What is your take on this?

"In the first book it said that by drinking the Elixir of Life it would make the drinker immortal, but later in the story Dumbledore says to Harry that the Flamel's had enough Elixir stored in them to set their affairs straight.. But, if by drinking the Elixir of Life makes you immortal then you would never die, ever. You can't just be immortal as long as you have a certain item, then that would mean you could die. You would be like Achilles, you could still die. Immortal means you can NEVER die."

- The Azkaban Club

I thought about that when I read the books, too. It doesn't make sense, but I don't think that JKR every explained it. We talked about it in English class, and the best answer that we could come up with was that the word 'immortal' was referring to the fact that he couldn't be killed by things like hunger, sickness, or old age, but that was only for a certain amount of time... Ugh. This is bothering me.

I think that it keeps you alive after you should be dead.

Like say you drink the elixer and then you get shot in the heart for some reason, you would live. But it only lasts maybe a week or so, so to stay alive you would have to keep drinking it

Whoa, that actually makes sense! I never thought of it that way! I mean imortal means immortal! Right! Like can neva die!

I think that J.K.Rowling ment immortal to be like what you said Rogue

Afterall 'immortal' can mean ALOT of things in different contries, of course it mostly means 'god' but i look it up in the dictionary :P

so right now im guessing J.K just made a mistake :lol:

yah, i think she just made a mistake. cuz immortal does mean that you cant die. or that is the most common meaning of it.

Well, maybe she ment for the elixir to be like unicorn blood! It'll keep you alive even if you're an inch from death! I don't think her editors would let a mistake like that slip by unless it ment something! But then again, maybe they're not ver good editors!

Maybe it is like Unicorn blood!! I never thought about that either!! :o I don't really have an answer for that, because all of what you guys are saying is true. . . hmm. . . . that's really weird, huh?

wow, I've never thought of tihs before. It could be a mistake...but...try to think of another word that would convey the idea of being able to live longer then you were supposed to, but not with just one drink. Perhaps there just wasn't a better way to describe it?

Either way this is a good point. And I agree with AF, I think it prolly keeps you alive when your not supposed to be...but...it doesn't work with just one drink.

say, you have a good point there, although i had a hard time understanding it, but whatever, good topic

hey mwiley! welcome to the discussion!

According to dictionary.com, the definition of immortal is "not subject to death." But, like I said earlier, I guess it could just be lack of a better word. Although, even though JK is brilliant, it wouldn't be the first mistake she made. In a series like this, its nearly impossible to not make errors. Especially when avid fans like ourselves tear apart every detail. :)

i htink the elixir somehow has a connection with the stone so if the stone is destroyed the elixir only holds off death for like 1 more week. it might only temporary after the stone breaks. :unsure:

Hmmm, that's a good though.
But then why did Dumbledore say that "he has enough Elixir to..." I mean, then it's gotta be the elixir, right?! :unsure:

but i thought the stone was just used to MAKE the elixer...
:unsure:
i don't know - now im confuzzilated!

flounder brings up a good point. There very well could be a connection between the stone and the elixer! I never thought of that. As in - while the stone was still in existence the elixer simply made the drinker immortal. But once the stone is destroyed, the power of the elixer is lessened greatly. The drinker is no longer forever immortal. The given effects only last for a short while. So Nick had to stock up - because one drink would only keep him for death for so long...

I was just thinking, you know how Harry had it in his pocket at the end of the movie, why was he so scared, I mean if he had it then that meant that Voldermort couldn't kill him because he wouldn't die, and he couldn't touch Harry because of his mothers curse..... Why was he so worried man, he was like superman.... invinsable!! *nods*

i don't think the stone makes you immortal......it's the elexir you make with the stone. at least that's how i understood it. and he didn't know about the spell yet.

exactly its not the stone in itself that keeps you alive. you use the stone to make the elixer so harry couldnt very well use it in that situation.

yeah...maybe you do need the stone to make the elixir, that would make sence. Maybe thats why voldemort wanted the stone, because he knew how to make the elixir, but needed the stone to complete it!

i agree with all three of you. if it was the stone, then wouldnt it have been named the stone of life, not the elixer? anyway, i think that after the stone was broken the elixer lost most of its affects. but Nick had had some in vials or something, just so that he wouldnt have to make more everytime he needed it. so the elixer only kept you alive for so long. and it would take more than a week to get your affairs in order. i mean come on, the guy was alive for almost 700yrs. he has tons of stuff that he would need to get rid of and give people stuff.

Yeah, he must have had a whole bunch of it hidden away in a clever place where nobody would find it. And it would be soooo annoying to keep remaking it over, and over , and over again. It would only make sence to make a whole bunch and just keep it hidden away.

i think it was the stone...becuase remeber snape or somebody or something coulda just killed him becuase he was makin the exlir of life for him....and they didnt hav the stone

I think he was making it himself, like fishy said, if somebody else was making it they could kill him and take the stone for themselves.

Yeah he was making it himself, to my knowledge. That way no one could sabotage it an any shape or form....

Yeah that way they couldn't sabatage it

But what i want to know is where he hid the vials, if anyone was smart enough to know that he had some stored somewhere surely they'd want to steal it for themselves while they figure out how to make more, or force nicolas flammel to make it for them.

i say it was the stone and i agrre with mel

I agree with Josh.
So its like The Stone forms the missing link.Without the stone,the Elixer will work,but it wont make one completely immortal.With the Stone,you will be made completely immortal...
Something like that.
*walks off muttering to herself*

what uf we are all right?

Hey,you never know!!!
But i thin that we're all right in our own little ways...

me 2 yaya we agrre!!

Possibly you have to rightfully own the stone to make the elixer, but nobody but nicolus and dumbledore knew. That would be cool, then if somebody stole it, leaving you to die, they couldn't use it anyway.

exactly i completly agree.