The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter
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The New York Times bestseller, now fully updated to include the complete seven-volume series.Who was the real Nicholas Flamel? How did the Sorcerer’s Stone get its power? Did J. K. Rowling dream up the terrifying basilisk, the seductive veela, or the vicious grindylow? And if she didn't, who did?Millions of readers around the world have been enchanted by the magical world of wizardry, spells, and mythical beasts inhabited by Harry Potter and his friends. But what most readers don’t know is that there is a centuries-old trove of true history, folklore, and mythology behind Harry’s fantastic universe. Now, with The Sorcerer’s Companion, those without access to the Hogwarts Library can school themselves in the fascinating reality behind J. K. Rowling’s world of magic. Newly updated to include Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Sorcerer’s Companion allows curious readers to look up anything magical from the Harry Potter books and discover a wealth of entertaining, unexpected information. Wands and wizards, boggarts and broomsticks, hippogriffs and herbology, all have astonishing histories rooted in legend, literature, or real-life events dating back hundreds or even thousands of years. Magic wands, like those sold in Rowling’s Diagon Alley, were once fashioned by Druid sorcerers out of their sacred yew trees. Love potions were first concocted in ancient Greece and Egypt. And books of spells and curses were highly popular during the Middle Ages. From Amulets to Zombies, you'll also learn:• how to read tea leaves • where to find a basilisk today • how King Frederick II of Denmark financed a war with a unicorn horn • who the real Merlin was • how to safely harvest mandrake root • who wore the first invisibility cloak• how to get rid of a goblin • why owls were feared in the ancient world• what really lies beyond the Veil• the origins of our modern-day “bogeyman,” and more. A spellbinding tour of Harry’s captivating world, The Sorcerer’s Companion is a must for every Potter aficionado’s bookshelf.The Sorcerer's Companion has not been prepared, approved, or licensed by any person or entity that created, published, or produced the Harry Potter books or related properties.Publishers WeeklyFather/daughter team Allan Zola Kronzek and Elizabeth Kronzek target the wizard's mature fans with The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter. Each alphabetically organized entry contains a potent blend of fact, fiction and folklore. The "Broomstick" entry, for instance, details the effects of a purported "flying ointment" that witches rub into their brooms to prepare for takeoff. The section on "The Sorcerer's Stone" explains the ancient Egyptian art of alchemy. A note at the end of each section shows readers where to find the reference in the Harry Potter books. Thorough research and period prints combine to create a memorable book.
IntroductionxiiiAmulet: The Evil Eye1Arithmancy4Astrology: Disaster and Disease10The Zodiac15The Meaning of the Planets18Banshee19Basilisk: The Basilisk Today21Boggart: The Bogeyman24Broomstick26Cat: Cat Tales28Cauldron32Centaur35Charm: "Charmed, I'm Sure"36Circe39Crystal Ball41Curse: Licensed to Curse44The Mummy's Curse47Dark Arts48Demon: How to Recognize a Demon52Divination: The Mantic Arts56A Brief History of Tarot63Dragons: Dragons of the East65Dreams68Dwarf71Elf: The Elf's New Clothes73Fairy: The Tooth Fairy76The Cottingley Fairies79Fairy Rings81Flying Carpet82Forbidden Forest84Ghost85Ghoul89Giant90Gnome93Goblin94Grim96Grindylow98Hag100Herbology102Hex105Hinkypunk107Hippogriff: Animals on Trial108Horoscope111Invisibility Cloak113Kappa116Leprechaun: The Farmer and the Leprechaun117Magic120Magician132Magic Mirror: Mirror Superstitions145Magic Wand: The Magic Club149The Caduceus153Magic Words: A Little Hocus Pocus157Mandrake: Mandrake Safety159Manticore162Merlin164Mermaid/Merman: Mermaid Relatives168Morgana: The Fata Morgana172Mummy175Nicholas Flamel177Owl181Palmistry182Petrification186Phoenix188Pixie190Poltergeist191Potion194Red Cap197Runes: Rune Casting198Salamander200Sibyl203Snake205Sorcerer208Sorcerer's Stone: The Making of the Stone210The Faking of the Stone215Spell217Sphinx219Talisman221Tea-Leaf Reading224Three-Beaded Dog230Toad: Toadstones232Transfiguration235Troll239Unicorn: Hornswoggled242Vampire246Veela249Werewolf: "Real" Werewolves250Witch: The Witch's Familiar254Witch Persecution: Why Were Witches Women?259Wizard265Yeti268Zombie270Acknowledgments273Bibliography275Illustration Credits281
