The Lexicon Blog
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
Ah, the fun of switching servers. I think I’ve caught all the really bad errors — like missing six or seven main character pages and transferring an out of date version of the “Explore the Wizarding World” page and forgetting to transfer the entire atlas section. Josh has been going… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
First of all, many thanks to Jo Rowling for taking the time to answer a couple of the questions on the Open Letter which I posted on the main page a few weeks ago. We’re all very grateful for the information. We’ll get that integrated into the Lexicon as soon… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
I’ve updated the text menu to keep up with the fancy graphics one. Both main menus now include links to the letter which I wrote to Jo Rowling on the advice of her solicitor, a letter asking for some factual details about the Wizarding World. They also include links to the Floo page,… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
Let me just say that I have nothing but high praise for the staff of PhoenixSong.net. A few days ago I wrote about a disturbing thread which appeared on that website recently. The posts on that thread made some extremely nasty insinuations about the Lexicon and about Penny, who is… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
I’ve just uploaded something that I’ve been working on for the last week. It’s a new analysis of the Weasley children’s ages which includes sort of the history of Gryffindor Quidditch over the last decade or so. I finished it this weekend while camping at Ludington State Park in Michigan. Go… Read More
"We haven't won since Charlie left..."
• Article
“How old are Bill and Charlie?” someone asked Jo. Very simple question. Her response to that simple question was just as simple. Charlie is two years older than Percy, and Bill is two years older than Charlie. Simple. So what’s the big deal? Unfortunately, this answer just doesn’t work. The… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Rants
I rececently was directed to this very disturbing post on the PhoenixSong.net forum. The insinuations are nasty enough that I decided I needed to respond directly. I am not a member of that forum so I couldn’t respond there. Hopefully the people involved in that discussion will notice this. Here’s… Read More
Quirrell's Leave of Absence
• Article
When exactly did Professor Quirrell’s year-long trip around the world take place? The popular fan assumption is that it immediately preceded the year of Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone. I do not think this is correct. In PS5, after Harry meets Quirrell while buying his school supplies and asks if he is always that… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
A few of the cooler new things on the Lexicon: added a site to the page for the first film which gives 360° virtual tours of various sites in Britain, including some HP film locations added a new site to the Resources page which had me laughing out loud…it’s a dictionary of… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
As usual, there has been a lot of editing over the last few weeks. I’ve been working through a backlog of hundreds of emails to find fixes and additions that needed to be made. Josh has been doing the bulk of the editing. You might spot some of the changes… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
More big news. The Lexicon is now being translated into Chinese. A team is forming to begin work and they hope to have the site operational within six months. I also just have to take a moment to express the best wishes of the Lexicon staff to Jo and Neil… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in What's New
Still more edits and additions all over the place. There are a couple of things that deserve a mention here. First, I have updated the page of spells from the films and games to correct the entry on the spell Arresto Momentum. Penny begged me to get to that one… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
More and more new stuff. added some information to the page of Titles and Honorifics added even more new information all through the pages of Wizards added a new website to the Resources page pretty much finished the Non-Wizard Characters page, which includes Grawp and Karkus as well as all the Hags,… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
Many, many edits and additions: additions to the Gazetteer of Wizarding Britain additions to the Encyclopedia of Potions additions and edits to each of the Wizard pages new essays: Sibylls, Porthia, and Prophecy additions to the page of titles and honorifics additions to the Quidditch Encyclopedia new page listing … Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Uncategorized
I have been asked two questions a lot lately. Here are the answers. I think the third movie is unbelievably awesome and incredible. Yes, I see flaws, but only in that it was edited a bit too far, so that some important information was inexplicably left out (e.g. Lupin’s relationaship… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
New stuff all over the place and a couple of really cool new things. Here are the main changes and additions: I’ve finally added the Stinging Hex, so you can all stop emailing me now 🙂 New page of spells, the ones from the films and games. I made this… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Fandom News
Here’s the next of the Big Things I mentioned a few days ago. The Lexicon has learned that Rowling is sending out revisions to the various editing and translating teams who are working on her books. So far she has sent out a list of two small changes to book… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Characters
It’s official. Blaise Zabini is a wizard. As with Professor Sinistra, one of the translation teams needed to know the gender of that particular character because in the language they’re working with, it matters for their choice of words (in this case Portuguese). I didn’t know the answer, athough I… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
It’s Memorial Day weekend and we’re camping for a few days. Every year, this weekend marks the beginning of the time when my schedule settles down quite a bit and I get a lot more time to work on the Lexicon. A few years ago, I created both the Bestiary… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Canon discussion
I’ve received a few emails over the last week asking whether I would be including things like the Dean Thomas backstory on the Lexicon. This is a bit of a problem, one which I’ve been strugging with ever since Rowling’s website went live. Here’s the puzzle for me: Is… Read More
The Age of the Weasleys
• Article
Introduction No, I don’t intend to predict the identities of the next several Ministers for Magic, but rather to present and discuss the various evidence available in Harry Potter canon on the relative ages of the seven Weasley siblings. Since the original version of this discussion, Rowling has, on her website, www.jkrowling.com, presented… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
After several months of delay, I finally have uploaded an essay that Prefect Marcus sent me. It’s a very well-done analysis of the “potions riddle” which Hermione solved on the way to finding the Stone under Hogwarts. I have also uploaded a new essay by Connie Ann Kirk, the author of the… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
I just spent a week in Cocoa Beach, Florida, at a delightful hotel called the Luna Sea. I did a lot of reading by the pool and had a ball at Islands of Adventure in Orlando. I also did some work on the Lexicon. I have reworked the timelines entirely,… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
I’ve just added an essay by Troels Forchhammer called Mapping the Harry Potter Timeline. Troels is meticulous in his analysis of the various clues and theories which have been debated back and forth for the past few years by fans. He includes all known references from all the books and… Read More
Posted
by micheleworley
in Website news
Steve and I are updating the Lexicon simultaneously this evening, thanks to JKR’s web chat earlier today. Please be patient, we’re scrambling to integrate a gold mine of new information here. 🙂… Read More
Harry's Things
• Article
Posted
by Morag Traynor
in Essays
Not the least interesting thing about Harry’s possessions is that it is possible to make a virtually complete list of them. This is because he starts with nothing but the blanket he is wrapped in. His material poverty is contrasted with Dudley Dursley’s conspicuous consumption, both literal and metaphorical. Though… Read More
Posted
by micheleworley
in Website news
(If anybody out there hexed Steve with his current connectivity issues, quit it, OK?) A new essay from Morag Traynor has just been made available. Enjoy. … Read More
Posted
by micheleworley
in Website news
Michele here, the Lexicon’s assistant/junior editor. The Wizards’ List is undergoing a scrubbing today. Hooked up another essay to the essay index that was missed on the first pass, about the Longbottoms. Read More
Posted
by micheleworley
in Website news
Michele here, the Lexicon’s assistant/junior editor. Dreamweaver has been re-installed successfully on Steve’s personal machine after an unfortunate episode with a repair shop and an erased hard drive (didn’t affect the Lexicon’s existing content, I hasten to add, just delayed Steve in producing some new stuff he’s been working on). Read More
The History of The Books: 1990-2004
• Article
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in About Sources
by Steve VanderArk and Bob Williams 1990 Ideas for Harry Potter and the wizard world form in J.K. Rowling’s mind while she is on an interminable train journey from Manchester to King’s Cross. 1991 J.K. Rowling goes to Portugal to teach English as a foreign language. There, she writes ten… Read More
Posted
by micheleworley
in Website news
Michele here, the Lexicon’s assistant/junior editor. As regular visitors may be aware, ordinarily Steve alone touches this particular page. However, in the spirit of Friday the 13th, Steve’s been having some ugly problems with his personal machine, so I thought I’d pipe up to let everyone know a little about… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in What's New
Added a new page for Luna Lovegood, which includes another of Marta T.’s brilliant drawings and artwork by a new artist to the Lexicon, Tiny Q. Her illustration of Luna is just beautiful, really capturing the quirky nature of this intriguing character. I am delighted to welcome Tiny Q. to… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in What's New
The reorganization is going very smoothly, thanks to Dreamweaver. What an excellent program that is! I have added a page to the Hogwarts Atlas which shows a stunning painting by Michael Bramman, a well-known British illustrator. The page includes a brief note from the artist… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in What's New
For the last few days, I’ve been reorganizing the thousands of files which make up the Lexicon. This is a painstaking process, at least for me, since I’m not a Dreamweaver wiz by any stretch of the imagination. I do things like this in utter terror of messing… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in What's New
This isn’t strictly a Lexicon thing, but since it’s my project, I’ll let you all know anyway. The Lexicon is part of a group of sites called The Floo Network. This group includes The Leaky Cauldron, Quick Quotes Quill, and The Hogwarts Galleries (which is currently in pre-production,… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in What's New
First of all, thanks to all of you who emailed me to find out why there haven’t been many updates lately. Sorry about the lull, folks, but that happens during the school year. I’m a teacher and librarian, plus the resident director for a theatre company, so I… Read More
The Battle of the Department of Mysteries: An Analysis of the Chase and Battle, June 1996
• Article
At turns exciting, suspenseful, horrific, unexpectedly funny, and in the end, tragic, OP35 (“Beyond the Veil”) brilliantly captures the chaos and confusion of battle. Harry doesn’t have time to fully comprehend everything going on around him, but we the readers have the luxury of going back and re-reading this chapter for new insights… Read More
