Mythological Criticism on Harry Potter

The Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling are a well known and highly celebrated series. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the audience is introduced to the main character, Harry. Harry is an embodiment of many common themes and devices in literature. However, Rowling manages to employ these literary tropes while creating a story entirely different from any other. The novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone provides an example of how to effectively utilize common literary motifs and archetypes without being cliché.

In old times, humankind has looked to utilize stories to clarify the world in which it lives. Similarly, as old man utilized stories of divine beings and creatures to clarify the world; superior person utilizes stories of exceptional legends and colossal scoundrels to do likewise (Stuller). Comic books are modern mythology, in that they are superior man 's strategy for clarifying their general surroundings through the fantastical. The characters frequently handle such major, philosophical, (Ahrens, Jörn, and Meeting) social and story ideas as the nature of sound and malevolence, man 's inward battle, the wannabe, the women 's activist, and the rescuer.

In the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry’s mundane world is going back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his four year as a student. In the film Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Percy’s mundane world is going to a private boarding school called Yancy Academy.

It is clear that the Harry Potter series has taken a journey on the Hogwarts Express to the road of international success. The “Harry Potter” series is the story of the eponymous boy, orphaned at birth and left in the care of the aunt and uncle along with the ill mannered son who make up the Dursley family who are known as “Muggles” (non-magical people). On Harry's eleventh birthday, Harry receives a letter from Hogwarts, a school that grooms young wizards and witches, and promptly enters a world of wonder and mystery. At Hogwarts, he meets his two closest friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger who begin there adventure together through love, friendship and learning about magic. Harry learns very soon that the death of his parents was no

Most definitions of the word myth define it as a story that deals with supernatural beings like gods that explain natural and social phenomena. But the word myth originally comes from the Greek word muthos, meaning story or word. In their purest form, myths are simply narratives about characters undergoing a certain sequence of events. According to Richard Martin, ‘myths are stories that continue to engage the imagination of a society over a long period of time.’ This definition can easily be applied to the Greek myths of antiquity as seen in their allusions in Shakespeare’s plays or in modern retellings such as Disney’s Hercules. And logically when considering the impact of Harry Potter or Disney on our society, would it not make sense

Harry Potter is a fascinating tale of sorcerers, wands, broomsticks, dragons, and magic. The story begins with a young boy named Harry Potter who lives at number four Privit Drive, Surray, England. His journey begins after the death of his parents at the hands of the evil Lord Voldemort. Harry learns of his past and his future as a wizard from Hagrid, the keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He travels to Hogwarts where he learns spells and enchantments, makes new friends, finds enemies, and discovers fantastic secretes. J.K. Rowling weaves a web of impeccable storytelling with this critically acclaimed novel. In the tale of Harry Potter imagery, symbolism, and motif take central focus.

Imagine discovering that you’re not an ordinary person, but a wizard with magnificent, magical powers. Imagine attending a school where you’ll study transfiguration and charms instead of trigonometry and chem. Imagine the thrill of flying across the sky on a broomstick. These adventures and many others are waiting to be experienced in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by novelist J. K. Rowling. This fanciful and entertaining tale has taken the youth of the nation by storm, and its sales have only been surpassed by the book’s sequels, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Many people believe that there is only one world that exist, but what they didn’t know is there is another world out there that seems to be out of the ordinary. A young boy named Harry Potter lives in a normal world and has no clue of what has yet to come for him. As his eleventh birthday strikes at midnight a man whose name is Hagrid, from the wizard world, reveals to Harry that he is not just human in the muggle world (a world where people were born without magic), but he is a wizard that is known as “The boy who lived” and it is time for him to start his training. As Harry Potter leaves the muggle world to attend to wizard school known as, Hogwarts, he experiences many strange adventures that may cause him to adjust because both worlds combined

Two of the best things in the world, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Harry Potter,” have a good deal in common. Other than the vast amount of space reserved in my brain for storing quotes and random facts from these two stories, both tales share many similar objects, plot devices, character attributes, and themes. Even though Python's “Holy Grail” is an exact historical representation of the Arthurian Grail legend, some might argue that the “Harry Potter” story is more reflective of the actual ancient texts than the 1974 film.

There is a common belief that all fictional heroes are different. After all, different situations require different methods and skill sets. Despite their differences, many heroes in works of fiction have three specific similarities: mysterious parentages, difficult childhoods, and the discovery of their destinies. These three traits make up the hero archetype. The hero archetype is present in both modern day fiction, as well as tales of old. The main character of the novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone by J.K. Rowling, is a prime example of the hero archetype. Orphaned from infancy, Harry endures a difficult childhood isolated from his true world until the discovery of his destiny: he is to become an exceptional wizard. The traits described within the hero archetype are significant because they produce a hero of a specific nature, ultimately allowing said hero to achieve their destiny.

"The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by an invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing." (Severus Snape, Book five.) The book series entitled 'Harry Potter' has Biblical themes hidden beneath all of the spells, charms, and enchantments. Harry Potter, in my own opinion, is very Christ like and I feel like the book series could be looked at like a modernized version of the bible. He resembles Jesus Christ in multiple ways. J.K Rowling has subtly featured religious symbolism in her books such as, Harry dying for the wizarding world much like Jesus died willingly for our sins. After they died, they were both resurrected. Fawkes, the

The Epic of Gilgamesh and Harry Potter are both stories that use the structure of an archetypal epic. In these tales, the hero’s timeline includes an abnormal birth or upbringing, leaving his family to live with others, a tragic event which leads to a quest, a special weapon or supernatural help is introduced, and in the end, the hero proves himself during the quest. An archetype can also be defined as a recurrent symbol or motif in literature. The recurring theme of heroes and the number seven, are present in both the Epic of Gilgamesh and of the Harry Potter series.

In the previous century there have been two major series of fantasy novels; "Lord of the Rings" and more recently "Harry Potter". The genre, fantasy, is very broad, but generally contains one main character, the protagonist, who is fighting for, or against something, often against evil. In both these novels the main protagonist is fighting against evil and endures a kind of adventure and personal growth. As in most fantasy novels, the main characters are in an ulterior world, which is comparable in many ways. I intend to investigate into some of the many comparable components of these two novels.

In the book and movie series Harry Potter, the famous boy wizard goes through his many years of schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, making new friends like his best friends, Ron and Hermione, as well as creating enemies like Draco Malfoy. Along with his friends Ron and Hermione, Harry continuously puts an end to the many different forms of the evil Lord Voldemort that tries to attack Harry each year. It is later on in the series when the interactions with Lord Voldemort become more frequent and more deadly. This is when Albus Dumbledore, the famous Headmaster of Hogwarts, teaches, instructs, and guides Harry to his ultimate goal of defeating Lord Voldemort, finally bringing peace to their world once again. In relation to the Jungian Literary Archetypes, Harry Potter represents the Hero, Albus Dumbledore represents the Wise Old Man, and Lord Voldemort represents the Witch or Sorceress.

Not all mythology comes from ancient cultures. People all around the world continue to create new myths and rework existing ones. Modern technology such as movies, publishing, telecommunications, and the internet allow folktales, rumors, and myths to travel faster around the world. A feature of some modern legends is that they originated as artistic creations. Modern legends offer images of the best and worspect aspects of mankind. Modern myths suggest that good behavior can be rewarded while greedy and foolish behavior will be punished. While modern mythology is different from ancient mythology they are similar in that monstrous and scary partly human creatures still fascinate people today. Vampires and Werewolves are examples of modern mythologies most fascinating monsters. Modern mythology spawns from life’s wonder, excitement, mystery, and fear.