Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today we’re going to be discussing a POWERFUL WITCH- scratch that, THE MOST POWERFUL witch
in the Harry Potter universe.
To kick things off let me eliminate the most obvious choices that may have popped in to
your minds: It’s not Bellatrix, it’s not McGonagall, it’s not Hermione, and it’s
not Molly Weasley- in fact, it’s NONE of these these more obvious and prevalent characters.
This is a character that’s only really mentioned in passing, but also happens to have quite
a rich history that pertains to the story.
I am of course talking about Morgana Le Fay.
To kick off things let me just state that Morgana le Fay is a pseudo-historical figure-
that is- a character that exists in pseudohistory- a type of purported history which treats myths,
legends, sagas and similar literature as literal truth.
But she also exists in Harry Potter- existing inside and outside of the universe discussed
on this channel.
I’m going to be discussing both sides of her character.
In what feels like many EONS ago (but in actual fact was in 2020) I made a video on the famous
wizard Merlin- the most powerful WIZARD in Harry Potter.
AND, as it happens, Merlin and Morgana share a special relationship- both existing as pseudo-historical
figures that are prevalent in both Harry Potter AND Arthurian Legend.
Typically, within Arthurian Legend, Morgana le Fay is depicted as a powerful sorceress
and antagonist.
She’s usually portrayed as the half-sister or sister of King Arthur and as a leader of
a group of otherworldly beings known as the "fair folk."
This is where her connection to MAGIC begins.
According to Arthurian Legend the "fair folk" (also known as the "faeries" ) are a group
of supernatural beings that live in the Otherworld, which is separate from the mortal world.
They are often depicted as having magical powers, and they are associated with nature,
including the elements of air, water, and earth.
They are also associated with the land, and are often portrayed as having a deep connection
to it.
The fair folk are seen as a representation of the mysterious and unknown forces of nature,
and the power of the imagination.
Morgana being the leader of the ‘faeries’ is particularly fitting if we consider that
her epithet ‘le fay’ actually MEANS ‘the fairy’.
However, something worth considering here is that this epithet wasn’t introduced until
many centuries AFTER Morgana’s introduction in literature.
In fact, the first writer to refer to Morgana as Morgana le Fay was Thomas Malory in one
of his works from the 15th century.
In some versions of legend, Morgana is portrayed as a villain who seeks to harm or kill King
Arthur, while in others she is a more complex character with motivations that are not entirely
evil.
This aspect of her character is entirely dependant on whose account we’re going by.
Morgana le Fay’s character has appeared in MANY works of literature, including the
medieval poem "Le Morte d'Arthur" (Malory’s work), modern novel "The Mists of Avalon.",
and first and foremost: Geoffrey of Monmouth’s work ‘Vita Merlini’ or ‘The Life of
Merlin’ which was written in 1150.
Vita Merlini was a Latin poem which told the story of ‘Merlin’s madness, his life as
a wild man of the woods, and his prophecies and conversations with his sister’.
In many different works, Morgana satisfies the role of powerful sorceress and chief antagonist,
known for her beauty and her ability to use magic to sed*uce men.
She is also known for her enmity towards Merlin and her desire to kill him- usually acting
as the main rival of Merlin and sometimes the one that is responsible for his death.
These texts present Morgana as a powerful and cunning witch who uses her beauty and
her magical powers to manipulate and deceive others.
Within Vita Merlini, Morgana is referred to as ‘Morgen’ a name which means ‘Sea-Born’.
The name survived in middle welsh as ‘Moryen’- and the cognate form in Old Irish is Muirgen,
the name of a shapeshifting female saint commonly associated with the sea.
But the story (and portrayal) best known by fans of myth and legend relates to Morgana’s
role in the story of King Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the round table.
The story, which has been subject to copious adaptations over the years, tells the tale
of King Arthur Pendragon, his court, his kingdom, and his most trustworthy men.
In this story (and many others) Morgana was portrayed as the ‘evil’ sister of Arthur
intent on conquering camelot.
This version of Morgana, who came to prominence through the works of Thomas Malory, was Arthur’s
greatest enemy- constantly plotting to usurp his throne.
It’s also worth mentioning that, almost always, Morgana was depicted as possessing
magical powers that rivalled the great Merlin, further cementing her historical prevalence
as a powerful sorceress.
Now on to Harry Potter.
We first hear of Morgana Le Fay in the Harry Potter universe when Ron mentions that he
has “about six” of her chocolate frog card.
"I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her."
Chocolate Frog Cards generally feature iconic witches and wizards of history, so the fact
that she made the cut is a testament to her prominence as a historical figure, even in
the Harry Potter universe.
Her card makes it very clear that she was a very powerful ‘dark’ witch- and this
directly sums up the version of Morgana that the Harry Potter universe adopted- we got
the EVIL Morgana, not the morally righteous one.
This is an important distinction to make because, across many pieces of literature, Morgana
is a figure of great moral ambivalence.
“Early appearances of Morgana do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a goddess,
a fay, a witch, or a sorceress, generally benevolent and related to King Arthur as his
magical saviour and protector.
Her prominence increased over time, as did her moral ambivalence, and in some texts there
is an evolutionary transformation of her to an antagonist”
Provided that her card describes her as a ‘very powerful’ witch, I think that it’s
reasonable to assume that Morgana was extremely versed in the Dark Arts- possessing knowledge
of all of the dark spells that we are accustomed to, and perhaps many more.
If she was the adversary of Merlin, the most powerful wizard to have ever lived, I imagine
she must have had a few tricks up her sleeve.
In Arthurian legend, Morgana is said to possess a wide range of magical abilities.
She is known to be skilled in the art of healing, and is often depicted as a powerful herbalist
and healer.
Typically ‘healing’ and the ability to ‘heal’ are paired with individuals associated
with moral ‘good-ness’ or ‘righteousness’ and so I felt it noteworthy to mention that
Morgana entirely contradicts this.
She is also known to possess the ability to shape-shift, and is said to be able to take
on the form of animals, birds, and other creatures.
From the sounds of it, Morgana was probably one of the first (if not the first) Animagus-
that is, a witch or wizard that is able to transform in to an animal at will.
However, the noteworthy exception here is that Morgana was able to transform in to a
MULTITUDE of creatures, not just one, a testament to her exceptional magical ability.
Additionally, she is said to have been able to control the elements, possessing the power
to summon storms and control the winds.
Elemental magic is very much prevalent in Harry Potter, but for the most part appears
to be reserved for the most POWERFUL witches and wizards- people like Voldemort and Dumbledore.
The best example of elemental magic on display in totality was during Voldemort and Dumbledore’s
duel inside the ministry atrium.
She is also known to be able to teleport and transport herself and others over long distances.
Does that sound like an ability in Harry Potter to you?
That’s right, Morgana knew Apparition!
But the vast list of magical abilities that Morgana possessed that have been BOASTED about
by copious pieces of literature certainly don’t stop there.
According to other legends, she was known to have been able to create illusions (legilimency),
create magical barriers (protego) and even create portals to other dimensions (THE VEIL?!).
It’s unclear what powers Morgana may have possessed inside of the Harry Potter universe,
as the powers attributed to her differ from story to story, but I feel that if she truly
was the nemesis of MERLIN who is widely considered to be the most powerful wizard, I’d expect
she had the capability to perform all of the above.
And that’s it for this video!
Did you guys know about Morgana already?
If so, what did you know about her?
Got any questions?
Let me know down in the comment section below.
Until next time
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.