The English writer JK Rowling published “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone” in 1997 . That was the starting point of a literary saga that had six other books and that led to the creation of a successful film franchise.
In the universe of the wizard's apprentice Harry Potter, various terms are used that readers and moviegoers know very well, but that may seem strange to other people. As a muggle , a concept used to refer to those who do not have magical abilities .
Muggles, therefore, are women and men who do not believe in magic or who do not even know of its existence. The Ministry of Magic , in this framework, has among its functions the concealment of supernatural issues from the eyes of those who are not magicians.
The majority of the inhabitants of planet Earth are muggles: that is, beings who cannot use magic. Wizards show different attitudes towards Muggles, from respect to hatred.
Hermione Granger 's parents and Harry Potter 's uncle ( Vernon Dursley ) are some of the Muggles who appear in Rowling 's books. Several of them also have a presence in the films based on the saga .
In the magical universe created by JK Rowling there are characters who respect and show interest in the world of Muggles. This would be the case, for example, of the Hogwarts director Albus Dumbledore or even Arthur Weasley, Ron's father. However, there are other figures who detest, insult and belittle the aforementioned Muggles. Among those are Lord Voldemort and Draco Malfoy.
Precisely the aforementioned Arthur Weasley does not hesitate to promote, from his work in the Ministry of Magic, the so-called Muggle Defense Law. A law that will be strongly opposed by traditional wizarding families, including the Malfoy clan and the Black clan.
Likewise, it should be noted that at Hogwarts School there are also wizard students, belonging to magical families, who completely reject students who are not descended from wizards but from Muggles. Hence they use a derogatory nickname to refer to them. Specifically, they identify them for being “mudbloods.” And precisely Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's friend, is insulted in this way on more than one occasion by figures like Draco.
Of course, respect for Muggles is encouraged at the aforementioned school. Hence there is even a subject that responds to the title of “Muggle Studies”.
As for the word muggle, Rowling created it from mug , which in English refers to an individual who can be easily fooled. Muggle, in any case, was already used in informal slang to name a marijuana cigarette . When this meaning was pointed out to her, the writer assured that she was not aware of it.
Such is the weight that the saga starring Harry Potter has throughout the world and especially in the United Kingdom that even the word muggle has ended up being incorporated into the Oxford English Dictionary.