Oddities and Coincidences in the Harry Potter Books

As I read and reread the Harry Potter books and reread the Lord of the Rings books, I came across some interesting facts, a neat pair of quotations, and a couple of coincidences.

The Destruction of the Horcruxes. There were seven horcruxes (places for someone to hide pieces of one's soul in order to preserve his or her life). The horcruxes used by Volemort to hide his soul had to be destroyed before he finally could be killed. Here are the seven horcruxes and the individuals who destroyed them. Two of the destroyers had a vested interest in preserving Voldemort's life, but they inadvertently contributed to the destruction of the horcruxes.

The Diary of Tom Riddle. This is destroyed by Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Harry used a fang from the basilisk he had just killed using the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

The Ring of the Gaunt Family. Tom Riddle (Lord Voldemort) was the last descendant of this family of wizards. Dumbledore destroyed the ring sometime in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, although we are not told the specifics until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The Locket of Salazar Slytherin. Ron Weasley destroys this horcrux using the sword of Godric Gryffindor. The destruction of the locket and the other remaining horcruxes take place in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The Cup of Helga Hufflepuff. This magical cup is destroyed by Hermione Granger using a fang from the basilisk that Harry killed.

The Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. This horcrux is accidentally destroyed by Draco Malfoy's friend, Gregory Crabbe. In a fight over the diadem, Crabbe releases Fiendfyre that kills Crabbe and destroys the cup.

Voldemort's gigantic snake, Nagini. Nagini is killed by Neville Longbottom, who uses the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

Harry Potter is the Seventh Horcrux. Volemort, in an attempt to kill Harry, inadvertently destroys the piece of soul that was lodged in Harry. Harry himself survives for the final showdown between himself and Voldemort.

In all, there are seven horcruxes and seven different individuals who destroy them. It is interesting that J. K. Rowling dedicated the seventh book to seven different individuals. It is also interesting that while Voldemort chose as horcruxes objects from three of the four Hogwarts houses (Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw), he did not pick an object from Harry's house, Gryffindor. Harry, himself, however, was an accidental horcrux, so, in a sense, all four houses served as horcruxes.

A Pair of Neat Quotes.

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are trying to free themselves from Devil's Snare. Hermione remembers that Devil's Snare doesn't like fire, but she doesn't see any wood to build a fire. "HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?" "Oh, right, " said Hermione, and she uses her wand to create some fire. (page 275)

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are trying to get under the Whomping Willow in order to get to the Shrieking Shack, but they need to push the knot on the tree that immobilizes the tree. Ron knows that Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, can push the knot. Ron says, "I can-see the place-if we just had-Crookshanks again-" "Crookshanks?" wheezed Hermione, bent double, clutching her chest. "Are you a wizard, or what?" "Oh-right-yeah," replies Ron. He then uses his wand to hit the knot and immobilize the tree. (page 651)

Were those two balanced quotes an accident or a coincidence? I don't think so.

Two Coincidences.

There is a website you can go to find a listing of similarities between the Harry Potter books and the Lord of the Rings books. Here are two that I didn't see listed there.

The owner of The Prancing Pony tavern in the Lord of the Rings is "Butterbur." A favorite drink in the Harry Potter books is "Butterbeer."

The nickname of an evil counselor of a king in the Lord of the Rings is ""Wormtongue." "Wormtail" is, of course, a wizard loyal to Voldemort in the Harry Potter books.

If you have the opportunity to read through both series of books, look for the coincidences. It's amazing how many similarities there are, not just in names, but in basic plots.

Source:

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