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If you have n’t read theHarry Potterseries since the first time you picked it up as a kid , it ’s easy to miss all of the references thatJ.K. Rowlingpacked into her books . Together , they can make for a somewhat dense read , but one of the joys of revisit the series as an grownup is finding all of the fabulous , allegoric , and historical references that she scattered throughout the Sir Frederick Handley Page .
Rowling has a degree in classic , so it ’s well-heeled to see where she pull her stirring for some of thecreatures , names , and symbolisation in her most famous work . Although much of theHarry Potterseries ’ domain - building can be ascribe to the author , she was also inspire by stories from all over the world .
While some of these references were obvious – most people would in all likelihood be capable to guess a good guess as to where the sphinx add up from , for example – others were more cleverly hidden . Today , we ’ve put put together a list of the ones you were most likely to pretermit . Here are16 Hidden Myths and Legends in Harry Potter .
Deathly Hallows Is Full Of Christian Allegory
This might come as a surprise to people who recall all the school and churches that bannedHarry Potterfor promoting witchery , but J.K. Rowling reference Christianity pretty frequently . This is most obvious in the seventh ledger , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows .
Some reader have picked up on the Christ - like journey Harry undertake towards the end of the novel . Instead of allowing death to continue during the Battle of Hogwarts , he walk alone to the Forbidden Forest and volitionally sacrifices himself . Then he revert from the beat and defeats the evil once and for all , protecting his love ones .
The quote on his parents ’ tombstone that inspire Harry , “ The last enemy that shall be destroyed is end , ” is also a Bible poesy , 1 Corinthians 15:26 .
The Protean Charm is named after a Greek mythology figure
InHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , Hermione utilise the Protean Charm to communicate with the appendage of Dumbledore ’s Army . Each extremity has a false Galleon that is charmed to transfigure every clock time Harry update his maestro coin . This way , they always know when the next confluence clock time is without drawing attention to themselves .
The name for this charm comes from Proteus , a figure from Greek mythology . Proteus was a handmaiden of Poseidon who could assure you anything about the past , present , or future . To get away from people ’s endless query , he was able to promptly transform ( or transfigure ) into any creature or beast . The word ‘ protean ’ actually still means “ tending or capable to transfer frequently or easily , ” in reference work to him .
Veela come from legends of Central Europe
Movie - watchers wo n’t hump much about the veela inHarry Potter , but Word readers will remember that we were first introduced to them inGoblet of Fire , when they were lend to the Quidditch World Cup in documentation of the Bulgarian squad . They ’re stunningly beautiful woman who can turn into terrifying puppet as soon as they get angry .
Rowling pull the veela from the legends of Central Europe . They appear as beautiful women in those tales as well , but that ’s hiding who they really are . agree to local story , veela were really the souls of unbaptized young charwoman that were stuck here on Earth . If you angered a veela , you could require to die pretty quickly .
If you were kind , though , they were known to wed humans – which might explain why Fleur Delacour is part veela .
The Weird Sisters are a Shakespeare reference
In theHarry Potteruniverse , the Weird Sisters are a super democratic wizard rock stripe . ( All of the fellow member are piece , despite the name . ) They ’re usually only cite in passing , except for when they took the stage to play at the Yule Ball in Harry ’s quaternary year .
Their name amount from the three prophetic witch in the Shakespeare playMacbeth , who were also call the Weird Sisters . If you want to go back even further , Shakespeare himself catch the name from honest-to-god British caption . The weird Sister were alternately described as the Fates , houri , or fairies in an onetime 1577 text that Shakespeareused as a source .
Rowling has say thatMacbethis possibly her preferred Shakespeare play , so she belike could n’t resist slip one’s mind in that quotation .
Hermione’s name is a reference to Greek mythology
Hermione ’s name is so unique that no one could agree on how to say it until the movies were free , but some hardcorePotterfans are already conversant with the direct source for Hermione ’s name . Rowling has pronounce in consultation that she took Hermione ’s name from another Shakespeare play , The Winter ’s Tale . ( Can you see a normal yet ? ) However , the original Greek etymology was another inspiration for her .
Hermione is a female differential of Hermes , best roll in the hay as the courier of the Hellenic gods . Hermes was also the god of smoothness , wit , and flying - thinking – something Harry Potter ’s Hermione most definitely has in nigga . render Rowling ’s classics stage , it ’s jolly likely that this was another deciding element in naming everyone ’s best-loved virtuoso Gryffindor .
Nagini’s name comes from Eastern religion
Nagini is both Voldemort ’s pet snake and one of his living Horcruxes . The serpent is fundamentally always by his side , even before he was altogether mend to his body inGoblet of Fire .
Like everything in theHarry Potterworld , even Nagini ’s name has a significance behind it . Nagais snake in the grass in Sanskrit as well as the name for a kind of semi - divine snake in both Buddhism and Hinduism . According to legend , nagas live in an secret city and have impressive magical business leader . Another legend claims that a naga protect the Buddha from a tempest by using its multiple heads as an umbrella . Still other legend say that nagas are human from the shank up and ophidian from the waist down .
female person nagas , disregarding of fable , are cry – you judge it – nagini .
Kappas are a Japanese legend
In thePrisoner of Azkabanbook , Professor Lupin teaches the third - year students abouta variety of dark creaturesand how to protect against them . The third one on his list is the Kappa , which is a creepy , bloodthirsty creature that live in water system .
This charming creature is n’t actually Rowling ’s excogitation , but rather one that comes from Nipponese legend . ( Snape says that they ’re from Mongolia at a late point in the ledger . He ’s wrong . ) Kappas are water devil that wassail human stock and kill anyone who stumbles into their weak territory . As the third - class students learn , though , you’re able to break one if you play tricks it into obeisance . They keep water in a depression on top of their head , and they mislay power if that spills out .
People were afraid of mandrakes in real life
The scream mandrake root made their first show in theChamber of Secretsmovie and al-Qur’an . Harry and his classmates learn about the plants in Herbology class , where Professor Sprout makes them fag out earmuffs before palm the sister plants . She tells them that the cry of a sister mandrake will knock them unconscious , but see an grownup mandrake could actually wipe out them .
This seems like it ’s been made up for the books , but mass really used to be afraid of uprooting mandrake plants . The stem of the plant kinda sorta looked like a human , so multitude in the Middle Ages call up that the plants had human spirits and could finger pain . They opine deracinate it , causing it pain , and hearing the screech would kill you .
Florean Fortescue is named after a historical witch-hunter
You ’ll in all probability only be familiar with the part of Florean Fortescueif you take the books(or visited the theme common ) . Fortescue own the ice cream workshop in Diagon Alley that Harry , Ron , and Hermione confab occasionally . In the third book , when Harry depart the Dursleys early and lives in The Leaky Cauldron for a few weeks , Florean Fortescue helps him with his preparation on witch - burnings for History of Magic .
It ’s not an fortuity that a random ice cream store owner knows so much about beldame - burning . Diagon Alley ’s Fortescue catch his last name from Sir John Fortescue , who impose the 1563 British witchery police . As Chief Justice of the King ’s Bench , he presided over a mint of ‘ of import ’ trials of suspected beldame .
In a cruel nod to these beldame - burnings , Rowling ’s Fortescue was drag off and killed by Death Eaters inHalf - Blood Prince .
Magical dragon blood was inspired by ancient legends
tartar have been a staple of legend , folklore , and illusion since the other days of literature . When it do to these magical creatures , Rowling had a lot of potential inspiration to choose from . The first reference to dragons in thePotteruniverse is inSorcerer ’s Stone . Harry reads Dumbledore ’s Chocolate Frog card and learn that he ’s partially famous for discovering the twelve wizardly usage of dragon ’s blood .
accord to old legends , many parts of the dragon were magical and could be harvest for healing function – including the rakehell of the tartar . “ Dragon ’s blood ” appears in a ton of different chivalric papist texts . you’re able to still see dragon ’s blood list in modern pagan ritual , but it commonly denote to a bright red works rosin .
