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==Canon tiers== |
==Canon tiers== |
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===Tier One: J.K. Rowling=== |
===Tier One: J.K. Rowling=== |
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− | This tier only contains all the material proved to be coming from [[J.K. Rowling]] herself. She either wrote the following sources herself, was involved in writing/developing them and/or stated to consider them as canon herself. [[Harry Potter in translation|Texts in their original language]], J.K. Rowling's [[British terms|British English]] and editions with corrections she approved are the most valuable.<ref>[https://legacy.hp-lexicon.org/about/books/differences.html |
+ | This tier only contains all the material proved to be coming from [[J.K. Rowling]] herself. She either wrote the following sources herself, was involved in writing/developing them and/or stated to consider them as canon herself. [[Harry Potter in translation|Texts in their original language]], J.K. Rowling's [[British terms|British English]] and editions with corrections she approved are the most valuable.<ref>But Scholastic and other English-language editions may occasionally have more material, for example [[Dean Thomas]]'s description was left out of the British edition of Philosopher's Stone after the intervention of her editor. You can see the differences between editions of the books [https://legacy.hp-lexicon.org/about/books/differences.html here.]</ref> Only the [[:category:Images by J.K. Rowling|illustrations, drawings, hand-lettering, etc. she created herself]], the extra material she provided for some editions or copies<ref>Rowling has auctioned a few copies of her books with added material.</ref> as well as her own pronunciation, intonation, etc. (from videos and audio recordings of her reading her writings or talking about their content for example) also belong to this category. When J.K. Rowling [[Mistakes in the Harry Potter books|contradicts herself]], the newest source is to be taken as the "most" canon. If published, the [[Encyclopaedia of Potterworld]] should belong to this category. |
*[[Harry Potter (book series)|The seven ''Harry Potter'' novels]]: |
*[[Harry Potter (book series)|The seven ''Harry Potter'' novels]]: |
Revision as of 01:28, 1 January 2017
Since there are different sources of information for Harry Potter canon and sources do, on occasion, conflict with one another, the following guide is to be used on the Harry Potter Wiki. In order to simplify the different areas that exist as sources for canon information in the Harry Potter universe we have devised a three tier system summarised below. Please remember any type of fanon, information created by fans using the Harry Potter characters, is not considered canon at all and must be marked as such, unless made canon by a legitimate source.
Although there are different levels of canon, this does not mean relevant information cannot be included in situations where there are conflicting canon sources. Ambiguous continuity should always be noted. If an "official" canon source has been chosen, (e.g. J. K. Rowling has said that a fact was a mistake and it was meant to be something else), the information from the conflicting source should still appear in the article in the "Behind the scenes" section.
Basically put, everything is canon unless specifically contradicted by a "higher" source.
Canon tiers
Tier One: J.K. Rowling
This tier only contains all the material proved to be coming from J.K. Rowling herself. She either wrote the following sources herself, was involved in writing/developing them and/or stated to consider them as canon herself. Texts in their original language, J.K. Rowling's British English and editions with corrections she approved are the most valuable.[1] Only the illustrations, drawings, hand-lettering, etc. she created herself, the extra material she provided for some editions or copies[2] as well as her own pronunciation, intonation, etc. (from videos and audio recordings of her reading her writings or talking about their content for example) also belong to this category. When J.K. Rowling contradicts herself, the newest source is to be taken as the "most" canon. If published, the Encyclopaedia of Potterworld should belong to this category.
- The seven Harry Potter novels:
- The Hogwarts Library books (companion books to the seven novels):
- Content from J.K. Rowling published in Pottermore Presents:
- Original scripts for films and plays set in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World:
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child's story (only the story was co-developed by J.K. Rowling and considered canon by her)[3]
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
- Short texts set in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World:
- Other content and statements pertaining to J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World from:
- Any other element (from other sources) that can be proved to be coming from J.K. Rowling herself[7]
Tier Two: J.K. Rowling Involved
These sources do not contain information directly from the "mouth" of J. K. Rowling, but they are projects based on works by her, and in which she was involved in some capacity at some point.
- Films
- The eight Harry Potter films:
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- Other films set in the Harry Potter universe:
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) (all elements except the script/dialogue unless the actors ad libbed or improvised)
- The eight Harry Potter films:
- Official books about the making of the films:
- Exhibitions about the making of the films:
- Theme parks based on the Harry Potter universe:
Tier Three: Licensed
These sources are where J. K. Rowling or Warner Bros. (the makers of the Harry Potter films and her primary licensee) licensed the use of elements of the Harry Potter universe to a third-party.
- Video games
- Video games based on the eight Harry Potter films:
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
- Other video games based on the Harry Potter universe:
- Video games based on the eight Harry Potter films:
- Trading cards based on the Harry Potter universe:
- Other official merchandise
Examples of usage
- Oliver Wood mentions in the Philosopher's Stone film that he took a Bludger to the head in the first few minutes of his first ever Quidditch game. This is never mentioned in the books. Is it canon according to our guide? Yes, since there is no evidence from the books to say that it didn't happen.
- The Harry Potter games contain a spell known as Avifors to change statues into birds. Is this canon according to our guide? Yes, since there is no evidence to suggest that such a spell doesn't exist. This can generally be applied to most spells/items from the games.
- In the Goblet of Fire film, Krum attacks Fleur in the Maze during the Triwizard Tournament. Is this considered canon? No, because the book, a higher source of canon, specifically states that Crouch/Moody did it. However, it should be noted in the "Behind the scenes" section.
- Mafalda is a cut character from an early draft of Goblet of Fire. Is she canon according to our guide? Yes and no. The fact that she exists may be considered canon, but anything about her intended part in the story cannot be considered canon because it did not happen in the books.
- In the games, are the various challenges/levels considered canon according to our guide? Yes and no. Levels like the Glacius Challenge from the Prisoner of Azkaban game should not be considered canon since it is highly unlikely that the students would be put in danger like that. However, challenges like helping to assemble Dumbledore's Army for their first meeting in Order of the Phoenix could conceivably be considered canon because they usually involve helping out with a task to free the student up to attend.
Notes
- ↑ But Scholastic and other English-language editions may occasionally have more material, for example Dean Thomas's description was left out of the British edition of Philosopher's Stone after the intervention of her editor. You can see the differences between editions of the books here.
- ↑ Rowling has auctioned a few copies of her books with added material.
- ↑ J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) on Twitter: "The story of #CursedChild should be considered canon, though. @jackthorne, John Tiffany (the director) and I developed it together."
- ↑ https://legacy.hp-lexicon.org/about/sources/source_cards.html
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Including the detailed information no longer found on the current version of the website
- ↑ On numerous occasions, Rowling has provided information not included in the books or films, that has been used to expand upon character backstory. In particular the documentary J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life includes a segment in which she provides names and character outcomes not covered elsewhere.
- ↑ For example, J.K. Rowling created/approved/was involved in the creation of some original content for non tier-one canon's sources such as the Wonderbook: Book of Spells, the Wonderbook: Book of Potions, the Harry Potter video games, the film series, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, etc. if it ever happened that one specific element can be proved to have been originated directly from J.K. Rowling herself (or at least that she considers it canon) then this one element can be added to the tier-one. Unpublished/unused material Rowling created (such as early drafts, cut content, the script of deleted scenes from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film), changes editors forced her to do, or ghost plots) has a specific status (see Examples of usage n°4).