Harry Potter and the Legends of Saints

Along with its other generic borrowings, the Harry Potter series uses tropes and plot structures from medieval hagiography. Rowling most significantly uses hagiographical plot structures during the confrontations between Harry and Voldemort in the second and fourth novels, and the confrontation between Neville and Voldemort in The Deathly Hallows. The first re-enacts the story of St. George; the second is constructed as a passio; and the third combines the two. These hagiographical plot structures serve to reveal character, reinforce the core values of the texts, and identify Harry with saints in order to signal his inevitable victory.