Revision, recreation and infusion of ancient mythological/legendary symbolism in the popular modern children's fiction - the Harry Potter canon by J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter books written by British author J.K. Rowling has been the most widely read of all contemporary children's fiction surpassing all sales records of the genre. Set in modern times but in a magical world co-existing with the non-magical, one of the most noticeably prominent characteristic of the Harry Potter canon is the clever use of ancient myths/folktales/legends in the magical world of Harry Potter, revising and bringing them to life for youthful modern readers. The paper seeks to study and compare the earliest records of the myths/legends and the incorporation and recreation of the very same by J.K. Rowling into the Harry Potter universe. The titles of two of the books- 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' and 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix', carry obvious references to two mythological symbols- the philosopher's stone and the mythical bird called the phoenix, with their unique presentation in the books bringing something obscurely hidden in the past into the forefront of the popular literary landscape. J.R.R Tolkien, fellow British author and her predecessor, was remarkable in the creation of his own unique myths into 'Middle Earth' in his landmark children's book 'The Hobbit', but J.K Rowling goes a step further- not only creating her own myths but also channelling myths already in use from ancient times from many other sources and mingling them together seamlessly in her narrative. Celtic, English, Greek, Roman, Asian myths and legends are dug up and laid at the table side by side. Rowling, after completing her seven Harry Potter books, went intentional in her reinvention of mythology through her 'guide book' called 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' - a guide to the magical creatures in the Harry Potter universe, the original version illustrated by the author herself. David Colbert and Virginia Allyn in their 'The Hidden Myths in Harry Potter: Spellbinding Map and Book of Secrets' even tries to organise the hidden references and the facts behind Harry Potter. The myths in Harry Potter have been powerful enough to embed themselves in the mind of the readers and thus has popularised age-old mythological symbols leading to its influence in popular culture.