Ancient & Hermetic Symbolism of Harry Potter (Serpent and Feather)

Introduction

Does Harry Potter contain allusions to ancient deities like Hermes Trismegistus and Quetzalcoatl? What is the meaning of the serpent and feather motifs in Harry Potter? And what does Snape have to do with it? We’ll explore these questions and more in the following article.

The purpose of this article is to identify / analyze the representations of the serpent and feather symbols in the Harry Potter series, and to show how they express (for now mostly western) hermetic and ancient symbolic meanings.

Feathered Serpent of the Ancients

For the uninitiated, the Serpent and Feather symbols are depicted together quite often in ancient deities across cultures. For example, many will be familiar with the Caduceus a symbol that is widely used in western culture, especially with medical practitioners:

The Caduceus is defined as a “herald’s wand, or staff”[2] is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. Hermes was the messenger of the Gods and brought literacy and knowledge to the people.

Quetzalcoatl

Another occurrence of the serpent and feather symbols, is with the Aztec deity Quetzelcoatl:

Among many other attributes, this deity is attributed with bringing the knowledge and wisdom of agriculture, science, language, books and medicine to the people.

Predating Quetzalcoatl, the first occurrence of a feathered serpent in mesoamerica was with the Olmec culture:

In mesoamerican folklore and myth, the serpent represents the earth and all things earthly while the feather represents the sky/heavens and all things divine. The Feathered Serpent is the combination of these two characteristics.

In Native American cultures the eagle (represented mainly with a feather) is a symbol of love, friendship, honor, bravery, and mystical powers.

Feather & Serpent symbols in Harry Potter

In Harry Potter the most obvious occurrence of the feather and serpent to me is Slytherin Vs. Gryffindor. Slytherin is represented by the Serpent, and Gryffindor is mostly represented by a Lion, BUT a Griffin of (Gryffin) is a mythological beast which has the body of a Lion and the head and wings of an Eagle. There is also the Hippogriff Buckbeak (Hippogriffs are descendents of Griffins) who continuously aids members of the Gryffindor house.

Another potent occurrence, and juxtaposition of character regarding the serpent and feather, can be found by contrasting Voldemort with Dumbledore. Voldemort clearly represents the serpent, has a pet snake named Nagini, and Dumbledore can be represented by his pet phoenix, Fawkes.

These are just a few of the most obvious examples of the serpent and feather symbolism, and how the two are related. Let’s take a closer look at some of the more powerful occurrences of each symbol in the Harry Potter series.

The Biblical Serpent

Harry’s Magical Genesis

Harry’s first magical experience, that the reader is exposed to at least, is his encounter with a snake at the Zoo on Dudley’s birthday. The fact that this is the first Magic Harry performs is significant. It is a similar motif to the Bible, in which the serpent in the Garden of Eden convinced Eve to take a bite of the apple. When Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they realized they were naked and covered themselves up with leaves. In the same way that the snake gave Adam and Eve realization of self, Harry gets self-knowledge of his magical ability and might even seem metaphorically naked as he had to cover up / hide his magic.

Also in the Bible, the serpent advises Eve that the fruit of the Tree of Life will give her knowledge of good and evil. The Serpent in HP does not directly give Harry the knowledge of good and evil, but as the serpent will later on come to represent most of the antagonists of the story, it can be inferred that this is Harry’s symbolic introduction to good and evil in the magical world.

The Chamber of Satan

In Genesis, the Bible also suggests that Satan is working through the serpent, God curses the serpent and marks it as an evil creature.

In HP The Chamber of Secrets, the “underworld” of Hogwarts, the chamber of secrets, is marked with serpent symbolism in the girl’s bathroom. A giant snake (Basilisk) lives inside the chamber, and only Parseltongue (snake language) can open it.

Another Biblical motif is represented here when just as Eve was tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit in Genesis — Ginny, a pure and innocent first-year, is tempted by Voldemort to open the chamber.

Freedom on a Hippogriff

In the third book, Prisoner of Azkaban, we are introduced to a powerful representative of the eagle, Buckbeak the hippogriff. A Hippogriff has the head of an Eagle and body of a Horse, very similar to the Griffyn which is the head of an eagle and body of a lion.

Buckbeak clearly symbolizes freedom because he flies in the sky, and also helps Sirius escape to freedom in the end of the third book.

Harry’s Snake

In the Order of the Phoenix Harry dreams in first person as a snake, Nagini, in his dream and attacks Arthur Weasley in the Ministry of Magic. This is a potent example of the serpent that dwells within Harry. In his dream, he even starts to really feel the same hate and lust for murder that Nagini is expressing as she attacks Arthur.

Inversion of the symbols

This happens when Harry breaches Snape’s memory in the Occlumency lessons and gets the perspective of his Father, James the noble Gryffindor, committing what can only be interpreted as evil bullying acts against a seemingly innocent Snape.

Snape, being the head of Slytherin house and a Slytherin to the core, you would think would be best symbolized by the serpent. However, I believe that his unconditional love gives him the divine characteristics represented by the Eagle or the Phoenix. Lilly, would represent the feather symbol by being of the Gryffindor house as well as her love and self sacrifice for Harry.

The Winged Serpent (Freeing the Serpent)

Harry partially embodies the serpent by carrying with him a piece of Voldemort. Harry represents both the feather (Gryffindor, his love for flying, self sacrifice for friends) and the serpent (Parseltongue, his connection with Voldemort, his ambition) symbols, so he represents the feathered serpent.

What is interesting, is that Snape also represents the feathered serpent, because while he was involved in the Dark Arts and a Death Eater, he ultimately maintained his virtuous expression of unconditional love for Lilly, even to death. Unconditional love and virtue are not earthly characteristics, but more so heavenly / divine; and because Snape sacrificed his life for that, he is also represented as a feathered serpent.

Conclusion

Does J.K. Rowling purposefully utilize the serpent and feather symbols with consideration of the Caduceus, Hermes, Quetzalcoatl and all the mythological references to feathered serpents that date back to antiquity? Maybe, but Harry Potter is mostly a coming of age story about accepting death, facing fears, and upholding strong values as one matures. I think there are lessons to be learned from it. It is a roller coaster ride of entertainment, a heartwarming story, and a magical world. I find it extremely interesting how symbols can recur in new ways throughout the ages. Harry Potter is definitely an epic tale that is arguably definitive of a generation. The fact that such ancient motifs and symbols are used makes the story all the more deeply rooted in our subconscious, and gives it even an even more powerful effect. Thanks for taking the time to read through these thoughts, and comment on any ideas or threads that maybe I did not touch on here. Peace!