Harry Potter

There is a lot more material around for Harry Potter related articles. Such as the whole philosophy behind Harry Potter. The impact the series made, positively, on the reading habits of kids. Charities supported by J.K. Rowlings. The magical beasts and locations. Criticism of the series. Gender role models and so on. If you have any particular preference about a Harry Potter related topic you would like me to write more about, just leave them in a comment.

I am a Harry Potter fan from the very beginning and I think now it is time to use all the material I have for writing about this fascinating world. In the end, all the time I have spend reading the books and watching the movies must be good for something else than just my own entertainment and enjoyment.

One topic, perhaps the one that fascinates me most, is how the books relate to a lot of literature, legends and fairy tales that were written over time. The names and spells in Harry Potter all have their special meanings and many are taken from ancient languages, such as Latin and Greek. Did you know, for example that the name 'Dumbledore' is from the Old English word for bumblebee and makes reference to his wandering around and humming in his office?

And all that raises the topic of translation. How did they translate texts that had so many multi-layered meanings? What is the name for 'Bumblebee' in Russian and have they used it or stuck with the original name? And if yes, why?

And what kind of life lessons can be learned from Harry Potter today? What are the values the series promotes and how do the books compare to other books in the same genre? Should girls read Harry Potter and is Hermione Granger a good role model for them or not? What about boys?

And last, but not least, where did JKR the inspiration for the magical beasts from? When was the dragon first mentioned in literature and how do the dragons in Harry Potter compare to those mentioned, for example, by Anne McCaffrey in her 'Dragonriders of Pern' series?

The more I think about this, the more I see how much more I could write, so please leave me a comment with suggestions to help me decide ;-)