Ravenclaw House

Still Using Magic.

Birgit Wiedl article “Magic for Daily Use and Profit” is the first chapter in Harry Potter and History. Wiedl discusses how magic formed among the cultures of the world before Rowling wrote the beloved story of the boy who lived. The majority of her article illustrates the magic element such as potions, charms, and astrology were used for people to make profit before Snape teaches at Hogwarts. Wield’s research reveals the influence that magic had on our culture, but what if the concept of magic is still influencing us. It is common to shop organically or green today or how politicians exaggerated facts. We may not be under a spell or have to harvest mandrakes, but the magical charm may be hidden under these strategies.
Wiedl’s article describes the beginning of magic in pagan religions and medicine. Blarney Castle in Ireland has a poison garden on the grounds that have been there for centuries. Herbs including mandrakes were included among the other plant, and some of the herbs were used because of legends or other tales. Magic is recorded within ancient worlds we study, “the use of natural ingredients in magical concoctions has an ancient pedigree, deriving from both local European traditions and manuscripts on herbs that combined Greek, Roman, and Arabic knowledge” (Wiedl 15). This explains the influence of pagan concepts as our world developed. Wield give evidence of magic and use of herbology being used in religious texts such as “Pagan charms can be found scribbled in local languages in the margins of medieval manuscripts that were devoted to Latin liturgical prayers” (Wiedl 11) and medieval stories that talk of Jesus healing with herbs (23). We are familiar with religions such as Catholicism and Christianity do not approve of witchcraft, and claim that it is work of devil. Even with this claim, some magical elements as the use of herbs to heal are a type of science and as Wiedl argues, “what some call magic another might call religion” (page 12). As we look back at history everything such as modern science and medicine was witchcraft or rubbish at first (26). Examples include Copernicus’ theory that the solar system orbited the sun or the view on vaccines before they were standardized. Without the thought of witchcraft, calling something magic was the way to dismiss a new idea even if it was a good finding. In the twenty-first century, we don’t use wands and stoop over a caldron, however in our media, food, and politics we use strategizes and other reasons to make them seem like truth.
In today’s world, we promote organic eating, politicians like Trump over dramatize facts to persuade people that certain horrors are real, our advertisements hypnotize us to thinking a product is extra special. We are overwhelmed on articles, research, and people telling us that a certain thing is good or silly. Researchers say things are good for us one minute and then turn around to cure them. In the middle ages things were cured by the church until the church was turned over to be wrong, today it is the opposite we accept things like the latest gadget, makeup, or food until research cures it. Are these types of modern magic; in the sense that they are new ideas or scare tactics to control us from coming out of our bubble. In medieval times herbs were used for medicine as some people believe that organic foods are better for eating. Politicians use scary statistics to make people fear things that aren’t there the same way the Dursley’s were afraid to let Harry know about magic. Maybe magic doesn’t only live in books, but secretly surrounds us