The Lexicon Blog

Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Why do we assume that Ottery St Mary, an actual town in south Devon, is the same village as the one called Ottery St Catchpole in the books? There are a couple of good reasons for this. For one thing, the name “Ottery” means that the town… Read More


Posted
by Eileen Jones
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Today I’d like to talk to you about how, in the end, Bane didn’t need to get mad. When Bane gets mad at Firenze for saving Harry, he says “…we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements… Read More

Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Did you know that one of Harry’s classmates apparently vanished between first and fifth year? I don’t mean “vanished” in the same way that Montague disappeared into a Vanishing Cabinet only to reappear a few weeks later. I mean that she was listed as an incoming First Year in book… Read More


Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Harry Potter Lexicon Minute
Hey, everyone, welcome to your Harry Potter Minute, sponsored by Magic Alley. I’m Steve VanderArk, creator and editor in chief of the Harry Potter Lexicon website. The Harry Potter Lexicon website has been in existence for almost two decades. Over that time, J.K Rowling thrilled us with her magical creation… Read More


Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
I need to take a minute to acknowledge the passing of a much loved and respected member of the Harry Potter Lexicon team and a good friend. Howard C. “Kip” Carter died in his sleep Tuesday, Jan. 2. For those people who made the Lexicon forum… Read More

Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Fandom News
Okay, this one I’m really excited about. As one who has put over 400 hours into Stardew Valley on the XBox, I can say that I am MORE than ready to start role-playing in the Harry Potter universe. The game, Hogwarts Mystery, is scheduled to come out next year. Read More

Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
The new navigation and the landing pages are very cool additions to the Lexicon. They make finding things a whole lot easier. The next part of the big site update I’d like to talk about is the timeline system. Before I talk about what we created, I’d like to explain… Read More

Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
A few weeks ago, we did a huge update to the site. The list of changes and improvements is long, but basically they fall into three categories: Navigation, Timelines, and Lists. We’ll be continually updating and enhancing each of these things over the coming months. All the site navigation has… Read More

Posted
by Nick Moline
in Fandom News
The July J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World Loot Crate has arrived! Join Nick and Barbara once again as we unbox another box of magical goodness for the Lexicon’s Youtube Channel. This month’s theme is “Defense Against the Dark Arts” and contains items to help you fend off the darkest and most… Read More

Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
As of Saturday evening, 8 July 2017, we’re having some problems with the Lexicon, apparently due to the new version of Word Press to which we just upgraded. This may result in pages not Apparating onto your screen correctly. No need to contact the Department of Magical Transportation — they’re… Read More

Posted
by Nick Moline
in Fandom News
It was very early in my life that I became captivated with the worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy. From Tolkien’s Middle Earth, to C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, to Roddenberry’s Federation, the worlds of my favorite pieces of fiction spurred me on in a myriad of ways. I can trace my… Read More
Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Fandom News
Josie has posted on her site blog some details about what happened to the Companion. She’s working on fixing all the links now and soon the site will be 100% safe again. You can read her post here: https://hp-companion.com/2017/06/02/sigh/#comment-47530 I’ve let her know that we’d be happy to help… Read More


Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Fandom News
Back in 2009, I posted about a wonderful Harry Potter website called The Harry Potter Companion. It’s run by an ex-Lexicon editor who did amazing work for our site for many years before leaving to take on other challenges. The Companion goes through the entire Harry Potter series, chapter… Read More




Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Fandom News
LootCrate just announced the next installment of their spectacular “J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World” Crates: THE DARK ARTS Their website states: “There’s a darker side of magic and we’re exploring its depths with exclusively-created collectibles, apparel, replicas, and more showcasing the people, places, creatures, and things associated with the Dark Arts of… Read More



Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Fandom News
For me, it started with a visit to my son’s house. We were hanging around chatting when I noticed a gray box on the bookshelf with a label on it reading “Firefly Cargo Crate.” I remarked about it since, you know, it was Firefly. He took it down and showed… Read More








Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Canon discussion
Where did the name Hogwarts come from? Rowling answered that question in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald: A friend from London recently asked me if I remembered when we first saw Hogwarts. I had no idea what she was talking about until she recalled the day we went… Read More



Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
If you’ve come to the Lexicon to research the characters, places, and events in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, you may have to wait a bit. We are creating many new entries and adding information to existing entries, but we aren’t filling in the main characters or events just yet. Read More

Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Website news
Since we came out of beta, the number one request has been for alphabetical lists of characters, places, etc. Nick the Tech Wizard has been working on it ever since. This afternoon I tested it behind the scenes and it’s working great! Nick tells me there is a little more… Read More


Posted
by Nick Moline, Steve VanderArk, Patricio Tarantino, Erin Trites and Brianna C.
in Fandom News
As you may know, part of the reason we were hurrying to get the new Lexicon online was because, for the first time in nine years, Potter Fans all have something worth getting us to a bookstore at midnight. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the script of the two part play… Read More


Posted
by Barbara Moline, Nick Moline and Steve VanderArk
in Canon discussion / Lexicon Podcast / Website news
Episode 18 of the Harry Potter Lexicon Podcast is very special, for multiple reasons. Our first ever Live Podcast (with live Canon questions from the audience) Our first ever Video Podcast (don’t worry, you can still listen to audio!) We pushed the New Lexicon Live… Read More

Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Canon discussion
Many fans never even noticed that there was a difference. But it’s true. In the Bloomsbury version, Trelawney’s first name is Sybill. In the US, it’s Sibyll. Note the switching of the ‘y’ there. So what’s up with that? For years, I just noted the difference on the Lexicon and left it… Read More


Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Canon discussion
I’m sure you’ve seen things online where writers take great pleasure in finding holes in the plot of the Harry Potter stories. There are memes floating around, blog posts, and videos on YouTube with titles like “10 Dumbest Harry Potter Plot Holes.” Now, it’s not that the Harry Potter stories… Read More

Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Canon discussion
I haven’t read the books for awhile now. I mean really read them, as opposed to looking things up. I have a feeling that’s true for a lot of us. So when I do read passages in the course of my research, I often spot things that I had forgotten, little… Read More


Posted
by Austin Lacy
in Canon discussion
I decided to do a little bit of research and go in-depth into currency in the wizarding world. As we all know, wizard money is made up of gold galleons, silver sickles, and bronze knuts. In the first book, when Harry is getting money out of his vault for the… Read More

Posted
by Cathy McCabe
in Essays
It could be argued that Andromeda Tonks is only a tertiary character in the Harry Potter novels; she only appears in one scene in the final book. Still, I have always found Andromeda Tonks to be an amazingly interesting character. Perhaps, it is this lack of information that causes me… Read More

Posted
by Steve VanderArk
in Canon discussion
I know it’s a few days past April Fool’s Day, but don’t let that stop you from reading this wonderful piece by Bron Suchecki on the Monetary Metals website. Judging by the comments, a number of readers of that website for serious investors made it quite far into the article before realizing… Read More
