How to Recreate Harry Potter's Aesthetic
Inspired by monsterblogging's amazing post!
So I'm deconstructing from Harry Potter. It's a long, difficult, painful process, very similar to deconstructing from a religion. I realized that the thing I liked the most about Harry Potter — the thing I'm most interested in preserving — is the aesthetic. The vibe. I've read many other wizard books, all of which are leagues better than Harry Potter (e.g. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin, Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke). These are all excellent books that I highly recommend! But none of these books have given me the same sparkly, whimsical vibe that Harry Potter once did. So far, the only book that's felt similar is The Night Circus. It doesn't have the same vibe, but it has such a powerful atmosphere that made me long for another fictional place, the way I once longed for Hogwarts. The vibe is the thing that I loved, and the vibe is the thing that is missing.
I've been trying to recreate the vibe of Harry Potter since I was about ten years old. Actually, back then, child-Me had some issues with the way JKR chose to portray wizards (why do they have boring black robes instead of pretty purple ones with gold stars and moons?). I'm trying to put myself back in that mindset, to take Harry Potter apart and build something new out of its dessicated pieces. As a start, I began creating a series of moodboards to recreate the Harry Potter aesthetic without using any of its actual branded iconography. Now I'm going to try to put together what I've learned into a coherent aesthetic. I'm calling it: Whimsical Wizard Aesthetic.
Gothic architecture. It's not the simple fact of being a medieval castle that gives Hogwarts its vibe, it's the elegant pointed windows and vaulted ceilings. Gothic architecture is beautiful, melancholy, and full of literary significance. To make it more wizard-y and less vampire-y, give it lots of warm lighting and cozy decor. Throw in some gargoyles for good measure. And some banners, and some suits of armor, to give it a more "castle" vibe than "church" vibe.
Firelight. No electricity; all the lighting comes from candles, fireplaces, lanterns, braziers, and torches. The fire can be magical, so you don't need to worry about smoke or fuel. Give the torches some fancy, elegant sconces, and the fireplaces some pretty mantelpieces with magical knickknacks. Make sure one of the fireplaces (the "working" fireplace) has a nice big cauldron on it.
Astronomical implements. Nothing says "wizard" more than antique scientific instruments, specifically astronomical ones: armillary spheres, orreries, globes, astrolabes, even a simple sundial can create a suitably wizardly effect. In the films, Dumbledore's office is filled with armillary spheres, and his watch has planets all along the outside. This matters, because astrological magic has been part of a wizard's repertoire since Antiquity, and really came to a head in the Renaissance. An astrological/celestial aesthetic alone does a whole lot.
The macabre. One of the things I always loved about wizards — not just in Harry Potter, but in general — is that they're kind of macabre. Lily comes home from school with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. Candy is shaped like frogs and flies and other gross things. In the third film, Lupin has a collection of skulls and candles shaped like human spines. All of this made intuitive sense to me as a kid — magical people are macabre. "Eye of newt, and toe of frog." The more you can do with this, the better!
Alchemical imagery. In the Harry Potter movies, the Great Hall has a modified image from the Ripley Scroll on its back wall, but that's pretty much all the real alchemical imagery you'll find in HP (as opposed to, say, FMA, which is dripping with it). Alchemical art is inherently striking and cryptic, and it is an untapped gold mine that will give your world a distinct wizardly aesthetic. (See my occult blog @book-of-forbidden-knowledge.)
Things to put on your wizard desk:
A quill, ideally an exotic one from a peacock or an owl or something like that.
A rolled scroll tied with a red ribbon.
A creepy paperweight, like a skull with magical symbols carved into it.
A crystal ball or scrying mirror.
Letters made of thick paper and sealed with red wax.
Keys. Old, heavy, slightly rusty.
Talismans, circular medallions inscribed with symbols, etc.
Things to put in your wizard shelves/bookcases:
Lots and lots of old leather-bound books, scrolls, and dusty tomes. (The Voynich Manuscript is probably in there somewhere.)
An armillary sphere (or other astronomical implement)
An hourglass (yes, another one)
A crystal ball or scrying mirror (whichever one you didn't use on the desk)
Crystals, geodes, and crystal obelisks
Random artifacts, statues of the gods, a disc inscribed with magical symbols (like the Sigillum Dei)
Potion bottles, jars of ingredients, and crystal vials.
Curio cabinet items: preserved insects, animal skeletons and skulls, bottles of bones, a bird's claw holding an orb.
A secret passage behind one of the bookcases.
Parchment posters with magical diagrams, the four elements, star charts, etc. There are lots of potential designs in occult and alchemical art.
Tapestries depicting magical creatures, e.g. a unicorn in a forest.
Torch sconces (see above)
Paintings or woodcuts of notable wizards. Is there anything else magical you could do with them besides having them move? (I'm asking!)
Wizard's Workshop from Wizardology. Note the thick letters, the skull paperweight, the crystal ball, cauldron over the fire, and the owl and cat.
Wizard's Room from I Spy Fantasy. I think this is what cemented the wizard aesthetic in my head, and also gave me the notion of wizards living in the dungeon. Note the jar of eyes, the lantern, the scroll, the diagram on the wall, the bucket of miscellaneous wands, and the peacock quill.
The secret study from The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana. This is a little more spooky than whimsical, but note the artifacts, skeletons, and armillary sphere in the bookcases, the skull on the desk, and the posters on the wall.
Owls. Harry Potter has pretty much monopolized them as a wizard's pet, but their association with wizards predates it. Maybe just don't have them carry mail.
Cats. "Thrice the brindled cat hath mewed." Cats have a long and storied association with magic. They're a little more witchy than wizardy, but they're still (adorable) magical companions.
Toads. They actually have quite a long history of association with witchcraft; they were thought to secrete a poison that witches would use in their spells. They have something of a darker reputation than Neville Longbottom would suggest.
Snakes. Yes, they have a Potter-related reputation, but snakes have had an important role in mythology since prehistory. Try portraying your magical snakes in a more positive light. In Ancient Greece, snakes are holy animals who know all the secrets of the earth, so they can teach medicine to healers like Asklepios, the god of doctors.
Bats. It goes with the macabre theming.
Ravens. Ravens and other corvids are very smart birds with a long list of mystical associations: death, prophecy, wisdom, malice, resourcefulness, enchantment. They're associated with the Morrigan, the Irish goddess of war, and with Apollo, the Greek god of prophecy.
Spiders. Similar to bats in that they're macabre; easy to hide and slip into small spaces, weaving webs of magic.
What makes John Williams' music work? Well, apart from the fact that it's John Williams, it's tinkly piano and glockenspiel in a minor key. Jeremy Soule also does this with the music for the PC games, which is even more "wizard" than John Williams, if that's possible. Tracks from the games that I think really encapsulate the aesthetic are the title theme and narration theme from the first game, and the main menu theme from the second game (though honestly, all the music has this quality). There's also a song called "Frog" by Helen Jane Long that was used for the original Pottermore sorting quiz (remember that?). That song is also the essence of wizard vibe.
Someone who knows more about music theory than me could probably explain why these tracks create the Vibe with their particular melodies and instrumentation. All I know is that I know it when I hear it.
If you refuse to listen to anything Potter-related (and I don't blame you), here are some non-Potter-related music that has that vibe: The Magician by Peter Gundry. The music that plays in the Sorcerer's Sundries basement in BG3, by Borislav Slavov. "Merlin's Study" by Brandon Fiechter.
You also sometimes hear a harpsichord used in wizard music. (It's like the audio equivalent of an armillary sphere.) Here are some examples: "Intrepid" by Kevin MacLeod, specifically the version used in The Arcana. "Going for Baroque" by Michael Giacchino, from the Doctor Strange soundtrack. "The Witch's Breath" from the Ender Lilies soundtrack.
If you're a wizardly musician, that should give you enough to work with!
Robes, obviously, but it's a little generic to just say that. What do the robes look like? We don't want to stick with those simple black student robes, do we?
Wizards wear jewel tones like purple, midnight blue, crimson, and emerald. Don't be afraid to bedeck their robes in silver and gold stars, moons, and other mystical designs. (If you're going for a more medieval look, medieval people loved their bright colors and fancy embroidery.) Wizard hats are distinct from witch hats in that the point is usually floppy (unless it's a Fantasia-style hat). They often have stars and moons on them, too, to represent the wizard's astrological knowledge. In a high fantasy setting, a wizard might have a leather cuirass or other light armor. (I'm a big fan of the sleeveless robe and light armor look.)
Also, and I cannot emphasize this enough: Half of wizard fashion is the belt. Give them a belt with leather pouches, potion bottles, books, and other magical stuff hanging off of it. (Books in leather pouches that hang from your belt were a real thing in the Middle Ages! The book is hung upside down so you can pick it up and read it right-side-up! They're called girdle books!) Seriously, a good leather belt pouch does so much on its own. It's full of herbs, crystals, amulets, and whatever other magical things a wizard needs on their travels.
Speaking of amulets, what jewelry do they have? They probably have magic rings with planetary seals, and magical medallions around their neck. Maybe they also wear an insignia of their magic school (as in a philosophical school), mages' guild, or other association.
Finally, staffs! Screw wands, give your wizard a staff! Wooden staffs, metal staffs, staffs with an orb or crystal or bird statue on the end, whatever you want! The staff can easily reflect the wizard's personality. I always liked the idea of "the wand chooses the wizard," and I'd love to find a way to implement a similar concept without it being the same. I loved what The Owl House decided to do with this concept, having the staff being a living spirit carved from wood and shaped like an animal. That combines "the wand chooses the wizard" with the Patronus concept, without being too similar to either.
Also, consider having your wizards use impliments other than staffs or wands: books, orbs, a dagger or sword, a ring or talisman, their bare hands, etc.
Harry Potter's magic system leaves a lot to be desired, but one thing it actually does really well is soft magic, specifically, the "background magic" that just passively exists around the protagonists. "Background magic" is an excellent tool to create a magical atmosphere.
For example, take the floating candles and the night-sky ceiling. These things are never really explained, they're just there, instantly creating a magical atmosphere from the second you enter the Great Hall. Other examples include the moving portraits and suits of armor, the tent that's bigger on the inside, the moving staircases, the letters streaming down the chimney, secret passages everywhere, everything about the Room of Requirement, etc. These things don't need to be explained, and they should not be. They're there to make you feel like there's a large and wondrous magical world around you that will always have more to discover. (Remember that? Remember when Harry Potter's world felt large and wondrous instead of small and backward?!)
If you're writing an urban fantasy world like that of Harry Potter, consider juxtaposing your soft magic against normalcy. What do wizards wear? What do they eat? What do they haggle over and complain about? What do they do for fun? All of these small moments of soft magic contribute to the feeling of the wizarding world being alive, inhabited, and also magical. That gets your audience to wonder what their lives would be like if they were wizards.
This is very important: When you decide on a piece of background magic, do not explain it later. Do not. That's like George Lucas coming up with the midichlorians. No one wants that. It ruins the effect.
Soft magic gets maligned in modern writing communities, but I think it's actually one of the most powerful tools a fantasy writer has. I think it contributes significantly to Harry Potter's popularity.
The important thing to remember is that JKR doesn't own any of these concepts. She isn't the first or the best to use them. That may sound like stating the obvious, but it took me a long time to accept that. Using these concepts isn't necessarily derivative. It won't make your audience say "omg you stole that from Harry Potter." Even if you did, you'll do it better than JKR did!
Write. Even if it's bad, even if it's derivative, make your own media and develop your own worldbuilding. Play around with these concepts until you get something you like.
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