The Complete Idiot's Guide to the World of Harry Potter

by Tere Stouffer

  Leprechaun

  An Irish folkloric creature, a leprechaun is part fairy, part dwarf: a diminutive old cobbler, usually bearded, who can lead a person who closely follows him to his pot of gold. In the wizarding world, leprechaun gold vanishes in a few hours, making it worthless.

  MAGIC TALE

  In Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl fantasy novels, LEPrecon stands for "Lower Elements Police (LEP) reconnaissance,” a fairy version of the FBI or CIA.

  Pixie

  Similar to elves and fairies, Celtic pixies are said to dance in the moonlight, sometimes on the roofs of houses. Wizarding pixies, on the other hand, are tiny—less than a foot high—are bright blue, and have shrill voices. As far as we know, they do no moonlit rooftop dancing, but they do love practical jokes, especially those that involve hurling people high into the air.

  Red Cap

  A Red Cap is so named in Scottish folklore because this creature, who looks like an old man, wears a bloody cap. He is incredibly fast and strong, but he can be overcome by a victim’s religious zeal. In the wizarding world, Red Caps are creatures that look like goblins and hang out wherever they can sense bloodshed (dungeons, battlefields, and the like).

  Sea Serpent

  The Old Testament gives accounts of several battles between God and a sea serpent called Leviathan or Hahab. In the Biblical book of Ezekiel, a sea serpent makes its home in the Nile, where God catches and kills it. Leviathan is still the word used today to describe a sea monster.

  The best-known sea serpent (also called a kelpie) is in Rowling’s own country: Scotland’s Loch Ness monster, who is sometimes affectionately called “Nessie.” Since the late 1800s, tourists and residents alike have spotted a two- or three-humped creature with a long neck who appeared, turned over boats, and caused both interest and panic. Photographs and videorecordings offer proof of Nessie’s existence, although most people still consider the sightings either outright hoaxes or cases of mistaken identity.

  Werewolf

  From the Old English wer (man) and wulf (wolf), werewolves have long existed in folklore: people who shapeshift into wolves at night (whether the moon was full or not), attack or even eat people, and turn back into human form by day. Usually, one has to be bitten by a werewolf (and survive) to become one, although some werewolves are born with the power. Legend has it that scars obtained in battle while in wolf form carry over into human form, which led, at some points in history, to the panicked execution of people who had unusual scars.

  Historians who have begun to look carefully at supposed werewolf (and, for that matter, vampire) killings see striking similarities to modern serial killings; werewolf and vampire legends may have been created to explain what was otherwise inexplicable.

  In many literary cases, as is true in the wizarding world, werewolves are reluctant participants, who feel they are cursed to possess their shapeshifting powers. Wizards who are bitten by a werewolf will spend the rest of their lives changing into wolf form at each full moon, although drinking Wolfsbane Potion (see Chapter 11) does keep part of the man-into-wolf change from occurring—the body still changes into that of a wolf, but the mind does not. Fenrir Greyback is considered the most dangerous werewolf in the wizarding world, because he specializes in biting children, hoping for an all-werewolf society.

  MAGIC TALE

  Norse mythology holds that Fenris (also called Fenrir) is a great wolf who can be controlled only by magic ropes bound by gods. The Norse also give us the word berserker (from which we get the English "berserk”), a brutal warrior who wears animal skins in battle and is the likely origin of the werewolf legend.

  Wolves, although not necessarily werewolves, figure prominently in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and in Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. Werewolves have also been routinely celebrated in Hollywood, including 1985’s Teen Wolf (in which the werewolf character is played by Michael J. Fox), 1994’s Wolf (starring Jack Nicholson in the werewolf role), and three werewolf movies in 1981: The Howling; Wolfen; and An American Werewolf in London.

  Winged Horse

  Wizards view winged horses as a transportation boon, as they can guide flying carriages and, for long trips, even be ridden bareback. As with Hippogriffs, winged horses must be concealed through regular applications of a Disillusionment Charm, which allows them to blend into their environment.

  Many breeds of winged horses exist in the wizarding world, but two stand out:

  • Thestral: In the wizarding world, Thestrals are great black horses with leathery wings and only skeletal bodies, who feast on dead cows and can be seen only by people who have seen death. A Thestral is also a term from sixteenth-century British mythology for horses that were believed by some to be demonic and by others to be quite practical. One tale links the Thestral to the winged horse Pegasus, from Greek mythology, as a brother.

  • Abraxan: These golden giant palominos can, in groups of a dozen horses, pull a carriage the size of a house. The horses have enormous heads and large red eyes, and they drink only single-malt whiskey.

  Creatures from Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman Traditions

  The creatures in this section have a classical pedigree: they all emanate from the mythologies of Mesopotamia, Egypt, ancient Greece, or ancient Rome. A few creatures simultaneously originated in other areas of the world as well, but they’re listed in this section because their influence on classical mythology was significant.

  Basilisk

  According to legend (from which Rowling clearly drew inspiration), a basilisk is a frightening snakelike creature; the name comes from the Greek word basilískos, meaning “little king,” because a white spot on this creature’s head looked like a small crown. One breath or look from this mythical reptile (born, oddly enough, from a cock’s egg) means instant death. A basilisk is very similar in description to a mythical cockatrice, which can be killed only by the sound of a crowing cock.

  The wizarding world’s Basilisk has a few variations from its Greek counterpart in that it is born from a chicken’s egg, and that egg must be kept under a toad until it hatches. It, too, has a deadly look that leads to instant death and it, too, can be killed by a rooster’s crow, although it will live for hundreds of years if it doesn’t hear that sound. (Clearly, Basilisks are city dwellers.) The wizard version of a Basilisk also has poisonous fangs, which seem unnecessary, given that one look instantly kills an approaching enemy.

  Centaur

  Creatures dating back to Greek mythology, centaurs have the upper bodies of men and the lower bodies of horses, and were thought to be wild, hard-drinking, and cruel.

  MAGIC TALE

  Chiron is perhaps the most well known centaur; a skilled physician and wise counselor to Greek mythological heroes— Achilles, Asclepius, and Heracles, among them. He was thought to be the son of Cronus, a god, and Philyra, a sea nymph.

  Conversely, in the wizarding world, centaurs are wise fortunetellers who understand the art of divination much better than most humans do. They are, however, aggressive and fiercely protective of their freedom, a result of having watched humans domesticate horses and fearing the same will be in store for them. Like horses, they vary greatly in size, color, and markings.

  Chimaera

  From the Greek chímaira, meaning young female goat, in Greek mythology, a creature named Chimaera is part lion (her front parts), part goat (her middle), and part fire-breathing dragon (her hindquarters, plus her fire-breathing ability). Wizards do not dispute this mythological tradition.

  Giant

  In the wizarding world, a giant looks vaguely human, but is built in gigantic proportions (20- to 25-feet high) with a very small head, no neck, thick skin, ugly features, and little ability to think, communicate, or get along with others. Arguments amongst themselves, in fact, are quickly leading to their extinction. This may be positive, in a sense, because, if influenced by Dark Wizards, giants could pose an enormous threat to both wizards and Muggles. But because they are so taken w
ith their own internal bickering, they cannot be ruled by others. Giants live far from humans, usually in mountainous areas (where they frequently cause avalanches), because they were banished to those places by wizards. Like chickens in a pen, however, they now live in quarters too close to be comfortable—when giants live farther apart, they argue (and, therefore, kill each other) far less frequently.

  Mythologically, giants are considered enormous, savage brutes, born of Gaea. In Greek tradition, giants were involved in a series of clashes (known as the Gigantomachy) with many gods, who eventually succeeded in ridding the world of giants. In more recent tradition, Gog and Magog were two giants who were captured by the founder of Britain. Literature’s most famous giant, in Jack and the Beanstalk, fits the folkloric pattern of a dimwitted, brutish creature.

  Although Biblical references to giants are rare, giants are represented much differently in the Bible than in the wizarding world and in mythology. In the Old Testament books of Genesis, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua, ancient giants are depicted as god-like men who were highly skilled warriors. That their size diminished their intelligence or reasoning skills is not part of these Biblical depictions.

  Griffin

  The griffin (or, more commonly, gryphon, from the Latin grypus and the Grek gryps) is hugely popular in mythology. Part eagle (upper body, wings, and head) and part lion (the rest of its body and tail), the griffin is revered and thought of as a protector of people, doing battle with one-eyed giants or men on Apollo’s behalf. Although little else is known of the cultural importance of griffins, drawings and carvings of the creature abound in ancient caves and other dwelling places. In the wizarding world, griffins are sometimes used as guards.

  Hippocampus

  From the Greek hippos (meaning horse) and kampos (meaning sea monster), this ancient mythological creature has the body of a horse and the tail of a fish or dolphin and is mentioned only briefly in the wizarding world.

  Hippogriff

  A Hippogriff has the body, hind legs, and tail of a horse, but it has the head, wings, and front legs of a giant eagle, thus enabling it to fly. In the wizarding world, Hippogriffs are difficult to tame and ride, but if you approach them with respect, bowing and maintaining eye contact, the animal will bow back and allow you to come close, pet it, and even fasten a rope over its eagle neck to use as reins. They eat dead rats by the packful.

  Hippogriffs originated in Greek mythology, but were first named by Ludovico Ariosto in Orlando furioso. Ariosto had long heard legends of a griffin—a mythological creature with the body, legs, and tail of a lion, and the head, wings, and claws of an eagle—being crossed with a horse. The word is Greek in origin (hippos means horse; griff is from the Greek grypos, or “hooked one”). A Hippogriff, therefore, takes the eagle portion of a griffon and crosses it with a horse.

  Manticore

  From the Greek mantichoras, which was derived from an Iranian word for man-eater (martiya + xvar), this demonic mythological creature has the head of a man, albeit with horns, the body of a lion, and the tail of a dragon. Ouch.

  In the wizarding world, the manticore adds insult to injury by singing a little song as it eats its human prey.

  Merpeople

  From the French mer, meaning “the sea,” Rowling uses the politically correct “merpeople” over the more common “mermaid” and the lesser-known “merman” (found in Tennyson’s “The Merman”). Wizard merpeople are not especially attractive, as they are quite fish-like, with green hair, yellow eyes and teeth, and silvery-gray skin.

  Mermaids, on the other hand, which date back to Mesopotamian legend, are fairies/elves of the sea, with magical powers that include, according to some legends, the sirenlike power to call men to their deaths underwater. (See also the “Veela” section for more on sirenlike creatures.)

  Sirens were mythological sea nymphs—part bird, part woman—who sang seductive songs in order to lure sailors toward rocky areas, where the sailors would then crash and die. Hmmm. Sounds like a good excuse for some sub-par sailing!

  Fairy tales abound of men who fell in love with mermaids, some of whom gave up their fish halves and became fully human; others who remained in the sea without their human loves.

  TOURIST TIP

  London’s Mermaid Tavern may be the most famous literary gathering place in the world, counting Sir Walter Raleigh, William Shakespeare, John Donne, Ben Jonson, John Fletcher, Francis Beaumont, Robert Herrick, and John Selden among its early-seventeenth-century patrons. Although it burned in the Great Fire of London in 1666, it once stood just east of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

  Owl

  Owls and wizards have a long association. Because owls are nocturnal, they are associated with death, as was the case as far back as in ancient Aztec culture. Like the cry of an Augurey or banshee, an owl’s hoot was said to foretell death among the Aztecs, as well as in Roman times. In Roman folklore, just seeing an owl in daylight was said to cause bad luck. Owls were also included in the lists of unclean birds in the Old Testament books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

  Owls have also been messengers to and companions of mythological gods and goddesses, which is where they get their reputation for wisdom. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, had a companion owl, and this fact help elevate the status of owls from that point forward.

  Wizarding owls function as messengers, although they are kept as pets and companions as well. See Chapter 4 for a brief look at how owls transport messages throughout the wizarding world.

  Perhaps the most famous wizard owl is Merlin’s Archimedes, who teaches young Arthur how to view the world from an owl’s perspective in T.H. White’s The Once and Future King. In C.S. Lewis’s The Silver Chair (the fourth book in The Chronicles of Narnia), an owl, Glimfeather, hosts a parliament of owls to decide whether to allow the children to search for Prince Rilian. Finally, Patrice Kindl’s powerful novel Owl in Love gives insight into the life of a girl who shapeshifts into an owl at night.

  Phoenix

  The phoenix is steeped in legend, which usually suggests that only one phoenix lives at a time, for an unusually long life. When its life is ending, the phoenix sets itself on fire and, from the ashes, a new phoenix emerges. Alterations of this legend have the same bird renewing itself again and again, as is the case in the wizarding world. Either way, the phoenix is a bird of immortality that has its place among Egyptian, Chinese, Christian, and Islamic traditions.

  Wizarding phoenixes are, like the phoenix of legend, brilliantly beautiful, immortal, and powerfully magical. But they can also carry heavy loads, and their tears can cure even a deep wound—two characteristics that end up being helpful plot devices for Rowling.

  MAGIC TALE

  "Phoenix” is the name of two Greek mythological characters. One, the brother of Europa, goes to look for his sister when she is abducted by Zeus, until—get this!—he gets tired of looking for her and simply settles down to live out the rest of his life in a nearby city. Nice brother! The other Phoenix is a good friend to Achilles but suffers with blindness until Chiron, the centaur, cures him.

  Salamander

  Salamanders—small four-footed reptiles—are useful as ingredients in potions; otherwise, there is little magical about them, except that they look like tiny dragons. Well, that and salamanders in Greek mythology live in fire, but only until the fire dies out—then they die as well.

  Sphinx

  This mythological creature, widely considered a symbol of wisdom, is said to have the body of a lion and the head of a woman. In order to pass by her and enter the town of Thebes, she demands an answer to a riddle; legend has it the riddle was answered correctly only by Oedipus.

  MAGIC TALE

  Here’s the sphinx’s riddle: What is it that has one voice, and is four-footed in the morning, two-footed at midday, and three-footed in the evening? The answer: a man, who crawls as a baby, walks as a man, and uses a cane in old age.

  Unicorn

  From the Latin unus (one) and cornu (horn), this lege
ndary animal may actually be based on sightings of a rhinoceros in about 400 B.C.E. However, unlike the rhino, the unicorn is a svelte creature, has the body and head of a horse, and may also have the tail of a lion and the hind legs of a stag. Always, however, a unicorn has a single, sharp, cone-shaped horn growing from its forehead.

  The unicorn also has acquired a special place in the hearts of young girls, and it decorates pillows, notebooks, lunchboxes, and the like. This version of the unicorn is a silvery white horse with a horn. It’s oh-so-pretty and is the horse of choice for budding princesses. Unicorns, in nearly every culture, are extraordinary creatures to behold.

  Likewise, wizarding unicorns are highly prized for their beauty and magical power. Although some parts of the unicorn are used in special magical potions (chiefly the horn and tail), unicorn blood is verboten: drinking the silvery blood will curse you for the rest of your life, although it will save you from death even if you’re seconds away. Wizard unicorns are fully grown at about seven years old; until that time, unicorn foals are gold in color.

  Creatures from Other Folkloric and Mythological Traditions

  The creatures in this section spring from a variety of other folkloric and mythological traditions, from Japan to Poland to the Middle East.