Question for those into Wiccan/Witchcraft, do the Harry Potter books realistically represent witchcraft?

Question

I realize that there is an incredible amount of poetic license in the books and that most of it is not "real" witchcraft. But what is in the book that does reflect religious practices of Witches/Wiccanism/Paganism, etc?

There are two excellent answers below and many other very good answers given. Thanks to all who have contributed to the resources on this question.

As a Christian, I keep hearing how evil these books are, and I felt that learning from the "experts" on whether HP really is about Witchcraft is really helpful. Thanks again.

Answer 1

I agree with you that there is much poetic license in Harry Potter, and I believe that the intention of the author is not to depict the Craft, but to tell a great story. And great stories are always about the following:

Faith
Hope
Love

And to show these, the story must include conflict, good against evil, betrayal, reconciliation, struggle, all that hard stuff.

Now in the Potter books and movies, the depiction of "witchcraft and wizardry" is realistic in the following ways:

- there are as many ways to practice the craft as there are witches. the disciplines are many and varied, and each person has different aptitudes and interests.

- the craft requires study, study, study, and the most powerful practioners have achieved their abilities through long years of dedication -- much like the commitment of a consecrated religious (nun or priest).

- as with every human, no wizard or witch, no matter how heroic or powerful, is perfect, immortal or infallible.

Other accuracies include the principle of having personal tools (wand, cauldron), familiar animals, of using the universal elements of fire, water, earth and air (universal meaning that every aboriginal culture in the world recognizes these), and the recognition that the world is not only wondrous and beautiful, but also holds danger -- hence the necessity to study and improve one's skills, including defensive and protective arts.

A final principle - do as you will, as long as you harm no one - is the basic credo for wiccans, as "do unto others as you would have done unto you" is the basic credo for Christians -- This principle is clearly pronounced in Potter as it is in real-life wicca -- although it can be tempting to use power to curse and harm, there are dire consequences and immeasurable harm arising from such action. Not just to your targets, but you cause yourself a spiritual death.
The example of Voldemort, whose soul is splintered through his desire for immortality, shows how covetousness can fester into murderousness, and eventually gives to the murderer nothing but death -- in fact, he calls his followers "Death Eaters"

This is the result of breaking the Wiccan rule - to do what you want, as long as you hurt no one -- you end up eating your own evil, your own death.

Answer 2

The Harry Potter books are fiction. Nothing is real and nothing matches the wiccan practice. I am not wiccan but I do know that it is all about love of Nature and the planet, and Mother Earth is sacred. These books are unrealistic and all made up. It takes a GOOD if not GREAT fiction writer to convince his audience or readers that it is REAL. She does this very well and that is why her books are so HOT and she is making lots of money.
She keeps the story line similar to what all of us believe witchcraft is and has been. Then she weaves it into a tale that pulls you in to the plot.
As we all know it was not long ago that people feared Witches/Wiccan and they were killed for their practices. Why is it so hard even now for people to realize that the wiccan/pagans have strong beliefs that nurture Mother Earth.
The only problem with these books is that they once again make Witches out to be something we should FEAR. Many small kids will grow up believing the past and not looking to the future.

Answer 3

In Narnia the witch is used as symbolism and has a deeper meaning, all of the Narnia series have a deeper Christian meaning to it. The problem I see with Harry Potter is the total witchcraft. That is all it is basically about. If the witchcraft was toned down a little like in the other movies/books I would be more okay with it, and you have to look at what it is doing to our children. On Halloween they all want to be a character from HP and want to pretend they are doing witchcraft and casting spells. You really don't see much kids wanting to be the fairy Godmother. I have read the books and seen the movies and I did not find much interest in them. The other story's do use magic but it isn't based all on witchcraft, and are more acceptable than HP. Those are my views on the matter.

Answer 4

Nope, not at all. They are just fantasy. Really really good fantasy. Great books, really. But, no, there is really not much basis at all in modern Wicca. Now, like many other fantasy novels, such as Lord of the Rings and the Narnia books, the Harry Potter series takes quite a lot from folklore and mythology. One of the characters mentioned, an alchemist named Nicholas Flamel, was an actual historical person. But there is a lot of poetic license here. And, no, your children won't start practicing Witchcraft or convert to Wicca from reading these books. What will happen, is that your children will enjoy them, and actually learn to love reading, and how can you discourage that. So, Harry Potter is just a good (damn good!) story, and there is no relationship whatsoever to Wicca.

Answer 5

No, not even close. First off, true magic doesn't involve flashes of light or smoke or explosions. That is poetic license.

Secondly, Wicca is a religion, not a school topic. Wicca is about realizing we are a part of Nature and not separate from it. We believe in making the Earth a better place and also we believe in the microcosm within the macrocosm, which mean that we believe in making ourselves better people we are also making the world a better place.

About the only thing from the HP series I would say resembles Wicca is just like the students at Hogwarts, we read a ton of books.

Blessed Be )O(

Answer 6

No. Harry Potter books are not an accurate portrayal of contemporary Paganism at all. They are Wizard Books for kids, and seem to be not at all about religion. If you want real Witchcraft try the book entitled Irish Witchcraft by Lora O'Brien.

Answer 7

I can only speak as a Wiccan, but Harry Pottter has about as much to do with Wicca as the Tooth Fairy has to do with the practice of dentistry.

Wicca is a religion with its own liturgy, cosmology, theories of magic, and so forth. Nothing in Harry Potter even comes within sniffing distance of anything Wiccans do or believe.

Harry Potter is a fantasy series that raps off its "spells" in bastardized Latin and never addresses the question of Deity or religious worship. Wiccans practice a carefully thought-out system of sympathetic magic in which everything in the universe is considered to be connected in one vast energy web; create their spells in English (or whatever their native language is); operate by a strict code of ethics, the Wiccan Rede, which can be stated as "If it harm none, do what you will"; honor Deity as Goddess and God; cast "circles" to create sacred space before they worship, and perform highly ritualized acts of invitation to the spirits of the cardinal directions and the Deities once they are in sacred space; and celebrate eight holy days a year attuned to the change of seasons and the solstices and equinoxes, as well as twelve or thirteen esbats associated with the full moon. There are other Wiccan practices as well, but those are the basics -- and as anyone who has read Harry Potter can see, they have no similarity whatsoever to what is done in that popular childrens' series.

I hope this clears up any confusion that the uninformed might have about how our practices relate -- or don't relate -- to Harry Potter.

Answer 8

Absolutely nothing. It's completely fictional. Hell I would love it if I could do some of the stuff they do but sadly no Harry Potter has nothing to do with real witchcraft.

Answer 9

Harry Potter is literature designed to get kids to read. Its not real. Its fantasy designed to hold the attention of a child. Real Magik doesnt happen like that.

Answer 10

Harry Potter is a fairytale for kids. The practices are very different and the goals are different too.