Muggle facts for kids
A Muggle is a person who doesn't have any magic. This term comes from the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling. Muggles are not born into magical families. They also don't have any magical powers themselves.
This is different from a Squib. A Squib has magical parents but no magic. It's also different from a Muggle-born. A Muggle-born person has magic, but their parents are Muggles. Sometimes, the word mudblood is used. This is a very rude and offensive word for Muggle-borns.
In America, the magical community used a different word. They called non-magical people No-Maj. This is short for "No Magic." This word was popular in the 1920s. But it soon went out of style. The word "Muggle" came back into use before World War II. It has been used ever since.
Muggles in Harry Potter
The word Muggle is sometimes used in a mean way in the books. Muggles are just regular people. They don't have any magic. They also usually don't know that magic exists.
Witches and wizards who have Muggle parents are called Muggle-borns. Some children have one magical parent and one Muggle parent. These people are called half-bloods. If someone has any Muggle family members, they are also called half-bloods.
The most famous Muggle-born in Harry Potter is Hermione Granger. Her parents were Muggles. Witches and wizards with only magical family members are called pure-bloods.
In the Harry Potter books, Muggles often seem a bit confused. They are usually unaware of the wizarding world around them. If Muggles accidentally see magic, the Ministry of Magic acts quickly. They send people called Obliviators. These wizards use Memory Charms to make Muggles forget what they saw.
Some Muggles do know about the wizarding world. This includes Muggle parents of magical children. Hermione Granger's parents are an example. The Muggle Prime Minister also knows. Harry Potter's non-magical relatives, the Dursley family, also know. Some Muggles are married to witches or wizards.
J. K. Rowling created the word "Muggle" from the word "mug." A "mug" can mean someone who is easily fooled. She added "-gle" to make it sound less harsh. She wanted it to sound more "cuddly."
Famous Muggles
Here are some Muggles mentioned in the Harry Potter series:
- The Dursleys: Harry's relatives who he lived with.
- The Muggle Prime Minister: The leader of Britain.
- Frank Bryce: The gardener for the Riddle family.
- Tom Riddle Senior: Lord Voldemort's father.
- Tobias Snape: Severus Snape's father.
- Jacob Kowalski: Newt Scamander's No-Maj friend in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
- Mary Lou Barebone: The leader of the New Salem Philanthropic Society.
Other Uses of "Muggle"
The word muggle is now used in other ways too. Its meaning is similar to how it's used in Harry Potter. It often describes people outside a certain group. It's like how military people might say "civilian." In the books, "Muggle" is always capitalized. In other uses, it's often written with a small "m."
- Muggle is used by members of Mensa. Mensa is a group for very smart people. They use "muggle" to describe non-members.
- The Oxford English Dictionary added Muggle in 2003. It says it means a person who lacks a skill.
- In geocaching, Muggle (or geomuggle) is used. Geocaching is a treasure hunt game using GPS. A "muggle" is someone who isn't playing or doesn't know about the game. If a geocache is found or messed with by a non-player, it's called "muggled."
Trademark Lawsuit
Nancy Stouffer wrote a book called The Legend of Rah and the Muggles in 1984. She said that J. K. Rowling copied her. She claimed Rowling used the term "muggles" unfairly. Rowling and her publisher, Scholastic, sued Stouffer. They wanted the court to say they had done nothing wrong. They won the case. The court decided there was no real confusion between the books.
See also
In Spanish: Muggle para niños
