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Magic in Harry Potter
In the fictional universe of Harry Potter, magic is depicted as a supernatural force that overrides the laws of nature. In humans, magical ability is inborn and is usually inherited. Most children of magical parents are magical themselves. These are called Half-Bloods/Purebloods and are common. Some children of "Muggle" (non-magical) parents also display magical abilities. These are called Muggleborns and these are uncommon. Children who are born to wizard parents but cannot perform magic are called Squibs although these are very rare. Known Squibs in Harry Potter are Mrs Figg and Argus Filch.
J. K. Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter, based many magical elements in her fictional universe on real-world mythology and folklore. She has described this derivation as "a way of giving texture to the world". The magic of Harry Potter was the subject of a 2017 British Library exhibition and an accompanying documentary. The exhibition, entitled Harry Potter: A History of Magic, was the first at the British Library to be based on a single series by a living author.
Wizards must learn how to control their magic. In young and untrained children, magical effects will occur spontaneously during moments of strong emotion. In the novels, almost all intentional magic is performed with a wand.
Spells are the every-purpose tools of a wizard. They are generally short bursts of magic used to accomplish a specialised task, such as creating fire or unlocking a door. Casting a spell usually requires the movement of a wand and the uttering of an incantation. The language of the incantations in the Harry Potter novels has been described as modified Latin. Although wizards in the novels almost always use a wand for casting spells, Rowling has used the Wizarding World website to describe certain wizarding cultures that practise magic without a wand. While most spells depicted in the books require the caster to use their voice, some do not.
Before publishing the first Harry Potter novel, Rowling spent five years establishing the limitations of magic – determining what it can and cannot do. "The most important thing to decide when you're creating a fantasy world," she said in 2000, "is what the characters can't do." In the novels, the character Hermione Granger explains that food cannot be conjured out of thin air. Wizards can prepare it using magic and even multiply it, but they cannot create it. According to Rowling, money also cannot be conjured from nothing.
In Goblet of Fire, Albus Dumbledore tells Harry that magic cannot truly and permanently bring dead individuals back to life. However, there are methods of communicating with the dead in a limited way. For example, all Hogwarts headmasters appear in a magical portrait when they die, which allows future generations to consult with them. However, the portrait is a reflection of who the wizard was, and is not a link to their spirit. The Resurrection Stone allows the bearer to speak with the dead, but it cannot bring the dead back into the living world.
Likewise, it is not possible to make oneself immortal unless one uses an object of great power to sustain life, such as the Philosopher's Stone or a Horcrux. If one were to possess the three Deathly Hallows, it is fabled that they would possess the tools to become the "master of death". Other methods of extending life include drinking unicorn blood, which will keep a person alive even if death is imminent, but at the price of being cursed forever. Being magical can contribute to one's longevity, as there are several characters in the series who are unusually long-lived. It is revealed by Nearly Headless Nick in the fifth novel that all wizards have the choice of becoming ghosts upon dying; however, it is described as "a pale imitation of life". Rowling has stated that death is the most important theme in the novels.
As explained earlier, young untrained wizards can trigger uncontrolled magic when they are in a state of intense emotion. But emotions also affect trained witches and wizards and their magical abilities.
Magic in Harry Potter
In the fictional universe of Harry Potter, magic is depicted as a supernatural force that overrides the laws of nature. In humans, magical ability is inborn and is usually inherited. Most children of magical parents are magical themselves. These are called Half-Bloods/Purebloods and are common. Some children of "Muggle" (non-magical) parents also display magical abilities. These are called Muggleborns and these are uncommon. Children who are born to wizard parents but cannot perform magic are called Squibs although these are very rare. Known Squibs in Harry Potter are Mrs Figg and Argus Filch.
J. K. Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter, based many magical elements in her fictional universe on real-world mythology and folklore. She has described this derivation as "a way of giving texture to the world". The magic of Harry Potter was the subject of a 2017 British Library exhibition and an accompanying documentary. The exhibition, entitled Harry Potter: A History of Magic, was the first at the British Library to be based on a single series by a living author.
Wizards must learn how to control their magic. In young and untrained children, magical effects will occur spontaneously during moments of strong emotion. In the novels, almost all intentional magic is performed with a wand.
Spells are the every-purpose tools of a wizard. They are generally short bursts of magic used to accomplish a specialised task, such as creating fire or unlocking a door. Casting a spell usually requires the movement of a wand and the uttering of an incantation. The language of the incantations in the Harry Potter novels has been described as modified Latin. Although wizards in the novels almost always use a wand for casting spells, Rowling has used the Wizarding World website to describe certain wizarding cultures that practise magic without a wand. While most spells depicted in the books require the caster to use their voice, some do not.
Before publishing the first Harry Potter novel, Rowling spent five years establishing the limitations of magic – determining what it can and cannot do. "The most important thing to decide when you're creating a fantasy world," she said in 2000, "is what the characters can't do." In the novels, the character Hermione Granger explains that food cannot be conjured out of thin air. Wizards can prepare it using magic and even multiply it, but they cannot create it. According to Rowling, money also cannot be conjured from nothing.
In Goblet of Fire, Albus Dumbledore tells Harry that magic cannot truly and permanently bring dead individuals back to life. However, there are methods of communicating with the dead in a limited way. For example, all Hogwarts headmasters appear in a magical portrait when they die, which allows future generations to consult with them. However, the portrait is a reflection of who the wizard was, and is not a link to their spirit. The Resurrection Stone allows the bearer to speak with the dead, but it cannot bring the dead back into the living world.
Likewise, it is not possible to make oneself immortal unless one uses an object of great power to sustain life, such as the Philosopher's Stone or a Horcrux. If one were to possess the three Deathly Hallows, it is fabled that they would possess the tools to become the "master of death". Other methods of extending life include drinking unicorn blood, which will keep a person alive even if death is imminent, but at the price of being cursed forever. Being magical can contribute to one's longevity, as there are several characters in the series who are unusually long-lived. It is revealed by Nearly Headless Nick in the fifth novel that all wizards have the choice of becoming ghosts upon dying; however, it is described as "a pale imitation of life". Rowling has stated that death is the most important theme in the novels.
As explained earlier, young untrained wizards can trigger uncontrolled magic when they are in a state of intense emotion. But emotions also affect trained witches and wizards and their magical abilities.