Muggle

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For other uses, see Muggle (disambiguation).

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Muggle is a word used in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling to refer to a human who does not have magical abilities. The word was used in popular culture and literature prior to the usage by J. K. Rowling. However, the Harry Potter series popularised the word and it has come in to common usage.

1 Harry Potter
2 Prior usages
3 Later usages
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Harry Potter

Muggle is a term, sometimes used in a pejorative manner, from the fictional Harry Potter series of books that refers to a human who is a member of the non-magical community. According to J. K. Rowling, a quarter of the annual Hogwarts intake have two Muggle parents^{[citation needed]}; thus far in canon, there have also been a few children shown to derive from a mixed parentage of one magical parent and one Muggle parent. Children from mixed households families are called half-bloods (strictly speaking, they are 'Literal Half-bloods'); children with recent Muggle ancestry are also called Half-bloods (strictly speaking, 'Technical Half-bloods'). Children from Muggle families with no recent Wizarding ancestry are called Muggle-borns. Children from full wizarding families with no Muggle ancestry are called pure-bloods. The derisive wizarding word for a child with magical powers when both parents are Muggles is mudblood and is considered a great insult. Those from wizarding families with no magical abilities (very rare) are called Squibs. They do not appear identical to Muggles: Argus Filch can see the ghosts who live at Hogwarts and is able to converse with them, whereas Muggles are incapable of seeing ghosts.

In the Harry Potter books, Muggles are often portrayed as foolish, often befuddled characters who are completely ignorant to the Wizarding world around them. If, by unfortunate means, Muggles do happen to notice the presence of magic, a Memory Charm is cast upon them.

Some Muggles, however, know of the Wizarding world; the Grangers (Hermione Granger's parents), the Muggle Prime Minister (and his predecessors), and the Dursleys (Harry Potters only living relatives) being just a few of these. Informed Muggles generally keep quiet about magic to their uninformed fellows - either out of shame at their connection to magic, or terror of being disbelieved or thought mad or gullible. Some Muggles who come by knowledge of the magical world unconventionally do spread their knowledge: one man who had been a witness to a dragon attack on a beach told stories to anyone who would listen for years afterwards of the lizard puncturing his lilo.

J. K. Rowling said she created the word "Muggle" from "mug", an English term for someone who is easily fooled. She added the "-gle" to make it sound less demeaning and more "cuddly." [1] It is unclear if she supposes the wizards to have derived it from the same word.

[edit] Prior usages

"Muggles" was a slang term for marijuana in the 1920s and 1930s, associated with the jazz scene.^[1] In 1928, Louis Armstrong and his orchestra recorded a song Muggles.

The word "muggles" is used in a 1946 book "Raggedy Ann in the Snow White Castle", and in "The Gammage Cup", a 1959 book by Carol Kendall. [2]

In Zap Comics No. 0 (published 1971), a reference is made to a spliff, referring to it once as a muggle.

Nancy Stouffer, wrote a 1984 book called "RAH" (later retitled "The Legend of Rah and the Muggles") which featured a race called "Muggles". She claimed that she owned the trademark for the word muggle, and sued Rowling and her publishers. In 2002, the case was dismissed. [3]

Another instance is in Roald Dahl's novel, The Twits, which featured a family of Monkeys named the Muggle-Wumps.

[edit] Later usages

The word "muggle" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2003, where it is said to refer to a person who is lacking a skill.

The term has found its way into more common English usage by those in small specialised groups (such as geocachers) to refer to those outside the group. See, e.g., Geomuggle.

Inspired by Rowling's work, Stephen King defines muggles as "unimaginative and often unpleasant adults, who neither understand children nor care to".

The term has also been adopted by groups such as Pagans, Neopagans, Wiccans, etc., to describe people who are not Pagans.^[2]

"Mister Muggles" is the name of the Bennet family dog in the NBC drama, Heroes. Mister Muggles is a pomeranian.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ Harry J. Anslinger, with Courtney, Ryley Cooper, "Marijuana: Assassin of Youth," American Magazine, 124 (July, 1937): 19, 150.
^ Faith von Adams, "I Roomed With A Muggle", New Witch Magazine, Issue 5 (Fall 2003) pg. 34