13 Similarities between Harry Potter and King Arthur
Pendragon and Potter! How are they similar?
- Both trained under the eyes of a wise old wizard (Dumbledore; Merlin).
- Both were taken at a very young age to live with foster parents (Harry was taken to live with Aunt Petunia and her family; Arthur was raised by Sir Ector and his family).
- Each has two friends – a boy and a girl – who may have a thing for each other (Ron and Hermione; Sir Lancelot and Guinevere).
- Both were under death threats to prevent them from fulfilling their destiny (Harry’s life is frequently endangered by Lord Voldemort; people such as Lot of Orkney try to kill Arthur to prevent him from becoming king).
- Both pull a sword out of a place they shouldn’t have been able to (Harry pulls Godric Gryffindor’s sword out of the Sorting Hat; Arthur pulls the sword Excalibur out of the stone).
- Actor Richard Harris is in both movies (Dumbledore in Potter, King Arthur in Camelot).
- Each lives commonly, without knowledge of their special destiny from the past (Harry doesn’t know he’s a wizard until he’s eleven years old; Arthur doesn’t know he’s heir to the throne until he pulls the sword out of the stone).
- Once ‘aware’ of their destiny, each must begin rigorous training (Harry has to devote years of his life to learning spells at Hogwarts; Arthur has to go through academic schooling as well as training in the knightly arts).
- Their stories involve a special cup with magical properties (Goblet of Fire; Holy Grail).
- Both deal with bloodline prejudices. (Many people consider wizards and witches with Muggle family to have dirty blood, meaning they are on a lower rung of society; the royals don’t consider Arthur a king at first because they don’t believe he has royal blood.)
- Each has a special place that keeps them longing to go back (Harry wishes he was at Hogwarts when he’s spending the summer at the Dursleys’; Arthur longs to be back in Camelot when away on quests).
Submitted by: Nicole and Danielle
