Harry Potter Blog (from everythingharry.com)

According to CNN, “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” amusement park is in the planning stages and scheduled to be opened in 2009 in Orlando, Florida. The “World’s first immersive Harry Potter themed environment” will feature Hogwarts Castle and other locations detailed in the Potter books and movies.

Personally, I’d like to see them build a Hogwarts Castle at Legoland… but this does sound intriguing. I’ve never been to Disneyland, DisneyWorld, or even Legoland for that matter, but I might just visit “Potterland”. What about you?

According to this article posted today at GameSpy, the upcoming “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” game for the Wii sounds very interesting. To quote from the article,

Order of the Phoenix is the most ambitious Harry Potter game yet… Potter’s legion of fans will very likely jump at the chance to explore his world on such an intimate level; it’s as if EA has finally discovered just how rich this property is, and how badly its fans would love to inhabit it… The game is due out at the end of next month, so have your wizard hats ready.

Since this will be a Wii game, I’m excited at the prospect of using the controllers to make the motions for casting spells. The game will be released for the PS3 and the Xbox as well, but I’d rather wave my “wand” to cast a spell than fiddle with analog knobs, wouldn’t you?

The House of Gryffindor is the place where most Harry Potter fans would love to be sorted into by the venerable Sorting Hat. Not only is it the house where the hero, Harry Potter, and his friends belong, this is also the house where the wizards and witches are known for their great courage. Founded by Godric Gryffindor, this house proudly displays its strength and courage with its golden and scarlet blazon, featuring a mighty lion on a red-colored background.

The House of Gryffindor is located on the seventh floor of the Hogwarts castle, the entrance to which is slyly hidden behind a painting of a fat woman in a pink silk dress. Though she is not one to refuse entry if told her the right password, the Gryffindor students had better be careful if disturbing her precious sleep.

Behind this painting is the Gryffindor common room, which remains busy and full of students during most of the day time. It has a common notice board, where one can find all kinds of news: from the news about the latest rules and regulations of the school, to the news about the next date of the Hogwarts trip, to advertisements for second-hand books. There is also a fire place, through which one can connect with the outside world, using the “floo network”. Besides these, there are the usual tables and chairs, where the students get together for studying and chatting with their friends.

This common room of the House of Gryffindor house leads to two staircases, one leading to the boys’ dormitory and the other leading to the girls’ dormitory. The girls’ staircase has been enchanted, so that no boy enters the place. However, as the girls were considered to be more trustworthy by the Hogwarts’ founders, no such enchantment guards the boys’ dormitory.

The head of Gryffindor during Harry Potter’s time is the stern and sharp teacher, Professor Minerva McGonagall. The house ghost is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, better known as “Nearly Headless Nick” because of his partially beheaded neck.

The house of the Gryffindor (just like the other houses of the Hogwarts School) also has been the place where some of the most famous and successful wizards and witches have belonged. For instance, this house was the one to which the very head of the Hogwarts School, Sir Albus Dumbledore, once belonged.

Other well-known figures from Harry Potter’s world whom had been in this house include Harry Potter’s parents (James Potter and Lily Evans), and his godfather, Sirius Black. Gryffindor had also housed all the members of the Weasley family (the “Redheads”), without exception.

The house of the Gryffindor, like any other aspect of the Hogwarts castle, closely guards its secrets, and much remains hidden that may yet be unfolded. Full of great mysteries of the past and great aspirations for the future, this house is where courage and loyalty are treasured above all.

Check it out!

Here’s the best trailer I’ve seen yet for “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”:

Thanks to leakynews.com!

The final book in the Harry Potter series has been named, as all good Potter fans know. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”… what the heck does that mean? Well, we may not know until read the book, but here’s some background to chew on in the meantime from our good friends at Wikipedia:

When asked “What does ‘Deathly Hallows’ mean?” J.K. Rowling responded, “Any clarification of the meaning of ‘Hallows’ would give away too much of the story - well, it would, wouldn’t it? Being the title and all. So I’m afraid I’m not answering.” She also declined to say what her two other shortlisted titles had been, at least until after publication. The release of the title has resulted in considerable speculation amongst fans as to its possible meanings.

Hallow is a word usually used as a verb, meaning “to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate”. However, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the word hallows appears as a noun. In modern English, the word is used as a noun in “All Hallows‘ Day” or “All Saints’ Day,” which is the day after Halloween or “All Hallows’ Eve”. Hallows can refer to saints, the relics of saints, the relics of gods, or shrines in which the relics are kept. Since the essence of these saints or gods were often considered present at their shrines and in their relics, hallows came to refer to the saints or gods themselves, rather than just their relics or shrines. So, the hallow (relic) of a hallow (saint) is hidden in a hallow (shrine). Hallow is not to be confused with hollow, such as in Godric’s Hollow.

The word ‘hallows’ has been used in a number of legends to represent important and powerful objects. The Tuatha de Danaan in Ireland possessed six hallows, Manannan’s house, Goibniu’s shirt and tools, Lochlan’s helmet, Alba’s shears, a fishskin belt and Asal’s pig bones. These were guarded by four Guardians of the Hallows, Manannan, Lugh, Cumhal and Fionn. As the legend changed, the hallows became four objects; the spear of Lugh, Stone of Fal, Sword of Nuada and Dagda’s Cauldron. These possibily became the four suits in the Tarot deck Rider-Waite, and took on the representation of the four magical elements, earth, air, fire and water. The coronation ceremony for monarchs still contains four ritual objects, now represented as the sceptre, sword, ampulla of oil and crown. Similar objects also appear in Arthurian legends where the Fisher King is the guardian of four hallows; the sword, spear, dish and holy grail. Earlier Arthurian legends also refer to a set of thirteen treasures of Britain.

In the title, the noun ‘hallows’ is coupled with the adjective, ‘deathly’. ‘Deathly’ may have the same meaning as the similar adjective ‘deadly’ (likely to cause death), but it also includes a possible wider meaning of somehow relating to death.

(This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.)

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So, what do you think it means? What fate awaits our Harry?

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