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In honor of the new Harry Potter movie today we will look at a well known symbol of his, the lightning bolt.

Lightning is a common weapon held by gods. It is typically used to punish evil doers. In heredity the bolt is used as a symbol to represent power and speed. Ceraunoscopy is a form of divination that uses the observation of lightning and the listening to of thunder. Lightning from the east was seen as a good omen since it usually meant a storm was over. Lightning from the west was usually a bad sign sign since it meant that a storm was approaching. Hawthorne is said to protect one against lighting but I still wouldn't sit under such a tree in a storm. Sometimes places where lightning hit was thought to be sacred. Sometimes plants where said to grow there that were left by the gods. In some countries instead of it being a sign of a god's displeasure it was considered lucky to be hit by lightning. I can see why if you survived it though the Greeks thought it was a lucky way to die as it showed favor from the gods. In dreams lightning is a symbol of negativity and a terrible event.