Bot and Gemots: Anglo-Saxon Legal References in Harry Potter
22 Pages Posted: 5 Jan 2009 Last revised: 30 Dec 2010
Date Written: December 30, 2008
Abstract
In the popular Harry Potter book series, author J.K. Rowling obliquely references the legal world of the old Anglo-Saxon tribes. This article explains how she does so and offers explanations to help readers understand the parallels between legal institutions of the Anglo-Saxon world and the legal institutions in Harry's wizard world. This understanding may deepen readers' appreciation of the dynamics in each trial scene in the series.
This article has now been published as a chapter in The Law & Harry Potter, Jeffrey E. Thomas & Franklin G. Snyder eds. (Carolina Academic Press 2010).
Keywords: law and literature, legal history, Anglo-Saxon law, storytelling
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation