, never quit. If she took on the mindset to grow and learn as she defined her skills, experience and what she loved, she would find success. With that mindset, I know you will too. Check out more videos on YouTube Channel!
It takes persistence, dedication and willingness to not give up.
deborah johnson
Thought Leader, Keynote Speaker, Author
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