Allusions in Harry Potter

It's semester time at my school, and for some last minute extra-credit in my AP Lit class, my friend and I have managed to convince our teacher to let us do the following project to boost our grade:

Find any allusions to the Bible, Shakespeare, Greek mythology, and the King Arthur legend in the four Harry Potter books.

I've found some of the more obvious ones (i.e. the Weird Sisters, Minerva, Hermione), but could anyone help me out with more? Thanks!

 

Bertha Jorkins = Jek Porkins

Great resource

 

obviously Voldemort is Satan

 

One obvious Harry Potter allusion to the Bible is Voldemort's comparison to Satan. In the HP books, Rowling makes references as to Voldemort undergoing many dark changes to gain his most powerful form in order to corrupt the world. In several biblical verses Satan has taken different forms to corrupt the world. Voldemort is the epitome of evil and is the exact opposite of Albus Dumbledore, who is the epitome of good in the books and could also be considered an allusion to God. Both Satan and Voldemort have followers and both have agents that do the bidding of their master.

Rowling's writing also preaches the importance of friendship and family as well as redeeming traits as selflessness, charity, mercy and respect. These same characteristics can be seen being preached in numerous Biblical verses.

Harry himself could also be considered a kind of "magical messiah" in that he is being groomed to fight and defeat Voldemort. Harry's personal traits of goodness and his selfless acts of heroism prove that he is more than just an ordinary boy or wizard. Harry is destined to save the world from evil.

 

Someone on these boards was telling me about a King Lucious (Lucious Malfoy) being a leading supporter of Voldemortus (Lord Voldemort) and then killing King Arthur (Arthur Weasley)

Although Arthur has yet to die, or be killed by Lucious, it gives you something to think about.

PS: Please correct me if any of this information is wrong.

 

But what about Lucius being Satan? I mean Lucius = Lucifer?

 

One allusion to Shakespeare is Rowling, like Shakespeare, constructs characters that represent not people but human traits. So, in the same way Othello is jealousy or Benvolio good-naturedness, Harry is luck and Hermione arrogance (well, maybe not arrogance, but definitely show-off-ness).

Rowling also gives her characters descriptive names like Shakespeare did. Mercutio was mercurial. The Malfoys are ill faith and Voldemort brings bad death.

 

jedi_master_ousley: Thats interesting...

 

Wasn't there one character that's name sounded like "George Lucas"?

 

There's Ron's brother George Weasley, thats the only George I know of in HP.

 

Hermione was the Queen in A Winter's Tale, I believe, so you might be able to find something there.

 

Oh....that must be it.


George and the other character Lucius.

George and Lucius = George Lucas?

 

Is it just me or did anyone else imagine Professor Quirrel as a giant talking squirrel?

 

Thanks guys, this is great! Any more help would be appreciated as well. Except for stuff about squirrels.

 

Holy cow- no one's noticed Merlin like on the chocolate frogs cards or also Morgana (the sorceress from the Arthurian legends), or- emm- the Druidess Cliodne, who's like some kind of Celtic goddess or something. I really suggest you go over the scene with the cards in the first book, if you have it.

 

Some could say that Harry getting his wand and the whole "wand chooses it's owner" thing could be a loose nod to the Sword in the Stone.

 

That means that Harry is the equivalent of Sir Galahad--the King's champion, Galahad was chosen by God to find and safeguard the Holy Grail.

Harry, it seems, is chosen to destroy Voldemort.

 

One of the owls in HP is named Hermes, which is the Greek name for the Roman god Mercury. Owls are used for post in the HP world because of their speed. Mercury was supposed to have super speed.

Edit: You also have the leprechauns as the mascots of Ireland in Goblet of Fire, you have the Phoenix of course in Chamber of Secrets. I have heard but havent read that the dark wizard Grindelwald, the one Dumbledore defeated in that card scene in Sorceror's Stone, was the name of an old Norse God of some kind that the Vikings believed in.

 

Hermes was the messenger of the gods.

 

Some could say that Harry getting his wand and the whole "wand chooses it's owner" thing could be a loose nod to the Sword in the Stone.

There's an ever closer allusion to the Sword in the Stone - Harry pulling the sword of Godric Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat, which (according to Dumbledore) "only a true Gryffindor" could do.

 

Wow, I never knew there was so much stuff like that. And I completely forgot about the Merlin card.

Is it just me or did anyone else imagine Professor Quirrel as a giant talking squirrel?

I always did. I pictured him quite a bit different then in the movie. But then, the second time I read the book, I thought about the squirrel thing, but luckily I got it out of my head before the next time I read it.

 

In the play A Winter's Tale in which the queens name is Hermione, one of the characters also mentions having the sight of a basilisk.

 

I read something just the other day that had something about a basilisk in it. (Besides CoS of course)

I wish I could remember what it was from.

 

How long do you have? I got a book last year for Christmas which is basically what you are looking for in the first three books. Let me read the book tonight (after dusting it off ::cough: and I can help you out.

 

The link I posted, the second reply to this thread offers a great wealth of knowledge, as I see many have overlooked it as a resource.