The Harry Potter series is very popular. It features creatures that have a long history in mythology and folklore.
The Harry Potter series has many interesting creatures in it. In every book there is some new creature that strikes the curiosity of the reader. What many people do not realize is that these creatures have a rich history in Folklore and Mythology. Some are well known those, such as the Vampire, Werewolf, Dragon, Troll and Griffon are nearly common knowledge to readers though there are others that are not.
A Hippogriff is a creature that by mythological accounts should not exist. The Hippogriff is a cross between a Griffon and a Horse. The Griffon itself is a lion with eagle’s wings, its favorite food just happened to be horse. There used to be a phrase “I’ll do it when Griffons and Horses mate” which meant “Sometime never”. It wasn’t until the poem ‘Orlando Furioso’ written by Ariosto. In it the wizard Atlantis rides a Hippogriff. The popularity of this beast grew in the middle ages and has become a regular in the listing of mythological creatures.
The Basilisk plays an extremely important role in mythology. This serpent is considered to be the cause of the deserts of the Middle East. The Basilisk is a small venomous snake whose throat never touched ground. Everything about this creature was poisonous, it’s bite, glance, saliva and even it’s smell all meant instant death. The Basilisk’s venom rotted fruit and poisoned water, which is why people believe it caused the deserts. The crest upon its head signified it was the king of all snakes. Hence it’s name Basilisk which originated from the word Basileus that means King in Greek. The snake’s skin has white stripes or spots. Its breath was fiery and its cry was piercing enough to bring about death. This snake would prey on unsuspecting travelers. To protect themselves wary travelers would carry with them a globe that could reflect the snakes stare, a weasel (whose bite was also considered deadly) or a cockerel (rooster) whose cries could drive the snake insane.
No Fantasy piece is complete with out the appearance of Fairies. Harry Potter is no exception. There are many different types of Fairies that make appearances through out the series. The first and most notorious is the Boggart. This creature is said to haunt the homes in North England. It is a type of Brownie, which is a fairy that interacts regularly with humans. The Boggart is a brownie that prefers to cause mischief and play pranks in the home, if it can cause anything to go wrong it will. It’s direct opposite can be considered the Dobby which is a house elf in the books. The Dobbies too are a type of brownie, which prefer to help people around the home in any way possible though they are not known for being very bright.
The Vila are another type of Fairy. These creatures from Slavic folklore were believed to be the spirits of dead children or virgins who could not rest in peace because they hadn’t fulfilled their life’s desires. At night they danced and if a mortal joined in with this dancing they would not be able to stop until they died. Some Vila married humans and bore children others fulfilled roles of fairy godmothers.
