Harry Potter and the Classical World: Greek and Roman Allusions in J.K. Rowling’s Modern Epic

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J.K. Rowling has drawn deeply from classical sources to inform and color her Harry Potter novels, with allusions ranging from the obvious to the obscure.
Fluffy,
the vicious three-headed dog in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is clearly a repackaging of Cerberus, the hellhound of Greek and Roman mythology who guards the entrance to the underworld. But the significance of Rowling’s quotation from the Greek tragedian Aeschylus in the frontispiece of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a matter of speculation.

Rowling’s use of classical material is abundant and varied, and often presented with irony and humor as she introduces a timeless literary tradition to a new readership. This extensive analysis of the Harry Potter series examines Rowling’s wide range of allusion to classical characters and themes and her varied use of classical languages. Chapters discuss Harry and Narcissus, Dumbledore’s many classical predecessors, Lord Voldemort’s likeness to mythical figures, and magic in Harry Potter and classical antiquity - among many other topics.