Proverbs in Harry Potter's wizarding world

Mittwoch, 15. April 2015

Where there is wand, there is a way

During his preparations for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament Harry falls asleep on top of a book called Where there is a Wand, There is a Way which plays on the muggle phrase ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’. This proverb has first been used in Michael Scott’s Cruise of the Midge in 1836.[1] It means that “if you are determined enough, you can find a way to achieve what you want, even if it is very difficult.”[2]

The proverb changes slightly in the wizarding world where the will has been replaced by a wand. The proverb reads as follows ‘Where there is a wand, there is a way’. This shows the great dependence of wizards and witches upon their wands without which they are vulnerable. With a wand and the right spell they are able to accomplish anything. The wand and the will are preconditions for a successful solution of the problem.

[1] Collins, V. H. A Book of English Proverbs: with Origins and Explanations. London: Longmans 1961, p. 129.

[2] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.534.

Not touch something or someone with a ten-foot broomstick

In the fourth novel Harry has to deal with a particularly annoying journalist named Rita Skeeter. She publishes an article exposing Hagrid as half-giant. Harry is furious and confronts her: “‘I wouldn’t come near you with a ten-foot broomstick,’ said Harry furiously. ‘What did you do that to Hagrid for, eh?’”[1]

The expression ‘ten-foot broomstick’ has been influenced by the phrase ‘ten-foot pole’ used in the non-magical world. The first time ‘not touch with a ten-foot pole’ has been used was in “the mid-1700s, when it began to replace the earlier not to be handled with a pair of tongs. In the 1800s barge-pole was sometimes substituted for ten-foot pole, but that variant has died out.”[2]

According to the Oxford Dictionaries a bargepole is described as “a long pole used to propel a barge and fend of obstacles.”[3] A ten-foot pole had the same purpose and was, thus, necessary to avoid unpleasant things. The replacement of the pole with a broomstick shows the importance of brooms within the wizarding world. All these expressions refer to the fact that a person is unwilling to approach something or someone else. This might be due to a lack of trust or a general dislike towards the other person.

[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000,p.491.

[2] "Not Touch with a Ten-foot Pole." Dictionary.com. Houghton Mifflin Company. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. <dictionary.reference.com/browse/not touch with a ten-foot pole>.

[3] "Bargepole." Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/de/definition/englisch/bargepole>.

Working like a house-elf

The idiom ‘working like slaves’ has been altered to fit into the magical world and has been replaced by the idiom ‘working like house-elves’. Both expressions indicate very difficult, exhausting and hard work without financial compensation.

As already mentioned house-elves are the property of a wizard family and have to obey all their orders. It is, therefore, appropriate to use the term house-elf instead of slave due to the similarity of their fate. The use of house-elves as substitution for human slaves shocks Hermione who was raised in the non-magical world where slavery has already been abolished. She is particularly annoyed when Ron is comparing doing his homework to the work of house-elves: “‘We’ve been working like house-elves here!’ Hermione raised her eyebrows. ‘It’s just an expression,’ said Ron hastily.”[1]

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Ron repeats a similar exclamation “’I feel like a house-elf’” when his mother tells him to help clean the house.[2] He refers to the same circumstances. Both events suggest that it is a popular expression in the wizarding community describing unpleasant, difficult and unpaid work.

[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p. 246.

[2] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.145.

I could eat a Hippogriff

Being able to eat a Hippogriff is a derivation from the non-magical idiom ‘I could eat a horse’. This phrase is used to express great hunger. Due to its large size eating and entire horse or hippogriff poses a great challenge and is, therefore, a mere exaggeration to express great hunger. In the fourth novel Ron is in such a state of great hunger after his arrival in Hogwarts: “‘Oh, hurry up,’ Ron moaned, beside Harry. ‘I could eat a Hippogriff.’”[1]

The wizarding world is populated by a large quantity of animals which cannot be seen by muggles. There are, however, myths circulating in the non-magical world which also include the hippogriff. This animal first appeared in the poem Orlando Furioso by Ariosto during the time of the Renaissance. He imagined it to be a hybrid of a griffin and a horse. A griffin is a hybrid of a lion and an eagle. This animal can only be tamed by wizards and knights[2] However, while muggles consider it to be a fantasy character it is a real animal in the wizarding world. It appears at first in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban during a lesson in Care of Magical Creatures. Newt Scamander describes Hippogriffs in his schoolbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: “It has the head of a giant eagle and the body of a horse. It can be tamed, though this should be attempted only by experts. Eye contact should be maintained when approaching a Hippogriff. Bowing shows good intentions. If the Hippogriff returns the greeting, it is safe to draw closer.”[3]

Due to its tamability wizards can use it in the same way that muggles would use horses. For this reason, wizards and witches have no use for horses. It is, thus, reasonable to exchange the phrase ‘eat a horse’ with the phrase ‘eat a Hippogriff’.

[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.195.

[2] Edwards, Karen. Milton’s Reformed Animals: An Early Bestiary: Hippogriff. In: Milton Quarterly. May 2007, Vol. 41 Issue 2, p.94-95.

[3] Rowling, J.K. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, London: Bloomsbury, 2009, p.37-38.

Memory like a leaky Cauldron

The idiom ‘to have a memory like a leaky cauldron’ is a derivation from ‘to have a mind/memory like a sieve’. “A sieve is a utensil with many fine holes. A person accused of having a memory like a sieve is either unable to retain information or is very forgetful.”[1]

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Mr Weasley is concerned about the whereabouts of a witch called Bertha Jorkings who has gone missing. He, therefore, asks her Head of Department Ludo Bagman whether they have found her yet. Bagman responds: “‘[…] she’ll turn up. Poor old Berthy … memory like a leaky cauldron and no sense of direction.’”[2] This indicates her inclination to forget important information. Instead of comparing the memory to a sieve wizards chose to compare it to a leaky cauldron. Cauldrons are still often used devices within the wizarding community mostly used for potion-making. The leaky cauldron refers to Bertha’s head which is no longer able to retain the liquid meaning the memory.

[1] "Have a Memory like a Sieve." English Daily. Web. 19.03.2015. <http://www.englishdaily626.com/idioms.php?013#Have a memory like a sieve>.

[2] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.102.

Merlin's Beard

Throughout the Harry Potter series there are a lot of exclamations focussing on the famous wizard Merlin. Amos Diggory is the first wizard using the phrase ‘Merlin’s beard’ to express his astonishment when he is being introduced to the famous Harry Potter.[1] Just like in the non-magical world Merlin is very famous and admired. He is the founding father of the Order of Merlin which has been awarded to exceptionally talented and brave wizards. According to his chocolate frog card which belongs to a collection of cards summarizing accomplishments of famous wizards and witches he is famous for being part of the Court of King Arthur.[2] J. K. Rowling furthermore published a piece on pottermore.com stating that Merlin had once belonged to the house of Slytherin during his time at Hogwarts.[3]

Merlin is often associated with long robes, white hair and a long beard, very similar to Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. Both wizards are associated with great power and wisdom.[4] The expression ‘Merlin’s Beard’ is therefore a colloquialism highlighting his special role within the wizarding world. It is equivalent to exclamations such as ‘Oh Lord’ or ‘Holy Christ’ as they are used by muggles.

[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.83.

[2] "Chocolate Frog Card Merlin." Pottermore. Web. 17.03.2015. <http://www.pottermore.com/en/trunk/cards/item/merlin-card>.

[3] Rowling, J.K. "Order of Merlin." Pottermore. Web. 17.03.2015. <http://www.pottermore.com/en/book6/chapter30/moment1/order-of-merlin>.

[4] see also: "Merlin." Myth Encyclopedia. Web. 19.03.2015. <http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Le-Me/Merlin.html>.

Miss for a sackful of Galleons

In the fourth novel Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the idiom ‘not miss for the world’ is changed into ‘not miss for a sackful of Galleons’. The muggle idiom expresses the great anticipation of an event. The person in question is determined to attend this event even if someone else offered something extraordinary like the entire world in order to keep him from going.

In the novel Amos Diggory, a colleague of Mr Weasley who is also working for the Ministry of Magic is looking forward to such a sporting event: “’Quidditch World Cup, wouldn’t miss it for a sackful of Galleons – and the tickets cost about that.’”[1] Galleons, apart from Sickles and Knuts, are very valuable golden coins which are used as currency in the wizarding world. A sackful of Galleons is extremely valuable and is, for this reason, a very tempting offer in exchange for the absence from a game. However, Diggory alleviates this argument immediately stating that the price for the tickets was just as high. The offer of a sackful of Galleons would, thus, only compensate the investment he has already made and loses the temptation it was ascribed to at first.