In Harry Potter, Moaning Myrtle is the ghost that haunts a Hogwarts bathroom, but there may be more for fans to know about this whiny phantom.
The upcoming video game Hogwarts Legacy has promised to give gamers the opportunity to explore the world of Harry Potter in a way they have only dreamed of. The game is estimated to see a release near the 2022 holiday season and will follow the player character as they explore Hogwarts Castle sometime in the late 1800s.
While fans of the wizarding world franchise are excited to finally dive into the nooks and crannies of the castle, both seen in the movies and left unexplored, Hogwarts may be a little different than it was during Harry's time as a student. For example, Moaning Myrtle, the ghost that lives in the second-floor girls' bathroom, will not yet be a haunt of the school. Fans know that Myrtle died at Hogwarts when Tom Riddle was a student, a good 40 or 50 years after the events of Hogwarts Legacy. While missing out on Myrtle in the game may be a disappointment for some, there is still plenty that her fans can learn about the tragic spirit.
Her Full Name Was Myrtle Elizabeth Warren
Moaning Myrtle was a Muggle-born witch who attended school sometime around the 1940s. Naturally, in life, she was not referred to by her ghost name and was instead called Myrtle Elizabeth Warran.
J.K. Rowling revealed this in a 2015 Tweet, along with a clarification that her name was in no way taken from the US Senator, Elizabeth Warren. Instead, she explained that Elizabeth was just one of those typical English middle names considered very common. Myrtle's name was as bland as possible, just like the poor student herself.
Myrtle Was Around 14 When She Died
Tom Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets in 1942, precisely 50 years before his memory possessed Ginny to do the same. While it is unclear exactly how old Myrtle was that year, the Wizarding World website states that she was born in the late 1920s and started Hogwarts in the early 1940s.
This means that by the school year of 1942 to 1943, Myrtle was likely a second or third-year student, or around 14 years old. This paralleled Hermione and revealed just how much danger Slytherin's monster posed. Hermione was also a Muggle-born witch and was around the same age during the magical events of Chamber of Secrets.
"Myrtle" Is An Evergreen Shrub
Rowling named many of her characters after flowers and plants. Lily, Petunia, Lavender, Fleur, Poppy, and Pansy are a few examples of this trend. It comes as no surprise, then, that Myrtle's name also comes from a plant.
Myrtles are a kind of shrub. They have a medicinal history and are known for having uses in Wiccan rituals, specifically Beltane. The plant also has significance in Greek and Roman mythology.
Myrtle Had No Friends At Hogwarts
When Myrtle told the Golden Trio about her death, she revealed she had been crying in the bathroom after students picked on her over her glasses. She mentioned this kind of bullying frequently, and her sensitivity to insult in her death reveals just how much she was ridiculed in life.
In addition, Myrtle states that it took hours for anyone even to notice she was gone. This moment of disappearing in a bathroom, only to wind up in danger again reminds audiences of Hermione, whom the troll would have killed in Philosopher's Stone if Ron and Harry hadn't saved her. In the end, it was a good thing that Hermione had friends in Harry Potter, but the same can't be said for Myrtle.
Rowling's Bathroom Experiences Inspired Myrtle
Rowling revealed on Pottermore (now Wizarding World) that she came up with the idea for Moaning Myrtle because of the crying women that could frequently be found in public bathrooms at parties and clubs when the author was younger.
Rowling noted that this same phenomenon didn't seem to occur in boys' bathrooms, so she enjoyed the idea of subjecting Ron and Harry to a discomfort they had never experienced, while Hermione thought it was completely normal. While a bathroom may have been a strange place to keep a weepy ghost, the inspiration makes sense and sets that bathroom up as one of the most important rooms in Hogwarts.
Myrtle Was Voldemort's First Murder
The Harry Potter books revealed that Voldemort began murdering at a very young age when he was still only known as Tom Riddle. Near the end of his time at school, Riddle tracked down his father, Tom Riddle Sr., and discovered that he was a wealthy Muggle. So, he murdered Riddle Sr. with the Avada Kedavra curse and pinned the crime on his mother's brother, Morfin.
However, sometime before this crime took place, Tom Riddle practiced his killing ability using Basilisk. Moaning Myrtle was the first on the long list of Voldemort's victims and the perfect representation of just how evil a character Voldemort was.
Ron Accidentally Guessed How She Died
The ghost of a student was likely alarming to young Hogwarts students, but no one ever seemed to ask too many questions about how Myrtle met her unfortunate end. However, in the Chamber of Secrets book, Ron came surprisingly close to solving Myrtle's mystery entirely on accident.
When Harry first found Tom Riddle's diary, Hermione did some research to determine who the boy had been. She found an award granted to Riddle for services provided to the school. However, the trio was unsure what Riddle had done to achieve this. Ron jokingly guessed that he had killed Moaning Myrtle, calling it an excellent service. Funnily enough, Tom had received the award for catching the killer, even though it had actually been him.
Myrtle Was Portrayed By Shirley Henderson
In the Harry Potter movies, Moaning Myrtle was portrayed by Scottish singer and actress Shirly Henderson. At the time of filming, Henderson was in her thirties, 20 years older than the character she portrayed. However, audiences would have never guessed between the transparent editing and Henderson's youthful voice.
Henderson is also known for playing Jude in the Bridget Jones movies, but audiences might have missed that she recently lent her voice to the Anzellan droidsmith Babu Frik in Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker.
Myrtle's Name Was Going To Be Wailing Wanda
Another revelation from Rowling on Wizarding World is that she had initially planned for Moaning Myrtle's name to be Wailing Wanda. Myrtle wasn't the only ghost revealed to have had a name change. Rowling also stated that the Grey Lady was originally called the Whispering Lady and that several other ghosts, such as The Toad and Edmund Grubb, never made it into the series.
Rowling did not clarify why she chose to change Myrtle's name. It could be that Moaning Myrtle just had a better ring to it than Wailing Wanda, or perhaps she just wanted a name that fit better with her theme of flowers.
Myrtle Didn't Always Haunt Hogwarts
The rules of where a ghost can haunt do not seem to be concrete in the wizarding world, and Myrtle revealed that the Ministry of Magic even has a hand in controlling the ghost and ghouls of the country.
When Myrtle told the story of her death, she added details about the girl who bullied her, who was also the person to find her body. Olive Hornby was horrified to discover Myrtle dead, but she would live to rue the moment even more since Myrtle decided to haunt her personally for years. Finally, after making a massive scene at Olive's brother's wedding, Olive asked the Ministry to intervene, and Myrtle was forced to return to Hogwarts.
NEXT: 10 Adult Harry Potter Characters Who Repeatedly Ignored Their Own Advice
