Hi I’m Elliott and this is Mental Floss on YouTube. Today, I’m so excited, I'm going
to talk about some misconceptions about JK Rowling’s Harry Potter. So, yes, that does mean
I’m going to mention some things that the movies changed, causing “misconceptions”
about the story. Don’t be mad, ok, you film purists! I promise it’ll be fun. And you
can make your fandom arguments in the comments, it's going to be like a full circle thing.
Anyway, things are going to get spoiler-y, so if you haven’t read the books or seen
the movies, you might want to skip this episode. Leave your house right now and fix that situation.
Misconception #1: When JK Rowling started writing Harry Potter, she was an extremely
poor, single parent. That’s probably a more exciting story, but
it’s not exactly true. In a 1999 interview, Rowling explained, “When I read the inaccurate
reports that I decided to turn my hand to writing out of poverty, I feel indignant.
When I had the idea for Harry and when I started writing the [first] book, I was working full
time, as I was for my entire adult life, and I was not a single parent. I finished the
book under those conditions. But it obviously does make a better story. It sounds more like
a rags-to-riches tale.”
Misconception #2: Harry’s parents were in their thirties when they died.
Watching the movies will make you think they’re about that age. In the Sorcerer’s Stone
film, they look quite old when they appear to Harry in the Mirror of Erised. But, James
and Lily were only 21-years-old when they died. How do we know? Well, in Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows, Harry goes to visit his parents’ grave. The gravestone reveals
that both Lily and James were born in 1960 and died in 1981. So, they were only 21.
Misconception #3: Durmstrang is an all boys school and Beauxbatons is all girls.
Again, the movies make them appear this way. They probably wanted to make the new schools
less confusing, so this was a good way to set them apart. But, in the Goblet of Fire
books, both are described as co-ed schools. In fact, Harry’s date for the Yule Ball,
Parvati Patil, ends up dating a boy from Beauxbatons.
Another thing that’s only true in the films... Misconception #4: Death Eaters and Aurors
can fly. No disrespect to the movies because this looks
pretty cool. But, in the books, only Snape and Voldemort fly. Although they all can apparate,
which is basically teleporting. It seems like the film directors embellished apparating
by making it more of a fancy-looking experience.
Misconception #5: The symbol of Ravenclaw is a raven.
Believe it or not, the Ravenclaw symbol is actually an eagle! In the movies, they DID
change it to a raven for a few of the films, though. The Harry Potter website Pottermore,
which Rowling herself helps create the content for, confirms that it’s supposed to be an
eagle. A Ravenclaw on the site states, “Our emblem is the eagle, which soars where others
cannot climb..." Another misconception is that Ravenclaw colors are silver and blue.
In the books, they’re actually bronze and blue.
Misconception #6: Snape is a vampire. This is a popular fan theory. In fact, it’s
so popular that Rowling herself had to debunk it. She has claimed, “While it is true that
he has an unhealthy pallor, and is sometimes described as looking like a large bat in his
long black coat, he never actually turns into a bat. We meet him outside in the castle by
daylight, and no corpses with puncture marks in their necks ever turn up at Hogwarts.”
Misconception #7: The snake from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was Nagini.
Some believe that the snake Harry sets free from the zoo is the same snake that becomes
Voldemort’s pet. This theory has a lot of traction on the Internet, but it’s not true.
The snake from the zoo is described as a boa constrictor, a non-poisonous breed of snake.
Nagini is venomous -- she severely injures Arthur Weasley with her poison.
Misconception #8: Students receive their Hogwarts acceptance letters on their eleventh birthdays.
People tend to believe this one because Harry technically OPENS his letter on his eleventh
birthday. But, if you remember, many letters arrive before he’s able to actually get
ahold of one. The Dursleys have been throwing them away up until that point. Children get
their letters BEFORE their 11th birthday, so they have time to prepare for school, duh.
Misconception #9: The “T” is pronounced in “Lord Voldemort.”
I mean, it’s kind of up to you. Like for example, I tend to say it. But, I’m going
to talk about it anyway because pronunciation is fun. During a 1999 book signing, Rowling
was asked how to pronounce the name. She responded, “I say 'Voldemor' but I'm the only one.”
Misconception #10: Voldemort’s soul was split into seven parts.
While there were technically seven horcruxes, his soul was split into eight parts, if you
include the piece in Harry. But don’t take my word for it. I’m going to prove it. The
horcruxes (in order that they were destroyed) were: 1. Professor Quirrell, 2. Tom Riddle’s
Diary, 3. Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring, 4. Salazar Slytherin’s Locket, 5. Helga Hufflepuff’s
Cup, 6. Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem, 7. Nagini the snake. Then, there’s Harry (#8). Some
fans call him a horcrux, others just say he contained a piece of Voldemort’s soul. Either
way, Voldemort’s soul was split into eight parts.
Thanks for watching Misconceptions on Mental Floss on YouTube, which is made with the help
of all these nice people. If you have a topic for an upcoming Misconceptions episode that
you’d like to see, just leave it in comments and we'll get down there. I'll see you next
week!