Parēdros – magiczny towarzysz z Greckich  Papirusów Magicznych we współczesnej  literaturze na przykładzie powieści  o Harrym Potterze

Ilona Szewczyk

doi:10.32798/dlk.1965

Published: 2025-12-31

Vol. 7 No. 2 (2025)

Parēdros as a Magical Companion from the Greek Magical Papyri in Contemporary Literature: A Case Study of Harry Potter Novels

Ilona Szewczyk

Dzieciństwo. Literatura i Kultura

Section: Varia

https://doi.org/10.32798/dlk.1965

Abstract

The aim of this is to analyse the figure of the magical companion that appears in the Greek Magic Papyri under the name parēdros, and to demonstrate its impact on the construction of characters with a similar function in contemporary popular literature, using J. K. Rowling’s (1997–2007) Harry Potter series as a case study. The most important ancient source texts for this study remained largely unexplored until the beginning of the 20th century, as they did not fit into the dominant classical canon of the period. Written in relatively unsophisticated ‘common’ Greek (koine) and filled with intriguing verbal formations, unreadable signs, and mysterious drawings, these texts have since proved to be significant material for researchers of religion, culture, and literature. A number of ritual mechanisms and phenomena, as well as specific characters, can be found both in the canon of ancient classics and in modern literature drawing on ancient motifs. Particularly interesting is the magical assistant of a magician. This figure appears in stories from various cultures and historical periods but is especially prominent in contemporary children’s and young adult literature. A significant source of examples of such a figure is the Harry Potter series, both because of its thematic scope and the multitude of reception motifs introduced into the plot, and above all due to the presence of the Patronus, which closely resembles the ancient parēdros.

Keywords:

Greek Magical Papyri, Harry Potter, magic, magical companion, patronus, parēdros

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Szewczyk, I. (2025). Parēdros as a Magical Companion from the Greek Magical Papyri in Contemporary Literature: A Case Study of Harry Potter Novels. Dzieciństwo. Literatura I Kultura, 7(2), 228–241. https://doi.org/10.32798/dlk.1965

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Ilona Szewczyk

im.szewczyk@uw.edu.pl
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7142-691X

Affiliation:

Uniwersytet Warszawski Wydział Artes Liberales Poland

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Ilona Szewczyk – PhD, works at the Faculty of “Artes Liberales,” University of Warsaw (Poland). Her research interests include the reception of Greco-Roman antiquity in 21^st-century literature, the esoteric tradition of antiquity, and ancient medicine. Contact: im.szewczyk@uw.edu.pl.