MuggleNet just posted a really cool video calling out Ten Amazing Facts you can research on the Lexicon. If you’re looking for a quick way to find them, here’s our Ten Facts Guide:
Galleon to Muggle Money converter
You can find the exchange rate for Galleons to pretty much any Muggle currency on the home page, along with the phase of the moon and the weather at a number of wizarding locations, including Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and all the known wizarding schools.
The exchange rate is based on Rowling’s statement that a Galleon is worth about five pounds and is current to the hour. If you want to see the exchange for your local currency, click on it and it will show it. We also have an actual converter which will allow you to put in any amount in Muggle currency and see the value in Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts, and other wizarding equivalents.
The Story of Sir Cadogan
It’s easy to dismiss the brave but foolhardy Sir Cadogan, erstwhile guardian of Gryffindor Tower. But reading his story will reveal that he was originally one of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table and that a wizarding slang phrase — “I’ll Take Cadogan’s Pony” — was coined in reference to him.
What About Socks?
One of the earliest and still most popular essays in the Lexicon’s extensive collection dating back to 2000 is this one by Morag Traynor. Who knew that socks would be such an interesting topic?
Toots, Shoots, and Roots
Rowling’s original website was filled with treasures which are difficult to experience today, even with the Internet Archive. Exploring the magical little Flash-driven world of Rowling’s desk is a delight even more distant for today’s fans than the opportunity to explore the books with beautiful artwork on Pottermore.
One of the most complete and detailed descriptions of that site was created for the old version of the Lexicon by Belinda Hobbs. Bringing her intricately interconnected pages over the current version of the Lexicon took me months, and I only finished the project at the end of June. “Toots, Shoots, and Roots” was a radio show which was featured in adverts in the Rumours section of Rowling’s site. The show eventually figured in a “scavenger hunt” game to unlock the mysterious door.
Lost in Time
The sad story of Eloise Mintumble was written by Rowling for Pottermore, presumably at least in part to address the enduring complaint that characters should have been able to go back in time and save Harry’s parents or kill Voldemort or save Sirius or what have you. The point is that there is a very firm wizarding law forbidding anyone from using a Time Turner or other such method to go back more than five hours because of the horrendous disruptions that it causes.
Goblins and their Rebellions
A careful examination of the timeline of the wizarding world reveals that the goblins had some pretty good reasons for violent rebellion. Prejudice against them, as well as against other non-human magical beings, was as pervasive at that time as was that of Muggles against Wizards.
The full ban on wand carrying by any non-humans didn’t go into effect until 1631, after which things really heated up. One of the worst rebellions happened in 1752, shortly after the International Confederation of Wizards passed laws requiring each country to manage and control the magical creatures living within their borders. It would seem that the goblins, who already chafed under the idea of being “controlled” by wizards, decided that enough was enough. The Rebellion of 1752 eventually resulted in the resignation of two successive Ministers for Magic and the involvement of Werewolves. It wasn’t until Hesphaestus Gore, a tough ex-Auror, took over as Minister that the Rebellion was put down.
Goblin unrest continues to the 1990s at least, with one peaceful demonstration in the small town of Chipping Clodbury turning violent and resulting a a messy emergency clean-up by the Ministry.
Ah, Peeves…
This perpetual pest has been the nemesis of caretakers of Hogwarts long before Filch. Perhaps the most infamous episode involved a caretaker with the delightfully awful name of Rancourous Carp.
Harry Potter’s Signature Spell
The fact that Harry Potter defeats Voldemort without violence, using only Expelliarmus, is a key point to the entire saga. Sadly, this was completely lost of the filmmakers, who assumed that fans were too dense to understand the entire premise of Rowling’s story and replaced that legendary moment with a long, drawn-out wand battle. The story of Expelliarmus, the Disarming Spell, is found in The Book of Spells, written by Miranda Goshawk in the 1800s.
Complete Spell Encyclopedia
Speaking of spells, the Lexicon provides a number of ways to find spells from the Potter universe. The Magic menu at the top of each page will take you to the Magic landing page when you click on More. From there you can research spells by name or incantation, as well as look for potions, magical effects, and magical objects and artifacts.
Master Timeline of the Wizarding World
I wrote the first and most detailed timeline of the wizarding world way back in 2001, and it’s been updated and expanded every since. The current version is being completely reworked for use by modern devices on the Lexicon’s new site. Each event has its own entry on the timeline with details and links. You can use the Events landing page to explore timelines of characters and topics as well. There is simply no more accurate or detailed timeline of Rowling’s amazing created world anywhere. Warner Bros actually borrowed it for use on the original DVDs of the Potter films! It’s an ongoing, maybe never-ending project, and one of which we’re extremely proud here at the Lexicon.
