ARE YOU A Harry Potter fan? Don't nod your head too soon until you try this brief test first:
Question one: When is Harry's birthday?
Question two: How old is Harry this year?
Don't feel bad if you do not know the answers. You just need some help from The Magical Worlds Of Harry Potter - A Treasury of Myths, Legends and Fascinating Facts, the unofficial companion guide by David Colbert.
According to the former head writer of the US version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Harry was born on July 31, which coincidentally is Potter author J.K. Rowling's birthday. Colbert deduces the date from clues in the first Harry book, such as a dated newspaper story about the robbery at Gringotts Bank.
More controversial is Harry's age, as he appears to be turning 23 soon. Colbert's calculation is not complicated: Harry was 12 when he met Nearly Headless Nick, who was 'celebrating' his 500th deathday. Nick died in 1492. Therefore, Harry was 12 in 1992 and should be a handsome young man by now. However, if you cannot imagine what Daniel Radcliffe (who plays Harry on the big screen) will look like at that age, convince yourself that Colbert is wrong. In fact, he admits his finding does not agree with other small details in the Potter series.
As Colbert makes clear in his introduction, Magical Worlds is not meant to strip away the magic of Harry Potter, but rather to '[decode Rowling's] clues to reveal the artfully hidden meanings'. Such diversions turn out to be fun.
For example, 'Durmstrang', the name of the wizard school that admits only full-blooded wizards, comes from a German artistic style called Sturm und Drang, which was a favourite of Nazi Germany. No wonder the acts and thoughts of Lord Voldemort always remind me of World War II.
Colbert also reveals Rowling's style in adapting traditions, myths and legends into Harry's world.
In folklore, Colbert says, sorcerers usually ride on pitchforks instead of broomsticks; Harry and other wizards stick with the latter. Imagine the dangers if the trainee wizards flew on pitchforks while playing quidditch.
Magical Worlds, published in 2001, contains 53 entries. Most run two to six pages in length. It is a startlingly good companion to the Potter series, although it is clearly marked as 'not approved by J.K Rowling or Warner Bros'.
Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN: 0-141-31481-8
Available at paddyfield.com at HK$78