The Sorcerer's Companion

by Kronzek, Allan Zola; Kronzek, Elizabeth

• ISBN13: 9780613505734
• ISBN10: 0613505735
• Copyright: 2001-08-01
• Publisher: Turtleback Books

Summary

There's a centuries-old trove of true history, folklore, and mythology behind Harry Potter's fantastic universe. Now back in time for the November 2002 release of the Warner Bros. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, his zillions of fans can school themselves in the fascinating reality that inspired J. K. Rowling, to learn more about the magical practices, creatures, and personalities that appear in the Harry Potter books.

How did the Sorcerer's Stone get its power? Why must flux-weed be picked only when the moon is full? As the authors show, hippogriffs, veela, spells, arithmancy, broomsticks, and even Harry's terrifying foe, the Basilisk, all have a history dating back hundreds or even thousands of years. Alphabetically organized, each entry includes an overview of its magical subject, its roots in history, mythology, or literature, and fantastic illustrations straight from a medieval wizard's library.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xiii
Amulet The Evil Eye	1	(3)
Arithmancy	4	(6)
Astrology Disaster and Disease	10	(9)
The Zodiac	15	(3)
The Meaning of the Planets	18	(1)
Banshee	19	(2)
Basilisk The Basilisk Today	21	(3)
Boggart The Bogeyman	24	(2)
Broomstick	26	(2)
Cat Cat Tales	28	(4)
Cauldron	32	(3)
Centaur	35	(1)
Charm ``Charmed, I'm Sure''	36	(3)
Circe	39	(2)
Crystal Ball	41	(3)
Curse Licensed to Curse	44	(4)
The Mummy's Curse	47	(1)
Dark Arts	48	(4)
Demon How to Recognize a Demon	52	(4)
Divination The Mantic Arts	56	(9)
A Brief History of Tarot	63	(2)
Dragons Dragons of the East	65	(3)
Dreams	68	(3)
Dwarf	71	(2)
Elf The Elf's New Clothes	73	(3)
Fairy The Tooth Fairy	76	(6)
The Cottingley Fairies	79	(2)
Fairy Rings	81	(1)
Flying Carpet	82	(2)
Forbidden Forest	84	(1)
Ghost	85	(4)
Ghoul	89	(1)
Giant	90	(3)
Gnome	93	(1)
Goblin	94	(2)
Grim	96	(2)
Grindylow	98	(2)
Hag	100	(2)
Herbology	102	(3)
Hex	105	(2)
Hinkypunk	107	(1)
Hippogriff Animals on Trial	108	(3)
Horoscope	111	(2)
Invisibility Cloak	113	(3)
Kappa	116	(1)
Leprechaun The Farmer and the Leprechaun	117	(3)
Magic	120	(12)
Magician	132	(13)
Magic Mirror Mirror Superstitions	145	(4)
Magic Wand The Magic Club	149	(8)
The Caduceus	153	(4)
Magic Words A Little Hocus Pocus	157	(2)
Mandrake Mandrake Safety	159	(3)
Manticore	162	(2)
Merlin	164	(4)
Mermaid/Merman Mermaid Relatives	168	(4)
Morgana The Fata Morgana	172	(3)
Mummy	175	(2)
Nicholas Flamel	177	(4)
Owl	181	(1)
Palmistry	182	(4)
Petrification	186	(2)
Phoenix	188	(2)
Pixie	190	(1)
Poltergeist	191	(3)
Potion	194	(3)
Red Cap	197	(1)
Runes Rune Casting	198	(2)
Salamander	200	(3)
Sibyl	203	(2)
Snake	205	(3)
Sorcerer	208	(2)
Sorcerer Stone The Making of the Stone	210	(7)
The Faking of the Stone	215	(2)
Spell	217	(2)
Sphinx	219	(2)
Talisman	221	(3)
Tea-Leaf Reading	224	(6)
Three-Headed Dog	230	(2)
Toad Toadstones	232	(3)
Transfiguration	235	(4)
Troll	239	(3)
Unicorn Hornswoggled	242	(4)
Vampire	246	(3)
Veela	249	(1)
Werewolf ``Real'' Werewolves	250	(4)
Witch The Witch's Familiar	254	(5)
Witch Persecution Why Were Witches Women?	259	(6)
Wizard	265	(3)
Yeti	268	(2)
Zombie	270	(3)
Acknowledgments	273	(2)
Bibliography	275	(6)
Illustration Credits	281