![]() ![]() But suggesting that No-Majs and wizards are indeed different does throw a wrench in what is now nearly two decades worth of allegory. Much of Fantastic Beasts is concerned with the subjugation of wizards and witches in 1920s America, and of course, there is no biological difference that could justify any discrimination against any group of people, in real life or fiction. But because there weren’t any Muggles in the infirmary, it was never suggested that these antidotes were exclusive to those who carried the magical gene. The Hogwarts infirmary doles out potions and spells to help students heal broken bones - even regrow bones - and clear the symptoms of diseases like dragonpox. Throughout the Harry Potter series, there have been plenty of discussions about magical medicine. Newt doesn’t expound on the point, but that line alone was certainly eyebrow raising. And as he’s mixing this potion, he notes that he has to take some unusual steps, because Muggles have somewhat “different physiologies” than wizards and witches. With that in mind, Newt makes some sort of magical concoction to treat Jacob’s bite. But if a Muggle (or No-Maj, as they’re called in the U.S.) gets bitten by one, their reaction is far worse. ![]() The bite of a Murtlap - a bald, rat-like creature - is a minor annoyance to wizards they get a rash and maybe have weakened resistance to some spells or jinxes. But with a brief line in the new Potter spin-off, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, that basic equality has been thrown into question.Įarly in the movie, one of the titular fantastic beasts brought to America by Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) bites a Muggle named Jacob Kowalsky (Dan Fogler). That was an important distinction, because it meant that despite their abilities, wizards and witches were very much human. As Rowling explained it, the difference between wizards and Muggles was the presence of a magic gene, making the ability to cast spells hardly any different than the ability to dunk a basketball. Worst of all - to the purists anyway - were “Muggle-borns,” or magical people born to non-magical families (like Hermione, or Harry’s mother, Lily). J.K Rowling’s thinly veiled allegory pitted those who believed that full-blooded wizards and witches, aka “pure-bloods,” were superior to those that came from families that included non-magical members. The pernicious myth of racial purity provided subtext for the early installments of the Harry Potter franchise and then drove the conflict in the darker back half of the series.
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