Historical characters in Harry Potter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following list is one of historical characters from the real world, or from mythology, that are referred to as either Wizards or muggles in J.K. Rowling's fictional universe of the Harry Potter series.
Contents |
[edit] Agrippa
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 Cornelius Agrippa, as portrayed in Libri tres de occulta philosophia |
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| Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa | |
| Gender | Male |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (14 September 1486 – 1535) is only mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [1], as one of the chocolate frog characters. The real character is considered a magician, occult writer, alchemist and astrologer.
[edit] Circe
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus, by John William Waterhouse. |
|
| Circe | |
| Gender | Female |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Circe is only mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as one of the chocolate frog characters. The Greek mythological character is considered a sorceress living on the mythological island of Aeaea.
[edit] Druidess Cliodna
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| Druidess Cliodna | |
| Gender | Female |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
The Druidess Cliodna is only mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as one of the chocolate frog characters. The mythological character is considered an Irish Goddess, and her name is usually spelled Cliodhna.
[edit] Nicolas Flamel
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 Nineteenth century engraving, supposedly of Nicolas Flamel |
|
| Nicholas Flamel | |
| Gender | Male |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Nicolas Flamel (c. 1325[2] – 1992 or soon after) is a fictional character in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, who is based on the real French alchemist of the same name. He is something of a MacGuffin; though he is the clue to the whole mystery of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he never actually makes an appearance.
According to the Harry Potter books, Flamel is the only person known to create the philosopher's stone and, thus, he and his wife Perenelle have lived on for centuries. Flamel worked with Albus Dumbledore as his partner in alchemy, though, considering the stone had already been invented, it is not clear what the pair worked on together.
Flamel's stone became the target of Lord Voldemort during his possession of Professor Quirrell, so Dumbledore consequently moved it from Gringotts to Hogwarts, in order to keep it safe. However, Quirrell worked out how to get past the numerous obstacles to the prize, but Harry, Ron and Hermione figured out someone was after it, though they believed it to be Snape.
At the end of the book, Dumbledore mentioned that Flamel had enough elixir to set his affairs in order, but noted that he would die. Nicolas Flamel has not been heard from since in the series, and author J.K. Rowling has stated on her website that Flamel is now deceased [3].
[edit] Perenelle Flamel
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| Perenelle Flamel | |
| Gender | Female |
| Hair colour | probably white |
| Allegiance | Unknown (but friend of Dumbledore) |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Perenelle Flamel (14th century – 1992) is mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as the wife of Nicolas Flamel. She is given by Rowling the same name and role as the historical character. She does not make any appearance in the book other than Dumbledore's mention of her.
[edit] Natalie McDonald
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| Natalie McDonald | |
| Gender | Female |
| Hair colour | presumed strawberry blonde, like the real life person |
| Eye colour | presumed blue, like the real life person |
| House | Gryffindor |
| Parentage | presumed muggleborn, like the real life person |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
Natalie McDonald is mentioned only once in the series during the Sorting ceremony in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [4]. The brief mention has Natalie being Sorted into Gryffindor (symbolic of bravery). It is known that J. K. Rowling inserted her as a small memorial for real Natalie McDonald, a young girl who died of leukemia on August 3, 1999 when she was nine years old. [5]
Natalie, then aged nine, greatly enjoyed Harry Potter and a friend wrote to author J.K. Rowling in July 1999, near the end of Natalie's life, asking her to write to the dying child. Rowling received the letter after returning from a holiday, and said she "had a bad feeling I was too late". She wrote an email back to Natalie however, containing information about the outcome of the series, which arrived the day after the girl's death. Natalie's mother, Valerie, responded to the letter, and the two mothers eventually became friends.
[edit] Merlin
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 Merlin dictating his poems, as illustrated in a French book from the 13th century |
|
| Merlin | |
| Gender | Male |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Merlin the Wizard is first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as one of the chocolate frog characters. The mythological character is considered a mighty wizard featured in Arthurian legends. "Merlin's beard!" is a frequent exclamation made by wizards in the books. Prominent wizards are also often said to be part of the "Order of Merlin," a possible form of knighthood.
[edit] Morgana
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 Morgan le Fay, by Anthony Sandys, 1864 (Birmingham Art Gallery): A spell-brewing Morgaine |
|
| Morgana | |
| Gender | Female |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Morgana is only mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as one of the chocolate frog characters. The mythological character is considered a sorceress, and is the supposed half-sister of King Arthur. She can also be named Morgan le Fay, Morgaine, Morgain or Morgana.
[edit] Paracelsus
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 Painting of the "famous doctor Paracelsus" |
|
| Paracelsus | |
| Gender | Male |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Paracelsus (birth name Theophrastus Philippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim) (11 November or 17 December 1493 – 24 September 1541) is mentioned in the two books, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as one of the chocolate frog characters, and having a large bust about him. The real character is considered a famous alchemist, physician, astrologer, and general occultist.
[edit] Ptolemy
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 Medieval ideal portrait of Ptolemy |
|
| Ptolemy | |
| Gender | Male |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Claudius Ptolemaeus (c. 90 – c. 168), is only mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as one of the chocolate frog characters. The real character is considered a Greek-speaking geographer, astronomer, and astrologer who lived in the Hellenistic culture of Roman Egypt.
[edit] The Muggle Prime Minister of Britain
This fictional character, equivalent to the real Prime Minister of Britain, receives a visit from Cornelius Fudge, and Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [6] in July 1996 in his own office. There is obviously a possibility that JK Rowling did not intend for the Prime Minister to be any real person, but if the assumption is made that she had intended to link the real world with her fictional world, then it could be Conservative John Major, who was Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997. However, the book also refers to the Muggle Prime Minister's predecessor as "he"; Major's predecessor was fellow Conservative Margaret Thatcher, the only female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, so it is likely that no parallel was intended.
On the first page of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Prime Minister recalls his day, during which one of his political opponents had been criticising him and his government for several catastrophes that happened in Britain. We discover a little later during the discussion with Fudge, that these catastrophes were, in fact, the deeds of Lord Voldemort and his followers. He also discovers that he is protected by an Auror who now works in his office, Kingsley Shacklebolt.
[edit] Notes and References
- ^ [HP1] Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (in English). London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et. al. UK ISBN 0747532699/US ISBN 0590353403.
- ^ The year of Flamel's birth is different in the Harry Potter universe than in real life.
- ^ JKRowling web page - rumour section
- ^ [HP4] Rowling, J. K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (in English). London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et. al. UK ISBN 074754624X/US ISBN 0439139597.
- ^ Bethune, Brian. "The Rowling Connection: How a young Toronto girl's story touched an author's heart", Maclean's (reprinted on quick-quote-quill.org), ISSN 0024-9262 , November 6, 2000, Volume 113, Issue 45; page 92.
- ^ [HP6] Rowling, J. K. (2005). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (in English). London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et. al. UK ISBN 0747581088/US ISBN 0439784549., Chapter 1
[edit] See also
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| J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philosopher's Stone | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Chamber of Secrets | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Prisoner of Azkaban | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Goblet of Fire | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Order of the Phoenix | book | (film) | (game) | |
| Half-Blood Prince | book | (film) | ||
| Deathly Hallows | (book) | |||
| Other books | Other games | |||
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup | |||
| Quidditch Through the Ages | ||||
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Characters • Places • Spells • Translations • Quidditch • Timeline Films • Fandom • Controversy • Money |
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