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With Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince coming out in the U.S. later this week, it’s time to out myself as a Slytherin Supporter. Maybe you already knew that. Nothing against Gryffindors – I’m no Voldemort or anything – but I always tend to like the villains a little more than the do-gooders. To celebrate Harry and Co.’s sixth movie (and sixth book), here are a few facts that you may not have known about the gang in gold and red (and maybe a couple about the set in silver and green).
1. Hermione’s name was almost “Hermione Puckle.”
It has a sour tone to it, doesn’t it? J.K. Rowling thought so, too, and changed to something that suited the character better. Rowling has said that Hermione has a healthy dose of herself in there, as she was quite the know-it-all herself as a child. Hermione was originally going to have a younger sister, but Rowling never found the right moment to stick her into the books.
2. Gilderoy Lockhart, the insufferably vain professor and celebrity from The Chamber of Secrets, was based on someone Rowling knows in real life. The rumor is that she based him on her ex-husband, but she has been quite adamant about denying that. “He used to tell whopping great fibs about his past life, all of them designed to demonstrate what a wonderful, brave and brilliant person he was. Perhaps he didn’t really believe he was all that great and wanted to compensate, but I’m afraid I never dug that deep,” she has said. “He’s probably out there now telling everybody that he inspired the character of Albus Dumbledore. Or that he wrote the books and lets me take the credit out of kindness.”
3. Hedwig, Harry’s Snowy Owl, isn’t entirely accurate. After the first book was accepted for publication, she found out Snowy Owls are diurnal. And it was during the writing of book two that she realized that Snowy Owls are silent, meaning that Hedwig’s knowing hoots and conversational noises weren’t quite true-to-life. She admits this was just a research hole on her part, but says readers should feel free to assume that her unusual talents are just part of her magical ability. Incidentally, although Hedwig is female, she is played by a male in the movies because females aren’t wholly white like males are.
4. Collecting unusual and interesting names and words has been a lifelong habit for Rowling. She has said that she loves reading lists of them, from war memorials to baby name books, and made it a point to remember her favorites. Some of them found a new home in the Harry Potter books. She makes up some of the words too – “quidditch” is a Rowling original. She filled up five pages of made-up words that started with “Q” before she hit on one that sounded right. “Voldemort” and “Malfoy” were also invented.
5. If a muggle were to happen across Hogwarts, all they would see is nothing but a ruined castle with large signs on it saying ‘keep out, dangerous building.’ This might sound a bit suspicious to those of us in the States, but it seems like the U.K. is rife with castle ruins.
6. Fred and George Weasley were born on April Fool’s Day. Go figure. While we’re talking about the Weasleys, there was a Weasley cousin named Mafalda who got edited out of The Goblet of Fire in order to make room for the love-to-hate-her invasive “journalist” Rita Skeeter. That’s probably best – Ginny Weasley is supposed to have been the first girl born to the Weasley family for several generations, so scrapping Malfalda supports that backstory.
7. Harry, Ron and Hermione all have wand cores based on their birthdays: the Celt assigned trees to people based on that kind of like we assign gemstones today. She had already assigned Harry’s holly-based wand when she discovered the Celt tree calendar and found that she had accidentally assigned him the “right” type of wood. She did the same thing with Draco Malfoy (Hawthorn wood). But Ron and Hermione both purposefully received wands based on their birthdays – ash for Ron and vine wood for Hermione. She didn’t carry this convention out for all of the characters, though.
8. Filch’s cat, Mrs. Norris, takes her name from the Jane Austen book Mansfield Park. Fittingly, Austen’s Mrs. Norris is also rather sour and bitter.
9. Snape was partially based on a teacher J.K. Rowling once had. She likes to write him, though, because she finds him such a pathetic creature.
10. As you probably know, King’s Cross station is where young wizards hop on the Hogwarts Express to get to school. What you might not know is that the station holds special meaning for J.K. Rowling: it’s where her parents met. They were coincidentally both headed to Arbroath in Scotland when they met on the train. King’s Cross was intentionally chosen as the gateway to Hogwarts in homage to Rowling’s parents.
There’s obviously a ridiculous amount of Harry Potter trivia out there, and since Harry Potter fever is about to sweep the world again, we might as well share it. If you’ve got some good HP trivia, share it in the comments! And if not… well, let me know if you’re a Slytherin supporter too.
Comments (51)
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Re: #7 The wood is not the wand “core”. The cores from Ollivander wands are either unicorn hairs, dragon heartstrings, or phoenix feathers.
posted by gospazha on 7-13-2009 at 3:37 pm
I’m more of a Ravenclaw man myself, but I found out that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be divided into two movies with separate release dates.
posted by Will on 7-13-2009 at 3:41 pm
I always wanted to know why the first book has a U.K. title and a U.S. title? Anyone know why Americans read the “Sorcerer’s Stone” and Brits read the “Philosopher’s Stone”?
posted by Tracie on 7-13-2009 at 4:22 pm
I realize that the books were called Harry Potter and…. and were meant to be focused on Harry and his friends, but I have always wondered about the other Houses at Hogwarts. Like Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. What about a Sylverin character who wasn’t an evil wizard in the making? Just a very ambitious guy, with a strong desire to prove himself. A “hero” from Sylverin. Or maybe a what if? Like what if Harry was sorted to Sylverin? How would that change his relatiosnhips with his friends Ron and Hermoine? How would that change his relationship with Snape and Malfoy? Would he be treated like the second coming of Voldemort? Would He and Malfoy fight for control of their house? It could be a very interesting concept. Many of the same elements would be there, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Voldemort wanting to return through him. How much help would he get from House Sylverin when that happened? I would not mind an anthology of short stories set in Harry’s world focusing on these elements of the story. Like Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales.
posted by Eric P on 7-13-2009 at 4:25 pm
Tracie,
The name was changed to “Sorcerer’s Stone” because the publishers felt that Americans wouldn’t understand that Philosopher was being used in a magical context.
posted by jodie on 7-13-2009 at 4:28 pm
4. Collecting unusual and interesting names and words has been a lifelong habit for Rowling.
I have more to add than I can type on this one. I’m a bit of a name nut myself. And have noticed (and researched) that most of the character’s names in HP are based in mythology or etymology.
For example, professor and (spoiler alert!) werewolf Remus Lupin shares his name with one of the legendary brothers said to have founded Rome; they were supposedly raised by wolves…
x
posted by Jen on 7-13-2009 at 4:44 pm
Great article! I always wanted to know what would’ve happened if a muggle ran into Hogwarts by accident.
posted by Steve on 7-13-2009 at 5:36 pm
Oh, I’ve always been a Slytherin supporter too!
The film comes out in the UK on Wednesday and I have my tickets booked!
posted by Nikki on 7-13-2009 at 5:54 pm
I am huge fan of hufflepuff!!! I like that there’s a place for losers to hang out even in the magical world.
posted by PoGo on 7-13-2009 at 6:39 pm
Eric, if you read book 6, there’s a Slytherin who isn’t evil – potions teacher Horace Slughorn. Ambitious and uses people, but not evil or even mean. Just a bit self centered.
Jodie’s right, too. While the Philospher’s Stone is a “real” thing, it wouldn’t make sense to American kids – why would a philosopher have a magical stone?
I don’t think they should have changed it, though.
posted by Leah on 7-13-2009 at 6:43 pm
I’m a Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff gal, which is my sole reason for loving HP fan-fiction–we need some representin’ that we just don’t get in the books.
I’m sure I know lots o’ random HP trivia (I knew all but the last on this list), but it’s escaping me at the moment. Still, I love the list. Can’t wait to see the movie tomorrow night!
And yes, they should’ve kept Philosopher’s Stone for the 1st’s title.
posted by nutmeag on 7-13-2009 at 7:08 pm
Tracie,
Specifically, the philosopher’s stone in ancient English history was a tool used by alchemists to turn any metal into gold. Nowadays, people in the UK would relate to the word philosopher like we think of unicorn – mythical and fanciful. In the US, a philosopher is a person in the academic field of philosophy, and the word has no magical context.
posted by Simon on 7-13-2009 at 7:11 pm
Stacy,
I will happily join you on the Slytherin path…
SNAPE and LUCIUS -are HOT as portrayed by Alan Rickman and Jason Isaccs . Though, I did kind of also like Jeff Rawle as Amos Diggory! :-)
posted by Amy on 7-13-2009 at 7:37 pm
My younger sister and I are OBSESSED with HP. We call each other Fred and George.(I’m Fred btw…) We aslo celebrated our “twin day” on April Fools by dressing up in our HP clothes and going to dinner!! So, of course, I like to think of myself as a Gryffindor.
P.S. If anyone wants to do a fun Harry Potter quiz check mine out:
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/21823#comment-120915
:o)
posted by Lindsey on 7-13-2009 at 7:43 pm
5,6, & 7 are all mentioned within the books themselves. So if you read them, then you probably did know those things.
posted by Really? on 7-13-2009 at 7:44 pm
Trivia: QUaffle, bluDger, bluDger, snITCH all make up “Quidditch”
Trivia: One version of The Goblet of Fire has Harry’s father come out of the wands before his mother does, while Voldemort’s and Harry’s wands are connected by Priori Incantatem. In another version, his mother comes out first.
posted by Gabby on 7-13-2009 at 8:24 pm
i’m surprised that there is not a large amount of ravenclaws representing here considering that this site is for people who like knowledge.
I take pride in the fact i’m a ravenclaw. i also like how to get into their chambers you have to answer a riddle! though that makes me wonder how you get into hufflepuff’s chamber…
i would make it have to have true friends with you because hufflepuffs are the people who need some friends.also no one is cute in hufflepuff which is an outrage!
I’m so excited for the movie!
even though it won’t be near the books awesomeness.
posted by allison on 7-13-2009 at 9:36 pm
I am partial to Ravenclaw thing. As for all Slytherins being evil, the story is told through Harry’s point of view. To him they are all evil because he is in a rival house. If you read 7, Snape is not evil and he was in Slytherin.
Also, Nevile Lingbottom’s name was originally Pupp.
posted by Mac on 7-13-2009 at 9:44 pm
@Eric P. — Did you read the last book? One major Slytherin hero came to light? How did you miss that one? ;)
I’m a proud RAVENCLAW!
posted by Sarah on 7-13-2009 at 11:28 pm
Nichloas Flamel was a real person who tried to make a real Sorcerer’s Stone so they say he tried to make one. I watched about the Sorecerer’s Stone on History Channel.
posted by Kari on 7-14-2009 at 6:10 am
@allison
No one is cute in Hufflepuff? What about Cedric Diggory, teen heartthrob and sparkly vampire?
I bet Tonks (a Hufflepuff alumna) isn’t too bad either, but I don’t know if you’re going by the books or the movies.
posted by srah on 7-14-2009 at 7:04 am
Haha, Stacy, I’ve always been a Gryffindor. Feel free to call me stupid. ;)
I actually didn’t know #10 at all. That’s pretty neat!
posted by Allison on 7-14-2009 at 8:17 am
Just recently my sister pointed out that Diagon Alley and Nocturn Alley are plays on “diagonally” and “nocturnally”. I honestly never made the connection; I just thought they were made up names.
Personally, I’d love JKR to write some “Tales of Hogwarts” short stories that are NOT about Harry, Hermione and Ron. I mean, wouldn’t you like to read an adventure of young Arthur Weasley? Or read details of Ginny and Neville’s guerilla war at Hogwarts during “Deathly Hallows”? It’s a rich universe with much left to tap.
posted by TBV on 7-14-2009 at 9:23 am
I’m a Ravenclaw, although if I had my choice, green and silver would be my house colors. I’m a big Luna Lovegood fan. Also a Draco Malfoy fan, I’ve heard the actor who plays him really steals the show in the new movie, can’t wait to see it.
As for a piece of trivia I don’t think I have anything really cool to add, but as a language buff and latin scholar, I’ve always loved the vaugely latin spells, they make me giggle.
posted by Hawkeyegirl on 7-14-2009 at 9:55 am
I am outraged at the hufflepuff bashing here! I always seem to get hufflepuff whenever I take these little quizzes. We are just loyal, friendly and value hard work. Not losers!
posted by jenny on 7-14-2009 at 3:35 pm
I got used to Rowling’s names having meanings, so I specifically hunted down the history of Nymphadora, who was an early Christian tortured and killed for her beliefs. The original Nymphadora had two sisters, so I kept waiting (in vain) for them to appear in the Harry Potter books!
posted by Julie on 7-14-2009 at 3:39 pm
If you didn’t know, Voldemort in french means something like
obber of death; apperently, Rowling made some studies in french. Yay french!!
posted by Jess on 7-15-2009 at 10:41 pm
“Vol” can mean “theft” or “flight” in French.
posted by srah on 7-16-2009 at 9:48 am
Yes, you’re right; I’ve read this article: http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5126BO20090203?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews . It said that it meant \flight of death\ in French; but French being my first language, I’ve always assumed it was theft of death :P I thought it made more sense…oh welllll!
posted by Jess on 7-16-2009 at 10:52 pm
About the name change on the sorcerer/philosopher thing:
I was under the impression they changed the name in the UK and Canada to philosopher because sorcerer had evil connotations.
Americans are not so daft as to be caught up by the word philosopher not being magical considering what book it is on the cover of, its a book about a magic boy doing magic things in a magic world. Children particularly could care less what the title is haha
Book editing and publishing is strange. There isn’t any GOOD reason to change the names. Its all publicity i suppose.
I’ve always wanted to know more about ravenclaw xP
posted by Marsha on 8-14-2009 at 2:40 am
The reason the title should not have been changed is that “The Philosopher’s Stone” was a real, sought after, object and not something that JK Rowling invented. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher%27s_stone Nicholas Flamel was a real person and an alchemist. The sorcerer’s stone title just shows that the people who changed it had no real idea what the original title meant. You can find the philosopher’s stone in other stories too, like fullmetal alhemist
posted by Blackbird on 8-14-2009 at 6:37 am
Julie, Nymphadora did have two sisters in the books, bellatrix lestrange and narcissa malfoy :D
posted by Jen on 8-14-2009 at 11:48 am
Jen, Nymphadora is “Tonks.” Andromeda is her mother, and the sister of Bellatrix and Narcissa.
posted by Lindsey on 8-14-2009 at 1:48 pm
Marsha, the name was not changed from “Philosopher’s Stone” to “Sorcerer’s Stone,” but rather the other way around. JK Rowling is British, and therefore would have used the word “philosopher” freely. Only daft Americans would be so bigoted to believe that the world revolves around them. Clearly, Ravenclaw is not right for you.
posted by Lindsey on 8-14-2009 at 1:56 pm
Marsha, the book was changed from “Philosopher’s Stone” to “Sorcerer’s Stone” for the benefit of the daft Americans. Not the other way around. Clearly, the Hat wouldn’t put you in Ravenclaw.
posted by KC on 8-14-2009 at 2:01 pm
@ Jen, that’s actually Andromeda, not Nymphadora. Tonks didn’t have any sister, sadly.
posted by teefie on 8-14-2009 at 2:48 pm
Jen, Nymphadora’s mother, Andromeda Tonks is actually the middle sister of Bellatrix and Narcissa. Andromeda was burned off the Black family tapestry for marrying a muggle, Ted Tonks.
posted by Ikk on 8-14-2009 at 3:35 pm
I’m also a Slytherin, but the only Slytherins I approve of are Lucius, Snape, and Blaise (and no, I don’t find the actors who play them terribly sexy).
-
Blaise isn’t necessarily evil either, he just holds similar prejudices as the rest of the students with pureblood lineage. I think his character could have fleshed out easily, seeing as he did get a good amount of mention in the sixth book.
-
I really do despise Draco and his cohorts, including Pansy. Mostly because they make a bad name for the house. I want more sophisticated evil, not hulking gluttons and a trophy wench. Too bad that won’t happen anywhere but fandom.
posted by squidjoy on 8-15-2009 at 1:12 am
I’ve always liked the idea that because Hufflepuff are supposed to be good friends and true, that in order to get into their dorms someone else has to let you in . . . you can’t get in by yourself.
posted by hyzenthlay on 8-15-2009 at 12:57 pm
I am so, so , so, glad I never read any Harry Potter stuff
posted by tj on 8-15-2009 at 8:20 pm
Gabby, actually that spells Qudditch, not Quidditch.
posted by luke on 8-16-2009 at 2:05 am
I’ve always rather thought that Draco wasn’t all bad – after all he wasn’t able to kill -spoiler alert- Dumbledore, I always thought that Rowling could have fit him in as being forced into being a Death Eater by his dad; or having changerd his mind, he could have gone to Dumbledore and helped the Order – without anyone else knowing, of course. But I guess that’s why I, too, love fan fiction.
posted by Kaleigh on 8-16-2009 at 5:56 pm
Voldermort is french for To Eat Death or Eat Death.. I guess she made up the french language huh.
Malfoy is I believe french for something too .. I’m thinking Dragon :/
posted by Nope on 8-17-2009 at 4:26 am
i heard #2 somewhere on the net before. so it’s not totally new for some people.
great list anyway.
posted by robb on 8-17-2009 at 4:01 pm
No one mentioned that the only thing between platforms 9 and 10 is a bunch of gravel? Or that these platforms are outside, and not under the trainshed like in the movies?
shame on you, harry potter nerds.
posted by Andrew on 8-18-2009 at 12:31 am
also she stole the entire idea and concept from Neil Gaiman’s “books of magic”
posted by merovingio on 8-21-2009 at 1:16 pm
You know, there was a sweepstakes a month or so back on the radio asking just these questions, I wish I’d found this sooner =)
posted by Rose on 9-12-2009 at 7:53 pm
#5 is in the books. So anyone who has actually read the books would know that. Hermione explains it to Harry. It’s in Hogwarts, A History.
@Nope:
Actually Malfoy isn’t French for Dragon. You’re thinking “Draco” which is Latin for dragon.
On the Hogwarts coat of arms it says “Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus” which translates to “Never tickle a sleeping dragon.”
posted by Hannah on 9-15-2009 at 1:15 pm
Oh, and also @Nope
\Manger\ is French for \To eat\
So Voldemort doesn’t translate to what you say it does.
posted by Hannah on 9-15-2009 at 1:18 pm
I am a Slytherin Supporter because I am in Slytherin.
Malfoy is French for Bad Faith (Mal foi)…
Draco is awesome!!!
posted by Katherine on 10-4-2009 at 7:50 pm
Her use of names is based heavily on French. Vol-de-mort can translate to “stealer of death” or “flee from death” and Mal-foy translates to “bad faith” or “bad intentions”.
posted by McLaughlin on 11-4-2009 at 3:04 am