Similarities between the film 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' and the myth of King Arthur

Student: Yanina Helvig

Year: 2009

Introduction  

Le Morte Darthur (1485) is a well-known book written by Thomas Malory, where the author tells the adventures of the legendary King Arthur, focusing on the spirit of the English Renascence rather than describing the elements of romance that were very well-known in the epoch (Scudder, Vida 1917). Modern authors resort to elements of the Arthurian legend with frequency as a source for their literary works, films, TV programmes, comic books and others (Slocum, Sally, 1992). The film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (2001), based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling (1997), may present elements from the myth of King Arthur. The movie tells the story of Harry Potter, a young wizard who arrives at a world parallel to the Earth, in order to enter Hogwarts, the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the school, Harry and his friends try to prevent Voldemort, an evil magician, from stealing the Philosopher’s stone, an elixir of life. 

This paper will attempt to show similarities between the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and the myth of King Arthur. For this objective, different elements appearing in both pieces of work will be compared.   

An Overview of Malory’s adaptation of the Arthurian Myth and the Film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”

According to Malory’s version, Arthur is a legendary British king who obtains the throne after pulling an enchanted sword from a stone. When he takes the crown, he rules and takes decisions under the guidance and support of the Knights of the Round Table, who swear loyalty to him. Arthur fights numerous battles with great courage and bravery using Excalibur, the enchanted sword, to defeat invaders who want to alter the order of the British Empire. 

Arthur’s valor and prowess can be perceived in the following example where the king is in a battle with the Romans.

“But in especial, King Arthur rode in the battle exhorting his knights to do well (…) he drew out Excalibur his sword, and awaited ever whereas the Romans were thickest and most grieved his people (…) and hew and slew down right, and rescued his people (…)” (Malory, Sir Thomas 1485)

This short passage may show Arthur’s heroism and bravery since he decides to fight where there are more enemies in number to save the life of his knights.

Besides, the presence of supernatural forces may be found in the Arthurian legend, such as the enchanted sword that chooses Arthur as the British King. Other magical elements may include ghosts, like the spirit of Sir Gawain, one of his knights, who warns him from death, and giants and monsters killed by the king and his knights. Arthur’s death may be also connected with a powerful magical element. The king is caught and placed in a boat by a group of queens at the sea water, and from that moment nobody sees King Arthur again. 

The legend of King Arthur may be analyzed within a system represented by the British Empire. This system is composed by a powerful leader, King Arthur, a group of knights who fight in the name of the leading figure and the evil that frightens the system and attempts to alter it.      

The film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” tells the story of Harry Potter, who learns he is destined to become a powerful wizard in Hogwarts and that he is considered a legend because he could survive from Voldemort. This malevolent wizard aimed at killing Harry when he was a baby but he failed, leaving a scar on Harry’s forehead. In The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry and his friends have a great adventure. They fight against terrible monsters when they try to prevent Voldemort from recovering his body since it was destroyed the moment he tried to kill Harry. 

The film can also be analyzed within a system represented by Hogwarts. Some elements may be identified in this system as in the Arthurian myth. Such elements are: the head of the system, Dumbledore, the headmaster of the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a group of students who act in the name of Dumbledore, and the evil, Voldemort, who aims at stealing the philosopher’s stone to recover his body and thus, to take control of Hogwarts.   

A Comparison between the Arthurian system and the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone”

By comparing the legend of King Arthur and the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone”, some similarities can be perceived since the magical world in the film may be influenced by the Arthurian system.

One common denominator may be the presence of a powerful leader. In the Arthurian myth, King Arthur is the head of the British Empire. That is to say, he is a symbol for the nation he represents. The equivalent of Arthur in the film may be Dumbledore. He is an iconic figure who acts as the head of the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.   

Another similarity that can be identified may be the existence of a group of knights who fight to defend a common cause in the name of the leader. In the Arthurian myth, the Knights of the Round Table offer support to the king and fight to defeat invaders who want to alter the British system. In the film, Harry and his friends attempt to prevent the robbery of the philosopher’s stone. They fight in the name of Dumbledore to protect Hogwarts from the malignant and powerful Voldemort. 

However, it is possible to identify a difference between the Knights of the Round Table and Harry and his friends. In the myth, the knights are loyal, which means that they obey their king. In the film, the concept of faithfulness seems to be transformed because Harry and his friends question and judge the rules every time they find it necessary to defend Hogwarts. Although they break the rules, this may not imply that they are disloyal to Dumbledore because what they do is to analyze the regulations and act upon their own view. 

Arthurian Elements in the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone”

There may be other Arthurian elements that persist in the film.  The presence of supernatural forces is one element that the legend of King Arthur and the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” have in common. 

Such fantastic elements may be monsters, ghosts, spirits, wizards and magical weapons. For example, in the myth, Excalibur, the magical sword that chooses Arthur to become the British King, may be the equivalent of the magical wand that chooses Harry Potter in the film.

Moreover, it may be possible to find a connection between Arthur and Harry since both of them are predestined to become a legend. On the one hand, Arthur is considered a myth because he was the one predestined by an enchanted sword to rule the British nation. On the other hand, Harry is a well-known child in Hogwarts due to the fact that he was the only one who could survive from the evil Voldemort and destroyed him.

Arthur’s and Harry´s early age may also present similarities. Both characters were not raised by their parents in their early days. King Arthur, son of Uther, was brought up by Sir Ector. Merlin takes the decision of hiding the baby from the king’s enemies when he notices that the king is about to die.  Harry was raised by his relatives, the Dursleys, after his parents´ death. Hagrid, the gamekeeper, is the one who carries Harry to his relatives´ house.    

Conclusion

Malory’s adaptation of the adventures of King Arthur may be found in different works by many modern authors. The film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” is an example of a popular culture artifact where Arthurian elements may remain present.  By comparing both the legend of King Arthur and the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, it may be perceived that this popular culture artifact may be influenced by certain Arthurian elements and its system. 

Bibliography

Chris Columbus (2001) Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 

Malory, Sir Thomas (1994) Le Morte Dathur: Sir Thomas Malory´s Book of King Arthur and of his Noble Knights of the Round Table, Volume 1 and 2. Keller, Charles (ed.) University of Virginia (1994)

Scudder, Vida (1917) Le Morte Darthur of Sir Thomas Malory & Its Sources. New York: E.P. Dutton. 

Slocum, Sally (ed.) (1992) Popular Arthurian Traditions. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press