Harry Potter and the Monsters and Magic of Literature

1. Harry Potter and the Monsters and Magic of Literature http://www.elbenwaldforum.de/userpics/14826.jpg

2. http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/harrypotter/harry2.asp

3. http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/harrypotter/harry3.asp

4. http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/harrypotter/harry9.asp

5. http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/harrypotter/harry4.asp

6. http://www.exposingsatanism.org/harrypotter.htm

7. Potter Time line 1990: The idea for Harry Potter is born. 1995: The first book is completed and rejected by several publishers. J.K. Rowling is warned that she will never make any real money by writing children's books. 1997: Philosopher's Stone is published in England. http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/childrenandteens/story/0,,1838086,00.html

8. Potter Time line 1998: Chamber of Secrets is published in England and becomes an instant best seller. Philosopher's Stone is published in America under the name Sorcerer's Stone. 2003: Harry Potter has become so pervasive that “muggle” is added to the Oxford English Dictionary. http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/childrenandteens/story/0,,1838086,00.html

9. Meanwhile, publishers are asked to set release dates for Potter novels for weekends so as to avoid causing massive school truancies, The New York Times declares children's books ineligible for its best seller list, and Harry Potter takes the #1 slot in the most frequently banned books of the 21st century list.

10. 300 million Harry Potter books (and counting) have now been sold worldwide in at least 47 languages. http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/childrenandteens/story/0,,1838086,00.html

11. Literary Genres, Archetypes, and Motifs

12. The Epic Like the ancient epics (Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid, Gilgamesh, Beowulf), Harry Potter has a little something for everyone—danger, romance, moral lessons, and most of all the kind of intense suspense that comes from knowing that the fate of the world rests on the hero's shoulders. http://www.warnerbros.co.uk/movies/troy/img/troy_main.jpg

13. The Fantasy As a kind of epic fairy tale, fantasy novels place ordinary people in extraordinary situations-- like the magical worlds of Narnia, Oz, Neverland, or Hogwarts. http://www.acton.org/images/blog/narnia.jpg

14. The Mystery Mysteries offer readers a chance to test their problem solving skills along with the hero. Series mysteries, like Harry Potter, give readers a way to bond with one another by discussing clues and anticipating outcomes between books. Who is R.A.B.? Is Snape good or bad? Is Dumbledore really dead? What's the last horcrux? Will Harry and his best friends survive? Will there ever be an eighth book? http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38673000/jpg/_38673687_sherlockholmes300.jpg

15. The Hero Like the epic heroes before him, Harry was born to be bold. He gets out of many tight spots through a combination of bravery, intelligence, and skill. It doesn't hurt that he also inspires great loyalty in his friends and supporters. http://starwarsmaniatic.webcindario.com/Luke%20Skywalker.jpg

16. The Orphan Harry is among the ranks of Cinderella, Jane Eyre, Oliver Twist, Frodo, and Luke Skywalker as one of the most famous orphans of literature. http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/cinderella-godmother-large.jpg

17. The Mentor When Odysseus leaves for Troy, he asks his friend Mentor to look after his infant son. Thus, we get the word for the kind and wise older friend who advises the hero throughout his (or her) adventures. http://hometown.aol.com/shaggy9872004/images/harry%20and%20dumbledore.jpg

18. The Villain Beowulf has Grendel, Luke has Darth Vader, Batman has Joker, and Harry has Voldemort. How would we know who our heroes are without the villains? http://hpmovie.variety.ru/photo_archive/voldemort.jpg http://www.harrypotterforseekers.com/images/sym_voldemort.jpg

19. The Journey Like Odysseus, Aeneas, Frodo, Dorothy, and many other heroes, Harry's adventures always begin and end with a journey. http://www.road-to-the-isles.org.uk/westword/hogwart2.jpg

20. The Quest Perhaps the most famous in all of literature (and of history) is the quest for the holy grail. In Half Blood Prince, Harry finally gets his quest. The one thing we do know about book seven is that Harry will be spending his time searching for and attempting to destroy Voldemort's horcruxes. http://www.palettesofvision.com/Angels/index1.html

21. The Task Like the labors of Hercules, Harry Potter is given a series of tasks he must complete in both Sorcerer's Stone and Goblet of Fire. http://thecia.com.au/reviews/h/images/harry-potter-and-the-goblet-of-fire-6.jpg

22. The Ultimate Battle of Good and Evil Reminiscent of the Biblical teaching that there will be a final show-down between good and evil in which good ultimately prevails, many epics conclude with a great battle—the final test of the hero's strength and skill. http://recollectionbooks.com/bleed/images/BB/Dorww1.jpg

23. Literary and MythologicalAllusions

24. The Lightening ScarHarry's Scar is Lightening-Shaped, The Symbol of Zeus, King of the Olympian Gods http://olympus.het.brown.edu/~danieldf/photos/figs/zeus/zeus.gif http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/tv_film/newsid_1660000/1660878.stm

25. Fluffy Fluffy, the three-headed dog used to guard the Sorcerer's Stoneis remarkably similar to Cerberus,the dog that guards the gates of Hades in Greek mythology. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/tv_film/newsid_1660000/1660878.stm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cerberus-Blake.jpeg

26. Minerva, Goddess of Wisdom And Harry Potter'sTeacher http://images.hollywood.com/images/large/l_1684397.jpg http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/anempires_1895_38295297

27. Hermes, the Messenger In Greek mythology, Hermes is the messenger of the gods. Percy Weasley's owlHermes, like other owls in Harry Potter, acts as a messenger, delivering the mail. Owls have long beenassociated with wisdom, and the owl is the symbol of Athena (or Minerva), goddess of wisdom. The owl's ability to see at night was thought in ancient times to be a magical quality. http://it.geocities.com/tonibin/owl/owl.png http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mythology/images/mercury_art_archive.html

28. Argus, The All-Seeing Argus, the watchman of Hera, had 100 eyes,some of which where always awake. Hogwarts students see their caretaker,Argus Filch, as having much the same characteristic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_Filch http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/M22.2.html

29. Mrs. Norris Mrs. Norris, the cat, is the namesake of the very nosy and interfering Mrs. Norrisof Jane Austin's Mansfield Park. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_Filch

30. The Sphinx http://www.molon.de/galleries/Egypt/Pyramids/img.php?pic=26

31. Gryffindor The griffin is a mythological creature with thebody of a lion and the head of an eagle. Gryffindor comes from the French “gryffon d'or,”meaning “golden griffin.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gryffindor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gryphon.gif

32. Fawkes Dumbledore's bird Fawkes is a phoenix.In Egyptian mythology, the phoenix would rise reborn from its own ashesat the end of a life cycle. Is it only a coincidence that the phoenix is connected withDumbledore? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Harry_Potter_and_the_Order_of_the_Phoenix.jpg

33. Lily Potter The lily is often used to symbolizeChrist. Lily Potter, Harry's mother,sacrifices her own life to save Harry's and, in doing so, teaches the worldthat love is the greatest magic of all. http://www.skyenergyportal.com/le-christ/unLysBis.asp?P=8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:The_potters_hp.JPG

34. Remus Lupin Remus and his twin brother Romulus(the legendary founder of Rome) were said to have been raised by wolves. Lupin is a play on the word “lupus,” Latin for wolf. Remus Lupin is a werewolf. http://www.reijnhoudt.nl/zeus/wolvin02.jpg http://img.search.com/6/62/300px-Remus_lupin_hppoa.jpg

35. Nicholas Flamel Nicholas Flamel was a 15th century alchemist. Legend says he succeeded in creating the Philosopher's Stone, the goal of alchemysince ancient times. The Philosopher's Stonecould be used to turn metal into gold and to createan elixir to cure disease and to prolong life.Alchemy was a precursor to both modernmysticism and modern science. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:William_Fettes_Douglas_-_The_Alchemist.jpg

36. Hermione Granger In Greek mythology, Hermione is thedaughter of Helen and Menelaus. Rowling, however, borrowed the name from Shakespeare's A Winter'sTale in which Queen Hermione comesto life again after being made intoa statue—like Hermione Granger in Chamber of Secrets. Granger is the name of a characterfrom Fahrenheit 451—the leader of “The Book People.” http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/bios/hermione_full.html

37. Sirius Black Sirius, the star system, is said to have been placed in the sky at the feet of Orion because inGreek Mythology Sirius was the faithful dog of Orion. Siriusmourned Orion's death so profusely that Diana took pity onhim and sent him to be with Orion in the heavens.Sirius Black is the son of OrionBlack and, in his animal form, is a dog. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Position_Alpha_Cma.png http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:HarryPotterGOFPoster-SiriusBlackWanted.jpeg

38. Gryffindor's Sword Harry Potter pulls Gryffindor'ssword out of the sorting hat likeanother famous boy who pullsanother famous sword out of a stone. http://www.uniquities.co.uk/acatalog/nn7198.jpg

39. Sibyll Trelawney Sibyls in ancient mythology were prophets. Cassandra—the great-great- grandmother of Sibyll Trelawney— is named for a woman in Greek mythology who was cursed to always prophecy the truth while never being believed. http://www.freeyourmind.fi/toimittajat/orolma/2004/kuvat/leffa_040804_harrypotterazkaban02.jpg

40. The Malfoys The family name of the people Potter fans love to hate means “bad faith” in French. Draco means “dragon” in Latin and was the name a Greek ruler from whom we get the work “draconian” for terribly harsh punishments. Lucius is similar to Lucifer. Narcissa comes from Narcissus, the man in Greek mythology who fell in love with his own reflection. Every good Potter fan knows, however, that the real narcissist of the series is Gilderoy Lockhart. http://www.mandys-web.de/images/Potter/malfoy.jpg

41. Centaurs In Greek mythology, centaurs are half man and half horse. The centaur Firenze befriends Dumbledore and becomes a teacher to Harry Potter in the same way that the centaur Chiron—a noted astrologer— tutored many of the great heroes of Greece, including Ajax, Achilles, Hercules, and Jason. http://www.centaursite.com/hp/ronanbook.jpg

42. Basilisk The legendary king of the serpents, the basilisk makes an appearance in Chaucer's “Parson's Tale.” Sometimes depected as looking more snake-like and other times more rooster-like, some stories of the basilisk say it originated from the blood of Medusa, who could also kill with a look. Hermione uses a mirror to avoid the direct gaze of the basilisk in imitation of Perseus who defeated Medusa with a mirror. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/caravaggio/medusa.jpg http://free-ten.com/category/animal/kuu/images/other/print/basilisk.jpg http://webhome.idirect.com/~donlong/monsters/IMAGES/Basili.gif

43. Grindylows The grindylow is a water demon from English folklore, often used to scare children away from water. The word also sounds similar to Grendel, and some people believe Harry's encounter with the grindylows in the fourth book is an allusion to Beowulf. http://ewancient.lysator.liu.se/pic/fanq/m/a/mardibyrd3/grindylow_finished_small.jpg

44. Hippogriffs A mythological cross between a griffin and a horse, hippogriffs have been mentioned by the likes of Virgil and Cervantes. In the Middle Ages, there was a saying, “when griffins mate with mares,” that meant something like the modern day saying, “when pigs fly.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hyppogryphe.png

45. Lessons from Harry Potter

46. Love is the most powerful magic of all.

47. Fear is dangerous and leads to the most corrupt actions known to all of history. Fear of death is far worse than death itself.

48. Every action and every inaction has consequences.

49. No magic can bring the dead to life again, but no one who is loved ever really leaves us.

50. It's our choices, not our abilities, that determine who we are.