Harry Potter & the Holy Grail Quest

J.K. Rowling‘s novel Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire shares an uncanny similarity to the legendary Arthurian quest for the Holy Grail. Harry and King Arthur have remarkably analogous origin and background stories. For instance, they both were orphans, have an invisibility cloak, use a magical sword, and countless other similarities. Each task in Harry Potter’s seems to be a microcosm of the famous quest for the Grail. The first task involves Harry stealing an egg from a dragon.

Dragons are also very prevalent in the Grail story. In the second task Harry displays chivalry just like King Arthur by rescuing Fleur‘s sister when he didn’t need to. Lastly the third task centers on finding the grail/tri wizard cup. However, there are several notable differences mostly concerning the progression of the stories. Ultimately it is very apparent J.K. Rowling intentionally made these allusions and for a reason.

A major aspect of The Goblet of Fire‘s literary importance is shown through its similarities and differences to the Grail quest, as well as the author’s reasoning for including the allusions.

The whole Harry Potter series, and more specifically The Goblet of Fire, includes numerous references to King Arthur‘s quest for the Holy Grail. The most major parallel seems to be the quest for a cup and glory with the help of friends. At every obstacle Harry has a friend step in and give him the advice and help he needs to be triumphant.

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Arthur has his Knights of the Round Table who have sworn loyalty to him and stand by his side. Another prevalent theme of chivalry runs through both stories. During the second task, Harry makes the decision to save a rivals sister even though it cost him precious time.

They also spend a part of the book learning how to be courteous for a dance. King Arthur and his knights live their lives by this code of chivalry, which is apparent throughout his quest. Another interesting similarity I found when researching the Arthurian legend was the description of the ceiling above the round table. Pyle described the ceiling as “made to represent the sky, being of cerulean blue sprinkled over with stars”. In previous books the ceiling had always been describe in a similar way. Maybe the most obvious parallel in the book is that of the actual cup/grailt It is described in the stories very similarly to that of the Goblet of Fire.

It almost seems like only those who are worthy can find the grail and the goblet chooses worthy competitors. The similarities are obviously intended and it almost seems harder to find major differences in the stories The major differences in the stories seem to revolve around the progression of the stories. For example, Harry sets out on his task himself with only the occasional help by his friends. King Arthur however delegated the task of finding the Grail to his Knights of the Round Table. There were three main knights who set out on their quest while Harry mainly was left on his own. The knight Sir Galahad actually appears to most closely correlate with Harry from an ethical standpoint. He is an ideal knight, seemingly incorruptible. Likewise Harry is known to be a character pure of heart. Another major difference is the way the stories begint Harry and his group almost always have their quest started by an evil group.

In The Goblet ofFire it was Barty Crouch Jr. disguised as Mad Eye Moody who snuck Harry’s name into the Goblet. In King Arthur‘s case, they start the quest on their own accord with mostly good ambitions. The tasks don’t completely match up with the grail quest either. The knights never had to deal with mermaids or go through a maze. All in all though, there the stories are very similar. J.K. Rowling added all of these allusions for a reason. It can let readers better understand British literature. The similarities between the stories are too obvious to have been coincidence. King Arthur and Harry share a destiny. It is tragic fate for them to both overcome losing parents. [ts their fate to beat the villain and their fate to come out victorious. Likewise Dumbledore and Merlin share the same role as wizard mentor to Harry and Arthurt Both stories are also jam packed with symbolism such as the symbolism with the swords throughout the Harry Potter series and Arthur’s tale.

Being able to look at both stories and identify all the similar symbolisms and themes allows readers to make comparisons and better identify the importance and hopefully identify what’s being represented in each book. J.K. Rowling’s allusions add a whole other layer to the Harry Potter series and really elevate the story. The similarities can allow readers to examine and compare the two, letting the reader discover deeper meanings and significance in each. While the similarities might not seem apparent to the average reader, when looking for similarities it is clear they are intentional. Rowling used many of these parallel ideas, themes and motifs to make the series better.