Diagon Alley: Typical of everything in the wizard world, this street doesn’t run straight; it runs “diagonally.”
Dumbledore, Aberforth: The first name of Albus Dumbledore’s brother, who is absent for much of the series, is an old word meaning “to wander off.”
Filibuster, Dr.: The fireworks maker gets his name from a trick politicians use to stop a debate. They talk for hours or even days without letting anyone interrupt. Unlike fireworks, filibusters usually end not with a bang but a whimper.
Grimmauld Place (the Black family residence): It’s grim. It’s old. It’s a grim old place. Yes, some books of magical history say Oliver Cromwell (1599 -1658), Lord Protector of England, may have a supernatural ally named
“Oswald,” the middle name of Cornelius Fudge, refers not to American assassin Lee Harvey Oswald but to Oswald Mosely, once the leader of Britain’s fascists. Mosely and his wife were close friends with Adolf Hitler and shared his views. (Ironically, Diana Mosely’s sister, who held the opposite views, was author Jessica Mitford, Rowling’s self-described “heroine.”)
Carl Jung said people who believe in magicians and wizards were just making imagoes of powerful people they didn’t understand.
“Grimoald.” But don’t bet on that having any meaning.
Hagrid, Rubeus: “Hagrid” is an old term for someone who looks worse for wear—as if they had been ridden by a hag. “Rubeus” is Latin for “red,” because of Hagrid’s ruddy face. His habit of indulging in one too many drinks would account for both names.
Hopkirk, Mafalda (head of the Improper Use of Magic Office): In Portugal, where J. K. Rowling once lived, “Mafalda” is the name of a hugely popular comic strip character. (The name fits the cartoon character, a head-strong young girl: “Mafalda,” the Portuguese form of “Matilda,” means “mighty in battle.”) “Hopkirk” may well be a humorous reference to Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), a comedy-detective show that aired on television when J. K. Rowling was a child and still has a cult following. It certainly had a connection to magic. One of the detectives, Hopkirk, was a ghost.
Imago, Inigo (author of The Dream Oracle): The term “imago” was adopted by psychologist Carl Jung (pronounced “yoong”) to describe a false, ideal image of someone important— usually a parent. Like Inigo Imago, Jung is known for theories about interpreting dreams. “Inigo” sounds like it would be related to “imago,” but it is simply an old name. It is common in Spain, and one of Britain’s greatest architects was Inigo Jones (1573-1652).
Jigger, Arsenius (author of Magical Drafts and Potions): Arsenic is a poison used in many magical concoctions. A jigger is a liquid measurement, a bit more than a fluid ounce.
Knockturn Alley: This unsavory street, where shops like Borgin & Burkes cater to those who pursue the Dark Arts, is a place you wouldn’t want to visit “nocturnally.”
Metamorphmagus: a simple combination of “metamorphosis,” meaning transformation, and “magus,” meaning wizard (see page 30).
Skeeter, Rita: Fitting for an annoying (and blood-sucking) bug one wants to swat!
Squib: Wizard-born humans who lack magical powers are called by this term for fireworks that fizzle and disappoint.
Thestrals: These (usually) invisible animals getRowling has answered a question that puzzled many readers of Phoenix: if Harry saw his parents die, why hadn’t he seen the thestrals before? She explained that the death has to “sink in” before the creatures become visible.
See also: Dumbledore Hogwarts
their name from an Anglo-Saxon word, thester, meaning “darkness” or “make dark.”
Widdershins, Willy: The prankster who plays tricks with Muggle toilets in Phoenix gets his unusual last name from a magic ritual. “Widdershins” is an old word meaning counterclockwise, and witches often “walk widdershins”—in a counterclockwise circle—while doing magic.
What Were the Models for the Order of the Phoenix?
WHEN THE TITLE OF HARRY’S FIFTH adventure was announced, two years before the book appeared, everyone who enjoys hunting for J. K. Rowling’s clues saw a big one: the phrase “Order of the Phoenix” brings to mind many classical references. But when the book finally appeared, the title proved less revealing than expected. The Order she created does have classical sources, but it is also rich in wordplay from the present day that conceals a modern meaning.
“WE STAND ON GUARD FOR THEE”
In literature as in history, any group calling itself an “order” can be expected to have a purpose. The Order of the Knights of the Temple (“Knights Templar”) was founded in 1119 to guard pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. Knights and Ladies in modern Britain are officially members of the Order of the Garter,There is a real Order of the Phoenix. It is an honor given by the Greek government to foreign citizens who have aided Greece in some way.
The members of one legendary order don’t even know it exists. In Jewish lore there are 36 honest men, scattered around the world, known as the Lamed Wufniks. These men carry in themselves the best virtues of humankind, and their example reminds God that mankind is not completely evil. But if one ever learns of his role he must die and another must take his place.
founded in 1348 to set a standard for chivalry and bring knights under greater influence of the monarchy. The Order of the Star, founded in 1352, was intended to do the same in France.
In stories of fantasy and adventure, an order nearly always acts as a secret guardian of a cause. Fantasy literature experts John Clute and John Grant outline the pattern: members defend their world or sometimes the entire world; they actively battle evil rather than just
waiting for it pass; and they risk their lives for their beliefs. As Clute and Grant add, “Secret Guardians are the standard opponents of dark lords and potential dark lords.”
WISDOM OF OUR ELDERS
The Order of the Phoenix also falls into a special category of secret guardians that Clute and Grant call “Pariah Elite.” These orders survive on the fringe of their societies, “despised and rejected” because the rest of the world is already falling under the influence of the enemy. Dumbledore and his friends are ridiculed and harassed by most other wizards, including the powerful politicians Cornelius Fudge and Dolores Umbridge.
However, like other Pariah Elites, the Order survives because it has special knowledge. It understands its enemies better than they understand themselves. And in remaining true to the old ways it benefits from ancient secrets that other wizards have forgotten—for example, how to move around without using the Floo Network, which is being watched by Fudge’s spies.
LULLABY OF BIRDLAND
Anyone who tried to guess what might come in Phoenix would have been right to rely on certain universal ideas. What about the “Phoenix” in the name? Would it be a reference to Dumbledore’s pet, Fawkes? Would it have anything to do with ancient Egypt, where the legend of the phoenix began? Scholars have filled whole books with the symbolism of the bird, so there are plenty of clues to be found there. The phoenix is a symbol of immortality, which is Voldemort’s great desire, so perhapsThe Knights Templar gained great power and influence, leading Europe’s kings to fear them. And being in the Holy Land, they developed relations with Muslims, which made Christians suspicious. Eventually resentment grew so strong their power was said to come from witchcraft practiced in secret rituals. In the early 1300s the king of France joined with the Pope to destroy them.
Kingsley Shacklebolt’s last name comes from an old word for handcuffs. Shacklebolts appear on many family crests as a symbol of victory in battle.
that would be the secret the Order guards? Or would it suggest that the Order of the Phoenix is linked to the very beginnings of magical knowledge in Egypt? In real life, even recently, there have been secret societies based on Egyptian magic. The Rosicrucians, formed in the 1600s, have been the subject of many novels. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, established in 1888, claimed to draw its knowledge from an ancient manuscript the founder discovered and deciph
ered. (One branch was headed by the poet W. B. Yeats, who was fascinated by the spirit world.)
If Dumbledore had any of these ideas in mind when he formed the order to organize resistance to Voldemort, he hasn’t shared them with Harry yet. But J. K. Rowling has shared some of her ideas about the group in the form of clues hidden in the member’s names.
A TWIST IN THE TALE
You may have noticed a mix of old and new characters in the Order. New ones include Emmeline Vance and Kingsley Shacklebolt. The Prewetts have been mentioned before, but in Phoenix they are referred to for the first time by their given names, Gideon and Fabian. Other characters mentioned briefly in the past are now revealed to have important roles in the plot. These characters point to a real-life “order” that J. K. Rowling had in mind, at least for her own amusement, when she created the Order of the Phoenix.
Surprisingly, the group had nothing to do with magic. It is a famous group of intellectuals that included as members or close associates some of the leading authors of the time: George Bernard Shaw; H. G. Wells; Beatrix Potter; and Edith Nesbit, who J. K. Rowling says was one of her favorite authors as a child.
One of its founders was a man named Frank Podmore, who happened to have straw-colored hair just like Sturgis Podmore. A later member was Kingsley Martin, editor of a political journal called The New Statesman. One of its more notorious members was Emmeline Pankhurst, Britain’s most energetic fighter on behalf of women’s rights. (She was arrested twelve times in one year alone.) Emmeline Vance is wearing a green shawl when Harry first sees her, bringing to mind the standard millworker’s shawl and clogs that suffragettes wore during protests and the colors the movement adopted as symbols: white to signify purity, purple to mean dignity, and green for hope.
And what is the name of this group? The“Vance” means “forward,” so it fits a progressive activist. (Coincidentally, the German word Wanze, pronounced like “vance,” describes people who are irritating, as many activists mean to be. It literally means “bedbug”!)
Separate from their political activities, Fabian Society founders Frank Podmore and Edward Pease were interested in things such as ghosts and telepathy. They met when both went to see for themselves if a ghost would appear as promised at a house in London. As they suspected, it didn’t.
clue is in the name of wizard Fabian Prewett. It is the Fabian Society.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
The Fabian Society was founded in 1884 to promote social justice. At the time, most socialists were heavily influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx and others who believed that only a revolution, and probably a bloody one, could lead to fair government and a decent life for the poor. The Fabians believed differently. They took their name from a Roman general, Fabius Maximus, known as “Cunctator,” which is Latin for “the Delayer.” In one of Rome’s wars Fabius had resisted urgent advice to attack the Carthaginian general Hannibal, believing it was smarter to move slowly and let time work against his foe. He turned out to be right. In the same way, the founding Fabians believed that time is on the side of those fighting for social justice. They would influence the system rather than attack it. A motto that appeared to be taken from a Roman history but was probably penned by Podmore said: “For the right moment you must wait, as Fabius did most patiently, when warring against Hannibal, though many censured his delays; but when the time comes you must strike hard, as Fabius did, or your waiting will be in vain and fruitless.” That sounds like someone with both the patience and the determination we expect from Dumbledore.
The society still exists and plays an important role in British politics. In 1900, the Fabian Society and trade unions formed the Labour Party. Fabians in Parliament have included prime ministers Ramsay MacDonald, Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson, and Tony Blair. Political scientist Harold Laski was a Fabian. (A full list of recognizable names could run pages.)
MONUMENTAL PROBLEMS
But does it really make sense that Rowling would think of this sort of reference, even for fun? What do politics have to do with the story? Only everything, as J. K. Rowling’s comments reveal.
The battle between Dumbledore’s Order of the Phoenix and Cornelius Fudge’s Ministry of Magic is a battle between people who truly believe in fairness and those who just use it as a word to satisfy the public. The Ministry would claim that the huge statue of the wizard and magical beasts at its headquarters celebrates the fair society the Ministry has created. Dumbledore says it is a lie—and one that will come back to haunt the wizards. A divided society cannot fight Voldemort, just as the stu-The Fabian Society was not headquartered on a “Grimmauld Place.” Its base was Podmore’s house at 14 Dean’s Yard, Westminster.
See also: Death Eaters
dents were warned by the Sorting Hat’s song in Phoenix. Harry has already suffered some disastrous consequences. As Dumbledore explains to Harry, the great loss at the end of Phoenix came about because of the warped treatment of Kreacher, the Black family’s house elf.
Is it hard to believe someone who writes children’s books would care so much about politics? Edith Nesbit did. Beatrix Potter did. So did the adult book author that J. K. Rowling has identified many times as her “heroine,” Jessica Mitford.
And as for J. K. Rowling, consider this: when she was asked where she’d like to visit if she had an invisibility cloak like Harry’s, she replied, “Ten Downing Street would be a good start.”
Besides Mail, What Does the Arrival of an Owl Mean?
OWLS, OF COURSE, ARE THE PRIMARY means of communication between wizards in Harry’s world. But in our world, even though everyone likes to get mail, not everyone welcomes owls. Many cultures, such as Egyptian, Roman, and Aztec, were ambivalent about this bird of prey. In several parts of the world an owl’s screech is considered a bad omen, perhaps even of death. As well, owls, being nocturnal, have long been associatedJ. K. Rowling says she found the name for Hedwig, Harry’s owl, in a book of saints. (See Names)
Ron’s small owl, Pigwidgeon, gets its name from a tiny fairy.
with sorcery, which is always certain to scare someone.
Nonetheless, some cultures embraced this bird. The emblem of Athens was an owl, because so many lived there. There was an ancient saying, “Don’t send owls to Athens,” referring to a silly waste of effort. Today one might hear a similar phrase, “Don’t carry coal to Newcastle,” because Newcastle was traditionally a coal-mining town.
Because Athens was a center of learning, owls also came to symbolize intelligence. They were even adopted as the emblem of Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom (counterpart to the Greek goddess Athena, patron of Athens).
Could Snape’s Potions Actually Work?
FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO WILLIAM Shakespeare offered a recipe as awful as anything simmering on Snape’s stove. His play Macbeth included characters that are schemers, liars, and even murderers, but to make the story even more grim he introduced a chorus of three witches brewing something to “double, double” the plot’s “toil and trouble”:
First Witch: Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison’d entrails [intestines] throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights hast thirty-one
Swelter’d [sweaty] venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot. All: Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Shakespeare’s disgusting list is also a catalog of puns. His audiences knew some of the animal parts referred to plants that had odd names. Toe of frog meant the buttercup; wool of bat was moss; tongue of dog was hound’s tongue; scale of dragon was bistort leaves; witches’ mummy was mandrake; baboon’s blood was a type of sap. (See Herbology)
As they chant and stir the pot they add more magical scraps: a newt’s eye; a frog’s toe; a lizard’s leg; bat hair; the forked tongue of a snake; the wing of a small owl; the scale of a dragon; the tooth of a wolf; the mummy of a witch; a shark’s jaw; a bit of poison hemlock; the liver, nose,
lips, and finger of some people they don’t like; and the blood of a baboon. When it cools, one witch commands:
And now about the cauldron sing,
Like elves and fairies in a ring,
Enchanting all that you put in.
These witches would have no trouble with N.E.W.T. exams. This recipe is far more difficult than anything Harry faces in Snape’s class. And why not? Through the ages, in real life as in literature, mixing a witch’s brew has been a difficult art. The Greek sorceress Medea amazed the gods when she cooked up a batch of youth restorer using ingredients and charms no one could match.
JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED
Although she has fun inventing and exaggerating just as Shakespeare did, the recipes for J. K. Rowling’s potions, like everything else in her world, include a lot of history and legend.
Many items in Snape’s cupboard are real. If you’d been alive just a few hundred years ago, the local doctor might have offered you a concoction made from ingredients Harry uses. Here are some tasty treats described in The English Physician by Nicholas Culpeper, a 1653 medical text that is still in print today after more than a hundred editions (DO NOT try them at home):• For earaches, crushed millipedes and lice were mixed with wine and poured into the ear.
The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter Page 11
