A History of Magic- a Journey Through the Hogwarts Curriculum
Page 16
Four fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing on their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting – torrents of fire were shooting into the dark sky from their open, fanged mouths, fifty feet above the ground on their outstretched necks.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
One of the varieties of dragon Aldrovandi illustrated was the Ethiopian dragon, and he even distinguished between them by the types of ridges they had on their backs. In Goblet of Fire Harry is confronted with an array of dragons whose different characteristics and features are consistent with those ‘captured’ by self-professed natural historians like Aldrovandi.
There was a silvery blue one with long, pointed horns, snapping and snarling at the wizards on the ground; a smooth-scaled green one, which was writhing and stamping with all its might; a red one with an odd fringe of fine gold spikes around its face, which was shooting mushroom-shaped fire clouds into the air, and a gigantic black one, more lizard-like than the others, which was nearest to them.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In 1572, none other than Pope Gregory XIII had a dragon problem and, as the world’s foremost expert, Aldrovandi was the man he called in. Aldrovandi also happened to be the pope’s cousin. A fearsome dragon was found in the fields of Bologna and was seen as a bad omen. Once the creature had been captured and its body given to Aldrovandi to do research on, and to deduce what it might foretell for the future of the papacy, Aldrovandi wrote up a report on dragons for the pope. He concluded that the Bologna dragon was a good omen.
At this time, Europe was a very religious society expanding into new territories, and to its inhabitants, it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility that a dragon might exist, particularly in India or Ethiopia. To superstitious Europeans, who were seeing all sorts of weird and wonderful specimens being brought back from overseas, a dragon could have been just one more new curiosity.
After his death, Aldrovandi’s vast collection was donated to Bologna University. Over the centuries, the collection has been split, pillaged or lost. Out of the thousands of pieces, only a fraction remains. But if you visit Bologna you can book a tour of the University Library and still see a small part of the eighth Wonder of the World.
PART 6: FANTASTIC BEASTS – REAL AND IMAGINED
Bestiaries and descriptions of strange and wonderful creatures go back hundreds of years. But just as these beasts could be derived from reality and then take off in an extraordinary direction, so it is true that some animals are purely fiction and have to be conjured in an artist’s head. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as illustrated by artist and ‘accidental illustrator’ Olivia Lomenech Gill, is a modern version of one. She is an expert printer and a third of the artwork for the book consisted of copperplate etchings printed on her own three-ton press. It’s the same printing technique that was used to create Audubon’s snowy owls.
Olivia was already fascinated by antiquarian books and old natural history illustrations, and she went straight to the early natural history encyclopaedia Historia animalium by Conrad Gessner for inspiration. Rather than lean on digital techniques and modern technology, Olivia wanted to reach back – to re-embrace the simplicity and tactile processes that have been the hallmarks of making art since images were painted onto the walls of the Lascaux caves in France nearly twenty thousand years ago.
The phoenix is a magnificent, swan-sized, scarlet bird with a long golden tail, beak and talons. It nests on mountain peaks and is found in Egypt, India and China. The phoenix lives to an immense age as it can regenerate, bursting into flames when its body begins to fail and rising again from the ashes as a chick.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The phoenix has long been imagined as a beautiful, magical bird that consumes itself in fire but rises again from the ashes, symbolising rebirth and hope. Images depicting this mythical process can be found in texts dating as far back as the 13th century, when a medieval bestiary illustrated a phoenix green in hue and burning in bright red flames.
It was said that the phoenix could be found in Arabia and that it lived for 500 years before it made its own funeral pyre from leaves and branches, sat within it, fanned the flames with its own wings and caught alight. After the ninth day, the legend had it rising from the ashes reborn, with clear symbolism derived from the story of the resurrection of Christ.
Another book published in Paris in 1550 is entirely dedicated to the phoenix: L’Histoire et description du phoenix (‘The History and Description of the Phoenix’) by Guy de la Garde. The meticulous image of a red-bodied phoenix, with flames seemingly bursting out from the top of a tree trunk, is captioned: ‘A description of the phoenix and its fortunate place of residence, of its long life, pure conversation, excellent beauty, diverse colours, and of its end and remarkable resurrection.’
De la Garde dedicated the book to Princess Marguerite, a patron of the arts and sister of King Henri II of France, probably in an attempt to gain favour by associating her with such a beautiful and miraculous creature as a phoenix. In mythology phoenixes were also associated with the sun god, Helios, and depicted with seven rays of light coming out of their heads, much in the manner of a crown.
‘First of all, Harry, I want to thank you,’ said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. ‘You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you.’
He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. Harry grinned awkwardly as Dumbledore watched him.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Jim Kay’s beautiful illustration of Fawkes the phoenix, which can be found in his illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was inspired by the hoatzin, which looks like it might have been a prehistoric bird, and uses the tiny claws on its wings to clamber about. Kay was also inspired by Audubon for the study, which bursts with colour and life.
The bird, meanwhile, had become a fireball; it gave one loud shriek and next second there was nothing but a smouldering pile of ash on the floor.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
While the phoenix is a magical bird with Christian associations, the simurgh is an Iranian thunderbird found in a 1698 book from India called Collection of Rarities by Sultan Muhammed Balkhi. With an orange head and wings of four striped colours (yellow, light and dark blue and a purple-tinged red), as well as long tail feathers of gold, green, red and blue, it is a very striking bird.
The simurgh was traditionally portrayed in pre-Islamic Iran as a composite creature with snarling canine head, forward-pointing ears, wings and a peacock-like tail. In Persian literature, the simurgh was usually depicted in flight with swirling tail feathers. It’s best known for its part in the epic Persian story Book of Kings.
In the story, the hero, Zal, is abandoned as a baby on a high mountain by his father, the king, because he was born with white hair. But the wise simurgh rescues him and raises him in her nest. Time passes and Zal grows into a noble young man. The king realises the foolishness of his decision and prays to God for forgiveness, and the simurgh returns his son. Saddened, she gives Zal three feathers, telling him that if he ever finds himself in trouble he must burn them, and she will appear. Zal then summons the simurgh when his wife Rudabah is near death during a difficult labour. The simurgh appears and instructs Zal on how to perform a caesarean section, saving his wife and child in the process. Subsequently, as king of the birds, the simurgh became a metaphor for God in Sufi mysticism and – since no one has ever seen one – the subject of all kinds of imaginative creations.
Magical creatures are as central to the Harry Potter stories as Harry, Hermione and Ron. A trusty cat, toad or owl might accompany pupils to Hogwarts, and they would almost certainly encounter a troll and an array of ghosts while they were there. From well-known folkloric creatures such as giants, dragons and merpeople to lesser-known beings such as the Acromantula and Hip
pogriffs, they all play a key role in Harry fulfilling his destiny as the Boy Who Lived. And, as the early drafts by J.K. Rowling show, these were some of the most exciting and dynamic scenes to write.
Naturalists and explorers over the centuries have been just as thrilled by the possibility of such animals existing in our world, travelling the globe to encounter weird and wonderful creatures and attempting to push the development of science in the process. But magic has always crept in, because fundamentally humans want to believe in the unbelievable – that a narwhal tusk is actually a unicorn horn – and so the bestiaries and cabinets of curiosity from the medieval period onwards have found a thrilling new life in the Harry Potter stories and Fantastic Beasts film series. If you care enough for magical creatures in your imagination, they will enhance your life in return!
ALSO FROM POTTERMORE PUBLISHING
EBOOKS
THE HARRY POTTER SERIES
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (UK English)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (US English)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
HOGWARTS LIBRARY BOOKS
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Quidditch Through the Ages
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
PLAYSCRIPTS AND SCREENPLAYS
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two: The Official Playscript of the Original West End Production
Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
A play by Jack Thorne
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – The Original Screenplay
HARRY POTTER: A HISTORY OF MAGIC
Harry Potter: A History of Magic
Harry Potter: A Journey Through A History of Magic
POTTERMORE PRESENTS (EBOOK SHORTS)
Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists
Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide
ILLUSTRATED EDITIONS
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Illustrated Edition
[Kindle in Motion] (UK English)
Illustrated by Jim Kay
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Illustrated Edition
[Kindle in Motion] (US English)
Illustrated by Jim Kay
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Illustrated Edition
[Kindle in Motion]
Illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill
AUDIOBOOKS
THE HARRY POTTER SERIES
UK English audiobooks narrated by Stephen Fry
US English audiobooks narrated by Jim Dale
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (UK English)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (US English)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
HOGWARTS LIBRARY BOOKS
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Narrated by Eddie Redmayne
Quidditch Through the Ages
Narrated by Andrew Lincoln
NON-FICTION AUDIOBOOKS
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – Makers, Mysteries and Magic
Narrated by Dan Fogler
Harry Potter: A History of Magic
Narrated by Natalie Dormer
All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
This digital edition published by Pottermore Publishing in 2019
The following A Journey Through titles were first published individually by Pottermore Publishing in 2019:
A Journey Through Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts (ISBN: 978-1-78110-613-6)
A Journey Through Potions and Herbology (ISBN: 978-1-78110-614-3)
A Journey Through Divination and Astronomy (ISBN: 978-1-78110-615-0)
A Journey Through Care of Magical Creatures (ISBN: 978-1-78110-616-7)
This book is inspired by the British Library exhibition Harry Potter: A History of Magic
J.K. Rowling illustrations, images, manuscript pages and Harry Potter quotes © J.K. Rowling
Text and design © Pottermore Publishing, 2019
Illustrations by Rohan Daniel Eason © Pottermore Publishing, 2019
The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted.
Wizarding World Publishing Rights © J.K. Rowling
Wizarding World characters, names, and related indicia are TM and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Wizarding World is a trademark of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-78110-465-1