Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
In today’s video, we’re going to be discussing muggles, wizards and magic.
However- we’re going to go a little off course from the usual style of video, as we
will not only be discussing the existence of magic in the Harry Potter universe, but
including the Lord of the Rings universe as well.
In addition to identifying the key differences for what constitutes ‘magic’ in both worlds-
I’m going to try to ATTEMPT to identify which world of magic is more powerful.
For years, decades, we’ve known about both of these universes- and we’ve accepted them
both for what they are- but what I want to do today is put them head to head- and answer
the question once and for all: Who’s more powerful?
Harry Potter wizards or Lord of the Rings wizards?
The first thing that I want to say is that both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are
behemoths in media- they’ve each cultivated some of the biggest followings, and have established
their own unique devoted fanbases around both books AND films.
While they are certainly rivals in the space- they definitely share a mutual audience- and
though they are both in the realm of fantasy- they’re more than different enough to harmoniously
co-exist.
One thing is for certain, though, and that’s the fact that Lord of the Rings has been around
for longer- much longer.
In fact, Tolkien published the first installment of Lord of the Rings- the Fellowship of the
Ring in 1954.
The next two books were published in the 15 months that followed.
The fellowship of the ring MOVIE however, took a blasphemous 47 years to come out as
it wasn’t released until 2001.
Coincidentally, 2001 was also the year that the first Harry Potter film came out - Harry
Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which had only been published in book form 4 years
earlier.
2001 was a GREAT year for cinema- two of the most popular novels had suddenly come to the
big screen- and all at once!
I went to go see both films in theatres when they came out- though, I was only 9 years
old, and I’ll outwardly state that I have a preference for Harry Potter- hence the Harry
Potter Youtube channel.
I was enthralled by the different worlds of magic placed before me- each approaching the
concept of a fantasy world in their own unique way.
The first Harry Potter was quite innocent and child-like, as the characters were still
young and the story had yet to develop.
However, they certainly nailed the sense of ‘magic’ that they were going for, as the
Hogwarts boat scene brings forth a level of nostalgia unparalleled to this day.
The darker tone that the films developed as they progressed fit the story perfectly- and
eased us in to the darker sider of magic.
Similarly, the first Lord of the Rings GRACED our screens with what can only be described
as a grandiose cinematic experience- giving us a different ‘flavour’ of magical world.
But- aside from the different music, scenery and overall ‘aesthetic’- how does ‘magic’
differ from franchise to franchise?
To identify these differences, we need to look at the origins of magic in each franchise.
In the Harry Potter universe, witches/wizards are essentially ‘advanced’ or ‘mutated’
human beings.
They have advanced physiologies, heightened perception, and if trained enough, have ability
to control the world’s elements to some extent.
Basically- witches and wizards are just enhanced humans- which means that their existence (pre-magic)
is the same as the original ancestors of humans who were thought to have first existed about
6 million years ago.
Over millions of years humans developed and evolved, and so it shouldn’t be surprising
to anyone that eventually, humans started showing- supernatural capabilities- the ability
to perform magic.
Though the origins of wizardkind in Harry Potter are undefined, we DO have some information
about the first known magical being.
The first known wizard, across all continents, was a wizard by the name of Jajamanekh who
hailed from Egypt as far back as 2600 BC.
There is little to no information available of Jajamanekh, other than where he was from
and the period in which he lived, but I do wonder if wizardkind went back further than
that, or if he was truly the first.
The origins of magic are still unclear to this day.
No one knows whether the inception of wizardkind was born from humans randomly discovering
their magical abilities - or if it was created in some form - by way of pact, ritual, or
potion.
I’m personally of the impression that the discovery of magic was a genetic mutation-
or perhaps the next logical step in human evolution- either way, witches and wizards
are HUMANS.
This is where things differ from Lord of the Rings in a BIG way, but before we get in to
that- let’s just wrap up ‘magic’ in Harry Potter by seeing how JK Rowling envisions
the concept of magic in the Harry Potter universe:
“Magic is a supernatural force that changes aspects of the world at fundamental levels.
The ability for humans to use magic is a hereditary trait passed down from a person's ancestors,
which allows witches and wizards to practise it.
Rather than being a mystical or unnatural pursuit that defied the laws of nature, however,
magic simply allowed those who could wield it to exploit them in very specific and creative
ways that Muggle sciences were unable to replicate.”
Different species in Harry Potter like goblins and elves seem to use this same ‘magic’
and there are no apparent differences in the type of magic that they perform.
All ‘magical’ forms of life in Harry Potter simply possess the ability to ‘wield’
magic, and it’s not necessarily that they themselves are ‘magical’- only that they
are able to take advantage of the magic around them.
Witches and wizards in Harry Potter have the ‘magic gene’- but the difference here
is that the wizards in Lord of the Rings represent the elements themselves- they are the forces
of nature personified.
Like Harry Potter, there are many types of magical beings in Lord of the Rings- Elves,
Dwarves, Ents, and even Humans.
The difference here, however, is that each of these magical creatures has their own ‘brand’
and ‘level’ of magic.
Some humans are able to perform basic levels of magic (like Aragorn and his healing)- but
most of them can’t, and those who can most likely learned their abilities from the Elves.
Elvenkind are among the most powerful of the magical beings- and seem to be able to do
things like forge magical artefacts, manipulate nature etc.
The witches and wizards of the Harry Potter universe, besides possessing the magical gene,
have some other notable physiological benefits that make them ‘advanced humans’.
These traits include longer life spans (though not to a SIGNIFICANT extent), and a resistance
to most common illnesses.
Lord of the Rings is on another level altogether here- because believe it or not, the bodies
of ‘elves’ live indefinitely in Middle Earth.
They CAN be killed or so badly injured that their spirits forsake their bodies- but if
left alone- they will live forever.
The only immortals in the Harry Potter universe are Phoenixes- which are destined to undergo
the same death-birth cycle for their entire existence.
Largely superceding all of the aforementioned creatures in both universes, however, are
the wizards of Lord of the Rings- the Maiar.
Unlike Harry Potter, the wizards of the Lord of the Rings series are not humans at all.
In fact, they are basically angels created by the god Eru, the One- to be divine beings.
There were at least 15 (likely more) created by Eru, and at one point 5 of the maiar living
in Valinor (the land where all the Gods live) gave up their Angel form to become humanoid
in order to live in Arda (Middle Earth) and help the other creations (humans, elves, dwarves,
etc.).
2 Blue wizards went East to live with humans, Radagast the Brown went to the woods to help
animal life, Gandalf the Grey travelled all over helping those who needed it, and Saruman
the White lived in Isengard to lead the White Counsel.
Here’s the truth- and it’s a tough pill to swallow because I am obviously a HUGE Harry
Potter fan- the magic exhibited in Lord of the Rings is far more powerful than the magic
in Harry Potter.
The Witches and wizards of Harry Potter are more comparable to the elves of Lord of the
Rings than the wizards- and that’s not because Harry Potter magic isn’t powerful, but it’s
because Maiar are DIVINE BEINGS.
Maiar are the forces of nature- they are the onlookers of earth, its inhabitants, and all
of the elements that exist.
Take Gandalf for example- who is often compared to Dumbledore.
Though Dumbledore is unequivocally wise- Gandalf is basically omniscient.
He has knowledge of all intelligent life forms on the planet, and is responsible for communication
with all of them to defeat evil.
Sauron, another maiar, has the power to create life (trolls, ogres, orcs), and Radagast can
control all animals.
These wizards possess power unparalleled by a Harry Potter equivalent- and while Dumbledore/Voldemort/Grindelwald
are about as close as you are going to get, they are still nothing to the maiar.
The Maiar embody magic- they don’t just channel it, and they possess the ability to
control/influence people with their words alone.
The best example of powerful magic displayed in Harry Potter is probably the duel between
Voldemort and Dumbledore in the ministry atrium- and to put things in to perspective- Elves
in Lord of the Rings, who also possess the ability to control the elements, could have
put on a comparable battle.
At the end of the day however, each franchise just approaches the concept of magic in their
own unique way.
Magic in Lord of the Rings seems to have more dimensions to it- and is viewed in a sort
of ‘spiritual’ context.
Magic in Harry Potter has more of a ‘utilitiarian’ feel- and is more about using magic to help
overcome the problems or obstacles in front of you.
Whichever way you look at it- both universes did a great job at establishing their own
unique approach to a world of magic.
What do you guys think?
Did you ever wonder which world of magic was more powerful?
Let me know in the comment section below.
Until next time
Remember
Time will not slow down when something unpleasant lies ahead.