Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by Joanne K. Rowling is the first book in a series of novels about Harry Potter, a young magician. The book is commonly referred to as children’s literature, though a deeper insight into its plot and symbols used by the author reveals much more essential, even encyclopedic, knowledge about British history and folklore as well as ancient mythology. Something that may initially seem to be just products of Rowling’s imagination turns out to be real things rooted in history and traditions, fairy tales and myth.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is very reminiscent of fairy tales. Like in most fairy tales, there is a confrontation between the good, Harry and his friends, and the evil, Lord Voldemort or Draco Malfoy. The good seems weaker at first, but eventually it wins. Rowling’s novel also implements a lot of elements typically found in fairy tales. First of all, the novel tells its readers about a magic world of wizards and witches. Those who represent that world can fly, turn into animals (for example, Professor McGonagall’s transformations into a tabby cat), become invisible, and do many other magical tricks. There are also magic wands, spell books, broomsticks, and invisible hats that assist magicians in their witchcraft. A tinge of tradition is felt in the way the wands are chosen. For instance, Lord Voldemort’s wand is from the yew tree. Since yew was one of the few evergreen trees in Great Britain, it has always been attributed supernatural powers and is considered to be a symbol of immortality. Spells and potions which Rowling intertwines into the plot development are also the things that are closely associated with fairy tales. However, at the same time it must be noted that all of them are thousands years old and rooted in British and European folklore. The following example shows how both of the above mentioned traditional fairy tale elements are incorporated to describe magic in action:
Ron pulled out his own wand – not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: “Wingardium Leviosa!” (Rowling, 176)
“Wingardium Leviosa” is also named the Levitation Charm which is said to have been invented by warlock Jarleth Hobart in 1544. The man believed he invented the spell which will make him fly; however, all his demonstrations of how it worked were not very successful.
The other mysterious elements of the novel which make it close to traditional fairy tales are fantastic creatures Rowling actively includes into her story-telling. Thus, there are unicorns, trolls, dragons, giants, elves, centaurs, werewolves, vampires, etc. One of the key figures in the novel looks like a giant himself. This is Hagrid who is described as being “almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide – long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins” (Rowling, 14). The only difference from usual giants from fairy tales is that Hagrid is a kind-hearted giant who is always ready to help Harry and his friends. It is also worth noting the symbolism of unicorns – creatures mentioned several times in the novel. Unicorns are mysterious creatures which are traditionally thought to embody magic itself. But their magic is pure and innocent. They are said to appear only to those whose hearts are kind and whose deeds are virtuous. Therefore, when Hagrid, Harry, and other children find a killed unicorn in the Forbidden Forest, they immediately understand that it is a bad sign. They know that only an evil creature could have hurt that animal. The same feelings are aroused in the readers because unicorns are powerful symbols of the good in the British culture as well. As early as in the Middle Ages, unicorns were depicted in various art pieces – tapestries and paintings. Later on, the image of a unicorn became an element in the royal coat of arms of England and Scotland.
The Forbidden Forest is another element which is close to the traditions of fairy tales. In literature in general and in fairy tales in particular, such things as the Forbidden Forest symbolize danger. It is not difficult to remember such forests in many other fairy tales – the forest through which Little Red Riding Hood goes to her grandmother’s house or the forest in which the witch’s cottage is situated in the tale about Hansel and Gretel. Rowling describes it as follows: “The forest was black and silent” (Rowling, 251), with black meaning evil and silent meaning danger. At the same time such forests are also very close to the traditions of Druids who worshipped their gods in such places. Probably, for that reason Rowling shows unicorns killed in there for the purpose of getting their blood for magical powers it can give.
There is one more magical creature which appears at the very beginning of the novel about Harry Potter. This is an owl. Owls are believed to have been constant companions of all wizards in the Middle Ages. They were thought to have magical powers which made them good at observation and memorization of spells and formulas. In folklore, owls are also associated with knowledge and wisdom. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, owls appear from the very first pages of the novel as a sign that the book will be full of magic. Here is the very first, though not the last, mentioning of owls in the book: “None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window” (Rowling, 2). The other several pages are full of the descriptions of owls flying in daylight, which is an unusual thing and an indicator of something strange happening. However, there is also a special owl in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It is Hedwig, Harry’s snowy owl. The name of the owl is very meaningful. Firstly, Hedwig was a German saint of the 13th century, which, probably, means the owl in the book is considered to be a saint bird, too. Besides, there is one more association which the owl’s name entails. A nuns’ order engaged in taking care of orphans was established under the patronage of St. Hedwig. There is a clear connection – an order taking care of orphans and Harry being an orphan. All this makes the name of Harry’s owl very strong symbolically.
The book is also full of numerous allusions to ancient myths. For example, there is Fluffy, a three-headed dog. It is Hagrid’s dog and it guards the Sorcerer’s Stone. Thus, there is an obvious allusion to the Greek myth about Cerberus, a three-headed creature from Greek myths. Cerberus was also a sentry that prevented the living from coming to the underworld. In the myth, Cerberus can be tamed with lyre being played while in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone the dog is calmed by the music of a harp.
The other example of an allusion to Greek myth is such a character as Argus Filch. His role in Hogwarts is to keep an eye on the order in the school. He is especially attentive to the way students behave. In Greek myths, Angus is also a watchman who has 1,000 eyes all over his body, which helps him to see anything and anyone. Filch in the novel does not have so many eyes, but he has a helper – a cat named Mrs. Norris, “a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamplike eyes just like Filch’s” (Rowling, 132). In such a way, Rowling supplied her Argus with more eyes and a helper to make him as efficient watchman as Argus from Greek myths.
All in all, the examples given above show that Joanne K. Rowling’s imagination which enchants everyone who starts reading Harry Potter books is well supported with facts and thorough knowledge of legends, myths, and folklore. As a result, characters, their names, mysterious creatures teach readers as well as entertain them. Children’s interest in Harry Potter and his adventures make them eager to know more of all the things described in the book which, in its turn, leads to their getting to know more and more about folklore and history.
Works Cited
Rowling, Joanne K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic Press, 1998. Print.
