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"A gigantic statue of black stone dominated the scene. It was rather frightening, this vast sculpture of a witch and wizard sitting on ornately carved thrones...Engraved in foot-high letters at the base of the statue were the words MAGIC IS MIGHT...Harry looked more closely and realised that what he had thought were decoratively carved thrones were actually mounds of carved humans: hundreds and hundreds of naked bodies, men, women, and children, all with rather stupid, ugly faces, twisted and pressed together to support the weight of the handsomely robed wizards."
— Description[src]

The Magic is Might statue was a black stone statue created after the Death Eaters took over the British Ministry of Magic on 1 August 1997. It replaced the Fountain of Magical Brethren and was located in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic Headquarters.[1]

Description[]

The Magic is Might statue depicted a handsomely robed witch and wizard sitting on carved thrones. These thrones were made out of the naked bodies of Muggles, twisted and pressed together to support the wizards' weights and had intentionally ugly faces.[1]

The phrase "Magic is Might" was inscribed at the bottom of the statue, marking the statue as a symbol of the pure-blood supremacist ideals of the new regime.[1]

History[]

Magic is Might Monument

The Magic is Might statue in the Ministry

The statue was created at least before or during 1 August 1997, as Pius Thicknesse gave a speech to a crowd of journalists in front of it, alongside Corban Yaxley and Dolores Umbridge, soon after the Death Eater's take over of the British Ministry of Magic.[2]

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley saw the statue when they infiltrated the Ministry on 2 September 1997, and found the message of the statue horrible.[1]

The fate of the statue is unknown, but it was presumably replaced after Lord Voldemort's defeat in the Battle of Hogwarts on 2 May 1998, and the subsequent reform of the Ministry spearheaded by the new Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt.

During the Calamity in the late 2010s, the statue was turned into a Foundable, which had to be returned to its original location by volunteer members of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force.[3]

Behind the scenes[]

Muggles statue 2

Close-up of the statue showing Muggles in their "rightful" place in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Magic is might

Concept artwork for the Magic is Might Statue for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

  • In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, the Magic is Might Monument differs substantially from its book description. In the film, fully clothed Muggles (most likely for the reasons of good taste) are being crushed under the weight of a marble column with the "Magic is Might" inscription and the Ministry of Magic logo, and atop the column stand a large wizard and a witch. The Fountain of Magical Brethren is not completely removed from the Atrium, as the golden statue of the wizard is still present on its plinth.
  • The depiction of the monument in the film adaptation bears a close resemblance to the Soviet monumental art, particularly the sculpture of Worker and Kolkhoz Woman.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

The Atrium
Level 8, British Ministry of Magic
Fountain of magical brethren
Lobby and Reception Area · Fountain of Magical Brethren · Magic is Might statue · Ministry Munchies · Security desk · Lifts · Magical Maintenance Office · Ministry All-Purpose Room · Ministry Office · Office 34B
Watchwizards
Eric Munch
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