The dragon, the griffin, the unicorn, the phoenix, the centaur-these and more are represented in Muggle works of that period, though usually with almost comical inexactitude’ (xxiv).
And she nods towards this in Newt Scamander’s introduction in which he notes that some magical beasts turn up in ‘Muggle bestiaries:’ ‘a glance through Muggle art and literature of the Middle Ages reveals that many of the creatures they now believe to be imaginary were then known to be real. Long before Rowling wrote her contemporary bestiary Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2001) – or the more recent film versions – she had been influenced by bestiaries. Rowling’s animal lore and, indeed, in May 2018 she placed a page from the early thirteenth-century Aberdeen Bestiary as her Twitter header: Bestiaries are an important source for J.K. Bestiaries are medieval animal books (and Rowling notes that this is a ‘very old library book’) which describe mythical beasts such as unicorns, phoenixes and Basilisks alongside real animals. In Muggle terms, because this is a natural history book that informs the reader about fabulous beasts, this book is a bestiary. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it.” ( Chamber, Chap 16, p.215) Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken’s egg, hatched beneath a toad. “ Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. The page she has torn out explains that the creature stalking Muggleborns at Hogwarts is a Basilisk: In Chamber of Secrets Hermione commits an action never commented on by the other characters, but far more out of character than punching Malfoy or walking out on Professor Trelawney. Last year, Dr Beatrice Groves (author of Literary Allusion in Harry Potter) helped us explore festive themes in the Harry Potter series, and this year we’re lucky enough to have her back to explain the connections between the roosters and Basilisk, and connections to Christmas in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! Settle in, and read Part 2 here. How are you faring this holiday season, Potterheads? If you’re in need of some Harry Potter analysis to distract you from stress and holiday shopping traffic, we’ve got just the piece for you!
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