Muggle

Muggle - term used in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of books to refer to people with no magical abilities.

First defined by Hagrid after a fairly good-natured jibe at Mr Dursley

Hagrid: "I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him,"

Harry: "A what?"

Hagrid: "A Muggle. It's what we call non-magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."

The term is usually used innocuously by most wizards and witches but is also a mechanism Rowling uses to show racial intolerance in the more evil characters. Compare with 'Pure bloods' (where magical powers have been possessed for untold generations) and 'half bloods' or 'Mudbloods' - a derogatory term used to describe the offspring of a wizard/witch and a muggle.

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Rowling was sued by Nancy Stouffer for trademark infringement over her use of the term Muggles. In 1984 Stouffer wrote a children's book called The Legend of Rah and the Muggles and another children's book series involving characters called Lilly and Larry Potter.

The Muggles in Stouffer's book are different. What was allegedly infringed was the term -- not characters or story ideas -- although Stouffer's book has on its front cover a castle in the mountains by a lake (the same setting as Hogwarts school).

Harry Potter's mother is Lily. Harry Potter's first name rhymes with Larry, and the last names are identical. Harry and Larry both wear glasses and have black hair. Larry's is wavy; Harry's is "unruly".

The terms Nevils and Nimbus appear in Stouffer's book. In Rowling's books, there is a character named Neville, and a brand of flying broomstick is Nimbus.

External Link: [The Real Muggles] describes Stouffer's infringement suit