When we talked about the characters of the book we also decided to compare them to the characters in mythological stories or fairy tales. We often found some similarities. We will list them below.
When we talked about the characters of the book we also decided to compare them to the characters in mythological stories or fairy tales. We often found some similarities. We will list them below.
| Harry: | We found a lot of characters that have the same personality
traits. In one way you can compare Harry to Achilles , the bravest of Greek
warriors. Harry’ mother made him invincible by her love like Achilles is
made invincible by his mother when she plunged him into the river Styx.
Like Beowulf from an old British tale he is a superhero who doesn’t see
himself as one. Harry Potter has a lot of hero stereotypes and because
of that you can compare him to pretty much any hero of old mythologies
and recent stories.
We also found that Harry’s story and the story of Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland look similar. Like Cinderella he lives in mean family and is rescued magically and like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole he is going through his life in Hogwarts which is full of surprises just like Wonderland. |
| Minerva McGonagall: | We found a Roman goddess named Minerva and the greek counter part Athena who were both fierce goddesses of battle but also brought knowledge like agriculture and horse riding to men. That fits to Minerva McGonagull in our story not only because of the her shared surname. She is also the one that brings knowledge to the students (transfiguration is often described as the hardest of all subjects) but can also be fierceful and merciless in punishing the students if they do wrong. |
| Hogwarts: | Hogwarts has similarities to the Greek mountain Olympus
where the gods and goddesses lived. It was a high mountain that could not
be reached by the human world. Hogwarts also cannot not be reached by humans
and is inhabited by the wizards who are also not human like the gods.
(By the way , did you really look well enough at the Hogwarts picture that Tobi and Jessi drew ? If not, do so NOW!) |
| Dumbledore: | We think that the character of Dumbledore is closely related to Merlin who was a main character in the Stories of King Arthur. He is described as a very wise and powerful man who mostly stood in the background, never interfering with the story except some few times in major situations. Merlin was often asked for his advice which was highly respected in King Arthur’s castle Camelot. He is also described as a little mad and a mystery to the people surrounding him. That is pretty much the same character Dumbledore resembles. |
| Hagrid: | The Titans in the Greek mythology are creatures of enormous size and strength and are older than the gods (Zeus the first god was a son of the Titans and defeated them in a battle and locked them away under the earth). It is said that the Titans spread chaos and destruction all over the world. They were very close to nature and drew power from it (Zeus could only defeat his father Chronus after he lifted him off the ground. After that Chronus wasn´t invincible anymore). Titans also weren’t that bright. We think that Hagrid has some similarities with those creatures in his character. He is also of enormous size and strength and is very close to nature ... and not too clever sometimes. |
| Fluffy: | The dog Cerberus in the Greek mythology had fifty heads and was guarding the entrance of Hades, the underworld. Fluffy is guarding the Trapdoor and has also several heads. Like Cerberus he is a monstrous and veracious watchdog. There is also the story of Orpheus who tried to rescue his wife from the underworld after she got killed by a snake. He was a great singer and lured Cerberus into sleep with a lullaby played on his harp. This way he could sneak past the giant dog just like Harry does in the final showdown. We think Rowling took her ideas of the appearance of Fluffy from this part of the Greek mythology. |
| Sorting Hat: | The Stone of Destiny that travelled around Europe and Egypt before arriving in Scotland in the ninth century. This stone is used in coronation ceremony of the Scottish royalty to identify the true king. The sorting hat also identifies the students and sorts them to the different houses at Hogwarts. |
| Philosopher’s Stone: | Legends holds that the whoever kisses the Blarney Stone situated in the Castle of Blarney will be given the art of flattery and telling lies. The Philosopher’s Stone also gives the one who owns it special abilities; in this case it is not flattery but eternal youth and wealth. |
