Harry Potter and Doylist Religiosity
There is a distinctly Christian note to the structuring of Harry Potter, and the elements of its story. Something that Rowling herself acknowledged in a press conference that took place during the beginning of her Open Book Tour on the 15th of October 2007, and reported on by MTV in an article from the 17th of October 2007, named “’Harry Potter’ Author J.K. Rowling Opens Up About Books’ Christian Imagery”. Rowling, in this press conference, stated that
“To me [the religious parallels have] always been obvious. But I never wanted to talk too openly about it because I thought it might show people who just wanted the story where we were going.”
But what, then, are these parallels? To put it plainly, Harry as a character acts as a Christ figure. His birth was heralded by a prophecy, much like the birth of Jesus Christ – born of a virgin mother – was prophesied many a time, most notable in Isaiah 9:6. Much like Christ was hailed as the Messiah and Savior, so too was Harry hailed as Wizarding Britain’s savior, their Boy-Who-Lived. Much like Christ, Harry willingly sacrifices himself, dying to save his fellows, and yet returns to life, arising to defeat their enemy, much like Christ’s Ascension is believed to have been a victory over Satan.
Much like Christ, Harry too triumphs over death. In uniting the Deathly Hallows and accepting death, he allows himself to resurrect, thus conquering death. One could even argue that the series has miracles, in the sense that the acts were miraculous for the age performed, such as Harry defeating Slytherin’s Monster at age twelve, inarguably an act that oughtn’t have been possible for ordinary children, even within the magical world. This act is, in fact, rather layered with regard to Christian imagery and symbolism. Harry’s house at school is that of Gryffindor, represented by the lion, an animal associated with Christ’s resurrection, as seen in the text “Physiologus”, wherein the cubs are said to be stillborn until the father returns on the third day, breathing life into them.
Thus, we have a character, who draws the sword (a prominent symbol of Saint Michael, the archangel) of a house represented by a lion, thus being deemed a true Gryffindor, slaying a snake, an animal that is commonly identified with Satan. In point of fact, during the Temptation of Christ, the Devil cites Psalm 91:11 – 12, refraining from continuing into Psalm 91:13, where the literal translation of the Latin Vulgate is
The asp and the basilisk you will trample under foot; you will tread on the lion and dragon
The passage is most commonly interpreted to be referential to Christ’s defeat of, and triumph over Satan. Snake iconography is used in other places, such as the Book of Revelation, where “ancient serpent” and “old serpent” are used to describe the Devil, and frequently identified as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, thus changing the original role of Satan – acting as a member of the Heavenly Court as “the Adversary” – into that which it is perceived as in the modern age. I also find it noteworthy that Harry battles specifically a basilisk.
The intra-school social dichotomy between the students in Slytherin and Gryffindor furthers this element. Gryffindor as a house is founded on the ideals of courage and chivalry, positioning it as the noble house, that which stands against the evils of the world, their common room and sleeping quarters in a tower, high in the sky, reaching toward the heavens. Conversely, Slytherin is represented by the snake, its founder valuing blood purity, a disregard for rules, and a cunning and sly nature, their sleeping quarters and common room residing under the ground in the castle’s dungeons.
Heaven-reaching, courageous lions, adversarial and combative to the cunning serpents who dwell beneath the ground? The symbolism is rather evident.
Furthermore, once again returning to Harry as a character, there is a reflection of Christ’s acceptance of the outcasts, in the people Harry associates with. He befriends Luna and Neville, both singled out as unusual and outcasted as such. He befriends those that discriminated against, such as Hermione, Hagrid, and eventually Fleur.
Rowling has also openly admitted to being Christian, and the struggle with death that Harry has after Sirius dies is inspired by her own struggles with belief in life after death. Further, she admits to going to church, stating that she doesn’t
“[…] take any responsibility for the lunatic fringes of my own religion.”
Thus, we see that even through the Doylist lens, Harry Potter is pervasively Christian