| 1 | [[WMG: Wizards are [[Literature/TheBible Nephilim]]]] |
| 2 | This is where their powers come from. My headcanon. |
| 3 | |
| 4 | [[WMG: Mythological Gods and other Figures were really wizards and Witches]] |
| 5 | * The Greek and Roman Gods were really wizards and witches who were well versed in powerful ancient magic. Many of them encountered muggles and were thought of as Gods. And since wizardkind seem to be able to live 150+ years, this would give the vibe of immortality. Look at the Circe Chocolate Frog Card as an example. In the muggle world Circe is a minor goddess but in the wizarding world she is simply an ancient Greek witch. |
| 6 | ** Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno were three dark witches who were Parselmouths and used a dark curse to petrify people (Dumbledore implied that there is likely a spell that could do so after Mrs. Norris was petrified). Possibly they were students of Herpo the Foul (maybe his daughters/relatives considering that Parseltongue is a genetic ability) and were taught how to make Horcruxes. Medusa however recognized the risks of such a spell and did not make one, explaining why she was the only one of her sisters who was not immortal. |
| 7 | ** Hades was a horribly misunderstood wizard who was fascinated by the dead. He lived alone (later with his muggle wife, Persephone) in his dark underground home known to others at the Underworld. Hades was one of the first ever practitioners of necromancy, an ancient dark art that has always been poorly understood. Among his studies included ghosts, the undead, and was the first wizard to study the effects of the veil. Unfortunately word soon got out that those who recently died would find their way into Hades' Underworld. This lead to his nickname and bad reputation as "Lord of the Dead". Many muggles and wizardkind alike angrily tried to lay siege on the Underworld, leading Hades to breed Cerberus, the first known giant three-headed dog in order to protect himself and Persephone. Among his inventions is the Helm of Darkness aka his Cap of Invisibility which had an extremely powerful disillusionment charm cast on it (considered to be a forerunner to the invisibility cloaks). |
| 8 | * It's canon that at least some of the mortal or demigod ''heroes'' of mythology were wizards-- the ''Fantastic Beasts'' book mentions Bellerophon as the only wizard to defeat the Chimera. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | [[WMG: Dementors are a metaphor for PrisonRape]] |
| 11 | They are both something really horrible that happens in prisons but people seem to think is ok. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | [[WMG:It's a Marxist allegory.]] |
| 14 | Magic is capital controlled by the wizarding world. The "pure-blood" Slytherins represent the aristocracy who believe that "magic" (i.e. capital) should be in the hands of a privileged elite. The "clever" Ravenclaws represent the bourgeois intelligentsia. Hufflepuff are the petty-bourgeois, stupid and useless yet still oppressive. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | All wizards treat Muggles (proletarians) as inferior beings and allow them to labour and suffer when, if they control of the means of production (magic), they could have much better lives. The Muggles are unaware of magic's existence, just like the proletariat are largely unaware of the existence of capitalism. The house-elves are skilled labourers lacking class-consciousness, believing that the system is kind to them. Dobby is like that guy in ''The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists'', but he ultimately fails in igniting revolution. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | Note that while some believe that it is acceptable for Muggle-borns to learn magic (i.e. become ''nouveau riche'') and others disagree, all agree that magical people are inherently superior. The wizarding peoples do not learn to perform productive labour at Hogwarts, merely how to use the magic they were born with. Similarly, the bourgeoisie need only learn to manipulate money; the workers will produce it. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | And so we come to our heroes. The Gryffindors wear red Quidditch robes and represent the Red Army. Dumbledore, with his voluminous white beard, stands for Karl Marx; Hagrid is Engels, his faithful servant; while Harry Potter's glasses and untidy black hair make him identical to Leon Trotsky. Harry's lightning-bolt scar is in reference to the fatal head wound inflicted on Trotsky by Ramón Mercader with an ice pick. The two Orders of the Phoenix represent the First and Second Internationals. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Voldemort represents the modern consumer. His commodity fetishism is symbolised by the Horcruxes, "valuable" objects into which he ''projects parts of his soul''. Possessions give him identity; destroying them shatters it, making him realise that he has not developed as a human being. Mrs Umbridge represents Margaret Thatcher, as evil champions of the capitalist system. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | Quidditch is a further allegory. The Chasers and Keeper represent the workers, who supply most of the game's work and are forced to compete with each other. The Beaters are the armies who, although they appear to fight each other, in reality oppress the workers. The Seeker is the capitalist: he wins the gold(en snitch) and renders the Chasers' labour virtually worthless. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | Snape is Lenin. He kills Dumbledore in order to fulfill Dumbledore's plans, just as Lenin modified Marxist theory to fulfil Marx's broad goals. |
| 27 | * Hey, that makes sense! |
| 28 | * Also, Harry often acts like respect and success should just fall into his lap - Trotsky, being far more intelligent that those around him, had the same flaw. |
| 29 | ** Good theory, but for 2 problems: The Workers labour in order to make the products and earn a living, but if magic is in-born, than how can the proles produce it? The theory sounds like a reversal of the Death Eater "Muggleborns stole our magic!" propaganda. Also, Harry may act like he's entitled to a lot of information - which, in a way, he is - but he rarely acts like respect should just be his. He's felt that he's earned it after facing who knows how many near-death encounters and winning/surviving, and is angry that he is always treated as a kid by Dumbledore, Molly, etc. |
| 30 | * Creative but ultimately almost certainly wrong, and even IF correct it only shows that JK Rowling shot herself in the foot by screwing up the allegory (nevermind the ideological problems in the first place). For one, the theory holds that the Muggles can somehow PRODUCE magic, which we have absolutely no evidence to support. And even if we CAN somehow accept that, there is nothing we know of in canon for Muggles to somehow OBTAIN magic, unlike the workers, who can obtain capital (albiet in Marxist theory largely indirectly). |
| 31 | *** Also have the big problem of that Harry was literally born into insane amount of wealth, even if he didn't have it before he was eleven. Inheritable wealth is basically the worst mortal sin in the eyes of Marxist, since it is money and power you do NOT have to lift a finger for. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | [[WMG: ''Order of the Phoenix'' is an allegory about the dangers of matriarchism.]] |
| 34 | Umbridge is a woman holding a job that otherwise was exclusively male, and she completely botched it. Just to rub it in, she's from the Ministry Of Magic (M.O.M.), and the job is Defense Against the Dark Arts (D.A.D.A.). |
| 35 | * Being head of the school is not an exclusively male job. Minerva [=McGonnagall=] is major proof. |
| 36 | * And the M.O.M. point doesn't hold water. Rowling is a ''British'' author, and her books are set in Britain, while "mom" is American. |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[WMG: [[{{Ghostapo}} Grindelwald collaborated with or ''took over'' the Nazis]]]] |
| 39 | Why conqure the muggles when someone has practically done it for you? It would've been very easy for him, a tall (presumably), blond, blue-eyed, handsome, fiercely intelligent person with occult powers, to win over a group of people who valued these exact traits. Under his leadership, the Third Reich was able to expand; unfortunately for the Nazis, Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald before the end of the war. As for the concentration camps, Grindlewald either didn't know, looked the other way, or [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope had jumped off the slippery slope]]. Or, given how Horcruxes have to be powered by cold-blooded murder, [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist he was using deaths at concentration camps to power up some sort of magic artifact or construct.]] |
| 40 | * There's just a little error in your theory: He probably felt the same thing Dumbledore felt for him, thus making him gay and against the very base of the Nazi evil policy. |
| 41 | *** [[Film/HotFuzz The greater good...]] |
| 42 | *** SHUT IT!!! |
| 43 | ** And that's not even to mention a Don't Ask Don't Tell idea; if he wanted to ally with the Nazis for some reason, there's no reason he would have had to say "Oh, and by the way, I like men". |
| 44 | *** Rohm was killed in 1934, though. Five years later, at the start of [=WW2=], the Nazis ''were'' extremely anti-gay. Gay people were sent to the concentration camps, you know. |
| 45 | ** I am fairly sure J. K. Rowling described Dumbledore's feelings for Grindelwald as "unrequited." |
| 46 | *** She did. I got the vibe that Grindelwald was a lot like Voldemort when it came to love and sexual attraction. However he was "attracted" to Dumbledore's powers in a sense. A case of "Wow, a wizard as powerful as I am! I need him on my side!". |
| 47 | * To answer: Since he would've been a ManBehindTheMan, only the elite of the elite would've met him - possibly just Hitler and Himmler. ''The Big Book of Conspiracies'' says that Hitler was occasionally caught ranting to an unseen being - perhaps this being was inside a portrait? Besides, would ''you'' [[BullyingADragon risk spreading rumors]] about the commander of a ''magical army'' who might be able to read minds and was probably no slouch himself in the torture/kill department? |
| 48 | ** Anyway, the Nazis were killing gay ''Muggles''; why would he care? |
| 49 | *** Because a huge part of Grindlewald's (initial) [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans "For The Greater Good"]] agenda was putting muggles under the protection of wizards, but like I said before that may have devolved to "Rule The Muggles Who Rule The Muggles" by the time Albus defeated him. |
| 50 | *** That was partially a means to get people on his side it seems. To me Grindelwald seemed to care mainly about himself and power. He was a manipulator and knew how to get people to follow him. If that meant turning a blind eye to a genocidal maniac, so be it. Who knows? Maybe his plan to win over the muggles involved liberating them from the nazi rule once Hitler won? |
| 51 | * And wasn't Hitler dark-haired and half-Jewish? Compared to him, Grimdlewald sounds like a model of "Aryan fitness." |
| 52 | ** Dark-haired, half-Jewish [[{{WMG}} and gay!]] |
| 53 | *** Crossover WMG: ''Inglourious Basterds'' was a true story -- [[spoiler: Hitler, Goebbels, Borrman, Goerring and the rest of the Nazi high command were killed in the theatre]], but Grindenwald & Co. assumed command immediately afterwards and kept the war going another year. |
| 54 | |
| 55 | [[WMG: Alternatively, Grindelwald ''is'' Hitler.]] |
| 56 | I can't really be bothered to make this work this late at night, but it's not impossible what with all the occult nazi stuff. As for the final duel - Hitler didn't commit suicide, he was locked in Auschwitz (Nurmengard) and left there to rot for a little while. He didn't last long and - I dunno. Someone sort this out. |
| 57 | * "Gendelwald = Kroenen" poster, I'll give it a try (this is facinating when combined with the fact that a fragment of a skull the Russians claimed was Hitler's turned out to be an unknown female's): |
| 58 | ** '''Always''' Hitler: Grindelwald takes on the less-impressive but more belivable form of Adolf Hitler so he could infiltrate the Nazi movement, which he or a psychic predicted would have a huge impact on the muggle race. He eventually becomes their ultra-charismatic leader and somehow manages to keep this disguise a secret from the pureblood purist wizards, who would have denounced him for "collaborating" with the muggles. |
| 59 | *** (ponders) So if Grindelwald ''was'' gay, would that mean Eva Braun was his "beard"? And this doesn't account for all of Hitler's relatives... After giving it some thought, Hitler's (or "Hitler's") relatives are Grindlewald's squib/muggle relatives (HPLexicon says he's "probably pureblood", but if Voldemort and Snape are able to get into Slytherin...). |
| 60 | ** '''Replaced''' Hitler: The real Hitler was assassinated in the "Valkarie" plot (or earlier) and Grindelwald took over so he could continue to control the Nazis. The later mental breakdowns was the "mask" beginning to crack when he began to lose control of both magic and muggle fronts. |
| 61 | |
| 62 | [[WMG: Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) is a wizard. In fact, he is the United States wizarding government's top DADA specialist.]] |
| 63 | Just like every North Carolinian senator who preceded him in his seat. His senatorial seat is "cursed": it's switched parties in every election since 1975. Sound familiar? |
| 64 | * The 2010 elections unfortunately seem to have invalidated this theory; Burr just won a second term. |
| 65 | ** That just means the curser lifted it, or died. |
| 66 | * I think you mean Jesse Helms, OP. |
| 67 | Building upon that... |
| 68 | [[WMG: Jesse Helms was a powerful, pure-blood supremacist Dark Wizard.]] |
| 69 | He cursed North Carolina's other Senate seat because he didn't want any Muggle becoming equal to him. |
| 70 | [[WMG: Harry Potter is intended to advertise libertarian viewpoints]] |
| 71 | Umbridge's time in Hogwarts showed clearly that governmental influence in private education is bad. The ministry of magic itself is described as rather sinister place, schemeing to reach obedience via surveillance. Reliable news only come from the Quibbler, not the Daily Prophet, which appears to be a wizarding world equivalent of the Pravda. My fiance believes this is indication enough that Rowling is libertarian. |
| 72 | * Benjamin Barton, a University of Tennessee law professor, [[http://www.michiganlawreview.org/archive/104/6/Barton.pdf agrees]]. If you don't feel like reading the whole thing, Barton's basic point is that the Ministry is a self-serving bureaucracy with no checks or balances and the main characters seem to have little use for it. |
| 73 | * Unlikely, though, because J. K. Rowling has consistently supported the Labour Party. |
| 74 | [[WMG: All major female characters are author avatars]] |
| 75 | |
| 76 | The female characters are better than the male characters. Not surprising, perhaps. The male characters aren't bad, but the females each really hit a sweet spot. |
| 77 | |
| 78 | There have been various claims of this character or that character being [=JKR=]'s "Mary Sue," but no one character fills the bill. Instead, they all are. Each representing some aspect of JKR. More differentiated than the male characters. |
| 79 | |
| 80 | Ginny - shy girl whose determined love wins the hero at the end. By letting him go she proves he really loves her. |
| 81 | |
| 82 | Hermione - bookish. Smartest witch in the school, who's wooed by international [[strike:soccer star Beckham]] Quidditch star Krum. Know-it-all nerd who's friends with Harry, the coolest kid in school, the Chosen One. |
| 83 | |
| 84 | Fleur - ravishing beauty who's brave and intelligent. Marries coolest and richest Weasley. No trouble with harassment or stalkers. |
| 85 | * That we've seen, given that we're following Harry's perspective. I've always wondered if Fleur's reaction to Ron's asking her to the ball could be explained by how tired she was of hormonal teenage boys she barely knew asking her out clearly only because of her looks. |
| 86 | |
| 87 | [=McGonagall=] - Revered goddess of wisdom. In [=OotP=] it's the attack on her that sets off the professor in the Astronomy tower. Even after Sirius' and Dumbledore's deaths Harry keeps trying not to fight. What finally sets him off at Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows is ... someone spitting in [=McGonagall=]'s face. |
| 88 | |
| 89 | Molly Weasley - Keeper of the last homely house. Only person allowed to strike a killing blow against evil. (If anyone is [=JKR=] in the book, it's Molly. Think about the special clock as the physical embodiment of the worries of motherhood.) |
| 90 | |
| 91 | Cho and Luna can also represent portions of [=JKR=]'s personality, perhaps based on her personal experiences. Cho is rejection in a relationship. Note also Hermione's telepathic description of Cho's feelings, while Ron's reaction is straight out of the "boys are stupid" book. |
| 92 | |
| 93 | Luna (with Sybil Trelawny) - the spacy female aspect of the moon. Runner-up for the real [=JKR=]. (Luna's chains of friendship in DH were the most touching scene in the whole series.) (Note Sybil's importance as seeress.) |
| 94 | |
| 95 | They're all more distinct and differentiated than the male characters. |
| 96 | |
| 97 | The male characters are good, the female characters are just enough better to be great. Drawn with slightly more life, but in the right places and ways. |
| 98 | |
| 99 | Bellatrix is the conniving, uncaring, ambitious aspects of femininity. |
| 100 | |
| 101 | Look at the other major female death: Self-sacrifice by Lily Potter that saves her son, and ultimately the world. |
| 102 | |
| 103 | (Professor Burbage doesn't count. A red-shirt sympathy frag I had |
| 104 | to check to determine the gender of.) |
| 105 | |
| 106 | - Tropers/JoveHack |
| 107 | |
| 108 | * What about Umbridge? |
| 109 | |
| 110 | -Leliel |
| 111 | |
| 112 | * The aspects Rowling doesn't like about herself, and knows no one else would. No {{Villain Sue}}s here, thank you. |
| 113 | |
| 114 | [[WMG: The 1st Book is ''The Sorceror's Stone'' in the US, and ''The Philosopher's Stone'' elsewhere,]] |
| 115 | Because the [[VideoGame/MetalGear Patriots]] don't want American children to be thinking too much about Philosophers. |
| 116 | * More like thinking at all - the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher%27s_stone Philosopher's stone]] isn't particularly well-known in the States and the publishers wanted readers to know they were about to pick up a book about wizards and magic. You'd be hard-pressed to find a person who is not an instructor or student in philosophy that would encourage its study in the U.S., but keeping the "philosopher" title would have doomed the book to sit on shelves collecting dust. |
| 117 | |
| 118 | [[WMG: The Mauraders are a stand-in for Music/TheBeatles]] |
| 119 | Think about it. There were four of them, and James kind of resembles John Lennon, they were broken up, and two of them died by the end of the series. |
| 120 | * Confirmed. Well, sort of. The film version of POA had flashback scene (it was ultimately cut from the final film) showing the young Marauders. According to Harry Potter: From Page to Screen, "James was like Paul—good looking and sure of himself—and Sirius was like John, as he was a bit of an anarchic troublemaker. We gave them sideburns, little glasses and longer shirts." |
| 121 | * But the Marauders weren't broken up by Lily. Nonetheless, this is ''always'' how I imagine ''Come Together''. |
| 122 | * Well... she did have the baby involved in the prophecy that prompted Voldemort to kill James. So, she kinda did, right? I like this theory. James is John, Sirius is Paul, Lupin in George and Pettigrew is Ringo. And by the way, all four of the Marauders are dead by the end of the series, not just two. |
| 123 | ** Hey, hey, hey -- don't insult Ringo! |
| 124 | ** This troper would argue that Peter is very much like Ringo -- except he was a Ringo who allowed his perceived lesser importance stop him form being anything other than a hanger-on to their coattails who turned against the rest of his group on promises of a better "role" with a rival/enemy "band." Very much ''unlike'' the real Ringo. After all, if Peter had made the choice, he could have been a very lovable, brave, devoted member of the Order -- a real Neville Longbottom type. Harry Potter is all about choices, remember. |
| 125 | *** Now I'm just picturing Dumbledore talking to Ringo Starr and saying things like: "Exactly! And that makes you very different from Peter Pettigrew!" |
| 126 | *** I'm imagining Peter Pettigrew narrating Thomas The Tank Engine. |
| 127 | *** [[MindScrew Oh dear god.]] |
| 128 | * I like this theory, except if you look at the personalities Sirius makes a better John (acerbic, creative, reckless, and with a tendency to push things too far) with James as Paul (a slightly softer counterpart). Remus works as [[BewareTheNiceOnes George]], and I suppose Peter works as a sort of alternate-universe evil Ringo. And, theoretically, Lily indirectly caused the ultimate "break up" (James's death, Sirius's imprisonment, Peter's disappearance) by...being there, I suppose, and having [[TheChosenOne such a special baby]]. But it was really [[TheMole Peter]] who (rather violently) broke them up (which dear Ringo would ''never'' do!). |
| 129 | * Haha, I love this comparison. James works well for John, as both were clever, witty, glasses-wearing brunettes that had an unfortunate tendency to be casually cruel and bullying [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold (but had a good heart underneath it all)]], and both were murdered tragically, leaving behind a young son (two sons in John's case). They also had a very close relationship with Sirius/Paul, "never seeing one without the other" and all, and so close that a few people even assume Ho Yay. Sirius is Paul: James/John's right hand man, talented and popular, and the handsomest of the group. You could also make parallels with the Paul Is Dead conspiracy and Sirius being wrongfully blamed for the Potters' deaths, what with being mistaken for something they're not and so many people panicking needlessly over it; also, a few (crazy) people who subscribe to PID think that the replacement Paul was responsible for setting up John's death (again, crazy), as Sirius was believed to have betrayed James. George works well for Lupin: perceived as the "quiet" one, and more mature and wise than their friends, and often overlooked in favour of Sirius/Paul and James/John. Poor Ringo is then Peter, but as people above have said, it unfortunately is a good match, as they are small, a bit awkward, and the odd one out among a very talented group. But of course, Ringo is a lovely guy and a loyal friend, while Peter is... well, yeah. |
| 130 | ** This is EXACTLY what I think. I also believe Peter is an Alternative Universe Ringo who decided to go through the wrong path, betraying his friends. Like someone said above, Harry Potter is all about choices. |
| 131 | ** As for Lupin, the guy whose greatest fear is the moon, being George... guess who wrote "Here Comes The Sun"? |
| 132 | * Remember when Dumbledore told Harry that all you need is love? Maybe he shared this philosophy with the marauders... |
| 133 | * Harry is comparable to John Lennon's first son, Julian Lennon: a kind, perpetual do-gooder and leader; son of a legendary but controversial man; murdered father widely regarded as both a hero and a jerkass; son is a spitting image of his father, but takes after his mother's much kinder personality; and one of his dad's best friends was something of a surrogate father to him. |
| 134 | |
| 135 | [[WMG: The Daily Prophet is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who is in temporary alliance with the Ministry of Magic.]] |
| 136 | This is done purely for [[IncrediblyLamePun profit]] |
| 137 | * Wow, that actually explains Rita Skeeter perfectly. The parallels bet her behavior and the phone hacking scandal are obvious. I'm actually a little ashamed that I hadn't spotted that. |
| 138 | [[WMG: Magic is a metaphor for faith]] |
| 139 | It seems in the books that Squibs and Muggles are rarely ever good people. If Magic is instead viewed as a religion, then Muggles take the place of people born without a religion, Muggle-borns take the place of people who convert to a religion, Squibs are those who have given up their religion and Purebloods are those who were raised by their parents into a religion. Also, it seems, that as long as you have a belief that you can do something, you can. The reason Hermione is talented isn't because of natural intelligence, but because of having more confidence than Ron or Harry (she reads "scripture" often). |
| 140 | |
| 141 | This also explains why Witches and Wizards normally have no wish to learn of muggle technology: they believe that their religion provides them with all the explanations they need. Not even Hermione has an interest in Muggle customs, despite how she was born into a Muggle family. In fact, the classes studying Muggles inherently sound like religious-themed Science classes - filled with extra details so that the theorie that can be proven fits with the "magic" that cannot. |
| 142 | * Some pretty major problems with that theory. If all the good guys have faith, and most people without faith are bad, it follows naturally that the Harry Potter books are written from a very anti-atheist standpoint. So why do all the good guys go on about protecting those different to them? And why do all the major villains use magic? Oh, and "Not even Hermione has an interest in Muggle customs"? Seriously? She took extra classes so she could view muggles from the outside looking in as well as the inside looking out. |
| 143 | ** It isn't that ridiculous. Imagine a war/struggle ''within'' a church or religion that was about, among other things, whether to treat atheists with respect or oppress/disenfranchise/convert them by force. It would be all between believers but it'd still be clear who the good guys are. Religious people aren't always at war with those who aren't, you know. |
| 144 | ** What evil Squibs are there? Argus Filch is a Squib AND a dick, but he's also strictly small time. Arabella Figg was a Squib, but she was willing to watch over Harry Potter for sixteen years, and is hardly evil. Every other Squib is only mentioned in the background, but none are evil- like Marius Black, who was disinherited for being a Squib. |
| 145 | |
| 146 | [[WMG: It was a previous version of the Millenium Bridge which was destroyed in the sixth film.]] |
| 147 | After the bridge was destroyed, the Ministry began an extensive campaign to modify the memories of everyone everywhere in the world who knew the bridge existed in order to maintain the {{Masquerade}}. Then the bridge was rebuilt, but nobody in the Muggle world remembered it wasn't the first one. This accounts for why we see the bridge existing in what should be 1996. |
| 148 | * Totally! And they did such a hasty/shoddy job of modifying memories, the designers/constructors of the new one forgot about to test for the whole "lateral vibrations" thing, which is why it was Wobbly when it (re)opened! |
| 149 | |
| 150 | [[WMG: Wizarding England is the Wizarding World's equivalent of Somalia or Darfur]] |
| 151 | Nasty, run by an alternating series of dictators and warlords, and the BystanderSyndrome everywhere. [[TakeThat Zing!]] |
| 152 | * It would explain why the rest of the world doesn't bother involving themselves with England's problems, why no one protests or attempts to the Ministry's quirks, inefficiences, and outright tyrannies. |
| 153 | * And why no one protests when Voldemort takes over. [[FullCircleRevolution In comes the new boss, same as the old boss.]] |
| 154 | * The Wizarding World is lagging behind technologically by more than a century, maybe they're also lagging behind in human and civil rights. |
| 155 | ** So... since England hosted the Quidditch World Cup, we shouldn't be surprised if the IOC spurns Rio, Tokyo, Chicago and Madrid in favor of holding the 2016 Olympics in Mogadishu? |
| 156 | *** Well, given that Europe as a whole seems to be the center of quiddich as a sport, and judging from Karkoff we can surmise that Europe tends to get dragged into England's messes, its more like if Sudan, Chad, and a few other countries decided to hold their own Olympics, and invited the rest of the world to be polite. |
| 157 | *** More like football in South Africa during Apartheid, or ''maybe'' some more Euro-centric sport than the Olympics having its World Cup in Germany before WWII but after the Nazi party took over. |
| 158 | * Perhaps a better equivalent would be Soviet Russia, since the rest of the world trusts them enough to have major events in their territory. |
| 159 | |
| 160 | [[WMG: Wizarding England is considered extremely backward by the standards of the rest of the Wizarding World]] |
| 161 | * Aforementioned relative isolation and governmental incompetence. |
| 162 | * Haven't even developed decent {{Magitek}} yet. |
| 163 | * It follows, naturally, given participation of France and wherever Durmstrang is from in the brutal, pointless Triwizard Tournament (as well as the presentation therein of them and their tech and society level, not to mention Karkoff and the social implications of his power in Durmstrang) that Wizarding Europe as a whole is this crappy, and it is ironically the African, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern wizarding communities that are at the forefront, along with presumably America. |
| 164 | |
| 165 | [[WMG: Alternatively, Wizarding England is considered ''normal'' by the standards of the rest of the Wizarding World]] |
| 166 | * The reason they ignore all the internal problems - the corruption and racism inherent even before Voldemort came back - is because ''the rest of the wizarding world is the same way'' and they don't consider these problems. This overlaps, obviously, with FridgeHorror. |
| 167 | |
| 168 | [[WMG: J.K. Rowling's cousin Ben Rowling was the inspiration for the character of Gilderoy Lockhart.]] |
| 169 | |
| 170 | Remember how a few years ago J.K. Rowling's cousin Ben made a whole lot of public statements and did a bunch of interviews claiming that the character of Harry Potter was based on him? And how J.K. flatly denied it? Well, J.K. has also stated on her website that the only character in the series who was directly and intentionally based off a real person was Gilderoy Lockhart. She also stated the following: "''You might think it was mean of me to depict him as Gilderoy, but you can rest assured he will never, ever guess. He's probably out there now telling everybody that he inspired the character of Albus Dumbledore. Or that he wrote the books and lets me take the credit out of kindness.''" Well, claiming to be the inspiration for Harry is not far off... |
| 171 | |
| 172 | [[WMG: The ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series is real.]] |
| 173 | Creator/JKRowling might actually be a witch who pretended that her books were written as fiction, which means that there will be a dozen wizards out there wondering what this ''Literature/HarryPotter'' book is doing as fiction when it's all true. JK might've decided that she wanted the Muggles to know a bit about the whole wizard thing, but she needed to keep TheMasquerade a secret. Cue "fictional" accounts. |
| 174 | * Uh... when I was younger, and was absolutely obsessed with ''Literature/HarryPotter'', I used to actually [[DaydreamBeliever believe this.]] |
| 175 | ** Hell, I believed that when I was ten -- and I still believe it today. [[ProfessionalWrestling IT'S STILL REAL TO ME, DAMMIT!]] |
| 176 | *** I'd rather ''not'' believe in a secret world where everyone, literally, ''everyone'' thinks we're inherently inferior and that magic is superior to technology, thanks. |
| 177 | * They could do like what happened in ''Film/{{Paul}}'', where, by showing us what real wizards are like, it gets us used to the idea of them existing. |
| 178 | * Some variant of this is likely canon, given the in-universe justifications for ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'', ''Quidditch Through the Ages'', and ''The Tales of Beedle the Bard'', and the latter's reference to a "seven-volume biography of Harry Potter". |
| 179 | ** That does raise further questions, both timeline and lore-wise. Would the wizarding world allow a book that essentially gives away all their secrets to Muggles? Not to mention the timeline: ''The Philosopher's Stone'' was first published in June 1997, just before the events of ''The Deathly Hallows''. Would Harry, Ron, Hermione, the Hogwarts staff and its students, the Ministry etc. all really be willing to give interviews and information that would be publicly released to muggles? And during such a crucial and dark moment in wizard history? |
| 180 | |
| 181 | [[WMG: The ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series is real, with one major difference.]] |
| 182 | As above, but with: |
| 183 | * JK is Ginny, but never lost her crush on the 'real' Harry, but he never fell for her either. Probably bro code, where a friend's sister is off-limits caused him to forever stick her in the 'friend zone'. Harry ended up with Hermione and broke JK's heart. This is why she's so vehemently anti H/Hr. It also makes this a weird kind of self-insert real person FixFic. |
| 184 | ** I have read a fanfic that had that exact premise. [[DieForOurShip It was the usual Harmonian bullshit.]] [[RonTheDeathEater Ron joins the Death Eaters and rapes Hermione,]] but that's okay, because Hermione is so totally awesome it doesn't matter, and she has three kids, and a full-time job, and Harry looks after them because he's sweet and kind and it's just like the LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek. Like I said, typical Harmonian bullshit. |
| 185 | ** Instead of Harry matching up with Hermoine, he really matched up with Cho after all, since otherwise it leaves Ron without a wife, and it explains how JK seems to like showing Cho in a not so positive light. |
| 186 | *** Because Ron can't marry anyone but Hermione? What? |
| 187 | *** Exactly; there are other ships for Ron (i.e., Ron x Luna, a popular one). |
| 188 | |
| 189 | [[WMG: The Reason JKR ShipSinking Harry/Hermione.]] |
| 190 | JKR had said that Hermione is her AuthorAvatar, while Harry is just like her son. Maybe this is why she is kinda [[ParentChildIncest squicked]] by H/Hr pairing. |
| 191 | |
| 192 | [[WMG: The ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series is ''kind of'' real]] |
| 193 | Related to above, except that the actual events of the series [[BroadStrokes are not true]], only the universe of it is. However, [[WriteWhoYouKnow the characters are probably real, to a certain extent]]. |
| 194 | * If the characters are real, JKR is most definitely Hermione, not Ginny, and the childhood friend for whom Harry is named is the real Harry Potter. Ron Weasley is probably based on a friend as well, although he most likely didn't marry JKR/Hermione (or he did and is her first husband, Jorge Arantes, but became a ButtMonkey after their divorce). Various teachers and students are likely based on people from JKR's Hogwarts days, as well, although Voldemort is her own creation. |
| 195 | ** This does explain why there are many characters based on people who Rowling knew in real life. |
| 196 | |
| 197 | [[WMG: Cho Chang symbolizes Yoko Ono, Cedric Diggory represents John Lennon, Harry Potter is Ringo Starr and Dumbledore personifies Elton John.]] |
| 198 | Think about it. Yeah. |
| 199 | * How is Harry Ringo? [[ButtMonkey Shouldn't that be Neville's role?]] Also, going by this allegory, would Hermione be Linda [=McCartney=]? Because I have a hard time seeing Ron as Paul. |
| 200 | |
| 201 | [[WMG: Kingsley Shacklebolt is meant to be an Expy of Nelson Mandela]] |
| 202 | South African activist that rises to the highest position of power? Abolishes laws that favor the master race? How did anyone NOT notice this?! |
| 203 | * That doesn't work; Kingsley's black British, not South African, so unless he defected a long time ago (I don't know how difficult it is for a black or mostly-black South African to get or be born into British citizenship, if it's difficult at all), it doesn't sound likely. |
| 204 | ** No reason it can't be a bit of a ShoutOut. |
| 205 | *** Uh, OP? [[UnfortunateImplications You do realize that not every black person in the UK is an African immigrant, right? And that not every person born in an African country is black?]] |
| 206 | |
| 207 | [[WMG: Kingsley Shacklebolt is a future predicting Expy of Barrack Obama]] |
| 208 | |
| 209 | [[WMG: On modern anti-muggle bias...]] |
| 210 | The ancient form of anti-muggle bias was likely based in religious persecution, and the medieval versions probably related heavily to religion as well, particularly witch burnings and torture methods used. But, as with the real world, these feelings fade after awhile, and people look back on the hysteria and foul behavior as both embarrassing and morally wrong, with only the extremists with the least grasp on reality maintaining beliefs about killing or torturing 'sinners' or witches. |
| 211 | |
| 212 | This makes the modern anti-muggle bias in the books seem absurd and with no basis, because history doesn't forget, but one can't deny that, when brought up, the Holocaust tends to bring about much stronger feelings than the banishment and executions of Jews from England in 1290. So why has this prejudice been maintained in the wizard world for so long? It occurred to this Troper that the social differences between the wizard world and the muggle world may have created some surprisingly different dynamics in the past. |
| 213 | |
| 214 | The wizard world has a history of gender and race equality, their first female minister for magic was in the 18th century. The fact that she was even able to take the post implies that women had the same professional OPPORTUNITIES long before then, even if they had not yet been successful at taking such high-power positions. However, the muggle world is a different story. Muggleborns entering the wizard world would have brought with them the biases of their upbringing; racism, classism, religious-based prejudice and sexism among them. After the 18th century (at latest), the classism would have been the only remaining shared prejudice between the two societies. |
| 215 | |
| 216 | Muggleborns in the wizard world would have likely been highly intolerant of many of the beliefs of their peers, and may have shown overt prejudice against them for reasons of gender, religion or race. This would have created an environment in which the purebloods who disliked muggles and muggleborns would have seemed less prejudiced than the muggleborns themselves, and may have heavily contributed to the state of modern prejudice in the wizard world, where although not everyone were Voldemort-aligned extremists, the environment was such that radical practices were able to be tolerated by the public and even institutionalized. |
| 217 | * Many wizards cannot seem to learn science and maths very well, it could be that they are scared of what Muggles can do with their mind as well. I think in the first book Harry asks Ron on the train whether they would be learning stuff like fractions (as well as magic) and Ron asks what a "fraction" is. |
| 218 | ** I think this idea that the Witches and Wizrds pretend to hide from Muggles because they dont want to mix with them, but because they are secretly afraid of what Muggles have built and what they are capable of is quite interesting. Sounds like a good idea for a fanfiction. |
| 219 | ** Uh... Wizards and witches have to know math (including fractions, which was never brought up on the Hogwarts Express at any time) and science to properly brew potions. Also, WordOfGod states that the laws of magic in the Potterverse are based on alchemy, which requires a knowledge of math and science. Now Muggleborns ''might'' have an advantage over pure- and half-blood students (assuming that the half-blood kids were raised by a witch and a wizard) due to their knowledge of modern science, but to say that "wizards can't learn math or science" when two of the classes offered at Hogwarts are Potions (magical!chemistry) and Arithmancy (mathematical fortune-telling) just doesn't make sense. |
| 220 | *** I think you mean word of Fanon; none of this is in the books or supplimental materials/websites, and are flatout contradicted by the information that we have on those. |
| 221 | *** [[http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/1998/1298-herald-simpson.html Nope, I mean Word of God]]. Seventh paragraph from the top. |
| 222 | *** Which states that SHE had to learn alchemy to create the system, not that the Wizards themselves do to use it. Magic as we see it in the book is like a lightswitch. You say spell and something happens. They don't learn the science behind that spell any more than an average person knows how a computer actually works. Regardless of your belief that knowing alchemy equates to knowing math and science, it's inarguable that we see no math, science, language, or culture classes at Hogwarts. Even if Arithmancy is, in actuality, a serious math class, it's not required, and implied that many people don't take it. |
| 223 | *** You can use something and not know exactly how it works. Ever driven a car? And do you know ''all'' the fine mechanical functions that make it work? I don't, and neither do a lot of people with driver's licenses, but that doesn't stop us from driving. As for your belief that wizards ''do not know math or science, period'': Math can be broken down into "anything that involves numbers" and science can be broken down into "the properties of [x] as affected by [y]"; by this reasoning, Potions ''is'' the magical equivalent of chemistry (since you have to ''add a certain quantity'' of ingredients to a cauldron to brew one, and it will alter the properties of the ingredients you put in it; if you're old enough to have taken a high-school chemistry class [which, I'm sorry, you really don't sound like you are], then you'll understand that POV) and Transfiguration ''is'' the magical equivalent of physics ("all right, kids, change this teapot into a tortoise, on three!" Changing the basic structure of an object through magic.). Also, "''not that the wizards themselves... use [alchemy]''"? Explain what Nicolas Flamel was doing in the first book, then, when he was credited as "the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone", one of the most prominent pieces of alchemical lore. Finally, you should brush up on your WordOfGod, which states that wizard children are either home-schooled (yes, in ''all'' subjects including math and science) or are sent to Muggle primary schools (where they'd have to take math and science classes regardless). |
| 224 | *** It's also possible Hogwarts has Maths and English classes but because they're boring they were left out of the books as they probably didn't affect the story. We know they study history and they don't need science (although they might have a look at it in Muggle Studies and wizards do have some mechanical devices such as clocks and plumbing) because they have magic. According to some of the games they also have art and music classes and maybe they even have a drama class as we know that Hogwarts has done at least one pantomime (however they were banned afterwards). Also there is evidence to suggest they learn a bit about how magic works in the particular classes that the magic relates too, such as the rule that states you can't conjure food from nothing. |
| 225 | ** On this topic, maybe it's because I'm permanently stuck on LSAT mode, but I find it somewhat implausible that somebody wouldn't solve that very basic logic puzzle in the first book (with the potions). Though, come to think of it, this could back the theory that all of those tests weren't supposed to be insolvable, but were supposed to bring Harry into confrontation with Voldemort. |
| 226 | |
| 227 | [[WMG: The seven Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers represent the SevenDeadlySins.]] |
| 228 | * Quirrell: Greed |
| 229 | * Lockhart: Pride |
| 230 | * Lupin: Sloth (failed to tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus while he thought Sirius was trying to kill Harry, let his friends bully Snape in school) |
| 231 | * "Moody", a.k.a. Crouch Jr.: Wrath |
| 232 | * Umbridge: Lust (for power) |
| 233 | ** And blood |
| 234 | * Snape: Envy |
| 235 | * Carrow: Gluttony (it's the only one left, I can't find anywhere else to put it, and we know almost nothing about the Carrows anyway) |
| 236 | ** This actually fits. Gluttony is lack of control, and not just by over-eating. Consider drug and alchohol abuse. Here it is their abuse of power. Gluttony shares similarities with Greed and Lust. |
| 237 | *** Win. |
| 238 | *** This is... brilliant. |
| 239 | |
| 240 | This troper always thought the Seven Deadly Sins manifested in this fashion: |
| 241 | * Philosopher's Stone: Gluttony (Food issues and Voldemort's hunger for immortality leading to his immoderate consumption of unicorn blood.) |
| 242 | * Chamber of Secrets: Pride (Lockhart's vainglory, Riddle's self-aggrandizement, anti-Muggle prejudice as "wizarding pride", etc.) |
| 243 | * Prisoner of Azkaban: Sloth (Moral sloth in the form of allowing injustices to stand, counterpointed by Hermione's overachieving.) |
| 244 | * Goblet of Fire: Envy (Do we really need to count the ways?) |
| 245 | * Order of the Phoenix: Wrath (Harry's issues with his temper, Umbridge's sadism, Voldemort's murder spree, Sirius' hatred for and taunting of Bellatrix getting him killed, and Harry trying and failing to kill Bellatrix for it etc.) |
| 246 | * Half-Blood Prince: Lust (Oh so many ships passing in the night.) |
| 247 | * Deathly Hallows: Greed (The desire for material gain in several forms, not the least of which are the Hallows and Voldemort's desire for conquest.) |
| 248 | |
| 249 | [[WMG:Further WMG about muggle distrust]] |
| 250 | Every now and then, a muggle born wizard isn't discovered in time, and sent to a proper school, and the power freaks them out. Thus are born witch hunters and inquisitors. The Statute of Secrecy was created in the 17th century, possibly after the worst of the Spanish Inquisition (which mostly targetted heretics... officially) had blown over. |
| 251 | |
| 252 | [[WMG: The entire series is just a game played by the trio.]] |
| 253 | Magic does not really exist. Ron is just a lonely kid who is constantly overshadowed by his many siblings, so he made up a world where magic exists. Harry and Hermione are next door neighbors. Similiar to one of the above theory's, Harry's parents did die in a car crash, the other driver being named Tom Riddle. The Durseleys aren't really evil, just a little strict. Harry went to the Weasely's house one day and quickly became friends with Ron. Harry then joined Ron in his imaginary game. Hermione is another neighbor. One day she was attacked by a dog and Harry and Ron saved her. They became friends and she joined them in their imaginary game where the dog became a troll. The things that happen in their game are their exageration of real life events. Quirrel comes from a newspaper article they read about involving a teacher that was really a terrorist. Most of the staff at Hogwarts represent teachers at their actual school. Dumbledore is a friendly old man who sometimes plays with the kids (a la the Pigman.) The Triwizard tournament was an obstacle course of some kind. One day, one of their teachers named Snape came to their house to talk with the parents about something. Dumbledore was there and the two got into an arguement about something ultimately leading to Dumbledore having a heart attack which he died from. In time, Ron became jealous of the fact that Harry tended to take the glory and center himself as the main character in their game. Finally Ron quit playing for awhile, but came back later and apologized.The final book along with the epilouge is less centered on real life, but more of an abstract what would happen if this were real. The series ends because the three no longer play their imaginary game. Hermione wrote down everything that had happened in their imaginary play and published under a pseudonym. |
| 254 | * Harry and Ron sued for royalties. (Joke aside, that was a really neat WMG!) |
| 255 | |
| 256 | |
| 257 | [[WMG: UsefulNotes/TheTroubles extend into the Wizarding World.]] |
| 258 | In fact, dealing with rogue Irish Republican Army splinter groups is one of the few on-going collaborations between the Ministry of Magic and the muggle government. The Continuity IRA is composed of muggles, while the Real IRA is a wizard faction. |
| 259 | |
| 260 | [[WMG:Northeastern Ukraine and southeastern Belarus have a disproportionate number of young Muggle-borns and Squibs.]] |
| 261 | Three words: Radiation from Chernobyl. |
| 262 | * Or maybe there will be kids born the way Ariana became? |
| 263 | |
| 264 | [[WMG: Voldemort's behavior was 'inspired' by Hitler and affected by his upbringing in the middle of World War II.]] |
| 265 | |
| 266 | Hitler was a former political prisoner that originally intended to help Germany dig out of the terrible conditions that came as a result of Germany losing World War I. Tom Riddle was brought up in a London orphanage, and if the real world timeline overlaps with this one, the second half of his childhood was spent in that orphanage at the height of World War II and only avoided the Blitz because he was off at Hogwarts during the time. It's entirely possible his orphanage may have been bombed and that his caretakers were among the casualties, which might explain his reluctance to go back. As a boy, he dreamed of a utopia for wizards, without any influence from the muggle world, with himself as its visionary leader - and used Hitler's muggle-world plan as his model. Of course, there was the small problem of his legacy possibly being limited by death, and thus the Horcrux plan. |
| 267 | |
| 268 | [[WMG: The magical world is less tolerant of LGBT people than the Muggle world.]] |
| 269 | Edited in because I hate a blank WMG entry: Because it takes longer for the last couple of wizarding generations to die out, which gives them a longer time to influence the next generations (even though the age of majority is 17) and stay in power, more old-fashioned prejudices from the muggle world are still considered in vogue amongst wizards. It's quite possible that in wizarding America and South Africa, black wizards and muggles are considered servants and slaves, respectively. |
| 270 | * OTOH, wizards and witches have been more equal than men and women in the muggle world (2 of the founders of Hogwarts were women, and they taught equally to boys and girls, and there are women playing in quidditch along with the men). Wizarding world do have prejudices, but they seems to be more in regards on how much magic you can do, and who your parents are. Two powerful wizards/witches getting together? They would be too chicken to say anything about it. |
| 271 | ** Actually, WordofGod says that there is no LGBT prejudce in the wizarding world, because wizards are most focused on blood. So you could be "gay, pure-blood" Lucius Malfoy or any people with similar views like him would have zero problems with you. |
| 272 | *** I think what she said was that to someone like Lucius Malfoy, Dumbledore’s mother being a muggleborn is a bigger sticking than him being gay, not that he would be necessarily approving of the latter. |
| 273 | |
| 274 | [[WMG: The magical world is more tolerant of LGBT people than the muggle world; there are just fewer LGBT wizards.]] |
| 275 | Wizards were much more tolerant than muggles around the time and social circles of the founders of Hogwarts. By the time the muggle world considered homosexuality and bisexuality to be labels rather than actions, the wizarding world had already skipped the stage where LGBT (or at least LGB) wizards would have been persecuted. However, since there are so few wizards around compared both to muggles and to how much of the planet is inhabited by wizards (most of it, sparsely), few gay/bisexual people meet each other so they end up old bachelors/spinsters, and because the magical world is so tolerant, gay wizards don't need a [[TheBeard beard]], and thus don't pass on their genetics nearly as often. Wizards thus only pass on the traits that increase the likelihood of being gay through recessive and heterosexually advantageous ways, meaning that wizards have fewer gay people because they are more tolerant of them. |
| 276 | * I always assumed that pureblood supremacists would be less tolerant of LGBT people. Not due to any religious or similar reason, but because gay relationships cannot produce "perfect" pureblood children. If a pureblood witch/wizard married another pureblood of the opposite sex and got kids, but continued their relationship with a pureblood of the same sex, they most likely wouldn't care. Come to think of it, that theory would probably deserve a WMG of its own. |
| 277 | ** The Fandom solution to this problem is simple: [[MisterSeahorse MPreg]]! [[AWizardDidIt Wizards in Harry Potter are known do much more ludicrous things than that!]] |
| 278 | * Also, claiming that sexual orientation is strictly determined by genetics is a pretty ballsy WMG in general, to remain polite. |
| 279 | ** I never said sexual orientation was "strictly determined by genetics", even under the premise of the WMG. I very carefully included points that expressed my understanding/belief that sexual orientation has genetic predispositions and/or effective traits which are in turn caused by genetics. |
| 280 | *** In short, [[DistinctionWithoutADifference sexual orientation is ultimately determined by genetics and not strictly determined by genetics]], a claim that we have no scientific evidence to prove or disprove. |
| 281 | |
| 282 | [[WMG: J.K. Rowling will publish a sequel series in 2017...]] |
| 283 | ...the year depicted in the Epilogue, when Albus Potter attends Hogwarts for the first time. |
| 284 | |
| 285 | By that time, seven books' worth of bonus material published via Pottermore will be pretty much exhausted. She'll spring the new series on everyone just when they think the franchise is gone for good. |
| 286 | |
| 287 | [[WMG: Someday, J.K. Rowling will allow for the creation of an ExpandedUniverse.]] |
| 288 | After all, Harry's story is done, but there are plenty more stories of the Wizarding World to be told. |
| 289 | |
| 290 | [[WMG: The Room of Space in the Ministry of Magic is powered by and enables a strong link of sympathetic magic.]] |
| 291 | The reason Pluto is no longer a planet is because Luna used Reducto on its sympathetic counterpart during the Battle in the Ministry. Pluto is no longer represented in the planet room, and therefore [[TheConspiracy wizard scientist infiltrators]] and some muggle scientists alike decided that Pluto was now no longer nor had ever been a planet. |
| 292 | ** Or, alternately, the destruction of Pluto in that room literally caused a CosmicRetcon, resulting in Pluto never having been eligible to be a planet in the first place...and it just took Muggles a decade to notice. |
| 293 | |
| 294 | [[WMG:Harry Potter is an allegory about the transition away from the Gold Standard (and an elitist defense of that standard.]] |
| 295 | * Fact: A banner or flag is also called a standard. |
| 296 | * Fact: The hero's house "standard" had gold in it. |
| 297 | * Fact: Green, the color of much modern money, and silver, an inferior metal to gold, are in the villain's house standard. |
| 298 | * Fact: William Jennings Bryan has 20 letters in it. |
| 299 | * Fact: Tom Riddle is Voldemort has 20 letters in it. |
| 300 | * Fact: The Dark Lord Voldemort also has 20 letters in it. |
| 301 | * Fact: William Jennings Bryan was born to a mother "of English heritage" and a father of Scots-Irish descent. |
| 302 | * Fact: Lord Voldemort was born of Merope Gaunt, a mother who was a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin, who came "from the fens," an area located in eastern England. His father, Tom Riddle's origin is unclear, but from a surname origin database, I found this: "The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Galfridus Ridel, which was dated 1048, in the "Early Medieval Records of Scotland", during the reign of Theatre/MacBeth." |
| 303 | * Fact: William Jennings Bryan was a major opponent of the Gold Standard, who saw it as elitist and detrimental to the common man. |
| 304 | * Fact: Tom Riddle was raised in an orphanage as a commoner and envious of the rich, elite, pure-blooded magic houses that looked down on people like him. |
| 305 | * Fact: Bryan once said "If we have to give up either religion or education, we should give up education." |
| 306 | * Fact: Voldemort (who rose from the dead, goes by the honorary "Lord," and demands absolute allegiance from his followers) leads an attack on a school. |
| 307 | * Fact: The most valuable coin in the wizarding world is the Galleon, a coin made of gold. |
| 308 | * Fact: Harry Potter, a pure-blooded wizard from a successful family, inherits a vault full of gold Galleons to support him. |
| 309 | * Fact: Bryan often attacked bankers as corrupted, greedy, and dangerous to the average man. |
| 310 | * Fact: In the world of Harry Potter, bankers are portrayed as ugly, monstrous goblins who hoard the wealth of the realm and defend it with complex, often deadly traps. |
| 311 | * Fact: The Wizard of Oz is often mistakenly believed to be an allegorical story about the gold standard. |
| 312 | * Fact: Harry Potter has often been referred to as a "modern Wizard of Oz type tale for children." |
| 313 | |
| 314 | [[WMG: Salazar Slytherin's hate for the muggleborn comes primarily from the Vikings.]] |
| 315 | During the tenth century, when he lived, England was attacked at several points, and parts of eastern England(Salazar's likely home, what with him being from the fens) were even under viking rule. The vikings would likely have plagued his home region during both his childhood and adulthood. Salazar might have lived his life surrounded by muggles who did little more than war(brits against scandinavians), and considered the muggles as despicable people because of this. Godric Gryffindor is likely from Scotland, which was a bit more peaceful at the time(the vikings had been temporarily repelled). |
| 316 | |
| 317 | [[WMG: Professor Binns was inspired by senior professors who avoid being fired for incompetence simply because they have tenure.]] |
| 318 | * Seriously, think about it. It makes a lot of sense. |
| 319 | |
| 320 | [[WMG: The Death Eaters end up as a Nazi parallel, but also draw (perhaps more) inspiration from the Mafia.]] |
| 321 | * The entire thing is based, essentially, on who one's last name is and where one's bloodlines trace back to. They would have liked to operate as a full-scale army, but this really doesn't happen until toward the end of ''Half-Blood Prince.'' Up until then, they operated much more like an organized crime family - secret meetings, inspiring mass paranoia, and the like, because they didn't yet have the numbers or resources to risk open warfare. |
| 322 | ** Well, they technically are one big family, since they're all pretty much purebloods... |
| 323 | ** I see just as much KKK references as Nazis. Polite society influencing the government to pass racist laws by day, donning over-the-top costumes and terrorizing people by night... |
| 324 | |
| 325 | [[WMG: UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher turned the tide during Voldemort's first insurrection by decimating the Giants]] |
| 326 | According to the [[http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/First_Wizarding_War#Decline_of_the_Death_Eaters Harry Potter Wiki]], the tide turned against the Death Eaters when the Giants were nearly wiped out, about one or two years before that fateful Halloween. Coincidentally, Margaret Thatcher became prime minister in 1979, and she's the kind of person who would organize some 'artillery exercises' with targets in officially empty areas that actually hosts Giants' camps. |
| 327 | |
| 328 | [[WMG: Fudge mistook Thatcher for a man, and she tried to kill him because of that]] |
| 329 | |
| 330 | |
| 331 | [[WMG: Harry has actually been dead since that night in the hut, and The books are him trying to fix himself in the Afterlife]] |
| 332 | * I know, this theory is way overdone in fiction, but I think this may have some merit. Chances are The letters from Hogwarts were real, as was the trip that the Dursleys+Harry took to the hut-on-the-rock. But! the crucial difference comes in at that night. When Hagrid comes into the shack (hut? rubbish heap?), Vernon, in panic, shoots Harry to try and get the freakishness to stop. What happens next is Harry's afterlife. However, he is so broken from all the abuse, he can't imagine himself being happy for very long without the Dursleys ruining it. And so, Harry Potter, who his family said was always a worthless freak, becomes Harry James Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and vanquisher of The Dark Lord. And everyone (with any significance) at Hogwarts become something that Harry needs to fix himself: |
| 333 | * Voldemort represents the shadow of his abuse hanging over his life. He can't be fought directly. It comes with a whole host of other problems (Death Eaters). Harry can't live a normal, happy (after)life until he banishes this shade from his life. |
| 334 | * Ron and the Weasleys are the loving, supportive family he should have had, and that he needs, to slowly overcome his abuse. |
| 335 | * Hermione represents friends and knowledge; Harry needs friends who will support him as well, but he also needs a particular self-knowledge: That he is a person, with his own redeeming qualities, that he should be recognized as one, and that it's not okay that he was hurt. |
| 336 | * Malfoy and his bodyguards represent Dudley; After Dudley got too fat to chase him regularly, most of Dudley's abuse came mentally and emotionally. He made Harry feel worthless and unloved, and like Malfoy, he always had a pair of fallbacks when he was confronted: one was the immediate physical attacks that would come from Petunia (C&G), and the other is, (what else?) "My father will hear about this." |
| 337 | * Dumbledore, oddly enough, is the path he has to take to heal properly; love. One does not heal abuse scars by actively fighting it. you heal abuse by giving the victim the love and support they need. |
| 338 | * Snape is Harry's own self-doubts given full form: Dark, creepy, hides in the most dingy corners of Harry's mind, swooping in randomly to attack Harry's burgeoning self-esteem, siding with Malfoy, etc. This actually brings their interactions to a whole new light: Harry is at first ashamed of his own self-doubt, but quickly grows angry at it, and starts fighting against it, actively fighting for his own pride as a person. and then, at the end, his doubts die when he finally makes his peace with them, learning that he isn't the only one who has been hurt like this, and that it's ok that he, as a little boy, shouldn't be expected to fight someone bigger and stronger and more experienced than he is, and doing so anyway. |
| 339 | * Fill in the rest yourself, I'm curious to see your takes on this. |
| 340 | ** [=McGonagall=], as Harry's house head, actually represents the sort of parenting and tutelage Harry would have needed to grow into a well-adjusted adult, which often fails to happen with abuse victims. |
| 341 | ** Cho represents the highs, lows, and teachable moments of the adolescence Harry would never have. |
| 342 | ** Moody represents Harry's desired future; for whatever faults he has, he was a man that had a long career and lived a long time fighting Voldemort and wizards like him, and was deeply respected, if not revered, by the people around him - as opposed to the abuse Harry faced at the Dursleys'. |
| 343 | ** The Creevey brothers, perhaps, represent younger siblings Harry might have had if his parents had been still living. Annoying at times, sure, but well-meaning and also incredibly loyal. (Note that while most of the other characters turn on or abandon Harry at some point during the series, the Creeveys are one of the few that are consistently on his side.) He also gets to mentor them and teach them (in Dumbledore's Army). And there's a protective instinct Harry has for them that makes him depict them in the story as smaller and younger than they really are - [[spoiler:Colin was a year (give or take a couple of weeks) younger than Harry at the very most, and no more than 3 months away from turning seventeen at the time of his death, so he was likely neither as young nor as small as Harry's POV made him out to be.]] It's also why [[spoiler:Colin's death]] hits him especially hard. |
| 344 | |
| 345 | |
| 346 | [[WMG: Voldemort was the BigBad, but Umbridge was the worst '''villain'''. And JKR did this intentionally.]] |
| 347 | * For all the horrible damage Voldemort does over the course of the series, readers are given almost a [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince whole book's worth of reasoning]] as to why he turned out so fucked up. And almost all the other villains in the series are pawns of his or commit themselves to be used for his ends one way or another. Some of them want power, others are drawn in by familial connections, and a fair few simply do it out of self-preservation. But Umbridge is only ever associated with the Ministry, regardless of whether the Death Eaters are in power or not. Although Tom Riddle ultimately chose evil instead of good, readers get to see that he was also nudged in that direction by circumstances out of his control. We're never given this evidence for Umbridge. She was just a monster by herself because she wanted to be. It's a difference between the clearly mentally unstable guy who goes on a killing spree as partially a function of his instability (Voldemort) and then another guy who goes on a killing spree just purely [[ForTheEvulz for kicks and giggles.]] All of this is to underscore the importance of 'choice over circumstances' that JKR hammers down throughout the book series. |
| 348 | |
| 349 | [[WMG: Hedwig's death, symbolically, is meant to be both more and less tragic than it is on the surface.]] |
| 350 | * Hedwig and her snowy white color represent, first of all, Harry's childhood innocence and wish for freedom (whether that be from the Dursleys or from the pressure of fighting Voldemort, or from everyone's expectations of him as this great wizarding hero). As things in the wizarding world quickly go to hell in a handbasket (by, say, Book 4), Harry's able to use Hedwig to send his letters less and less often. The closer the war with Voldemort comes to reaching a head, the more she fades into the background. |
| 351 | * Secondly, Hedwig represents Harry's emotional connection to the wizarding world he now calls his new home. In the initial books, she's featured most heavily in the scenes with Harry at the Dursleys' as Harry laments his separation from his friends and (adoptive) family. She only dies after Harry leaves the Dursleys' with the full knowledge that he would never be going back - and the full knowledge that he would either die or continue to live as part of the wizarding world that was his true home. Note Hagrid's surprisingly understated reaction to Hedwig's death - especially as someone who's mourned the loss of a pet and is known to get emotional about it. He seemed to know implicitly that her purpose - to link Harry to his friends so he never felt completely alone - had been served. And, for an extra dose of Heartwarming, note that after Hedwig's death, Harry (save by his own choice) is never again seen in the book out of the company of a witch or wizard that cares for him. |
| 352 | |
| 353 | [[WMG: Snape was somehow friends with [[Music/BonJovi Jon Bon Jovi]].]] |
| 354 | There's no way ''Always'' isn't about Snape. Search your feelings, you know it to be true. |
| 355 | ** Of course, this gives the line "I guess I'm not that good anymore" a double meaning. |
| 356 | |
| 357 | [[WMG: Viktor Krum's family used to live in exile.]] |
| 358 | The Wizarding World being the driving force behind major events in the Muggle world is hinted at (Grindelwald and WWII). It may be that wizards backed the rise of Communism and the fall of the Iron Curtain. Muggle Bulgaria was ruled (like all of the Eastern Bloc) by a Communist dictatorship which either forced dissidents into exile early on or tried to prevent them from leaving the country, with foreign education being virtually unheard of. If a wizarding event stood behind this, it is likely that the country's Ministry of Magic was also dictatorial, thus if Viktor attended Durmstrang (a school with a Germanic-sounding name located in the far North of Scandinavia, notably attended by Grindelwald), this was not happening with the Ministry's blessing. This could serve as an explanation for other Durmstrang students with Slavic-sounding names as well (Poliakoff and maybe Karkaroff himself). Viktor also had a surprisingly good command of English for a Bulgarian from that time. |
| 359 | |
| 360 | The family being exiled, probably into Western Europe, could be the reason behind their unusual surname, since the proper variant would be Krumov (for men) or Krumova (for women). The practice of shedding the suffix (or leaving it as the male form for girls) is not unheard of among expats naming their children. As for Viktor being on the national Qudditch team, it's possible that after the UsefulNotes/HoleInFlag revolution in 1989 he returned to Bulgaria when the dictatorship fell and was recruited for the team. |
| 361 | *** This theory, except instead of the wizards supporting Communism, Communism persecutes the wizards. Maybe some wizards supported Communism, and the persecution waxed and waned, but as a whole, Communism saw wizards as nonconformist and elitist. They shut down all wizarding schools in the Eastern Bloc, so hordes of Slavic wizards were exiled, to Scandinavia among other places. Some remained, and had difficult lives trying to educate students in magic at home in secret through their teenage years. Sometimes families met up to do this. After the fall of Communism, much of the diaspora returned to their home countries, including Krum's family. But at the time of the Harry Potter books, the magical community is still trying to re-establish itself, and many students are still being sent to Durmstrang as the schools have not re-opened. Oh, and the younger and older Dolohov (the older attended Hogwarts with Voldemort) are of a wizarding family who went to England to escape Stalin. Dolohov's hatred of Muggles which led him to follow Voldemort was partially inspired by the persecution of his family and other wizards in the Soviet Union. |
| 362 | |
| 363 | Related to this... |
| 364 | |
| 365 | [[WMG: Grindelwald had something to do with Stalin and Communism as well as influencing Hitler and the Nazis]] |
| 366 | Because, [[Main/Commie Nazis]] And Krum has lost family members to Grindelwald. Now that could mean Nazis (unknowingly led by Grindelwald) but what really happened is Grindelwald was playing both sides of the war. He figured either way, a lot of the Muggles will destroy each other and set up a totalitarian system which would leave things ripe for him to take total control. When the Communists had taken over large swathes of Europe, he was getting ready to openly reveal himself and claim leadership, but Dumbledore stepped in, dueled with him, and he was eventually imprisoned. |
| 367 | |
| 368 | [[WMG: Moaning Myrtle's sad backstory]] |
| 369 | Myrtle would've been about 11 years old when The Blitz happened. Her family went into an underground bomb shelter one night, but Myrtle could still hear the bombs and feel the earth shake. In fear and anger, she covered her ears and let out her loudest, most mournful wail, just to block everything out. The next morning, the Warrens found their house was perfectly intact, with surrounding houses having only minimal damage. Everything else was flattened. Not realizing it was Myrtle who saved them, Mr. and Mrs. Warren decided there was no way they'd get that lucky again and sent her out to the country. Myrtle waited a long time at that distant railroad station. Most people looking to take in refugees preferred attractive, cheerful children and Myrtle couldn't even bring herself to fake it. She went to the ladies for a good cry when a woman came in and introduced herself as Madame [=McGonagall=], an assistant teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She told Myrtle that the reason she survived the Blitz was because she was an untrained witch born to Muggles. Myrtle accused of of either being a liar or crazy. Rather than being offended, [=McGonagall=] commended her for being too wise to trust a complete stranger with an outlandish claim. She waved her wand and did a bit of transfiguration (including turning herself into a cat and back) to convince her. Myrtle decided she may as well go with her. |
| 370 | |
| 371 | Unfortunately, Muggle-born prejudice was even stronger then than in the present setting. It didn't help that there was a stereotype that Muggles were ugly and stupid. While Myrtle was ugly, she was by no means stupid. Unfortunately, most of the girls in Ravenclaw (including Olive Hornby) didn't like the idea of a Muggleborn getting better grades, so they made fun of her for being ugly and not quite understanding how the Wizarding World works. If she had sought out help from [=McGonagall=], Flitwick, Dumbledore or other understanding teacher instead of running off for a cry, she might not have been killed by the Basilisk. |
| 372 | |
| 373 | [[WMG: The character of Harry is meant to be a {{Deconstruction}} of CommonMarySueTraits.]] |
| 374 | * Easily trusted and forgiven: In the first books, Harry shows no respect at all, for the rules and receives little punishment (i.e., being out at night, stealing potion ingredients, going to the third floor and looking for the Stone, the whole flying car incident). Furthermore, his friends are willing to take great risks because they trust Harry's theory that Snape/Malfoy is evil. |
| 375 | ** Later on, his impulsiveness and lack of judgement start to have unintended consequences: [[spoiler:Sirius dies]], and his friends won't be so willing to believe anything Harry says about Malfoy, even if he has proof. |
| 376 | * Remains [[AngstWhatAngst brave and cheerful]] despite his HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood; the trauma of seing people die because of him starts to wear him off from the fifth book onwards, when he can 't control his temper. |
| 377 | * IJustWantToBeNormal: Invoked by Rita Skeeter and {{Justified|Trope}}. While, at first glance, being TheChosenOne seems awesome, Harry is basically BlessedWithSuck: a mind connection with a dangerous sociopath which he cannot control, a sociopath who has been trying to kill him since he was a baby. He lives in a CrapsaccharineWorld, grows up being withheld important information, raised to be a LivingMacGuffin, and seeing people die in front of him, all because of being TheChosenOne. It's no wonder he'd just prefer being normal. |
| 378 | |
| 379 | [[WMG: Harry Potter's name is actually Harold Potter.]] |
| 380 | "Harry" is a well-known nickname for "Harold", and "Harold" literally means "leader of the army". Harry was the leader of Dumbledore's Army and was one of the leaders of the defenders at the Battle of Hogwarts. Maybe his name was prophetic in-story, or maybe Rowling chose the name with that symbolism in mind. |
| 381 | ** Harry's real lucky that he didn't receive a Killing Curse to the eye then? |
| 382 | |
| 383 | [[WMG: Many Muggleborn witches and wizards are the children of rape victims.]] |
| 384 | In RealLife, there are evil men who slip drugs into women's drinks, then have sex with them while they can't resist. |
| 385 | |
| 386 | The same thing could be done by evil wizards, using magic. Step 1) Find an attractive muggle woman. Step 2) Place a LovePotion in the woman's drink. Step 3) Have sex. Step 4) Oblivate the woman, so that she won't even remember that she's been raped. |
| 387 | |
| 388 | Some of these rape victims will become pregnant. Many of the children of these rapes will inherit magic from their fathers. |
| 389 | |
| 390 | [[WMG: The Jinn from Arabic myth are the wizarding community of the Middle East.]] |
| 391 | It makes sense. In Muslim myth, Jinn are a third sentient race (apart from angels and humans) and have free will, like humans. They live in parallel societies that cannot easily be found, have special powers, and must follow the teachings of the Prophet. They are just as complex as humans in their motivations, there are good, evil, neutral ones, and everything in between. Depending on who you ask, they look just like humans too, only they have a special sort of fire in them (AKA magic) that they can use to do magical stuff. |
| 392 | * Harry Potter /ChildrenOfTheLamp crossover? |
| 393 | |
| 394 | [[WMG: Blood purity/muggle prejudice prejudice is a metaphor for elitism.]] |
| 395 | Most people who espouse or champion the philosophy [[BlueBlood are of the elite]] like the Malfoy and Black families. They put a value on family ties like most of the nobility. Their antipathy towards muggles is similar to how prejudiced members of the nobility have seen peasants or rich people have looked down on common or poor people; because they're of a lower ranking and thus "lesser". Muggle prejudice is driven mainly by the belief that their ignorance of things like magic and ability to use "enlighting" powers makes them the equivalent of a third nation and thus their inferiors. Of course there's obviously a lot of anti-semitism parallels, but it's elitism which is the most prominent one. |
| 396 | |
| 397 | [[WMG: Voldemort's deformities represent the amount of soul left in him.]] |
| 398 | While something as dark as [[BloodMagic horcruxes]] would leave you deformed, the reason why his face was flatter and other oddities represents the state of his soul. Namely, when less of one's soul is left so is more of his physical body; as if chopping off pieces of Tom Riddle's soul was magically mutilating his body. Being an albino comes the loss of skin pigments, [[BaldOfEvil losing his hair]], the slit-like "nose" being the reduction of his nasal tissue, his body becoming thinner and more elongated. It's obviously not a 1:1 transition, but he does lose more of his physical form with each bit of soul taken, albeit the physical damage is a relatively less severe than the damage to his soul. |
| 399 | |
| 400 | With this in mind, it's possible that the reason why Voldemort is the only person to make multiple horcruxes is because the practitioner, asides from [[EvenEvilHasStandards having more conscience than Tom to not repeat something so horrible]], was the fear that they'd be more deformed and fragile. Tom Riddle may have only wanted seven horcruxes because by the time you get to double digits you go from "mutilated but just as capable" to "[[EvilCripple a skeletal anorexic]]". The snake resemblance was somewhat of a coincidence. |
| 401 | |
| 402 | [[WMG: J.K Rowling is a witch]] |
| 403 | |
| 404 | * Who wrote a series of history books that were re-released as fiction for the Muggle community. |
| 405 | ** Maybe she´s Rita Skeeter, looking for some profit by selling the story. It´s not like the Ministry will go after her at this point... |
| 406 | |
| 407 | [[WMG: [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy Rasputin was a Russian wizard]]. ]] |
| 408 | He was a self-professed mystic in real life, even had a WizardBeard. The spells he put on the tsars were some dark magic, maybe even the Imperius Curse, and used healing magic to cure Alexei. The real reason behind his assassination is that he threatened to break TheMasquerade, and used various defensive spells [[RasputinianDeath so that his death was prolonged]]. The "official" story is a muggle cover-up. He didn't have a horcrux though, that would be Koschei the Deathless. |
| 409 | [[WMG: Harry Potter is real, and JKR is a witch who is the wizarding world’s equivalent of Edward Snowden etc.]] |
| 410 | The books, films, etc were her version of our Wikileaks, and the fact that Truth is Stranger than Fiction is the reason the Wizarding world hasn’t come after her. |
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