Christian clues in Harry Potter
In his book Finding God in Harry Potter, John Granger illuminates some of the striking examples of Christian meaning in the series. Here is a small sampling:
- A Gryffindor, the name of Harry’s dormitory, has Christian implications: It is named after its founder Godric Gryffindor, whose first name means godly or worshipful, and it contains the word griffin, a mythological figure and common symbol for Christ (like Christ, the griffin has both an earthly and a heavenly nature; it is half lion and half eagle).
- A Slytherin, the dormitory of Harry’s enemies, bears the mascot of a serpent. The villain of the books, who is also associated with Slytherin, is Lord Voldemort, who has serpentine features as well as a pet snake.
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I first read a Harry Potter novel so I could explain to my older daughter why we don’t read junk like that. As father to seven children whom we educate at home, I decided we wouldn’t have anything to do with Harry after a coworker had recommended these stories (with no little enthusiasm!) about an English boy who goes to a school to learn witchcraft and wizardry.
We don’t watch television, so I was unaware of the controversy about the books in the Christian community, but I didn’t need much guidance to figure this out. The title of the first book included the word
sorcerer, and this seemed sufficient to me to keep it out of my home. Alas, our pediatrician (and Baptist mother of four) gave a copy of
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to Hannah, then 12, and I was obliged to read it or just a few pages in order to point out its failings as literature and edifying reading. I mean, advocating witchcraft … as a Christian, this seemed a no-brainer.
I sat down with the beat-up paperback when the children were finally in bed and expected to be in bed myself in a few minutes. Instead, I was up the better part of the night enjoying the best story I had read in many years. The next day I told Hannah she could read Harry — in fact, I told her to start reading the book that day. I bought the other books in the series, apologized to my co-worker for disregarding her recommendation, and read the first chapters of the first book aloud that night to my other children.
What caused my aboutface on Harry? First, there isn’t any sorcery or invocational magic in Harry Potter (the American publisher changed the original title,
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, because he felt Americans would not buy a book with
philosophy in the title). Objections to the witchcraft in Harry Potter are unfounded because the incantational magic of literature has nothing to do with the occult.
As important for me, though, was the depth and evidently Christian meaning of the stories. I didn’t know then what I have learned since — that the author, J.K. Rowling, has an honors degree in classics from the University of Exeter and is Church of Scotland in her faith (Presbyterian). The author’s faith, intelligence, and classical training come shining through her stories. In the best tradition of English literature, which until very recently has been Christian literature written by Christians for Christians, Rowling instructs while delighting and baptizes the imagination.
I confess to being more than a little surprised when I learned that other readers had trouble seeing past the title to enjoy the delightful characters and drama. I realized then that I was able to see what the author was doing because I look through the same prescription eye glasses she does. Like Rowling, I love the Great Books, have an honors degree in classics, and I grew up in the Anglican communion (the American Episcopal Church). I could see the literary spellwork she was performing in these adventure-mystery tales because I could understand the literary references and formulas, recognize the Christian imagery and symbols, and translate the Latin spells.
