J.K Rowling’s creation, Harry Potter was published on 1997 and the first film was realised in 2001. Since then the wizarding world of Harry Potter has become a name that everyone knows. From 7 books and 8 films there has been so much more created from this franchise, such as the Harry Potter studios in London, the Harry Potter world in Florida; you can buy your own Hogwarts uniform, you can buy wands and brooms, and the list goes on. But is there more to the Harry Potter collection than just the story of a boy who lived?
Before the entire world fell in love with this franchise there were many who were sceptical of it, including Christians. Those who followed the Christian faith would not allow their children to read the books as they saw it to encourage the practise of dark magic. The books were seen to be antichristian however over time Rowling has now been classed as a Christian writer, along with fellow authors such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
There have been many theories that surround Harry Potter, most are created by the fans on web pages designed for discussions and stories written about Harry Potter. There are many pages dedicated towards this fandom in which people develop their ideas and theories, there are two main theories that can been seen to contradict themselves within this fandom. Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts and plays a crucial part in Harry’s life and the story, as a result of this there are two key theories on what Dumbledore represents. These two theories are that he is a representation of God and that he is Death. The idea of Dumbledore as God comes from a scene in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows part 2: in this scene Harry has died and is in a white train station. In the white train station Harry finds Dumbledore is there along with the remains of Voldemort’s soul that had attached itself to Harry. This scene is often compared to what we imagine going to heaven and being greeted by God would be like, as everything is white and quite unlike a real station. As well as that you could also compare Dumbledore to another religious figure; Saint Peter as he is the one who greets people at the gates of heaven and admits them into paradise. The location of a station as the place Harry goes to once dead is a clever one as it shows the audience that Harry has a choice, he can either stay at the station or get a train back to life. In the books the way in which Dumbledore is described and later shown in the films is seen as a strong image of what most people believe God to look like, in that he has a long white beard, and he is old. As well as that Dumbledore has many attributes similar to those in which we see God to have: he is wise, and he is a fair leader. In Hogwarts Dumbledore knows everything that is going on as well as within the Ministry of Magic.
The theory of Dumbledore as death comes from the Tale of Three Brothers in the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pages 350-351:
“‘…So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the older brother. Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead. And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility…’”
From this story Dumbledore can be compared to death as in Harrys first year at Hogwarts Dumbledore gave him a cloak of invisibility. In the same year he catches the snitch in a game of Quidditch, Dumbledore hides the stone of resurrection within the snitch which is given to Harry after Dumbledore’s death. And finally Dumbledore was the owner of the elder wand, which later became Harrys after he disarmed Draco Malfoy, who originally disarmed Dumbledore in the book the Half-Blood Prince. So by Dumbledore obtaining all three of the deathly hallows, he himself became death. This theory also indicates that Dumbledore is behind or involved in the deaths of both Severus Snape and Voldemort; he is behind Snape’s death as Voldemort kills Snape as he believes that Snape is now the owner of the elder wand as he killed Dumbledore, however unknown to Voldemort Snape and Dumbledore planned this. Dumbledore is also involved in Voldemort’s death as he reveals that he has raised and kept Harry safe so that he can die at the right point which in turn will bring about Voldemort’s death.
As well as Dumbledore being compared to God and death, Harry himself is often seen as a Christ figure. The most obvious link between Harry and Jesus is that they were both resurrected, Jesus was resurrected after his crucifixion, and Harry after Voldemort killed him with the death curse. One interesting link between both these figures is that both have reference to three days; Jesus was in the tomb for three days before resurrecting, Harry was in a coma for three days after battling Voldemort for the first time in the book The Philosophers stone. This is interesting as most non-fiction stories that can be seen to have a Christ figure in them neglect the fact that it took Jesus 3 days to resurrect. Although these three days for Harry happen years before his resurrection, the link to the biblical story of Jesus’ resurrection is there in more ways than just the resurrection; the stories are similar but the sequence in which the events happen are different. Another comparison made between Harry and Jesus is the willingness they both have to fight for the salvation of others. Jesus died on the cross for the salvation of others, he did this to save them from sin for when Jesus died he took sin with him. Harry on the other hand is constantly battling with Voldemort for the salvation of others, he keeps engaging with Voldemort in order to defeat him and save everyone from the evil Voldemort would bring upon the world. Furthermore, another link between Harry and Jesus is that they are both referred to as ‘the chosen one’: Jesus is the chosen one who will help others live a life free from sin, to help them become closer to God, and to live a better life; Harry is the chosen one who will defeat Voldemort and bring peace to the wizarding world. The final comparison to Harry and Jesus is the scars they both have, Jesus has scars on the palms of his hands from where the nails went through; Harry has his iconic lightning bolt scar. The link between these scars is that they were both put upon them through evil but with a good ending. Jesus’ scars are a reminder of the pain he went through to help others relive their sin. Harrys scar occurred when his mother defended him from Voldemort by using the strongest magic of all, love, and by doing this she destroyed Voldemort’s body reducing him to nothing. Harrys scar is a reminder of the sacrifice his mother made to save him. As well as that both of these scars are the effect of what has happened to them: Jesus’ scars are dots on the palm of his hand, where the nails were. Harry’s scar is the movement used to cast the curse Avada Kedavra, hence the lightning bolt.
Finally the other major character that can be compared to a religious figure is Voldemort. Voldemort can be seen as a representation of Lucifer, the devil himself. This is because in the books and films Voldemort is the ring leader of the Death Eaters, a group of people who follow Voldemort and do his evil bidding. The Death Eaters are those who have been tempted to the dark side by Voldemort. This can been seen as similar to how Eve was tempted by the snake, who was Lucifer, to eat the apple and disobey God. Voldemort is a key character used to show the significance of choosing between good and evil, one way this is done is the appearance of Voldemort. Compared to the rest of the Harry Potter character Voldemort is distinctly different as he has no nose and grey skin, this is due to the amount of dark magic used. Voldemort created Horcurxes, this is where a fragment of your soul leaves you and attaches itself to another object; as Voldemort had done this 7 times, all of which need a supreme act of evil, after a while the body deforms to match the soul. This shows the consequences of being evil in the most effective way as appearance is the first thing we notice. Another way in which the character of Voldemort is used to show the choice between good and evil, is when during the battle of Hogwarts when everyone believed Harry to be dead Voldemort asked those who fought alongside Harry to come over to his side. The battle struggle between doing good and evil in a recurring notion within many scriptures, in the bible there are many quotes about the consequence of doing evil: “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:20) and “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said! Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the Lord God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5:14-15) are just two examples of this.
In conclusion it is evident that the comparison of Harry Potter characters to religious figures is possible. The links between Dumbledore and both figures of God and Death is clear to see. As is Harry to Jesus. However this comparison in not just restricted to the character Harry Potter; within the fandom there are many more theories about the character mentioned here and more.
Bibliography
Abanes, R. (2001) Harry Potter and the Bible: The menace behind the Magick. Pennsylvania: Horizon Books.
Anatol, G.L. (2003) Reading Harry Potter: Critical essays. Westport: Praeger Publishers.
Flotmann, C. (2013) Ambiguilty in Star Wars and Harry Potter: A (post) structuralist reading of two popilar Myths. Bielefeld: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Granger, J (2002) The hidden key to Harry Potter. Pennsylvania: Zosslma Press.
Knowing Jesus (N/A) Knowledge of good and evil. Available online:
http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Knowledge-Of-Good-And-Evil
Neal, C. (2002) The Gospel according to Harry Potter. Kentucky: Westminister John Knox Pres.
Rowling, J.K (2007) Harry potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Religious Fictions 