It's a well known fact that when J.K. Rowling was writing her famous series, she drew a lot of inspiration from English, Irish and other folklores and mythologies. Throughout the series, there are references to those mythologies and folklores. According to MSN.com, a story by Emily Richardson Dupuis, here are 20 mythological references throughout the Harry Potter world.
1. Three Headed Dog
-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone)
-This creature made an appearance in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Sorcerer's Stone in the US). This three headed dog was called "Fluffy" and was guarding the opening to a chamber of the castle where the Sorcerer's Stone was being stored. This monster was actually based on the three headed dog known as Cerberus, the dog who guards the Underworld in Greek mythology
2. The Basilisk
-Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
-This long toothed serpent shows up in the second book. The only one who can hear it is Harry, because he inherited the Dark Lord's ability to talk to snakes, called Parseltongue. It's said that anyone who stares directly at it is immobilized, or in their parlance, Petrified. This is a strong reference to Medusa, a snake-like woman with a body of a snake and hair of snakes, whose gaze can turn those who see her to stone
3. Remus Lupin
-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
-This professor, with his shabby-looking clothes, shows up in book / film three as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He shares a name with one of the founders of the city of Rome, Remus. It was said that Remus was reared by wolves. It's later revealed that Remus is a werewolf, so the name is ironic in more ways than one
4. Mermaids
-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
-These creatures showed up in the fourth book / film. They lived in the Black Lake that was part of the Hogwarts property. The second task for the Triwizard Tournament involved going into the lake to retrieve something that has been taken. Mermaids were not a Disney invention nor an invention of J.K. Rowling. Mermaids were mentioned in the ancient Greek story The Odyssey by Homer. These creatures would lure sailors to their death by singing beautiful songs. These sailors, enchanted by the beautiful music, would crash upon rocks and die from the crash or drowning
5. Hippogriffs
-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
-The third book / film introduces these mystical creatures. Groundskeeper Hagrid, who is now working as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, introduces this creature as Buckbeak. In ancient Greek mythology, these half-horse half-griffin creatures were seen as symbols of love. It's ironic that in the third film / book that Harry uses Buckbeak to save not only his beloved godfather Sirius Black but also the beloved hippogriff from death
6. The Protean Charm
-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
-Hermione uses this charm to summon members of Dumbledore's Army, the ragtag collection of students who want to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts in the fifth book / film. This charm summons members of the group who want to learn to defend themselves when their own teacher, a Ministry of Magic-appointed staff member named Dolores Umbridge, refuses to teach them. This is a reference to ancient Greek mythology. It's in regards to Proteus, who was a servant of the god of the sea Poseidon, who could transform into any animal he wished
7. The Veela
-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
-Mentioned only in the fourth book and not the film, veela were creatures of immense beauty who would charm and enchant those who seen them into doing things the witness would not normally do. They were brought in to be cheerleaders, of a sort, for the Bulgarian Quidditch team at the Quidditch World Cup. According to Slavic folklore, these creatures are blessed with astounding beauty, but they have a dark side. When angry, they can transform into birds or snakes and have the ability to throw fire. Ironically, this dark side was also mentioned in the book
8. The Weird Sisters
-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
-Introduced in the fourth book / film, this group of three witches were a popular musical group in the wizarding world. J.K. Rowling took the name from the Shakespeare story Macbeth, but it does go back even further in British folklore
9. Hermione
-All of the books / films
-It would blow the mind to know Hermione got her name from folklore. But her name is derived from both a character of the same name in Shakespeare's The Winter Tale and the Greek messenger Hermes, who was a messenger for the gods who was known for high intelligence and quick thinking
10. Centaurs
-Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Sorcerer's Stone)
-During his detention, Harry is sent into the Forbidden Forest to look for an injured unicorn. After encountering a dark creature with a black cloak, this creature is chased off by a half-man half-horse creature known as Firenze. In ancient Greek mythology, centaurs were considered lawless and wild, while the centaurs in the Harry Potter world are gentle and highly intelligent, who look to the stars for signs of their future
11. Kappas
-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
-Introduced in the third book / film by Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin, he mentions that these creatures are particularly nasty. They are water-dwelling, bloodthirsty creatures. These creatures originate out of Japanese folkore and, in the original story, they are reptile-like creatures obsessed with politeness, which is why Lupin instructs the class to bow to it as it will bow in return and spill the water on its head, weakening it
12. Nagini
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
-This large reptile is named Nagini and is the loyal pet of the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort. It's also considered to hold a piece of his soul, in the book referred to as a horcrux. The name of this female snake originates from Eastern mythology. "Naga" meaning snake in the language of Sanskrit. In Buddhist mythology, a magical snake would protect Buddha while he was meditating from storms
13. Dragons
-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
-This is the first task of the Triwizard Tournament-get past your assigned dragon to get the golden egg, which contains a clue about your next task. These fearsome fire-breathers appear in many cultures all over the world. While they may differ in appearance depending on the culture, they are all still given the highest level of both fear and respect. They have been shown as horned, winged, reptilian-looking creatures who can breathe fire since the Middle Ages
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| European dragon |
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| Chinese dragon |
14. Unicorns
-Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Sorcerer's Stone), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
-In detention, Harry was sent to look for signs of an injured unicorn. In mythology, the legend of unicorns can go all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia. In the later books, specifically Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, a new temporary professor is appointed to the Care of Magical Creatures class, a woman named Professor Grubbly-Plank. She states that unicorns usually prefer the female touch, meaning it would prefer girls. This is a reference to the old English Renaissance stories that unicorns could only be tamed by female virgins
15. The Dark Mark
-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
-In the fourth book / film, while at the Quidditch World Cup, a follower of Lord Voldemort, known as a Death Eater, sends up a spell into the sky, releasing a Dark Mark over the site. In the books, when there is a Dark Mark over a location, it means someone has died. According to the stories from the Middle Ages, The Devil's Mark indicated to early hunters of those who practiced witchcraft that anyone with a mark such as this, whether it be a mole or freckle, had made a pact with the Devil
16. Padfoot
-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
-Padfoot was the name Sirius Black used when he transformed into a dog. In the books / films, anyone who could transform into an animal at will was called an Animagus. Sirius would transform into a dog to be more easily hidden. In British folkore, there are many stories of large black dogs as guardians. There is even one story of a large black dog in Staffordshire called Padfoot
17. Quirinus Quirrel
-Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Sorcerer's Stone)
-This was the stuttering professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. He wore a turban with garlic inside in case vampires attacked. Under his turban, he had the face of Lord Voldemort. He was referenced in the first book / film. His name comes from the Roman god Janus Quirinus, who was said to have two faces
18. Argus Filch
-All of the films / books
-He was the grumpy caretaker of Hogwarts. He was known for having a dusty brown cat he named Mrs. Norris, who was known for quickly finding her master. His first name is derived from an ancient Greek mythological creature with 100 eyes and his surname is another word for stealing
19. The White Deer
-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
-When Harry is taught how to perform the Patronus charm by Professor Lupin, he tells Harry to focus on a strong, good memory. When Harry is able to successfully conjure a Patronus, his comes in the form of a white deer. In Celtic mythology, white deer are incredibly important. They are seen as symbols of the afterlife or otherworld. This is seen as a nod to the Patronus that Harry's father had. There is also known fact that white deer often foreshadowed a quest, a mission or task that must be completed
20. Lily and Petunia
-In the Victorian era, there was a study called floriography, or "language of flowers." This language stated that flowers had meanings, secret meanings that meant nothing to the person unless they were well versed in it. Harry's mother Lily meant beauty and purity, and in Greek mythology it represented motherhood. Lily's sister Petunia, on the other hand, was unpleasant, she was named after a flower known and associated with fury and bitterness
