No matter how much we love JK Rowling’s Harry Potter And Fantastic Beasts Novels will never match the effort that went into creating the complex wizarding world. From designing characters to learning magic, Rowling’s brilliant mind even had to brew a cauldron of knowledge about alchemy to set the parameters in her stories.

Although fans believe that JK Rowling barely incorporated the essence of alchemy into her novels, despite the unlimited scope for potions and spells, the British author had to learn quite a lot about the possibilities and limitations of the magical discipline.

JK Rowling’s deep immersion in alchemy shaped the magical logic of Harry Potter

Browse through the pages of Harry Potterwe often stop to admire the detail that went into the design of the geographical locations and characters in the novels. What we often overlook, however, is the brilliant logic and precision behind the magic expressed between the lines. From intricate details to the Victorian language of flowers that Professor Snape supposedly used to convey messages to Hermione brewing the Polyjuice Potion, the novels subtly hinted at the magic of alchemy.

Well, why not? JK Rowling, the literary genius behind the Harry Potter Saga, obviously delved deeper into the studies of alchemy to establish the boundaries and inner logic of her magical world. According to various interviews, Rowling spoke openly about how her knowledge of alchemy shaped the wizarding world. When speaking about the influence of magic and color, Rowling noted via Magical world,

Colours also played a role in the naming of Hagrid and Dumbledore, whose first names are Rubeus (red) and Albus (white), respectively. The choice was a nod to alchemy, which plays such an important role in the first Harry Potter book, where “the red” and “the white” are essential mystical components of the process. The symbolism of colours in this context has a mystical meaning, representing different stages of the alchemical process (which many people associate with spiritual transformation).

While these intricate details of her knowledge of alchemy Harry Potter Novels and their characters, JK Rowling was asked by The Herald about why understanding alchemy was so important to her. Although the direct application of the magical discipline is rare in the novels and incomprehensible to the understanding of common people, Rowling found it important to develop a flawless plot.

I never wanted to be a witch, but an alchemist is another matter. To create this wizarding world, I learned an incredible amount about alchemy. I may never use much of it in the books, but I need to know in detail what magic can and cannot do in order to set the parameters and establish the internal logic of the stories.

JK Rowling’s candid revelation apparently suggested that in her attempt to create the magical world of Hogwarts, she took a detour through the world of alchemical lore.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was the tip of JK Rowling’s alchemical iceberg

To be fair, despite the magical scope for alchemy in the Harry Potter Saga, JK Rowling seems to have barely scattered her essence throughout the series. Therefore Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone proved to be the only book that represented the pinnacle of alchemical ambition. Although Rowling explored the magical discipline in depth, her knowledge seemed to evaporate as quickly as the ingredients of a complicated potion recipe.

The depth of JK Rowling’s alchemical knowledge, while rich and detailed, didn’t quite seep through in the later books. In fact, it remained as rare as a well-brewed Felix Felicis. So was the author’s knowledge actually just for show, or was it beyond the reader’s comprehension? Well, it seems that Rowling did indeed use alchemy in her novels, only that she cleverly hid it behind the thin veil of subtlety.

Take JK Rowling, for example, who revealed how alchemy helped her give names to her characters like Rubeus Hagrid and Albus Dumbledore. Likewise, alchemy helped her create the personalities of her characters. According to the Wizarding World excerpt, the author had explained how the names and characteristics of the characters came from her knowledge of alchemy.

I named my two characters after the alchemical colors to express their opposing but complementary natures: red represents passion (or emotion); white represents asceticism; Hagrid is the earthy, warm, physical man, lord of the forest; Dumbledore is the spiritual theorist, brilliant, idealized and somewhat aloof. Each is a necessary counterpoint to the other as Harry searches for father figures in his new world.

The author had actually established the parameters and internal logic of her magical world through alchemy. JK Rowling’s careful approach therefore ensured that each spell and its colours, alongside potions and characters, had its place in the magical scheme based on a set of rules, even if readers never fully understood the extent to which her alchemical studies were reflected in the plots.

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