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ABSTRACT FOR DISSERTATION ON PAPER VIII:
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
LOCATING HOGWARTS AND MIDDLE-EARTH:
AN EXPLORATION OF THE SOURCES OF HARRY POTTER
AND THE HOBBIT
The twentieth century has witnessed a new reading of children‟s fairy tales – those of J.R.R.
Tolkien and J.K. Rowling. Shattering the grounds of human civilisation, they explore the
magical. Fairy tales are magical, but their approach is towards witchcraft and wizardry, and not
just tales of fantasy in wonderlands. The sweetness of the fairies are not found in these tales; the
world of Tolkien is legendary world – when man was just spreading on the surface of the earth;
the world of Rowling is the twentieth and the twenty-first century – but a hidden world of
wizards and witches in the normal human world. Rowling and Tolkien are thus, very far from
each other with respect to the times they present in their works – but what draws their tales
together are the common creatures – elves, wizards, goblins, dragons – and the theme of good
winning over evil. But the evil of these tales is not like the evil of the fairy tales which were
prevalent before their compositions, but a darker evil – a dark force, to be more precise, and its
threat is not upon the lives of some individuals or kingdoms, but on the entire earth. The children
of today‟s societies would be able to find more reality in the depiction of this kind of evil,
especially after the two world wars.
While it may seem that these compositions are totally at odds with the previous fairy tales and
other forms of children‟s literature, they are not totally unique. In this dissertation, I shall explore
the sources of Rowling‟s work, and the sources of Tolkien‟s work, and how the two are similar
and different in their handling of the sources. Hogwarts and Middle-Earth, therefore, have been
used metonymically in my title.
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The sources will be discussed under different sections. The first section will deal with the
creatures that are found in these works. This section would look at the various texts from where
Tolkien and Rowling have borrowed their characters, and state the differences in the presentation
of these creatures in the two compositions.
The second section will deal with mythologies. This section will be primarily about Harry Potter.
I shall explore how Rowling has borrowed from Greek and Roman myths in presenting Harry
Potter, and where she has changed some things, perhaps for the sake of children.
The third section shall deal with other literary sources, and this section shall deal with both Harry
Potter and The Hobbit. I shall explore how Rowling and Tolkien have borrowed from various
medieval texts, from the Bible, and from other fairy tales, in hidden forms.
The fourth section shall deal with Rowling‟s borrowings from psychiatry, and state how this is
an influence of her personal experience, when she had to undergo psychological treatment.
The fifth section will deal with the exploration of the places found in these books, and try to see
how the two authors have borrowed from descriptions of places historic and new, to make their
worlds.
All these shall be to place these texts in their unique position in a new genre of children‟s
literature.
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CONTENTS
Introduction……………………………………………………………6
1.
Fantasy Creatures……………………………………………………...8
2.
Mythologies…………………………………………………………..20
3.
Other Literary and Religious Sources………………………………..26
4.
Borrowings from Rowling‟s Life……………………………………33
5.
Exploring the Places…………………………………………………36
6.
Notes………………………………………………………………...41
7.
Abbreviations………………………………………………………..42
8.
Works Consulted…………………………………………………….42
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Fig.1.
Bilbo greeting Gandalf in LOTR I……………………………………….8
Fig. 2.
Bilbo in his room…………………………………………………………8
Fig. 3.
A traditional picture of goblins……………………………………….......8
Fig. 4.
The goblin-manager of Gringott‟s bank in HP 1…………………………9
Fig. 5.
Orlando Bloom as Elf in LOTR………………………………………….10
Fig. 6.
Elf in HP………………………………………………………………….11
Fig. 7.
Traditional picture of Elf…………………………………………………13
Fig. 8.
Dwarf in LOTR…………………………………………………………...14
Fig. 9.
Man coming across a Were-wolf……………………………………….....18
Fig. 10.
A picture of the phoenix…………………………………………………..20
Fig. 11.
Phoenix in Dumbledore‟s chamber, HP 2…………………………………21
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Fig. 12.
Phoenix in Dumbledore‟s chamber, HP 2……………………………….21
Fig. 13.
Phoenix burning in the nest shot………………………………………...21
Fig. 14.
Phoenix rising from its ashes immediately afterwards………………….21
Fig. 15.
Cerberus in black-and-white…………………………………………….22
Fig. 16.
A traditional portrayal of a centaur……………………………………...23
Fig. 17.
Map of the World by Camocio, in 1560s………………………………..37
Fig. 18.
Map of Middle-earth by Tolkien in LOTR……………………………...37
Fig. 19.
Map of the world by Mercator, 1569……………………………………38
Fig. 20.
Map of Middle-earth as given by Tolkien in LOTR…………………….38
Fig. 21.
Map of Venice by Camocio…………………………………………….39
Fig. 22.
Map of Gondor and Mordor by Tolkien………………………………...39
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Any research work is a mixture of inspiration and perspiration. Here, I take pleasure to mention
those who have inspired me to perspire.
First and foremost, I would like to thank Shankha Subhro Chakraborty, from whom I read the
first few Harry Potter books and Priyanka, from whom I first read The Lord of the Rings back in
my school days, and in the same connection, I would like to thank Arka Prabha Dey, with whom
I have spent lots of time discussing Harry Potter.
My heartfelt thanks goes to Sudeshna Mukherjee and Kaustav Chanda, who have worked parallel
on the same text, and have helped in motivating me. In being three friends writing on Harry
Potter, we have literally been like Harry, Ron and Hermione.
I would like to like to acknowledge my debt to Ms Debjani Mitra, a psychotherapist, for much of
the matter in chapter four has been as per her guiding views on the subject.
I would also like to acknowledge my supervisor, Mr Abin Chakraborty, who has patiently read
the dissertation, and suggested lots of valuable inputs and corrections.
I would like to thank Ravenheart and De Kirk‟s A Wizard’s Bestiary; Sullivan‟s Bestiary:
Animals, Monsters and Were-Creatures, two books from which I have used the painted
illustrations in this dissertation.
I would like to thank Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema for the pictures which I have used
from the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings films.
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Introduction
The Hobbit and Harry Potter books present worlds which have been taken from fairy
tales, but shaped by mature hands of adults who are into the field of Literature. Like Lewis
Carroll, both create their own worlds. Lewis Carroll had created a world which could be entered
through a magical looking glass. Tolkien creates the Middle-earth; Rowling creates a hidden
world inside the normal world.
The Middle-earth of Tolkien is hidden in the clouds of History, for Tolkien presents it to
belong to a time when the race of men had not ruled on the Earth. In fact, the Lord of the Rings
ends with the “Age of Men” about to begin. It thus, speaks of a time which cannot be verified,
and so, it is presented to us as a prehistoric tale.
According to the author, the hobbits can be found even today; they just hide when they
sense the coming of the human beings. This is obviously to appeal to the children, who would be
all the more curious to learn about the little folk who are able to do this, and why they want to do
this.
J.K. Rowling states that the magical community signed the Treaty of Secrecy and decided
to live without letting the muggles aware of the fact that they are wizards and witches. They are
able to hide their places by charming them, so when muggles come near Hogwarts, they see an
old ruin with a warning sign, telling them not to enter. Diagon Alley is hidden among the bricks,
and the muggles do not look for them.
Both Tolkien and Rowling present their worlds as hidden from the world of the humans
(humans as we understand them to be), and so, make their stories credulous. They also serve the
purpose of drawing the fantasy of the reader. These worlds are, however, not entirely unique, as
has been examined in the following chapters, and are actually borrowed fusions from various
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sources. The dissertation explores that under various categories, beginning with the magical
creatures that make up these worlds, and ending with the making of these worlds themselves.
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Chapter 1: Fantasy Creatures
The Hobbit
Tolkien mentions that the hobbits are creatures which are a little shorter than the
dwarves, and have thick hair on their skin, which serves as their shoes, and which also makes
them run silently.
Pic 1: Bilbo greeting Gandalf in LOTR I
Pic 2: Bilbo in his room – notice the feet.
The similarity with a rabbit is obvious. Moreover, they also live in holes, which they have
shaped like their houses. Tolkien over here has created a creature, but the pieces are from a
creature found in the human world – a rabbit. While the fairy tales before his times would be
presenting these animals only – Alice in Wonderland for example, where a rabbit is the
companion of Alice – Tolkien makes up one creature, and hides it so subtly, that the child‟s eye
cannot discern it.
Goblins and Elves
Pic 3: A traditional picture of goblins.
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Goblins and elves are totally different in their presentations in the two books. Goblins are
equated with little ghosts in Tolkien, and with magical creatures that are little in Rowling. They
are not ghosts in Rowling‟s presentation. However, both agree upon one aspect of the goblins –
they love money and gold, and are good at forging metals. The goblins are the keepers of the
bank in Harry Potter books, and in The Hobbit, they guard gold in caves, and make good
weapons. In fact, the skills of the goblins at making weapons are mentioned by Rowling also. In
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the sword of Griffindor is supposed to have been made
by the goblins. Both are treacherous creatures, and the other creatures of the magical community
are aware of it. In the seventh book, Bill tells that to Harry when he senses he is about to make a
pact with the goblin.
Pic 4: The goblin-manager of Gringott‟s bank in HP 1
Elves are totally different in the two presentations. They are tall, sharp-eyed and eared
creatures that are good at archery in Tolkien, and short, round-eyed (though sharp-eared)
creatures in Rowling. They are dignified creatures in Tolkien; they are slaves in Rowling.
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Pic 5: Orlando Bloom as Elf in LOTR
The elves of Tolkien are cunning people, who are tall and fair, and there are good elves
and bad elves, and the elves are more powerful than the humans, and were there before humans
on Middle-earth. In The Hobbit, Bilbo and the other dwarves are imprisoned by the elves for
trespassing into their territory, and the king of those elves is very shrewd. However, Elron, the
elf-lord, is a very good person, and well-read. In The Lord of the Rings, all the elves who are
found are good ones. However, the elves and the dwarves have mutual dislike. In Rowling, the
elves are creatures that arouse pity. They are magical creatures, but their magic is very little and
very limited, and are controlled by the humans. All elves are slaves, and they like it. The only
exception is Dobby, who is freed from Mr Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
He is the only free-elf. All other elves are slaves, and are not even dressed properly, for giving
them clothes would be a means of giving them freedom. So, they make themselves clothes from
things that they find lying around – pillow covers and so on.
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Pic 6: Elf in HP.
The little magic of the elves is controlled by their slavery to the humans, for they cannot
of their will disobey their masters, and in disobeying them in things, they must punish
themselves, so strong is their guilt feeling.1 It is in book seven that they revolt against
Voldemort, and are no longer the timid creatures, but they do not rebel for their freedom. They
merely fight against bad – an evil force which might destroy their masters at Hogwarts if they do
not take steps.
Let us now examine how Rowling and Tolkien have borrowed the concepts of goblins
and elves. In French folklore, goblins are spirits who attach themselves on houses, and help or
make chaos for the residents. “Goblins have an unpredictable, mischievous nature” (Guiley 141)
and love wine. Here, we find goblins in a totally different picture. In The Hobbit and The Lord of
the Rings, Goblins are dark creatures, who love to conspire, and dwell in caves, and love gold,
and most of the time, they steal gold. The picture of the goblins develops in The Lord of the
Rings, where the goblins become monsterous. The presentation of the goblins in Harry Potter
books has already been mentioned. So, it can be said that in the presentation of goblins, neither
J.K. Rowling nor J.R.R. Tolkien borrows from the folklore concept. However, their presentations
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are very similar to each other, and the only claim of borrowing that can be laid upon Rowling is
that she has borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien, as the latter wrote decades before Rowling.
Nevertheless, she makes it unique in her own way, by adding little things which give it a suitable
tale to be told to children.2 While the borrowing regarding goblins is unique, the same cannot be
said of the elves. In folktales,
Elves evolved in the mountains and forests of Scandinavia, where they are known as the
alfar of the huldre folk. There are two main types of elf - Dark (svartalfar) and Light
(liosalfar) - together with some regional varieties.
(www.mythicalrealm.com)
While Rowling does not mention the origin of the elves, Tolkien does mention them as
fair creatures (fair in appearance), who are found in the mountains and the streams, and in the
forests. He does not mention any dark elf, but in the films of The Lord of the Rings, Elron, the
Elf-lord, is presented to be dark.
Tolkien states that while the elves are fair in appearance, they are not all fair in their
ways. Some are good, and some are sly. In The Hobbit, the elves who are found in the forest,
those who make the dwarves prisoners, are sly. As per folklore,
the liosalfar or light elves live in Alfheim where Frey is their Lord. However, there has
also been the enduring belief in folklore of the elves as faery-folk: beings associated with
the natural world. These two conceptions of elves might still be linked, however, as
Alfheim is known to be a place of incredible natural beauty, and Frey, their leader, is an
agricultural deity. To further confuse this issue, Norse folklore has a strong belief in the
Landvaettir, or land spirits who may fit into either or both of these categories. Whether
one calls the spirits of the land as the elves, the faeries, or the landvaettir, or uses all of
these terms interchangeably, respect is all important….They are often arrogant and
haughty as a result of their advanced age both as a race, and as individuals….In nature
they find solace; and for the most part are a peaceful people and mean no harm to those
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who do no harm. But woe be to those who oppose the Elves, for to awaken the anger and
fury is to most assuredly bring about your own destruction. Beneath the soft exteriors of
the elves, beyond their songs of peace and tranquility lie skilled archers, powerful mages
and deadly warriors. There is no more revered friend than an elf, and likewise, there is no
more feared foe than an angry elf.
(www.mythicalrealm.com)
Pic 7: Traditional picture of Elf.
So, we see over here that Tolkien‟s version of the elves is not at much different from
folklore. Rowling‟s version of the elves is, on the other hand, entirely different from that of
Tolkien, and from folklore, as has already been stated.3 The only similarity Rowling gives is in
making the elves‟ ears long and pointed. The other elements, as we can see, merely serve to
make the elves more approachable to the child‟s mind, especially that of setting them free by
presenting them with a cloth. However, in making that up, Rowling does something which gives
it a traditional fairy tale look – a prisoner can be rescued only if a certain special thing is done –
and so, falls back to the fairy tale tradition in the structure, even though the look might be new.
Dwarves
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Dwarves are not found in Harry Potter books, but only in Tolkien. Tolkien presents the
dwarves to be second-smallest (the smallest being the hobbits) creatures that walk on two legs.
They love caves, and it is they who have made all the mines, and have found gold. While goblins
steal gold, dwarves make them. They are excellent in making weapons, and they have made
weapons for the race of men, writes Tolkien.
Pic 8: Dwarf in LOTR
The mail coat, which was worn even a few centuries back by soldiers, were actually made by
them, as per Tolkein, and the mails which they used to make were the hardest, not comparable to
the mails worn by the soldiers a few centuries back. Their mails could resist the sharpest and the
hardest weapons. Even elves were helped in their weapons by the dwarves. However, a breach
developed between the two creatures, and they remained at enmity after that.
The only sign of friendship between them is found in The Lord of the Rings, where a
dwarf and an elf are friends, and they vow to die together as friends. Tolkien‟s version of the
dwarves partly resembles folklore, where the dwarves are short in height, and love gold.
However, in some folk tales, they are associated with the rainbow, and the tales tell that at the
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two corners of the rainbow would be found two pots of gold, which are found by the dwarves.
Sometimes, the dwarves, in their magical association with the rainbow, are also given the power
to grant wishes for the human beings. However, in granting wishes, they turn out to be tricky.
Walt Disney once took out its cartoon version of King Midas and his lust for gold, where it was a
dwarf who granted the wish to King Midas, that all he touched would be gold. In the end, when
he takes back the wish, and King Midas becomes normal, he takes away the entire King‟s gold as
his self-asserted service payment. So, the cartoon presents the dwarf to have tricked King Midas
into taking his gold, more than teaching him his lesson of not to be greedy. Tolkien does not
mention any such association with the rainbow, or their ability to grant wishes, but he does show
that the dwarves are extremely greedy. When Thorin finds his gold again, he does not wish to
give it up, not even anything to those who helped him get it, and suffer damage. He turns a deaf
ear to all their considerate demands to pay only a little bit of his gold, so as to cover up the
damage, and a little bit more for the services which the men had rendered him, but he refuses to
pay even that, and much harm is caused in the ensuing war because of his folly.4
Thus, Tolkien retains the gold and the greed of gold for the dwarves, but the lesson that
he wishes to give is far more serious than the lessons of little stories for children told as fairy
tales. His lesson is that greed will lead to damage, and will result in new bad things – like the
war, which will ultimately result in loss of life, and the greedy person will himself not be able to
enjoy it. The seriousness of the war, as found in the naming of the war, 5 is a topical reference to
the World Wars which were fought in the twentieth century. The Five Armies are actually the
continents which participated in the war. The war in The Hobbit is a global war, just like the two
World Wars. Thus, Tolkien borrows from fairy tales his idea of the dwarves, but presents them
with surrounding incidents whose impact can be rightly felt by the contemporary people.
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It is not just the idea of the dwarves that Tolkien borrows. He even borrows their names
from an Old Norse mythological poem, Voluspa („The Seeress‟s Prophecy‟), a poem which talks
about the origin of the dwarves. The poem includes their ancestry and a list of their names.
This „catalogue of the dwarfs‟ was the source of the names for Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield,
Balin, Dwalin, Fili, Kili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur and Bombur and several other
Dwarves in TH and LR.
(Lee and Solopova 59)
Dragons
The presentation of the dragon is mostly from folklore for both Tolkien and Rowling. As
per folklore, dragons are ancient beasts, and they have got very thick hides, and only a few parts
are soft – that of the belly. They are necessarily violent, and some of them breathe fire. They are
found high up in the mountains or caves, and they eat lots of cattle for their food, if not humans.
Associated with this ancient creature is the ancient quest for gold, and the folklores state that the
dragons love gold. So, goblins, dwarves and dragons all love gold. While the dwarves are the
true owners of it, as per Tolkien, goblins steal it, and the dragons just lay possession of it,
destroying everything that comes on its way. Dragon-slayers were very popular in the Arthurian
legends.
Tolkien preserves all these things in his tale, The Hobbit. The very quest of the little
people is to recover the gold that has been besieged by a dragon – the last of its species. Rowling
makes a dragon guard the bank of the wizards. Both the authors, thus, associate the dragon with
gold. For Tolkien, the dragon sleeps most of the time, being very ancient creatures that they are,
and for Rowling, the dragon is being made to sleep most of the time. This too, is from tradition,
which states that the dragons sleep all the time that they do not eat.
Rowling makes the motto of Hogwarts a precaution against dragons:
Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus
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Which, translated, means
“A sleeping dragon should not be poked at.”
Rowling, however, makes the dragon bound, so that it does not cause damage in the bank
which it is supposed to be looking after. This shows she is thinking from the point of view of the
children, for a child would ask the natural question, “What if the dragon turns loose on those
who are in the bank?” Anticipating this, Rowling provides the answer – the dragon is bound
magically, so that it only acts as a guard who is guarded, and is a threat only to those who wish
to do some mischief. Tolkien does not need to keep the dragon guarded – his tale is about killing
the dragon, and so, the dragon displays all that it is capable of displaying. Finally, he is shot in
the hole which he has in the under-belly.
Tolkien takes his dragon – Smaug – from the Old English text Beowulf, where, in lines
2207-311, there is what is known as the dragon episode. It tells that after returning from
Hrothgar‟s court, Beowulf became the King of the Geats, and ruled peacefully, till a dragon
came to his country, and devastated the kingdom, which included the burning down of Beowulf‟s
royal hall. In The Hobbit, the dragon suddenly attacks the city of the lake men, and destroys the
king‟s palace. What is more striking is the reason for the attack. Tolkien makes Bilbo Baggins
steal a cup from the dragon‟s lair (rightfully, the cave of the dwarves) to prove his merit, and the
dragon, being aware of the missing golden piece, decides to seek vengeance. In Beowulf, the
dragon attacks because a cup is stolen from the treasure-trove that he was guarding. In the poem,
the dragon is slain by Beowulf, but he is mortally wounded, and dies. In The Hobbit, the dragonslayer lives, and becomes their leader, and their next king. However, the similarity is notable.
Moreover, the dragon‟s treasure is revealed in the poem, and it is told that the treasure is cursed.
In The Hobbit, the treasure is not told to be cursed, but it does cause havoc right afterwards.
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While Tolkien displays the dragon in the dress of conventional folklore, Rowling adds
things. She classifies dragons under several heads. In The Goblet of Fire, Rowling presents four
kinds of dragons, each named after the place where it is found. She states that the Hungarian
Horntail is the fiercest of the dragons. In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, she expands
the list, and states that
There are ten breeds of dragon(s), though these have been known to interbreed on
occasion, producing rare hybrids.
(FBWFT, 11)
So, though Tolkien and Rowling both borrow the dragon as it is presented in the folklore,
Rowling becomes a scholar and adds to the breeds of the dragons.
Werewolves
Werewolves are a mixed breed of humans and wolves. Were-wolves, or the man turned
into a beast, is termed in Greek lycanthropy (beast-man).
Pic 9: Man coming across a Were-wolf.
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How does this happen? An ordinary man may be turned into a were-wolf by the bite of a
were-wolf. This is what happens with Professor Lupin. While a child, he was bitten by a
notorious were-wolf, and he becomes a were-wolf himself. But how does a were-wolf come to
be in the first place? Rowling does not answer that. As per beliefs,
Certain people…might be able to become weres because they have a spiritual link with
the animal template…or because they practice certain rituals or ceremonies that give
them the power to shift shape….Lycanthropy is often portrayed as hereditary…They may
be humans with a rare magical or genetic gift, or a completely separate race, living in
disguise among humanity. (Sullivan
83)
While there is no were-wolf in Tolkien, he does create a shape-changer, Beorn, who can
change into a bear. Tolkien states heredity to be the reason for his lycanthropy.6 Thus, it is very
clear that Tolkien has studied these ancient beliefs into making this creature.
But the uniqueness, which is the similarity, for both these authors is that while legends
present the were-wolves as bad and dangerous, they make both the characters, Lupin and Beorn,
very good, who fight their level-best against the forces of evil.
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Chapter 2: Mythologies
This chapter shall primarily deal with Harry Potter, and references to The Hobbit would
be few, if any.
In the creation of her secret world, Rowling is original. But how original is she in the
things that she presents? In the previous chapter, we have discussed how some of the magical
creatures are borrowed from folklore, and some directly from other texts. In this chapter, we
shall discuss the borrowings from mythologies. It is true, mythologies are part of folklore, but
here, the borrowings would be discussed as those which are from the classical mythical stories,
and not just common folklore.
The Myth of the Phoenix
Pic 10: A picture of the phoenix.
Phoenix is a mythical song-bird, having its origin in the Arabian lands more than in the
classical Greece. It is a bird which is reddish-purple in colour, which lives for a thousand years,
then burns itself by building a pyre, then rises again from its own ashes. Because of its
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rejuvenating power, it became associated with Christ later on. There is supposed to be only one
phoenix.7 Rowling presents something of this kind in the Harry Potter books. There is only one
phoenix, and that belongs to the greatest wizard of the time, Albus Dumbledore. In the second
book, Harry sees the phoenix die, and rise again from its ashes.
Pics 11, 12: Phoenix in Dumbledore‟s chamber, HP 2
Pic 13: Phoenix burning in the nest shot.
Pic 14: Phoenix rising from its ashes
immediately afterwards.
The phoenix tears have healing powers, and that too, is kept by Rowling. Harry is healed
by the phoenix tears of his deadly wound which he got from the fangs of the basilisk. Rowling,
however, makes the phoenix unique by investing it with the power to burst into flames anytime it
likes – not just after a thousand years – and grow up rather fast. In the second book, it bursts into
flames – right in the stand, without a fire – and is reborn as a baby a few minutes later. In The
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Goblet of Fire, it is grown into a full-grown bird, though only two years have passed. This bird
bursts into flames by swallowing the death-curse, and is born again. In the seventh book, which
has seen the passage of only two years, the phoenix has become a full-grown bird again. Other
than investing it with the ability to burn and be born anytime it wants, Rowling creates dramatic
irony with the phoenix. It is the phoenix which has provided its feathers for the wand which
Voldemort chooses, and ironically, which Harry chooses. The bird belongs to Dumbledore, who
is against Voldemort, and the phoenix acts against him, for it is loyal to Dumbledore. The myths
state that the phoenix bird has disappeared now, and no one knows where it is, and Rowling
makes Fawkes the Phoenix disappear, without anyone knowing where is goes. It simply
disappears from the world, after lamenting the death of its master, Dumbledore.
Cerberus
Rowling directly borrows this creature from classical myth, where Cerberus is the dog
found at Hades, guarding its mouth. In Greek, its name is Kerberos, meaning, “demon of the
pit”.8
Pic 15: Cerberus in black-and-white.
The guard-dog of Hades is brought to Hogwarts to guard the philosopher‟s stone. In
making the dog three-headed, she keeps what the myth states. Where she adds her own things is
in making the dog fall asleep to music. However, this is not really her own creation, and is a
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classical allusion. Orpheus, the mythical poet and singer, charms the beast to fall asleep by the
music of his lyre.
Her addition is thus, a fusion. But she makes it readable for children by giving it the
name Fluffy.9
Minerva
Professor Minerva McGonagall is the Head of the Gryffindor house, and the deputy
headmistress after Dumbledore. As per classical myth, Minerva is the goddess of war in a
positive sense, while Mars happens to be the god of war in a negative sense. Minerva is martial
in her appearance, and very brilliant. Rowling makes Professor McGonagall a stern lady, who
never lets her hair loose. She seems to be the epitome of discipline, and is beyond a doubt, a very
bright witch. She is very astute, and is unflinching, but kind at the same time. Gryffindor stands
for bravery, and as its head, she never fails to show bravery. She risks being stupefied when she
goes out to save Hagrid all alone, in The Order of the Phoenix. She is never partial, and always
insists on fair play.
Centaurs
As per myth, centaurs are half-horses and half-humans.
Pic 16: A traditional portrayal of a centaur.
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They have the upper part of a human and the lower part of a horse. They are great
archers, and do not consider themselves to be ordinary horses (which they are not), and in some
versions, they have the lower body of a goat.
They originally dwelt on Mount Pelion in Thessaly, northern Greece. Most were savage
and lascivious, often carrying off human women. After a particularly noxious episode at
the wedding of Hippodameia and Pirithous, king of the Lapiths, where they got drunk and
attempted to abduct the bride, they were driven from Thessaly in a famous battle. But the
Centaur Cheiron was a kind and wise teacher who tutored Aesclepius, Jason, and
Achilles, and freed Prometheus by relinquishing his own immortality in trade. Zeus
placed him in the heavens as the constellation Sagittarius. The myth of the Centaur is
believed to be derived from garbled descriptions of early horsemen by people who had
never before seen horses being ridden.
(Ravenheart and DeKirk 29)10
Rowling preserves the role of the centaurs as teachers by bringing in a centaur, Firenze,
to teach at Hogwarts, to teach Divinity. While Rowling does not mention the centaurs to be that
drunk, she does maintain the fact that they are arrogant and rude to the human race in general.
Only Dumbledore has earned their respect, and they show no favour to anybody. She adds that
they are wise readers of the stars, and keep their secret to themselves. While Rowling presents
the centaurs from the myth as arrogant, and one of them as teacher (who is banished by the
community of centaurs by his decision to teach humans, just as Chieron relinquishes his own
immortality), she does criticize them in general for their decision to remain indifferent, and not
partake in the effort to end Voldemort.
Sibyl and Cassandra
While there is not overt reference to Sibyl and Cassandra, the two prophetesses of
Apollo, Rowling makes some of their attributes visible in the character of Professor Trelawney.
Sibyl is an old prophetess, who asked for longevity of life as much as the grains of sand in a
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handful. She got it, but as she forgot to ask for youth, she withered, and became miserable.
Cassandra was proposed to by Apollo, but she at first asked for the gift of prophesy. Having got
that, she refused the advances of Apollo, so Apollo cursed her that while she would still be able
to prohesise, her prophesies would not be believed by anybody. In Harry Potter, Professor
Trelawney looks like a giant bat, wearing spectacles. In her looks as being miserable deformed
of countenance, she resembles Sibyl. In the fact that she speaks what is unbelievable, she
resembles Cassandra. It must be noted here that Cassandra actually spoke true things, though
nobody believed her. For Trelawney, she actually speaks rubbish, which naturally is not believed
by anybody. However, the similarity lies in the fact that they are both disbelieved by the people.
She has spoken only two correct prophesies; but unfortunately, only few people are aware of
them.
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Chapter 3: Other Literary and Religious Sources
So far, we have examined the various folk-lore and mythological borrowings. We shall
now turn our attention to other literary texts, and borrowings from the Bible.
Influence of the Bible
The Hobbit can be called a tale where the characters set out to fulfill all that has been
already written down in the prophesies. This is more apparent in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien,
in making the structure of the prophesies, actually draws from the Bible, which is filled with
prophesies for the race of the Israelites, and for the world. The vision of the King who will make
the rivers run with gold reminds the readers of the prophesies in the Book of Revelations, where
St. John sees the New Jerusalem, and a river flowing through it. The city is made of pure gold,
and so, the river too, will be sparkling with golden reflection. However, Tolkien presents this to
be in this world, and not in the world of the righteous, as mentioned in the Bible. But the
similarity in the image cannot fail to be noticed. The other image that is very similar is that of the
dragon wrecking havoc on the earth. In the Bible, several beasts are mentioned, and a dragon is
mentioned, which is symbolically the Devil, who went about, making men fearful of him, and
ruling the with this fear from them. He is finally captured and chained, and ultimately thrown
into the Lake of Fire, to be tortured forever. Tolkien makes his dragon rule over the men and all
others out of fear, and he wrecks havoc on them, as the dragon wrecks havoc on the earth. Just as
the dragon is captured, and finally brought to subjection, this dragon too, is killed, so that he can
cause harm no more.
The Bible talks about a time when the present earth and the heavens will pass away, and a
new heaven and a new earth will be made, after the apocalypse. When the former things shall
pass away, the dead will rise, and all people – living and dead – shall stand before God to be
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judged, and shall be the Judgment Day. Tolkien states something similar, that one day, all these
shall fade away, and all the dead will rise once more. What kind of a judgment it is going to be,
he does not state, nor does he mention God explicitly in the story, but he implies the power of the
Almighty, who will one day make things new, and all shall face Him. When Thorin dies, he
states,
“Farewell, good thief,” he said. “I go now to the halls of waiting, to sit beside my fathers,
until the world is renewed.” (Tolkien
265)
Rowling does not directly borrow from The Bible, but its influence is very much there.
She makes use of the Christian themes in her stories. The theme of Christmas is itself a good
example of it. Witches and wizards are seen decorating things for Christmas, the birth of the
Saviour. Rowling, through this, makes it perfectly clear that these wizards and witches are not
doing something against Christianity, but are, in their own way, rejoicing with the muggles on
the occasion of the birth of Christ. As Christ Himself states in The Bible, “He who is not against
us is on our side.” (Mark 9:40)
Peter Ciaccio states,
Rowling‟s depiction of magic in the Harry Potter series is quite original: in fact, in
Harry‟s world, magic is an element of nature, rather than a supernatural trick.
(Heilman
35)
Umberto Eco tries to justify the use of magic in Harry Potter by stating,
Do we really believe that children who read stories of magic, once they become adult,
will believe in witches? [. . .] All of us have felt a healthy fear of ogres and werewolves,
but, as grown-ups, learned to fear not poisoned apples, but the hole in the ozone-layer. [. .
.] The real problem lies in those people who, as children, never read stories of magic and,
as adults, believe whatever TV tells them, e.g. seeking help from those who read the
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leaves or the tarots, from those who celebrate black Sabbaths, from healers and seers,
believing those who reveal the secrets of Tutankhamun. (Eco
266)
The theme of love which is there in Harry Potter in a most crucial way is one of the
greatest commandments of Christianity. As Christ states after having the last supper, “A new
commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love
one another.” (John 13:34) In another place, in answering a scribe, he states that the second
greatest commandment is that “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (James 2:8)
In Harry Potter, love is the greatest weapon on Harry‟s side, and is one of the most
ancient forms of magic. It is a different magic from the magic of spells produced by wands. It is
extremely powerful – enough to make Voldemort find it intolerable and he leaves Harry, in The
Order of the Phoenix. It is the protective power of love that saves Harry when Voldemort had
come to kill him in the first place.
The Sorting Hat that is there in Harry Potter is to sort as per the inner qualities of the
persons – as per the inner gifts that one has. The Bible mentions that each one has got some gift
from the Holy Spirit. St. Paul writes,
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services,
but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who
activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the
common good. To one is given [. . .] the utterance of wisdom, and to another the
utterance of knowledge [. . .], to another faith [. . .], to another gifts of healing [. . .], to
another the working of miracles [. . .], to another prophecy, to another the discernment of
spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All
these are activated by the one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just
as the Spirit chooses.
(1 Cor. 12.4–11)
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The Sorting Hat chooses as per the gifts one has, something that St. Paul himself talks
about. Rowling simply presents the same idea of inner ability through the Sorting Hat, so as to
appeal more to the children‟s minds. The theme, as we can see, remains Christian.
Events in Harry‟s life seem to be a working out of the words of Jesus in The Sermon on
the Mount. His first beatification, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of
Heaven.” (Matt. 5.3) and the following beatifications, that those who hunger and thirst, shall be
filled; the meek shall inherit the earth, are what happens to Harry Potter. At the beginning, he is
poor, and an orphan who is neglected; he does not get much to eat; his dress is shabby. There is a
complete turn at the end of the seventh book, when Harry is happily married, has got a good
fortune, and is definitely not hungry. Rowling simply tells the sermon in a story.
Besides these, there is a direct similarity of words in “The unforgivable curses” and “The
unpardonable sins”, as Peter Ciaccio observes.11
The theme of the temptation of power is explored in Harry Potter. One would remember
the temptation of Christ by Satan, which he fails to do. One of the temptations was to get power
over all the kingdoms of the earth, which Christ refuses, saying, “It is written, you shall worship
the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” (Matt 4:10) After His resurrection, He gets
all authority in heaven and earth, and has the key of Hades and of Death.
Voldemort is one who has fallen into the temptation of gaining power, and an equally
overpowering fear of death, which he wants to drive out by becoming immortal. He ultimately
ends up dividing his soul into seven parts (seven is a significant number in Christian theology).
Dumbledore himself, falling into temptation, suffers mortal harm, and he says, “I…was a fool.
Sorely tempted...” (DH 546)
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Dumbledore had avoided practicing evil power all through his life, though he was very near in
falling into evil ways. His friend chooses the wrong track; he remains in the right track. He is
satisfied in being the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and refuses the post of the Minister of Magic. It
is his last mistake which makes him suffer harm. Falling into the temptation of power will lead to
bad results, that is what Rowling states; that is what The Bible states.
Borrowings from the Medieval Quest-Themes
Tolkien borrows a lot from the medieval tales of the knights setting out on a quest in his
tale, The Hobbit. Structurally, the quest-theme is brought out by the issues of something which
needs to be recovered; a council is held to recover it; some people set out to recover it; there is
danger on the way; they overcome the dangers on the way and reach the place; after some effort,
they kill whatever is keeping the thing in that place, and recover it; there is a return journey, with
few incidents; there is general rejoicing at the return, and a time of prosperity follows. Auden
mentions six elements of the quest-theme:
Finding of a precious object or person.
A long journey to seek the above.
A hero (these can be of two kinds – first where the hero‟s superpowers are manifest; second where they are
hidden).
A test or series of tests.
Overcoming of the guardians of the above.
Assistance from helpers.
(Auden 35)
Tolkien maintains all these in The Hobbit. Now let us look at a particular medieval text
which interested Tolkien. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was a text that Tolkien found highly
interesting – so interesting that he took out his edition of it. As Lee and Solopova writes,
In simple terms the underlying plot of Sir Gawain is based on a quest to find the Green Knight‟s
chapel and complete the challenge. As Gawain survives, the quest becomes circular; he literally
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goes there and back again. Yet the Gawain that sets out is different from the Gawain that returns.
Indeed, he himself at least earnestly believes that he has learned an important lesson from his
experience. The analogy to TH and LR is obvious. In both there is a quest (to get the dragon‟s
treasure; to destroy the ring), there are central characters (Bilbo and the Dwarves; Frodo and the
Fellowship), the main protagonists of which set out from a simple, childlike place (the Shire in
Tolkien; the frivolous Camelot in Sir Gawain) but return to a changed environment more mature
as a result of their experiences. Bilbo returns richer, wiser – and to his house being sold. Frodo and
the hobbits return to Saruman‟s destruction, but now have the understanding and confidence to
deal with the problem themselves.
(Lee and Solopova 26)
Rowling does not use the quest-theme in detail – for Harry Potter is more than just that,
but she does use some elements of the quest-theme – the long journey do destroy the villain; the
obstacles before the hero; the hero‟s overcoming them; receiving help from his friends.
Rune borrowings
Both Rowling and Tolkien use runes in their books, but while Rowling refers to the
runes, Tolkien simply brings them before the readers – they are there in their texts. In fact, the
cover of the book has got the title written in runes.
Tolkien‟s interest in runes stems from his career as a medievalist, but this ancient
Germanic alphabet was also important to him as a writer. (Lee and
Solopova 31)
Regarding the interest in runes, Tolkien himself writes,
I have received several queries, on behalf of children and adults, concerning the runes
and whether they are real and can be read. Some children have tried to puzzle them out.
Would it be a good thing to provide a runic alphabet? I have had to write one out for
several people.
(Letters, 19, p. 27)
Runes are ancient alphabets, originating abound the first century AD, and used to write the
Germanic languages.
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Runic inscriptions are found on stones, wood, weapons, jewellery, pottery and tools, but
not until very late on parchment or paper. The runic alphabet in its earliest known form
consisted of 24 letters. In modern literature on runes it is often called futhark – a name
made up of the sounds represented by the first six runes.
(Lee and Solopava 32)
Tolkien creates a remarkably scholarly language by these runes, and giving them the
appeal of the mysterious by presenting them in his fairy-tales of Middle-earth.
The Philosopher’s Stone
The title of the first book of Harry Potter brings out the practice of Alchemy – the medieval (and
even Renaissance) chemists‟ desires to produce gold from base metals, and extracting a juice
from it, calling it the elixir of life. Rowling borrows this without change. What she does is that
instead of making it a mystery – for no one knew if anyone had successfully made it – she makes
it real. The stone is there in reality – Nicholas Flammel12 and Dumbledore are credited with it,
and it used to be with Flammel, till Dumbledore took it for safe-keeping, guessing Voldemort
might be after it to get back to power. how exactly the stone would help him get back to power is
never explained, and Rowling feels no need to do so, for he does not get it, and Dumbledore,
after talking with Flammel, decides to destroy it, but what remains is a lasting impression of the
stone in the minds of the readers, giving a golden look to alchemy, something it has never been
able to get in science, for modern chemists treat it as quack historical practice.
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Chapter 4: Borrowings from Rowling’s Life
In some interview, J.K. Rowling confessed that she had once needed psychiatrist‟s
counselling, for she was feeling suicidal. Acute depression was the cause. Right now, she might
be an author whose earnings are more than that of the Queen, but just before her writing career
of Harry Potter began, she was bankrupt, and could hardly make two ends meet. Depression, and
overcoming depression is something that Rowling features at length in the Harry Potter books.
This becomes explicit with the entry of the dementors in the third book. The dementors, in the
book, are magical creatures who suck out the happiness of a person, and make only dark
thoughts dwell in his mind. For this awful power, they are kept as guards in the Prison of
Azkaban. The persons, once in the power of these horrible creatures, feel so powerless that they
can hardly move about. The most horrible thing that a dementor can do is to kiss a person, which
is actually sucking out his soul, and leaving him just as a mere form. The dementors to not walk
– they glide. They have a darkening presence on the atmosphere as well – it literally darkens
when the dementors are there, and when they breed, there is fog.
These are the attributes of the physically present creatures, dementors. But they are more
than that. They are more psychological than physical, and the result of the sessions that Rowling
has had in counselling. Let me mention at this point that this chapter will not deal will
psychoanalytic theory in Rowling‟s work, but actual clinical psychiatry. In clinical psychiatry, a
person suffering from overpowering depression feels suicidal (compare the helpless condition of
the persons when dementors attack, and the ultimate power they have – killing people), and the
only way to make the person feel normal is not to resort to Freud‟s idea of practicing the fearful
thing to get over the fear, but to prevent it by thinking other thoughts. This preventive thoughts
need to be strong enough to divert the mind, till the effect of the depressing or fearful thoughts is
Mallik 34
reduced, and the person calms down. Under no circumstances must a person thin about those
negative thoughts, not even to see if they have been reduced in effect. The positive thoughts must
be happy thoughts, able to divert the mind. They act as protection. This is what Rowling does in
Harry Potter. Lupin teaches Harry how to keep the dementors at bay – a very strong thought,
which the dementors will not be able to suck out, for it will always be hovering around, and will
protect the person. Harry at first, is not able to perform this, and his progress is very slow. Even
if he is able to perform it (a spell is needed to project the thought out in the form of a creature,
the shape of the creature being totally subconscious or even unconscious influence), the creature
has hardly got a shape – they look like a formless mass of floating silver (this is the visual image
of thoughts, and the source of this image is Medea, where Medea passionately cries to let her
thoughts out like silvery lines), and they vanish very soon, and Harry feels exhausted. This is
exactly what happens to a patient who is slowly recovering. When Harry is finally able to do it,
becoming self-confident, knowing he can do it, for he has seen his future self do it), he produces
a very strong patronus, which takes the shape of a stag – that is the animal into which his father
used to transfigure. Whatever be the happy thought then onwards, the shape of the patronus
remains the same, bringing out the deep impact of the unconscious.
In book six, the potion which Voldemort keeps in the cave, in which the locket, which is
a horcrux, is kept, is a potion which very similar to the working of the dementors, but it is
stronger, and there seems to be no prevention for it, for even Dumbledore falls prey to the
negative thoughts. But these thoughts are the painful thoughts of one‟s memory that surfaces –
thoughts which are buried deep in the subconscious come out in the conscious, thoughts which
the person never wishes to come out. So, it is not sucking out the happiness, leaving only
depressing and fearful thoughts, but a booster of the painful memory that one has. However, it
Mallik 35
too, has the exhausting effect, and one feels extremely thirsty after it. Its total effect goes off only
gradually, and that too, for those who are very strong in their minds.
So, it can be clearly seen how Rowling has brought out her own experiences of
depressing and fearful thoughts, and the treatment of overcoming them, in the Harry Potter
books.
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Chapter 5: Exploring the Places
Rowling, it has already been said at the beginning, presents the contemporary world, and
the magical world is found to be hidden in it. In contemporary London, there are magical
markets, and homes of the wizards and witches. The other places, like the castle-school of
Hogwarts, are all set in the natural contemporary landscape.
Rowling creates her own world of Hogwarts, and there are two other schools in other
parts of the world, to train wizards and witches. Other than these schools, there are other magical
places – the houses of the wizards and witches, the markets where they shop, magical bus, and so
on. All these are hidden from the muggles by magical spells over them, so that whenever any
muggle comes near any such place, all they see is a huge ruin (for Hogwarts), or they are
magically reminded of something that they need to do right then, so that they leave that instant.
However, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is aware of the presence of the magical folk
– for the magical world only chooses to tell him of their identity – so that there can be
cooperation in secrecy. Other than him, the only other muggles who are aware of the presence of
the magical community are the parents or wards of the students who happen to be muggles – like
the Dursleys or Hermione‟s parents.
Tolkien gives a colourful map of Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings. While The
Hobbit does not do so, Tolkien does give a map of the journey undertaken by the dwarves and
Bilbo, and the places fall within Middle-earth only. An examination of these maps would reveal
their similarity with the map of the map of the world that used to be in circulation in Europe
during the Renaissance.
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Pic 17: Map of the World by Camocio, in 1560s.
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Pic 18: Map of Middle-earth by Tolkien in LOTR. Notice the similarity with pic 17.
Pic 19: Map of the world by Mercator, 1569.
Pic 20: Map of Middle-earth as given by Tolkien in LOTR. Notice the similarity in the dividing
mountain ranges.
Therefore, it can be said that Tolkien simply wishes to preserve the beliefs regarding the
location of the world through his books, for these maps are not found any more, and hardly does
one come across a history book giving the picture of such a map.
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Pic 20: Map of Venice by Camocio.
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Pic 21: Map of Gondor and Mordor by Tolkein. Notice the similarity with pic 20.
This world which was believed to be so has tuned out in the modern times to be not so at all,
thanks to satellites, and the books would all tell the correct map of the world. Would no one in
future know how the world used to be conceived in the earlier times? Tolkien assures them,
through his re-modelling of the Copernican atlas in the guise of Middle-earth.
(Words: 8362)
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1
NOTES
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dobby uses his magic against Mr Malfoy to
protect Harry, but he has been freed at that time. In book four however, we see him punishing
himself for speaking bad of his former master.
2
Like the fact that they are controlled by the wizards, and are keeping charge of a bank. This
reduces the murky effect that the goblins have about themselves.
3
For Rowling, elves are creatures that are small in stature, whose magic is very little, and they
are bound to slavery by the humans. They serve the human masters happily, and find it a sin to
rebel, and the only way in which they can get freedom is if their masters present them with
clothes. The presentation of clothes is no doubt, for giving it a childish look. As for their magic,
though it is little, it is something which the wizards can never do. They can disappear at will,
without learning how to operate, and do not need wands to perform their magic. But these things,
even if they are advantages for them, are not much use to hem – they use these magical powers
to serve their masters. More than that, a stronger magical power controls their actions, so that
they cannot disobey their masters, even if they want to. We find that in Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire, where Barty Crouch Junior takes the house elf with him, and the house elf, even
though not desirous to go, has to go, for he is taking her.
4
See The Hobbit, chapter 15.
5
The war is named The Battle of Five Armies.
6
In Greek mythology, Proteus is a shape-changer, and Tolkien might also have been influenced
by that. However, Proteus can change into any shape he wants, while for Beorn, he changes
chiefly to a bear. Other shapes, if any, are all that of animals.
7
See pg. 78, Ravenheart and DeKirk.
8
Milton mentions a similar dog in Paradise Lost, Book II.
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9
It is also a comic touch, and moreover, it hints at the child-like mindset of Hagrid.
10
Centaurs are also found in The Chronicles of Narnia.
11
See Peter Ciaccio‟s essay, entitled, „Harry Potter and Christian Theology‟ in Heilman.
12
Victor Hugo mentions him in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Rowling has got the name
from him.
ABBREVIATIONS
DH – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
FNWFT – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
HP – Harry Potter
LR, LOTR – The Lord of the Rings
TH – The Hobbit
WORKS CONSULTED
Auden, W. H. „The Quest Hero‟, in Isaacs and Zimbardo, 1969; reprinted in Zimbardo and
Isaacs, 2004; originally published in The Texas Quarterly IV, 1962.
Bloom, Harold, J.R.R. Tolkien. Bloom‟s Modern Critical Interpretation. New York: Infobase
Publishing, 2008.
Carpenter, H., ed. with the assistance of C. Tolkien. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. London:
Harper Collins, 1981.
Down, Ellie. The Unofficial Guide to Harry Potter. West Sussex: Summersdale Publishers Ltd.,
2005.
“Elves-Elf-Elven.” Mythical Realm.com. 1998-2010. 12 May 2010
<http://www.mythicalrealm.com/creatures/elves.html>.
Heilman, Elizabeth E., ed. Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter. London: Routledge, 2003.
Mallik 43
Isaacs, N. D. and R. A. Zimbardo. Tolkien and the Critics: Essays on J. R. R. Tolkien’s The
Lord of the Rings. University of Notre Dame Press, 1969.
Lee, Stuart D. and Elizabeth Solopova. The Keys of Middle-earth. Hamshire: Palgrave
Macmillan, 2005.
Lerer, Seth. Children’s Literature: A Reader’s History from Aesop to Harry Potter. Chicago:
The University of Chicago Press, 2008.
Ravenheart, Oberon Zell and Ash “Leopard Dancer” DeKirk, A Wizard’s Bestiary, New Jersey:
Career Press and New Page Books, 2007.
Rowling, J.K. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. London: Bloomsbury, 2001.
---, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. London: Bloomsbury, 1998.
---, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. London: Bloomsbury, 1998.
---, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. London: Bloomsbury, 1998.
---, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000.
---, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2003.
---, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. London: Bloomsbury, 2005.
---, Harry Potter and the Deathly-Hallows. London: Bloomsbury, 2007.
Scott, Thomas. The Making of the Potterverse. Ontario: ECW Press, 2007.
Sullivan, O‟ Steffan. Bestiary: Animals, Monsters and Were-Creatures. US: Steve Jackson
Games Incorporated, 1993.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. London: Harper Collins, 1999.
---, The Lord of the Rings. London: Harper Collins, 2005.