History of the Forbidden Forest - Harry Potter Explained

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re discussing the complete history of the Forbidden Forest, a common backdrop for important moments throughout the Harry Potter series for both Harry, his friends, AND his enemies.

As many of you will remember, the Forbidden Forest is first introduced in The Philosopher’s Stone as a scary, dark place where students are not allowed to enter, never mind roam about and explore. Of course, one very large caveat to this rule is if those same students ever find themselves in a bit of trouble. As much as it really makes absolutely NO sense what-so-ever, a punishment bestowed upon multiple students over the years, including Harry, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy in the first installment of the series, is to send them INTO the Forbidden Forest. This form of “detention” is meant to help Hagrid with random duties required in the upkeep of the portion of the Forest that resides on school property. As this was the detention they were given for merely being out of bed after hours, makes one wonder what the punishment would’ve been for actually going into the Forest…more time spent IN THE FOREST? Like I said…it really doesn’t make any sense AT ALL.

Anyway, I’d like to start off today’s video with a brief summary of the Forbidden Forest as we know it through Harry Potter. Because, although there are many fantastical locations and magical places in which Harry and his friends visit throughout the novels and films alike, it may not be immediately apparent just how important the Forbidden Forest is to the series.

Now, it's a very typical trope for an enchanted forest – whether filled with “light” magic or “dark” – to represent a way to achieve transformation for those who enter it. What I mean is that magical forests are often used as a literary device to be a catalyst of change for any number of fictional characters. They enter the forest as one version of themselves, and emerge forever transformed. 

All this to say that I do, indeed, believe that there are quite a few transformations that take place within the Forbidden Forest, many of which I will get into later in the video. BUT, in my opinion, it’s quite evident that the MAIN transformation that takes place in the series is at the very end of the seventh book (which, as many of you will know, is the eighth movie) and is directly related to the protagonist of the story: our dear boy, Harry.

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