When you think about it, the whole premise of Harry Potter is quite peculiar. Where did J.K. Rowling get these weird, whimsical, and wacky ideas? Who comes up with the idea of a partially beheaded ghost? Well, J.K. Rowling would be one of the first to admit that she had some help with coming up with these magical ideas. Here are just a few of J.K. Rowling’s inspirations to give you a sense of where the idea of Harry Potter came from. (It looks like she flipped to the “M” part of the encyclopedia).
MYTHOLOGY
One source would be British folklore and mythology. Counting all the mythological creatures that have come up in Harry’s story would take quite some time. Think about it, there are elves, centaurs, three headed dogs, basilisks, hippogriffs, dragons, unicorns, and the list goes on. Rowling didn’t create all of these creatures; rather, she borrowed them from mythology. However, often times, she puts a little twist on the creature. For example, the hair of a unicorn can be used to make wands for wizard.
MACBETH
Another source would be Macbeth. Yes, that’s right, Shakespeare influenced Harry Potter! In Macbeth, there is a prophecy that influences Macbeth’s actions. Rowling’s premise is that the prophecy in Harry Potter motivated Voldemort to carry out his actions. Would Voldemort have acted differently if he hadn’t heard the prophecy? Was it fated to happen? All of these questions are courtesy of Macbeth.
MERLIN
One more source is the book The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White. There are some striking similarities between the two books. Not the least of which is the fact that in The Sword in the Stone, an orphan meets a wizard (Merlin) who takes him to a castle and educates him. Merlin and Dumbledore are strikingly similar. They both have excessively long beards, blue eyes, and they both teach orphans about magic.
So, if you decide to reread the books, or if you are reading them for the first time, see if you can spot the origin of a certain ideas, creatures, or motifs. The magical world of Harry Potter isn’t completely original; however, there is something to be said for the amount of creativity put forth by J.K. Rowling.