Canon discussion
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Quotes and Mis-Quotes
• Article
We all know the quotes. They’re turned into memes, they’re spouted by cosplayers — they seem to define the characters who said them. Except DID they say them? In many cases, the answer is no. Yes, Quirrell did say “Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know” (PS10)… Read More
The Death Eaters: A Guide To Who Was Where
• Essay
Here’s the thing when it comes to the Dark Lord’s followers: There aren’t that many of them. When I was watching Deathly Hallows Part Two during its midnight premiere, my groan was probably heard by everyone in the theater when, behind Voldemort, appeared (what seemed to be) a… Read More
Episode 26: Fantastic Beasts and the 2001 thirst for canon
• Podcast Episode
Episode 26 of the Lexicon Podcast focuses on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (the schoolbook released in 2001 and a new edition released this week), and Quidditch Through the Ages (the book that was originally published along with Fantastic Beasts in 2001). We first talked… Read More
Episode 25: The Horcrux Conundrum
• Podcast Episode
For the majority of Episode 25, Steve and Nick puzzle over the topic of Horcruxes, and more particularly how they are created and when Voldemort created each of his Horcruxes. Listen in as we end up with more questions at the end then we had at the beginning. We are back to audio only this week, but stay tuned, more Video podcasts will be coming soon. Read More
Famous Wizard Cards: Analysis and Discussion
• Essay
Introduction In the book, these cards are collected and traded by students and referred to as Chocolate Frog Cards. However, “real” versions of these cards exist, created by Rowling herself, providing a fascinating look into the vast scope of Wizarding history. After the release of the fourth book, the world… Read More
How old is Minerva McGonagall? (and a lesson in humility)
• Article
So a few weeks ago I published a timeline pulling together events involving Dumbledore, Newt Scamander, Grindelwald, and Voldemort. It’s fascinating to see how the struggles and ambitions of each of these characters overlap and connect. While I was at it, I put a few other interesting dates on the… Read More
Episode 23: Fantastic Beasts and the Wait for the Next Movie
• Podcast Episode
The week Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them came out, Lexicon Tech Wizard Nick Moline just so happened to be on a business trip. On the way home, he stopped in Texas and together Steve and Nick (along with Steve’s wife Mitzi) watched the movie together. After watching the film,… Read More
Integrating the Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Grindelwald timelines
• Article
One very interesting line of speculation coming out of the new film is how the timelines of Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Newt Scamander integrate with each other. I will be creating a very detailed master timeline with all the information laid out, but in the meantime here is what we know… Read More
Episode 22: The One About Draco
• Podcast Episode
Episode 22 of The Harry Potter Lexicon Podcast focuses on the character of Draco Malfoy. Steve and Nick start by talking about the latest news about the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie franchise, now announced to be five movies instead of three, and theorize on how far… Read More
Episode 21: Do Seers see alternate realities?
• Podcast Episode
Steve and Nick continue their discussion of Cursed Child, so here is your spoiler warning (which we didn’t quite get to mentioning until we had already been talking about cursed child quite a bit), don’t listen to this episode if you haven’t read or seen Harry Potter and the Cursed… Read More
Minister or Teacher, either way Hermione is still awesome
• Article
In the weeks since the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, there have been a number of criticisms of the story. One, which I’ve already talked about has to do with the way time itself is presented to work. Another has to do with one character, … Read More
Finding Hogwarts in Rowling's past
• Article
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
Episode 20: Is Cursed Child Good?
• Podcast Episode
Steve and Nick finally got a chance to sit down and talk about Cursed Child, some good, some not so good, and found it is very hard to steer away from the Time Travel rabbit hole. So much stuff to talk about and we debate a few big issues on the story.
SPOILER WARNING: Don't listen to this episode if you haven't read Cursed Child yet because we are not holding back on this episode. Read More
Albus Potter and the lesson in Quantum Mechanics
• Essay
The release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has brought the conversation about quantum mechanics in the Wizarding World back into the limelight. In this essay, I will attempt to make sense of the way Time Travel in Harry’s world actually works, and give a bit of explanation to the… Read More
Episode 18: We're LIVE!
• Podcast Episode
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
Why is Trelawney's name different between the US and UK editions?
• Article
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
Episode 17: Trademarks, Contracts, and Butterbeer
• Podcast Episode
Steve and Nick talk about live data on the new lexicon, which spawns a debate about wizarding currency. Just how much is a Galleon “really” worth anyway? We also try to make sense of the concept of Magical Contracts, and Nick recounts a tale of his recent visit to the new… Read More
Why doesn't Harry just go back in time to save Sirius or his parents?
• Article
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
Five Moments That Show off Rowling's Storytelling Magic
• Article
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
Episode 16: So How Does the Map Work Anyway?
• Podcast Episode
Steve introduces a new series with this episode to coincide with the new version of the Harry Potter Lexicon website, and also introduces a new co-host, Nick Moline. They discuss the new website, for which Nick is the programmer, and then delve into the mysterious Marauder's Map, answering the age-old fan question of why <insert name here> didn't see <insert another name here> on the map? Read More