• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Hey, everyone, Steve VanderArk here. This is a special announcement for listeners of our Harry Potter Lexicon Minute podcast. As you may have noticed, we’ve been taking a short break for the past week or two. The podcast isn’t ending — we’ll be back with more episodes here… Read More
• Essay
Posted by in Characters / Essays / Theories
There is very little background information about the Scamander brothers or the war service of any other wizards in canon (WFT). Therefore, we must depend on the books written about the making of the films and trust that the information in them was, at least, approved by JKR. We don’t… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
In a previous episode we talked about the fun that fans have had searching for anagrams in the Harry Potter books, and how they fueled fan theories back when the series was still in progress. One popular pastime was hunting for anagrams in character names and wondering whether they… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
This chapter portrays Harry as a normal teenage boy. Although strange things have happened to him, he likes sports and worries about homework. And above all, he wants to look cool. When his scar hurts, he does not want to bother his friends, the Weasley family, or even the man… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
It’s clear to everyone who reads the Harry Potter books that J.K. Rowling is an accomplished wordsmith and a big fan of wordplay. She clearly delights in choosing just the right names for characters and other things in the wizarding world. With that in mind, I’d like to… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Recently, I’ve had some conflicting feelings about everyone’s favorite Potions Master, Severus Snape. When asked if I’m a Snape fan or not, I immediately answer: no. He is definitely one of my least favorite characters, I do not think he was a hero, and I would say that what he… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Chapter one of the Goblet of Fire was a big surprise for the Harry Potter fans who read it for the first time. Unlike the previous books, this book did not start with the Dursleys. It opened at Little Hangleton, with a murder mystery that reminded me… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Over the almost twenty years of the website’s existence, we have been challenged for our use of Rowling’s interviews as canon. That’s perfectly understandable, especially since we make a point of NOT including the Potter films. Why one and not the other? There is an obvious response, that those films… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
I have this weird thing about fate in the Harry Potter books. There’s just so many close shaves where Harry barely makes it out alive. I always come back to believing that fate has a hand in all of it. The funny thing about that is one of the main… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
“Fifty years ago, at daybreak, on a fine summer’s morning … “ That’s from chapter one of Goblet of Fire, as you probably already knew. That’s when Tom Riddle Senior and his parents were mysteriously killed in their mansion near Little Hangleton. Frank Bryce, the caretaker,… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
In this minute about Chapter 18 of Chamber of Secrets, entitled Dobby’s Reward, I’d like to discuss Lucius Malfoy. In a previous minute, about Chamber of Secrets chapter 2, which was entitled “Dobby’s Warning,” I talked about why Lucius Malfoy may have chosen Harry’s second year at Hogwarts to… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Today, I’d like to talk about a cool fan theory from back in the day that still has not been conclusively proven or disproven. After the “I am Lord Voldemort” anagram twist in Chamber of Secrets, Potter fans were on high alert for any other relevant anagrams in the series. Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Book and chapter share the same title in Chapter 16 of Chamber of Secrets. There were a couple of things that stood out to me when reading this chapter. These moments were about Dumbledore and Ginny. Chapter 16 showed me how Dumbledore is a symbol of leadership, hope, and… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
I’m always amazed that every time I re read the Harry Potter books I find something new to wonder about. The story and the world are so rich that it gives the never ending potential for theories and the chance for discoveries of connections you’ve never realized, either because you… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Chapter 26 of Order of the Phoenix is completely packed. I mean it, this chapter is like a rich tapestry. I’ll just wander through the text, pointing out things here and there. It starts with Hermione’s delightful explanation for Harry of Cho’s behavior during their disastrous date, which includes… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
As a fan of the world JK Rowling created, I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering how it could happen in real life. Recently I was studying the adolescent brain, and was fascinated to find that when kids reach 11/12 their brains are essentially wiped to prepare for adult development. Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
I’ve been doing some thinking about Summoning Charms, which, given the option, I would perform at least a dozen times a day, because where are my car keys and is my phone in my purse or did I leave it in the car again? (For those two reasons alone,… Read More
• Article
Posted by in The Films / Website news
You might be here on the Lexicon looking for information about the characters, things, creatures, events, etc. from “Crimes of Grindelwald.” If so, you might have to have to wait a week or so for everything to appear. We have a spreadsheet of 143 entries which need to be added… Read More
• Article
Posted by in The Films
Here are some helpful resources you might need if you’re researching the new film. We’ll update this with other resources over time. Timelines: Integrating the Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Voldemort Timelines Timeline: The Rise of Grindelwald The Fantastic Beasts Saga Timeline Characters: Newt Scamander | timeline Gellert… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
On a couple of previous podcasts, I have talked about Ottery St. Catchpole and the Burrow. I’ve discussed why we identify the town with Ottery St. Mary in Devon, near Exeter. I talked about the relationship between the town and the Burrow, located, according to the books,… Read More
• Podcast Episode
Posted by in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Let me just start out by saying that I cry easily. Just ask my wife. I cry at sappy commercials with fathers sending their daughters off into the world while remembering every father-daughter dance and scraped knee. So you’d think that reading the Harry Potter books, especially the first time… Read More