Bachelorarbeit, 2020
44 Seiten, Note: 1,9
1. Introduction
2. Religion, Magic and the Idea of Witchcraft
3. Magic in the Early Modern Period
3.1 White Magic
3.2 Black Magic
3.2.1 Witch-Hunts
4. Concepts of Witchcraft
4.1 The Demonic Witch
4.2 The Village Witch
5. The Magical Word of Harry Potter
6. Analysis of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter Series
6.1 Appearance and Background
6.2 Hermione Granger’s Personality
6.3 Magical Skills
6.4 Hermione Granger – A Wise and Brave Witch
7. Analysis of Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter Series
7.1 Appearance and Background
7.2 Bellatrix Lestrange’s Personality
7.3 Magical Skills
7.4 Bellatrix Lestrange – The Perfectly Evil Witch
8. Hermione Granger versus Bellatrix Lestrange – Looking at the Results
9. Conclusion
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Electronic Sources
It seems like people have always been fascinated by the concept of magic. Looking at the early modern period in Europe, magic used to have another meaning for people. Its aim was not to entertain others, nor was it something fictional. Magic was real and existing. Today, magic is still something people are surrounded by whether through performances or by being addressed in fantasy books, magic is entertaining people today.
Joanne Rowling, better known as J. K. Rowling, is a British author who is best known for the Harry Potter series. With more than 500 million sold copies worldwide, the Harry Potter series is the bestselling book series of all time (cf. Charlton and MacArdle 129). The fantasy series consists of seven books: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 1, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 3, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 4, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 5, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 6 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 7. J.K Rowling allows the reader to discover the magical world that she created in her books.
This paper will show that early modern ideas of magic can be found in the Harry Potter series and that on this basis, J.K Rowling reframes the fight between good and evil, which gives her the opportunity to humanise and demonise characters. The focus will be on the characters Hermione Granger and Bellatrix Lestrange. Focussing on the Harry Potter series, this paper will analyse how Hermione and Bellatrix are presented compared to the image of early modern practitioners of magic.
First, a general overview of the early modern concepts of magic and religion will be given. After that, the focus will be on the early modern concepts of white magic and black magic, addressing the key concepts that will be important for the analysis. Lastly, the theory part of this paper will have a look at the specific concepts of witches that were present in the early modern period.
The main part will focus on two characters. Therefore, in the main part of this paper, the characters of Hermione Granger and Bellatrix Lestrange will be analysed.
Attention will be paid to the historical context, personality, speech, but also on the outer appearance and their magical abilities. Further, there will be a chapter which will have a short look at the early modern concepts that could not be found in the analyses. Lastly, some ideas for further research will be introduced.
Magic is not a single, simple concept that can be defined effortlessly. There are several ideas and definition of what magic and therefore also witchcraft means. To understand the basic concept of witchcraft, the concepts religion and of magic in general also need to be explained. In this paper, a focus will be especially on the early modern period (roughly from 1500-1800) in Europe, which means this chapter will be concerned with the concepts of witchcraft, magic and religion in the early modern period in Europe.
Religion played an important role in almost everyone’s lives. Although there were concurrently other religions present, the Christian faith was prevalent in Europe. It can be described as a “system of belief in God, and of organised, public rituals, run by a professional staff, designed to propitiate God” (Goodare 20). Religion offered rules and precepts explaining how people should treat other people (cf. 21). Overall, it “offered a universal interpretation of the world” (20). That means anything could be explained through or discussed on the basis of religion.
In the early modern period, magic was a real concept to most people. Magic was an umbrella term that covered several activities, like for example “astrology, alchemy, medicine, divination, necromancy, and conjuring” (Coudert 35). According to Goodare magic did not rely on science, and people believed that it worked because authoritative people whom they respected would tell them that it worked. Magic was ancient wisdom, it relied on tradition (cf. 19). Because so many different activities were described as magical, magic was nothing illusional but more an aspect of everyday life for most.
Magic was predominantly practical. Overall, it was a “set of traditional beliefs and ritual practices that helped people to understand the unusual forces in the world, and to achieve practical ends by seeking to manipulate those forces” (Goodare 19). People who practiced magic often used, for example, amulets, talisman, spells and rituals in order to achieve their goals (cf. Wilby 137). Magic was not theoretical like religion; it did not follow unifying principles. Magic required the magical practitioners to take an active role.
Early modern religion overlapped with magic in some points which means there are strong similarities between magic and religion. For example, rituals and prayers can be found in both concepts. The most relevant similarity seems to be the fact that religion and magic were used to gain benefits for oneself (cf. Goodare 21). People hoped that their prayers would come true and they hoped that the rituals performed by magical practitioners would be efficient.
However, there was a difference between white and black magic. Harmful magic’s intent was to harm others and cause damage. This kind of magic was considered to be ‘black magic’ (cf. Wilby 29). The term ‘white magic’ was used in context with those who helped others or themselves by practicing magic, like for example healers. Black magic was also referred to as ‘witchcraft’ (cf. Goodare 23f).
There are many words to describe practitioners of magic. Someone who practiced witchcraft was often called a witch. The term “generally denoted an individual who was seen by others, or perceived by themselves, as being able to employ magical power to do harm” (Wilby 42). “In English, a ‘witch’ was always bad; a ‘magician’ could be bad or good” (Goodare 18). In the early modern period, the term ‘witch’ was used to refer to either males or females. The terms ‘magician’, ‘sorcerers’, ‘wizards’ were also common to refer to practitioners of either white or black magic (cf. 17f).
To sum up, the world of magic consisted of practices and beliefs. Magic was not an alternative religion but consisted of loose practices. Early modern magic and religion describe two different concepts. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that there are similarities. Understanding these concepts will allow for an understanding on how the perception of magic changed during the early modern period and why witchcraft became a real threat to people.
The terms used in this paper do not indicate that practitioners of magic either white or black do or did exist. It only refers to people and their beliefs of what they were, or others thought they were. So, using the term ‘witch’ for example only describes individuals themselves believing being a ‘witch’ or other people believing them to be one.
The idea of witches “was neither wholly unique nor wholly unprecedented” (Goodare 32). The idea of magic and therefore also the idea of practitioners of magic can be traced back to ancient Egypt, if not earlier. Witch trials and accusations reached the climax in the early modern period in Europe (cf. Goodare 4). This period offers the most information about the ideas of magic and their practitioners. To not extend the limits of this paper, the following parts will only include a look at the most relevant ideas, concepts, and occurrences involving magic and practitioners of magic.
The following chapter will present a focus on the idea of white magic. It will provide essential information about those people who practiced white magic by, for example, looking at their typical tasks and their role in society.
According to Wilby the cunning folk was associated with benevolent magic. Cunning men and women were also called wise men or women or even white witches. They were known to be able to help others with their knowledge, abilities and magical services. Therefore, they were associated with white magic (cf. 26f). As for villagers, they simply saw [white] magic as helpful, not maleficent, and probably did not use the word ‘witchcraft’ for it at all” (Goodare 24).
Practitioners of white magic were widespread. Looking at writings from the early modern period, it is remarkable that contemporary writers often talk about the cunning folk or wise women and men. Some of them mention that cunning men and women can be found easily, which indicates that they were common and widespread. Robert Burton, for example, wrote in his book The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621) that, “sorcerers are too common; cunning men, wizards and white witches, as they call them in every village” (qtd. in Wilby 28).
Cunning men and women provided important magical healing services. People in the early modern period struggled with a lot of diseases. Professional medical care was not only expensive, but it was also hard to find someone who performed it well, especially for those who lived in a more rural area far away from the city (cf. Wilby 32). That is why the healing services of cunning people were so important, they were “reasonably cheap, often accepting payment in kind and sometimes accepting no payment at all. […] [A]lso [they] had the advantage of being easy to reach” (34). Practitioners of white magic were known for having a wide variety of healing techniques, and cunning men and women were known for being skilled. They performed tasks from “blood-letting, bone-setting and diagnosis to prescribing curative herbal concoctions” (Whaley 176). Whenever the basic knowledge of common people was not enough, people went to practitioners of white magic (cf. Wilby 32). The cunnings had an “extensive knowledge of herbs and their uses, and were able to alleviate a number of minor illnesses, although they could do nothing against life-threatening diseases” (Blecourt and Davies 156). “Traditional plant medicine could be used, and herbal prescriptions could be complex and precise” (Wilby 34). Magical spells, rituals, amulets, and cooking recipes were also common and frequently used by cunning men and women (cf. Goodare 102). Additionally, cunning men and women had long tested remedies. Usually the remedies that were used, were tested in years of use. “They had pain-killers, digestive aids and anti-inflammatory agents” (Ehrenreich and English 12). Some of these remedies had significant benefits and are still considered as having healing powers. Other remedies were without any provable benefits, but people believed in their effects.
Further, some cunning women and men were able to help with astrological advices. The idea that there is a connection between the sky, the stars, and life on earth was present in the early modern period (cf. Kassel et al.). Medicine and astrology had a close link; astrologists were respected for their abilities (cf. Whaley 89) and could offer help with health issues. Some cunning men and women also practiced techniques that were linked with astrology. However, some people went to the cunning folk to let them predict their future because these people were known for a variety of skills. “Many were believed capable of divining the future and it was not uncommon for them to be asked to make predictions, and give subsequent advice, on a wide variety of matters” (Wilby 39). These predictions could, for example, refer to health, wealth, or death. In some cases, practitioners of white magic could even help in terms of love. It was not uncommon that an individual fell in love with someone, but it turned out to be unrequited love. Believing in magic and the power of it, those people approached practitioners of white magic to ask for help. Cunning men and women usually could offer help, for example by mixing tinctures for the loved one, or with spells and charms (cf. Wilby 40), which relates to images of witches prevalent today.
In addition, some cunning men and women served as mediators between the living and the death. It was a common belief that ghosts could communicate with practitioners of white magic (cf. Wilby 40). When people, for example, thought that they were being haunted or when they wanted to communicate with a loved one who recently passed, they usually asked practitioners of white magic for advice.
Some practitioners of white magic connected magic with religion. Some rituals, spells, or healing methods included religious aspects or even directly referred to religion. Holy water could be used in a magical sense, for instance by using it for a spell to protect animals or humans (cf. Wilby 13). Accordingly, the church was aware of the existence of cunning women and men. Even though the church did not directly advise people to visit magical practitioners, they were aware of the benefits those practitioners had for society (cf. Goodare 10). The practice of magic became illegal when the idea of demonic witchcraft was spread. This fact could indicate that the church tolerated users of white magic who helped the common folk with their abilities, or at least it can be said that white magic used to be something legal. In turn, this does not mean that the church approved practitioners of white magic but accepted that those people were simply existent in the lives of people.
Practitioners of white magic played an important role in the witch craze. People actively believed in magic and they were surrounded by people practicing it. During that period, magic was not just imagination, but it was something tangible and real. Because they believed in magic that was beneficial, it was easier for them to believe in magic that was harmful (cf. Broedel 34). Cunning women and men were not directly accused of being witches, at least not as a whole community. They were more often responsible for identifying witches and helping people who suffered of being bewitched (cf. Goodare 103).
People in the early modern period believed that harmful magic could be counteracted.
People were convinced that practitioners of white magic could “detect and counteract the harmful effects of witchcraft” (Parish 225). “[P]rocedures for causing harm sometimes could be reversed by digging up the buried image, removing the needle [or] washing the figure in clean water” (Kieckhefer 22). But practitioners of white magic needed to be careful because in the case that they are unable to heal a person, they had to fear that they themselves might be accused of being witches. White and black magic seemed to function as “inseparably halves of the world of popular culture in this period” (ibid.).
Furthermore, practicing white magic was often associated with males, while black magic was often associated with females. Regarding the fact that females and males were known to be practitioners of white magic, scholarly estimates show that, for example in England, two-thirds of magical practitioners of white magic were males (cf. Rowlands 452). Looking at the European witch-hunt it is obvious that significantly more women were accused of being witches and therefore practicing black magic than men were (cf. Goodare 267f). According to Apps and Gow, demonologist like Sprenger and Kramer supported the conception that females were more likely to become witches (cf. 106f), which does not mean that it was impossible for men to become a witch, though it was unlikely.
To sum up, practitioners of white magic played an important role in the lives of people and the early modern period in general. Cunning men and women generally
“focused on practical solutions to life-problems, particularly those involving health, fertility and prosperity” (Bever 52). For most people, especially for the lower classes, they were a popular place to go whenever help and advice was needed. Practitioners of white magic were an accepted and tolerated part of society. Sometimes, one or the other cunning man or woman was highly respected not only from lower classes but also from the higher ones. Believing in white magic had the consequence that it was easier for people to believe in black magic as well.
This chapter will focus on the idea of witchcraft, or black magic, in the early modern period in Europe. It will provide an overview of what role witchcraft played especially in the society. The idea of black magic or witchcraft was intensively examined in the early modern period. There are several writings from demonologists that influenced and supported the idea of witchcraft. One of the most well-known works on witchcraft and witches is the Malleus Maleficarum (1486) written by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger. This work includes a detailed idea of how the relationship between witches and the devil looks like (cf. Wilby 106). This book, among other works, will be relevant in the following chapters.
The line between white and black magic is often quite blurred. Historians today and people in the early modern period usually differentiate and differentiated between “the cunning folk, who performed good magic, and witches, who performed bad magic” (Wilby 53). In the early modern period, practitioners of white magic were known to be powerful, so the idea that they could use this power to do harm seemed realistic to people. This idea was probably supported by the rituals they performed. For example, they had a ritual that aimed to transfer illnesses from humans to animals. Such practices endorsed the idea that these rituals could also be used to harm humans similarly to the harm done to animals (cf. Goodare 102), by, for example, transferring illnesses from one human being to another. Thus, when talking about white or black magic, it needs to be considered that these two concepts sometimes merged.
Witchcraft was considered by some as a sect with solely female members. Scholars often talk about how witches congregated, how they performed horrific rituals, and they talk about the relationship between witches and the devil (cf. Levack 3). Goodare describes the Witches’ Sabbath as being an “underground sect, who renounced God and promised their souls to the Devil and gathered at night to perform evil ceremonies” (10). Witches were, in most cases, described as females, who now were part of an organised secret sect (cf. Ehrenreich and English 10). While this idea probably caused fear in some, others might have had difficulties imagining that someone they apparently knew could be a member of this sect. For the people who were sceptical, it was easier to follow the Malleus Maleficarum, which focussed on harmful magic. The book examines what witchcraft is and “presents [witches] as the kind of people who could be found in real villages” (Goodare 52). The Malleus Maleficarum focusses on the aspects of witchcraft which were easier to imagine and to understand, especially for common people. This book on witchcraft and witches therefore also had an impact on villagers. Villagers identified witches “as people who engaged in quarrels and cursed – curses which their neighbours interpreted as harmful magic” (ibid.).
Black magic was often seen as the cause of incurable illnesses. Witchcraft was considered “as an instrument to inflict physical harm and ill health” (Elmer 561). People claimed to suffer because of witches and the effects their magic had on them. For example, poisons and harm causing objects could be used by witches because the aim of these objects was to cause harm (cf. Kieckhefer 22). Many historians agree that those who were convinced of being bewitched and were incurable usually had sicknesses that professionals in the early modern period could not diagnose or heal (cf. Elmer 561), simply because the medical knowledge was not highly developed yet. Nowadays, most of these illnesses would be curable because of modern medicine.
The idea that witchcraft is harmful and that witches are evil started to become a grave issue. Not only the authorities believed in it, but most of the common folk as well. The fact that “[h]istorians have named the era in Europe that lasted from about 1500 to 1650 the age of “Witch Hunts”” (Lynn) shows that the fear people had turned into a willingness to trace down witches, and in most cases, to end their lives. Thus, the fear of witchcraft started to grow. The fear of black magic and their practitioners were an important factor that eventually lead to these witch-hunts. Common people usually were concerned for their health because often, they were people who needed to work daily in order to survive. Being sick could have threatened their existence. They also feared for their lives, and usually they could not afford to visit medical professionals, while at the same time, the upper class feared that magic in general could be a rival to religion (cf. Goodare 22). They saw the devotion people had for white magic as a threat to religion, but witchcraft was something more special. Witchcraft, in their opinion, was considered as demonic work; it was purely evil (cf. Broedel 36f). People in general feared witches. Even though the fears might have differed, it is important to say that all fears included witches being evil and causing harm. This fear might have led to the idea that witches needed to be erased to feel safe again.
Because of this development, magic became disfavoured by authorities. At the beginning of the early modern period, educated people used the word ‘superstitious’ to describe popular beliefs and rituals they disapproved of. “The word ‘superstition’ […] literally meant an unnecessary extra belief” (Goodare 23). Superstitious magic as performed by cunning women and men was something common. But when the line between white and black magic crossed “[s]uperstitious magic was reinterpreted as something more serious” (ibid.). Witchcraft was considered a crime, and especially the church was convinced of it being criminal activity. It was “a type of heresy or false belief” (10) and it became a serious issue to practice witchcraft. Even those who practiced white magic had to be incredibly careful in order to avoid being accused of being witches.
Further, there were several methods to identify a witch. In most cases, people were simply accused of being witches by neighbours or other people. The reason for that could have been performing what was considered as magic, like for example, the practitioners of white magic (cf. Goodare 14) did. Usually, the idea that harm was done was crucial to the accusation. Some people were convinced that they were bewitched and reported the one they suspected of having bewitched them. Additionally, others who had been accused of being witches were sometimes tortured and forced to name their alleged accomplices (cf. Levack 4). That means that mostly, having a suspect was enough to take action and, in some cases, someone naming a suspect was enough to prosecute and even execute the potential witch.
According to Goodare (320ff), the last execution in Europe took place in 1782. Anna Göldi was accused of practicing witchcraft and she is known as the last witch that was killed in Europe. In the 18th century, some governments in Europe introduced a law that made it a crime to accuse others of performing magic or to be a practitioner of magic oneself. Similarly, other governments introduced similar laws decades later (cf. ibid.).
In the early modern period, different ideas of witches were present. Often, the ideas of witches are separated into elite and popular beliefs. “In particular, the elite had a more intellectual and theoretical fear, while the common people’s fear was more immediate and practical” (Goodare 9). Educated people and especially the church were part of the elite (cf. 2). On this basis, different concepts of witches emerged. This chapter will focus on two concepts of witches and therefore witchcraft that were predominantly present in this period. It is important to keep in mind that these concepts describe “the ends of a spectrum rather than two wholly separate belief systems” (26). Even if the fear of common people and elite tended to be different, that does not mean they only believed in or feared one concept of witches. Sometimes, the concepts overlapped, or people believed in a concept that was the result of the merging of both or more.
Women were predominantly associated with witchcraft. Kramer and Sprenger explain that women inhibit certain characteristics that make them predisposed to be seduced into witchcraft and do evil (cf. 160ff). They argue, for example, that ”women are more credulous than men, more impressionable, more superstitious, more impulsive, more prone to emotional extremes: in sum more easily ensnared by the devil due to their weaker minds and bodies” (Broedel, Malleus 25). In turn, more positive traits were mentioned as well. Barstow, for example, refers to character traits like being independent or being courageous and confident (cf. 27). These traits could have gotten women into trouble, especially when they were unmarried or widows, because in addition, it meant there was no men dominating them (cf. Goodare 275f). These character traits might be positive today, but in the early modern period they were perceived as negative, leading to such women being seen as witches more often.
To become a witch, it was believed, that a pact with the devil must be made, since the elite believed that witches gained their powers through the devil. The Malleus Maleficarum, for example, explains that witches are not directly the cause of black magic. Kramer and Sprenger explain that the devil is the cause of anything a witch achieves with magic but the witch “is rightly blamed […], because with her bad faith and work she serves the Devil, handing herself over to his allegiance” (356).
It is often reported that the demonic witch was able to fly. A lot of demonologist such as Jean Bodin or Kramer and Sprenger shared the view that witches were able to fly. This ability was often mentioned in the context with the Witches’ Sabbath. People believed that the witches flew as soon as it was dark to gather quickly. “Demonologists seem to have been willing to accept the idea of bodily flight, and to overlook the weakness in the argument” (Goodare 72). Furthermore, witches were believed to practice necromancy. Necromancy, on the one hand, describes the communication with the dead. On the other hand, it can also describe the ability to bring dead people back to life. “Necromancy […] is perhaps among the first and most ancient kinds of witchcraft” (Bodin 104).
Additionally, animals played an important role in witchcraft. Some believed that the devil could appear in the shape of an animal (cf. Wilby 226). Therefore, shapeshifting was also an ability witches were thought to have. The idea that there were witches “who changed variously into (and back again from) horses, apes, cats, dogs, wolves, and even bees, can […] be found in parts of Europe” (Sneddon 8). Others thought that witches could “transform men into animals with the aid of the Devil” (Apps and Gow 124).
Also, most people believed that witches were able to manipulate the weather as well. Hailstorms, thunder, lightning, and storms were feared by many, because of their potential to cause damage. Manipulating the weather and causing storms was considered as “the main type of harmful magic” (Goodare 45) committed by witches.
Moreover, most witches were known to be involved in cannibalistic activities. The idea that witches were cannibals was widespread. “Cannibalistic feasts were a common feature of sabbaths, at least in southern Europe” (Goodare 78). Some demonologist believed that witches were rewarded with power by the devil whenever they performed cannibalistic rituals or infanticide (cf. Broedel 36). Often, witches were also associated with not only killing but also eating babies (cf. Briggs 241), most likely their own.
To sum up, there were many different ideas of what the demonic witch was able to do. They all have one thing in common: every magical action was thought to cause harm in some way. The witch was believed to causing damage and chaos with the help of the devil. The belief that witches were practicing magic in the name of the devil had a great significance for the elite and especially for the churches in the persecution of witches in the so-called witch-hunts.
Women who were older and lived alone were often accused of being witches. Wolfgang Behringer describes the classic witch as a woman who is single, living alone, and old (cf. 61f). Women with these characteristics were more likely to be associated with being bitter and aggressive and these characteristics were then associated with witches. Therefore, they were seen as being more likely to perform black magic (cf. Elmer 562f). Nevertheless, witches were a heterogenous group. Not every woman who was old or poor was accused of being a witch. Theoretically, everyone could have been accused of practicing dark magic. People accused of being witches tended to be “more often poor than rich, old rather than young and female rather than male, but there were quite numerous exceptions to all these tendencies” (Briggs 24).
[...]
1 In the following referred to as ‘ Sorcerer’s’.
2 In the following referred to as ‘ Chamber’.
3 In the following referred to as ‘ Prisoner’.
4 In the following referred to as ‘ Goblet’.
5 In the following referred to as ‘ Order’.
6 In the following referred to as ‘ Half - Blood’.
7 In the following referred to as ‘ Deathly’.
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