Hedwig – The Saint of Orphans that lived in Germany in the 13th and 14th Century. Means “refuge in battle.” Mentioned in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
You may be wondering, why are you writing about an owl? Well, in case you’re one of those people that’s only ever watched the movies, you don’t realize how important Hedwig is to Harry. As you can see, J.K. Rowling was ever creative in the names that she chose for her characters. The Saint of Orphans? Helloooooo! Harry’s an orphan. Makes sense, right? Refuge in battle? A little more of a stretch, but Hedwig is always there for Harry even if the battle is just a fight between him and Ron. But even more than that, Hedwig saved Harry in the Battle of the Seven Potters. I’m not gonna lie, I cried when Hedwig died. I’m an emotional person, what can I say?
In the books, Harry doesn’t name Hedwig right away, but finds her name in A History of Magic, a book that becomes very important later in the series. More importantly, she’s a present from Hagrid, Harry’s first encounter with the wizarding world that he’s been hidden from. Harry trusts Hagrid with his life and it means so much to Harry because this is the first birthday present that he remembers. Hedwig represents so much to Harry. She’s the constant reminder that everything that happens at Hogwarts is real and she’s the tie between his magical and muggle lives. When Hedwig dies, it’s supposed to represent the loss of Harry’s childhood. Think about it. The journey that Harry goes on, there’s no room for childhood, and there’s no way Harry could have lugged Hedwig around because she would have attracted attention. And, there was no real reason for her to be with him because he cut all ties with everyone except Hermione and Ron. So, as much as I hate having to admit it, Hedwig had to go. I’ll always love Hedwig though.
In this article, Jo talks about Hedwig. I personally think it would have been kind of cool if Hedwig hadn’t died until later, like at the Battle of Hogwarts. If I didn’t love Neville so much, I would have wanted Hedwig to kill Nagini because I think it could have been symbolic in a few ways. But I’m glad Jo went the route she did, Hedwig swooping in randomly to open the snitch doesn’t seem right, but Harry embracing his fate and kissing the snitch is perfect. Oh, Jo, how wonderful you are.
More on Hedwig here!
No fun quotes this week 🙁
PS, have you heard that Jo said she isn’t done with Harry Potter after all? Maybe the second generation? I hope so. I’m such a Potterhead.
PPS, more reasons to love the Harry Potter fandom:
I absolutely love what you have done with this blog; I have always read Harry Potter at surface level, just as an escape from the required academic readings. I now thoroughly appreciate the symbolism behind Hedwig, especially the bit about how the owl bridges the connection between the magical and Muggle world.
I knew JK Rowling put a lot of meaning into the names she picked for her characters, but I had never realized the origin of Hedwig’s name. I think her death also goes along with the deaths of Harry’ parents, Sirius, and ultimately Dumbledore, all of which finally signified that Harry was on his own now.