Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

-Magical creatures from the world of Harry Potter

Magical and mythical creatures have always captivated people and this is as true through the ages as it was in ancient times. In fact, many of the magical creatures that people know, love or fear today have their origins in many ancient tales. The Great tales of Greek mythology and the folklore from Britain and Scandinavia created creatures that set the template for so many of the fascinating creatures that you can see on TV, in films or in books today.

In the modern era, Harry Potter is the immediate go-to character with magic at the heart of the story and some of the most loved or terrifying characters are linked to ancient characters and beasts. Are you aware of characters such as Boggarts, Fawkes The Phoenix, The Basilisk or Firenze The Centaur? If you have, you are not just familiar with some of J.K. Rowling’s finest characters; you are touching on characters and creatures that have fascinated people for hundreds of years, if not centuries!

Do you really know your Boggarts from your Basilisks? Let’s find out! It’s time for your Care of Magical Creatures lesson...

Celtic mythology plays a strong role

Boggarts are drawn from Celtic mythology and with J.K. Rowling writing the Harry Potter stories in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, the link is obvious. There have been many different spellings or similar names for a boggart but in general they are seen as been spirits that roam houses, sometimes doing good with their powers and sometimes being mischievous. Over time, these creatures have been considered to be likely to steal or rob but dim-witted enough to be tricked into leaving you alone. If a boggart catches you unaware, you may end up as a victim but with their short height and little legs, you could out-run them. Beware though, they have a nasty temper!

The Phoenix is drawn from ancient Egyptian and Greek mythologies with links to the Sun Gods in both elements. The over-riding elements of a phoenix, true in most if not all of its retellings is that it is a majestic bird and one that is capable of eternal life. The phoenix rises from the ashes to regain life and this story has weaved its way into a modern saying used when someone or something appears to make a remarkable recovery. There is also a large belief that there is only one phoenix alive at one time.

Greek mythology is always a huge influence

The Basilisk is another creature drawing heavily from Greek mythology but again, there are many similar tales of creatures in different times and stories. In all mythologies, this style of creature is said to be amongst the most dangerous and feared creature that ever lived, which ties in with the name, which means King in Greek. With a continuing theme of everyone who sees The Basilisk dies, there is no way of knowing what he or indeed it, looks like. This only adds to the sense of foreboding around this character though because there can be no greater fear than something that you cannot see.

The centaur is another hugely popular style of character that can be found in a great range of stories and tales. While the ancient Greeks again should be credited for these creatures, evolving from war stories of men riding horses into battle, they feature in every form of mythical tale and folklore. In Celtic folklore, the Welsh and Scottish stories feature their own take on the centaur, with the Ceffyl Dŵr featuring strongly in tales from ancient times. Even Indian, Roman and Egyptian tales have similar characters.

While both good and bad centaur creatures exist, their strength, speed, agility and intelligent thinking means that they have the power to do a lot of good or bad, depending on their viewpoint in life. Many of the centaurs also had the attractive torso and face of a male, appealing to young women, who would often be stolen from their homes.

Ten points to Gryffindor if you knew some of that already!

The next time you read through the Harry Potter stories or watch the films, look out for the number of mythical creatures you see. There is no doubt that J.K. Rowling is a talented writer for bringing so many characters together in such a strong narrative but she has certainly relied on the magical mythical creatures that have been popular throughout time to do so.

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