Browse content similar to Harry Potter: A History of Magic. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Line | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|
Have a watch of this. Phew! | 0:00:00 | 0:00:01 | |
"As there is little foolish
wand-waving here, | 0:00:07 | 0:00:10 | |
"many of you will hardly believe
this is magic. | 0:00:10 | 0:00:14 | |
"I don't expect you will really
understand the beauty of the softly | 0:00:15 | 0:00:20 | |
"simmering cauldron
with its shimmering fumes. | 0:00:20 | 0:00:23 | |
"The delicate power of liquids that
creep through human veins, | 0:00:23 | 0:00:27 | |
"bewitching the mind,
ensnaring the senses. | 0:00:27 | 0:00:31 | |
"I can teach you how to bottle fame, | 0:00:31 | 0:00:34 | |
"brew glory, even stopper death. | 0:00:34 | 0:00:38 | |
"If you aren't as big a bunch of
dunderheads | 0:00:38 | 0:00:41 | |
"as I usually have to teach." | 0:00:41 | 0:00:42 | |
In Harry Potter, JK Rowling created
one of modern fiction's | 0:00:45 | 0:00:49 | |
most alluring and magical worlds. | 0:00:49 | 0:00:51 | |
But it's a vision based on more
than mere make-believe. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:56 | |
A lot of the things that we read
in fiction in Harry Potter | 0:00:58 | 0:01:01 | |
were actually believed in and
enacted upon in history in the past. | 0:01:01 | 0:01:05 | |
What Jo has done is, she's taken
known values, | 0:01:07 | 0:01:10 | |
she's taken familiar stories | 0:01:10 | 0:01:13 | |
and added them in her own
beautiful blend. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:15 | |
My mandrakes aren't quite
like that. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:22 | |
The search for magical knowledge has
obsessed humans since time began. | 0:01:24 | 0:01:28 | |
From the age-old quest
to conquer death... | 0:01:29 | 0:01:32 | |
..to master destiny... | 0:01:33 | 0:01:35 | |
..and overturn fate... | 0:01:36 | 0:01:38 | |
Look at this. Oh, my Lord! | 0:01:38 | 0:01:40 | |
THEY CHUCKLE | 0:01:40 | 0:01:41 | |
I think it worked. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:42 | |
..human beings have dreamt up
magical ways of thinking. | 0:01:44 | 0:01:47 | |
I don't think everyone should
believe in magic, | 0:01:49 | 0:01:51 | |
but I'm not sure I would trust
anyone who doesn't, | 0:01:51 | 0:01:54 | |
in some way or another. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:55 | |
Accio. | 0:01:56 | 0:01:57 | |
This is the story
of the real-life magic | 0:01:59 | 0:02:02 | |
at the heart of Harry Potter. | 0:02:02 | 0:02:05 | |
This year marks a special
anniversary | 0:02:19 | 0:02:21 | |
and some very strange celebrations
are under way. | 0:02:21 | 0:02:25 | |
We came all the way
from Brooklyn, New York. | 0:02:25 | 0:02:27 | |
This is my mom. This is my
daughter. | 0:02:27 | 0:02:29 | |
And these are my granddaughters. | 0:02:29 | 0:02:31 | |
Obliviate! | 0:02:31 | 0:02:33 | |
I've come as Moaning Myrtle
because she has a lot of personality | 0:02:33 | 0:02:36 | |
for a dead person. Yes. | 0:02:36 | 0:02:38 | |
I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall
and I can't do a proper accent | 0:02:41 | 0:02:43 | |
so I'm not really going to try. | 0:02:43 | 0:02:45 | |
Go on. | 0:02:45 | 0:02:47 | |
You're welcome to share
my cubicle, Harry. | 0:02:47 | 0:02:50 | |
Aw... | 0:02:50 | 0:02:51 | |
It's been 20 years since
an orphaned boy wizard made muggles | 0:02:51 | 0:02:55 | |
out of all of us. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:58 | |
There's something buried deep
within all of us, I think, | 0:02:58 | 0:03:01 | |
that would like to get the owl
and be told... | 0:03:01 | 0:03:04 | |
..you are not only
unique and special, | 0:03:05 | 0:03:08 | |
I'm going to take you
to where your people are. | 0:03:08 | 0:03:10 | |
I mean, that's such
a seductive idea, I think. | 0:03:10 | 0:03:12 | |
That's not just something that
children crave, | 0:03:12 | 0:03:14 | |
it's something that all of us crave. | 0:03:14 | 0:03:16 | |
I've kind of loved to be
in that world. | 0:03:16 | 0:03:19 | |
I'd just love to be in that world. | 0:03:19 | 0:03:20 | |
I wish I was a wizard! | 0:03:20 | 0:03:22 | |
But Rowling's wizarding world
is closer to our own than we think. | 0:03:22 | 0:03:26 | |
As Harry's great friend
Hermione Granger once said... | 0:03:26 | 0:03:30 | |
Don't legends always have
a basis in fact? | 0:03:30 | 0:03:33 | |
In The Magician's Nephew
by CS Lewis, | 0:03:41 | 0:03:44 | |
there is one of the most beautiful
fictional worlds | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
that I've ever read, which is
the world between the worlds, | 0:03:47 | 0:03:51 | |
which is a place where you're in a
forest and there are multiple pools | 0:03:51 | 0:03:54 | |
and every pool you jump into will
take you to a different world and | 0:03:54 | 0:03:57 | |
that to me has always been
a library. | 0:03:57 | 0:03:58 | |
I was one of those bookish children | 0:04:01 | 0:04:04 | |
who never left the library
if she could help it. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:07 | |
So, yeah, of course, to me, a
library is truly a place of magic. | 0:04:07 | 0:04:11 | |
At the British Library, | 0:04:13 | 0:04:15 | |
all kinds of magical preparations
are taking place. | 0:04:15 | 0:04:18 | |
And it's all to create
a new exhibition | 0:04:20 | 0:04:23 | |
which aims to reveal the link
between the real history of magic | 0:04:23 | 0:04:26 | |
and JK Rowling's writing. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:29 | |
And it's all there
from the very first book. | 0:04:31 | 0:04:34 | |
Most of the JK Rowling material has
never been exhibited before. | 0:04:35 | 0:04:38 | |
It's the first time
it's going on display. | 0:04:38 | 0:04:41 | |
So this is a typed synopsis of Harry
Potter And The Philosopher's Stone. | 0:04:41 | 0:04:44 | |
In the early '90s, | 0:04:44 | 0:04:47 | |
this was written to be sent to
agents and to publishers | 0:04:47 | 0:04:51 | |
to sell the story. | 0:04:51 | 0:04:53 | |
Yeah, she's having to sell
Harry Potter. | 0:04:53 | 0:04:55 | |
You wouldn't think it, would you? | 0:04:55 | 0:04:58 | |
The conceit is that we muggles, | 0:05:00 | 0:05:03 | |
we sort of glimpse this hidden world | 0:05:03 | 0:05:05 | |
because we know some
of the mythology, | 0:05:05 | 0:05:07 | |
but what we think we know
is often wrong. | 0:05:07 | 0:05:09 | |
The real magic, as it were, is not
quite as we believe it to be. | 0:05:09 | 0:05:12 | |
Using pre-existing myths or ideas
of fantastic creatures and so on | 0:05:13 | 0:05:17 | |
was a way of giving texture
to the world. | 0:05:17 | 0:05:19 | |
I think JK Rowling used magic | 0:05:22 | 0:05:23 | |
and the history of magic in
an exceedingly sophisticated way, | 0:05:23 | 0:05:28 | |
and possibly there are aspects of it
that your general reader | 0:05:28 | 0:05:31 | |
just might not even see. | 0:05:31 | 0:05:32 | |
"The ancient study of alchemy is
concerned with making | 0:05:35 | 0:05:37 | |
"the philosopher's stone, | 0:05:37 | 0:05:39 | |
"a legendary substance
with astonishing powers. | 0:05:39 | 0:05:43 | |
"The stone will transform any metal
into pure gold. | 0:05:43 | 0:05:47 | |
"It also produces
the elixir of life, | 0:05:47 | 0:05:50 | |
"which will make the drinker
immortal." | 0:05:50 | 0:05:52 | |
The pursuit of immortality was a
quest to which medieval alchemists | 0:05:55 | 0:05:59 | |
devoted their lives. | 0:05:59 | 0:06:02 | |
And one amongst them
became the stuff of legend. | 0:06:02 | 0:06:05 | |
"There have been many reports of the
philosopher's stone over the | 0:06:07 | 0:06:10 | |
"centuries, but the only stone
currently in existence belongs | 0:06:10 | 0:06:14 | |
"to Mr Nicolas Flamel, the noted
alchemist and opera lover. | 0:06:14 | 0:06:18 | |
"Mr Flamel, who celebrated his 665th
birthday last year, | 0:06:18 | 0:06:23 | |
"enjoys a quiet life in Devon
with his wife Perenelle, 658." | 0:06:23 | 0:06:28 | |
In the stories, Nicolas Flamel, | 0:06:33 | 0:06:34 | |
he's the person who's actually
discovered the key to eternal life | 0:06:34 | 0:06:38 | |
and is alive and well. | 0:06:38 | 0:06:41 | |
I hate to spoil the story, but he is
based on a real-life figure | 0:06:41 | 0:06:45 | |
who lived in Paris
in the early 15th century | 0:06:45 | 0:06:49 | |
and obviously, sadly, he did die, | 0:06:49 | 0:06:50 | |
but we do actually have
his tombstone. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:53 | |
It's quite a magical object
in itself. | 0:06:53 | 0:06:55 | |
Nicolas Flamel may not have
achieved immortality, | 0:06:58 | 0:07:01 | |
but alchemists continued their
search for the elixir of life. | 0:07:01 | 0:07:06 | |
And some of their mysterious
instructions survive | 0:07:06 | 0:07:09 | |
on a magical scroll. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:11 | |
Let's take this one out of the box. | 0:07:11 | 0:07:13 | |
So, this is the...amazing...
Oh, my God. | 0:07:13 | 0:07:17 | |
..Ripley scroll. There you are. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:19 | |
It's extraordinary. I think
it's made about the year 1600... | 0:07:20 | 0:07:24 | |
and it tells you how to make
the philosopher's stone. | 0:07:24 | 0:07:27 | |
Oh, look. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:28 | |
Isn't that incredible?
Oh, it's so gorgeous. Look at this. | 0:07:28 | 0:07:32 | |
I've never seen... | 0:07:32 | 0:07:35 | |
anything quite like this before. | 0:07:35 | 0:07:37 | |
I would imagine few people have. | 0:07:37 | 0:07:39 | |
What fascinates me about alchemy is,
you have this mixture of science, | 0:07:41 | 0:07:45 | |
actual science, right? | 0:07:45 | 0:07:46 | |
Because this was old chemistry, | 0:07:46 | 0:07:49 | |
so some of it is genuinely
scientific. | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
They were observing phenomena that
we recognise now as the basis | 0:07:52 | 0:07:56 | |
for chemistry. So it's just this
fascinating hybrid, isn't it? | 0:07:56 | 0:08:00 | |
Yeah, combination
of all these ideas. | 0:08:00 | 0:08:02 | |
And I'm really disappointed
you haven't tried to make one. | 0:08:02 | 0:08:04 | |
Because the joke's on us
if this works! | 0:08:04 | 0:08:08 | |
We'll make sure it does work. Yeah. | 0:08:08 | 0:08:11 | |
Many scientific discoveries were
actually made as a result of people | 0:08:16 | 0:08:21 | |
carrying out that alchemical
process. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:24 | |
There's a very famous painting, | 0:08:24 | 0:08:25 | |
it's by Joseph Wright of Derby, | 0:08:25 | 0:08:27 | |
and it shows a German chemist,
alchemist, | 0:08:27 | 0:08:30 | |
in the 17th century. | 0:08:30 | 0:08:32 | |
He's trying to create gold
and he's boiling a flask of urine! | 0:08:32 | 0:08:37 | |
He doesn't create gold, but he
discovers phosphorus in the process. | 0:08:37 | 0:08:41 | |
The relationship
between magic and science, | 0:08:46 | 0:08:48 | |
particularly in the early modern
period, is extremely important. | 0:08:48 | 0:08:52 | |
What powers are there out there that
we perhaps can't see | 0:08:52 | 0:08:55 | |
but which we can harness and adapt
for our own use? | 0:08:55 | 0:08:58 | |
And to some extent,
that is a form of magic. | 0:08:58 | 0:09:00 | |
Perhaps penicillin
is a form of magic. | 0:09:00 | 0:09:03 | |
It's just magic
that consistently works. | 0:09:03 | 0:09:05 | |
But even in our rational,
enlightened age of today, | 0:09:08 | 0:09:12 | |
perhaps there's still a place
for the old ways of thinking. | 0:09:12 | 0:09:15 | |
Magic is fascinating to me, clearly, | 0:09:17 | 0:09:19 | |
because I've spent a lot of time
writing about it, | 0:09:19 | 0:09:22 | |
but I think that it connects to very
important things about what it is | 0:09:22 | 0:09:25 | |
to be human and what human beings
want and what they believe. | 0:09:25 | 0:09:29 | |
"When he had been younger, Harry had
dreamed and dreamed of some unknown | 0:09:32 | 0:09:36 | |
"relation coming to take him
away, but it had never happened. | 0:09:36 | 0:09:40 | |
"The Dursleys were his only family. | 0:09:40 | 0:09:42 | |
"Yet sometimes he thought,
or maybe hoped, | 0:09:42 | 0:09:45 | |
"that strangers in the street
seemed to know him. | 0:09:45 | 0:09:48 | |
"Very strange strangers
they were, too." | 0:09:49 | 0:09:51 | |
Children believe in magic because
they're starting to make sense of | 0:09:54 | 0:09:59 | |
and control their world. | 0:09:59 | 0:10:01 | |
But I think
we all have that inside us. | 0:10:01 | 0:10:04 | |
The world is complex
and largely unknowable, | 0:10:04 | 0:10:06 | |
and although we've moved on to
science, | 0:10:06 | 0:10:10 | |
I think that we all, at heart, | 0:10:10 | 0:10:13 | |
retain a certain amount
of magical thinking. | 0:10:13 | 0:10:16 | |
Tarantellegra! | 0:10:16 | 0:10:18 | |
Locomotor Wibbly! | 0:10:18 | 0:10:19 | |
Evanesco! | 0:10:19 | 0:10:21 | |
Rictusempra! | 0:10:21 | 0:10:23 | |
Whoosh! I've got to do
a whoosh sound, | 0:10:23 | 0:10:25 | |
it's the only way it makes it
real to me. | 0:10:25 | 0:10:27 | |
To trace the real history of magic, | 0:10:32 | 0:10:34 | |
there can be few better places
than the British Library. | 0:10:34 | 0:10:38 | |
It has 150 million items | 0:10:38 | 0:10:40 | |
and the curators have been searching
amongst them for over a year. | 0:10:40 | 0:10:44 | |
As every Hogwarts student knows, | 0:10:45 | 0:10:48 | |
a good magical textbook can save
your life or solve your problems. | 0:10:48 | 0:10:53 | |
But in the 16th century, | 0:10:53 | 0:10:55 | |
members of the British cultural
establishment believed in them, too. | 0:10:55 | 0:10:58 | |
So, this is one of my favourite
manuscripts in the exhibition. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:04 | |
It's an actual book of spells and
is extremely beautiful to look at, | 0:11:04 | 0:11:09 | |
I think, and has a lot of
interesting content. | 0:11:09 | 0:11:12 | |
A real magical textbook, | 0:11:13 | 0:11:16 | |
and it belonged to the Elizabethan
poet Gabriel Harvey. | 0:11:16 | 0:11:19 | |
But this one is an experiment
or a spell on how to be invisible | 0:11:19 | 0:11:23 | |
and how it must be prepared. | 0:11:23 | 0:11:25 | |
There's lots of text written
about Gabriel Harvey, | 0:11:26 | 0:11:29 | |
but as far as I know,
I don't think he ever disappeared. | 0:11:29 | 0:11:33 | |
HE RECITES THE MANUSCRIPT | 0:11:34 | 0:11:37 | |
"By the mercy which you bear
upon mankind, | 0:11:42 | 0:11:45 | |
"make me to be invisible." | 0:11:45 | 0:11:47 | |
"He set off, drawing the
invisibility cloak tight around him | 0:11:52 | 0:11:57 | |
"as he walked. | 0:11:57 | 0:11:58 | |
"The library was pitch-black
and very eerie. | 0:11:58 | 0:12:02 | |
"Harry lit a lamp to see his way
along the rows of books." | 0:12:02 | 0:12:06 | |
Conveying the rich imaginary world
of JK Rowling is a huge challenge | 0:12:16 | 0:12:20 | |
for the curators. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:22 | |
To help them, they've enlisted Harry
Potter illustrator Jim Kay, | 0:12:22 | 0:12:27 | |
whose drawings and paintings will
bring to life the links between | 0:12:27 | 0:12:30 | |
literary fantasy
and historical fact. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:33 | |
So I first started illustrating
Harry Potter | 0:12:35 | 0:12:38 | |
back in 2013, | 0:12:38 | 0:12:41 | |
and back then, | 0:12:41 | 0:12:42 | |
I thought, "Well, it'd take about
six months to do all of book one," | 0:12:42 | 0:12:46 | |
and it actually took me
two and a half years | 0:12:46 | 0:12:50 | |
working seven days a week, | 0:12:50 | 0:12:52 | |
usually 12 hours at once, a day. | 0:12:52 | 0:12:54 | |
It was terrible pressure
and you don't want to mess up | 0:12:55 | 0:12:58 | |
the world's
most successful children's book. | 0:12:58 | 0:13:00 | |
The British Library team are
selecting examples of Jim's work | 0:13:00 | 0:13:05 | |
to feature in the show. | 0:13:05 | 0:13:08 | |
Who is this? McGonagall. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:11 | |
It's actually based loosely
on my partner, | 0:13:11 | 0:13:13 | |
who I aged for this painting,
I must stress. | 0:13:13 | 0:13:17 | |
Jim's most intriguing illustrations
are these curious-looking specimens, | 0:13:17 | 0:13:23 | |
mandrake roots and their seedlings. | 0:13:23 | 0:13:26 | |
Harmless enough, you might think, | 0:13:26 | 0:13:28 | |
but these roots must be handled
with care. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:31 | |
"Harry snapped the earmuffs
over his ears. | 0:13:33 | 0:13:36 | |
"They shut out sound completely. | 0:13:36 | 0:13:39 | |
"Professor Sprout put a pink, fluffy
pair over her own ears, | 0:13:39 | 0:13:43 | |
"rolled up the sleeves of her robes, | 0:13:43 | 0:13:45 | |
"grasped one of the tufty plants
firmly and pulled hard. | 0:13:45 | 0:13:49 | |
"Harry let out a gasp of surprise
that no-one could hear. | 0:13:49 | 0:13:53 | |
"Instead of roots, | 0:13:53 | 0:13:54 | |
"a small, muddy and extremely ugly
baby popped out of the earth. | 0:13:54 | 0:14:00 | |
"The leaves were growing right
out of his head! | 0:14:00 | 0:14:03 | |
"He had pale-green mottled skin | 0:14:03 | 0:14:05 | |
"and was clearly bawling
at the top of his lungs. | 0:14:05 | 0:14:08 | |
"Professor Sprout took a large
plant pot from under the table and | 0:14:08 | 0:14:12 | |
"plunged the mandrake into it,
burying him in dark, damp compost, | 0:14:12 | 0:14:17 | |
"until only the tufted leaves were
visible. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:19 | |
"Professor Sprout dusted
off her hands, | 0:14:21 | 0:14:23 | |
"gave them all the thumbs-up
and removed her own earmuffs. | 0:14:23 | 0:14:26 | |
"'As our mandrakes
are only seedlings, | 0:14:27 | 0:14:29 | |
"'their cries won't kill yet,'
she said calmly, | 0:14:29 | 0:14:32 | |
"as though she'd just done nothing
more exciting than water a begonia. | 0:14:32 | 0:14:36 | |
"'However, they will knock you out
for several hours.'" | 0:14:36 | 0:14:39 | |
In herbal folklore, the
bloodcurdling scream of the mandrake | 0:14:41 | 0:14:45 | |
was thought to kill
or send its listener mad. | 0:14:45 | 0:14:48 | |
The British Library have uncovered
an unusual illustration of the myth. | 0:14:51 | 0:14:55 | |
A very unusual illustration indeed. | 0:14:56 | 0:14:59 | |
My mandrakes aren't quite like that. | 0:15:03 | 0:15:05 | |
Broadly speaking, I adopted the myth
with some tweaks. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:10 | |
Very similar. No dogs involved
in mine, though. | 0:15:10 | 0:15:13 | |
Humans did actually pull them up | 0:15:13 | 0:15:15 | |
and mandrake root was an essential
component in a restorative potion | 0:15:15 | 0:15:20 | |
that was needed
at Hogwarts that year. | 0:15:20 | 0:15:23 | |
There are real mandrakes
and the root is human-shaped, | 0:15:23 | 0:15:27 | |
so I think that's where the myth
came from, isn't it? | 0:15:27 | 0:15:29 | |
As often happens, people
extrapolated from the real object. | 0:15:29 | 0:15:34 | |
The mandrake is no longer
commonplace. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:41 | |
Yet the elaborate folklore that
surrounds it all came down | 0:15:41 | 0:15:44 | |
to this rather small, grubby root. | 0:15:44 | 0:15:47 | |
There's definitely something
in these roots that... | 0:15:48 | 0:15:51 | |
Yeah, anthropomorphic. | 0:15:51 | 0:15:53 | |
It's almost like
a sort of pot belly. | 0:15:53 | 0:15:56 | |
So you could have
a more distended stomach | 0:15:56 | 0:16:00 | |
leading to legs... | 0:16:00 | 0:16:02 | |
which I quite like. | 0:16:02 | 0:16:03 | |
These severed hands symbolise
its use as an anaesthetic | 0:16:09 | 0:16:13 | |
in amputations. | 0:16:13 | 0:16:15 | |
Medieval herbals like these
reveal the wonder and mystery | 0:16:15 | 0:16:19 | |
inspired by plants. | 0:16:19 | 0:16:21 | |
This is a time when most people
couldn't get access | 0:16:23 | 0:16:26 | |
to any form of medicine. A small cut
could kill you, you know? | 0:16:26 | 0:16:30 | |
It's no wonder that people put
so much stock | 0:16:30 | 0:16:32 | |
in the potential life-saving
properties | 0:16:32 | 0:16:34 | |
of the plants around them, really. | 0:16:34 | 0:16:36 | |
Plants are a key ingredient
in JK Rowling's wizarding world, | 0:16:42 | 0:16:45 | |
where they're used to make potions,
and supplies can be found | 0:16:45 | 0:16:49 | |
in the apothecary of a certain
Mr Mulpepper. | 0:16:49 | 0:16:52 | |
His name might sound a little bit
like another exhibit in the show, | 0:16:54 | 0:16:58 | |
the Complete Herbal
by one Nicholas Culpeper. | 0:16:58 | 0:17:03 | |
So Culpeper really was
a herbal hero. | 0:17:06 | 0:17:08 | |
He was the guy who revolutionised
medicine in Britain. | 0:17:08 | 0:17:10 | |
He took the power from the
physicians and gave it back | 0:17:10 | 0:17:13 | |
to the common people. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:15 | |
Nicholas Culpeper grew up
in the Sussex countryside | 0:17:15 | 0:17:18 | |
here in Isfield. | 0:17:18 | 0:17:19 | |
So, this footpath here would've
been the exact footpath | 0:17:22 | 0:17:24 | |
that the young Culpeper
would have walked down | 0:17:24 | 0:17:26 | |
from his grandfather's church
over to the village, | 0:17:26 | 0:17:28 | |
and it's here
he would've learned all about | 0:17:28 | 0:17:30 | |
the flowers and the plants
of the English countryside. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:33 | |
The book was published
almost 400 years ago and | 0:17:39 | 0:17:41 | |
it's still in print today. | 0:17:41 | 0:17:42 | |
In the 1600s, you could buy it
on a street corner. | 0:17:42 | 0:17:45 | |
You can buy it online today. | 0:17:45 | 0:17:46 | |
It's the book that's been in print
for the longest | 0:17:46 | 0:17:49 | |
apart from the Bible. | 0:17:49 | 0:17:50 | |
Culpeper's book has special
significance for JK Rowling. | 0:17:50 | 0:17:53 | |
Oh, yes. | 0:17:56 | 0:17:58 | |
I know this book. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:01 | |
This is Culpeper's Complete Herbal
and I own two copies of this. | 0:18:03 | 0:18:07 | |
Am I allowed to touch this? | 0:18:09 | 0:18:11 | |
I will be tremendously careful,
I'm so scared. | 0:18:11 | 0:18:13 | |
Oh, wow, look. | 0:18:17 | 0:18:19 | |
It's not even the properties
of the plants, | 0:18:19 | 0:18:22 | |
it's just the way that they wrote
about the plants | 0:18:22 | 0:18:24 | |
and observed them and tied them to
planetary movements and so on. | 0:18:24 | 0:18:28 | |
There's such a poetry to it. | 0:18:28 | 0:18:30 | |
"Oh, yes, it is fat,
unctuous and temperate. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:33 | |
"Generated of that which is moist,
aerius and moderately hot." | 0:18:33 | 0:18:38 | |
I love it. | 0:18:38 | 0:18:39 | |
"Midnight came and went while Harry
was reading and rereading a passage | 0:18:43 | 0:18:48 | |
"about the uses of scurvy-grass, | 0:18:48 | 0:18:51 | |
"lovage and sneezewort,
and not taking in a word of it. | 0:18:51 | 0:18:55 | |
"These plants are most efficacious
in the inflaming of the brain and | 0:18:55 | 0:18:59 | |
"are therefore much used in
confusing and befuddlement drafts, | 0:18:59 | 0:19:03 | |
"where the wizard is desirous
of producing hot-headiness | 0:19:03 | 0:19:06 | |
"and recklessness." | 0:19:06 | 0:19:08 | |
Even when I didn't really use
what they were saying, | 0:19:10 | 0:19:12 | |
I found it inspirational. | 0:19:12 | 0:19:14 | |
I found the way they talked about
these plants inspirational. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:16 | |
This is a gorgeous book.
Look at this. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:18 | |
And sometimes I would use old names
to make my own names, you know? | 0:19:20 | 0:19:23 | |
You just look at the way that
they put the words together. | 0:19:23 | 0:19:26 | |
Sea colewort - love it. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:29 | |
Nicholas Culpeper was also accused
of witchcraft about ten years before | 0:19:31 | 0:19:36 | |
he published his book. | 0:19:36 | 0:19:37 | |
In 1642, he was accused of being
a practising witch. | 0:19:37 | 0:19:41 | |
Now, this is possibly because of
antagonisms that he was creating | 0:19:41 | 0:19:44 | |
with the College of Physicians, | 0:19:44 | 0:19:46 | |
but it's also because I think people | 0:19:46 | 0:19:48 | |
that are mixing up herbs,
creating potions, | 0:19:48 | 0:19:51 | |
there's always going to be
those questions about them. | 0:19:51 | 0:19:54 | |
"Non-magic people,
more commonly known as muggles, | 0:19:58 | 0:20:01 | |
"were particularly afraid of magic
in medieval times, | 0:20:01 | 0:20:05 | |
"but not very good
at recognising it. | 0:20:05 | 0:20:08 | |
"On the rare occasion they did catch
a real witch or wizard, | 0:20:08 | 0:20:11 | |
"burning had no effect whatsoever. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:14 | |
"The witch or wizard would perform
a basic flame freezing charm | 0:20:14 | 0:20:17 | |
"and then pretend to
shriek with pain | 0:20:17 | 0:20:20 | |
"while enjoying
a gentle tickling sensation. | 0:20:20 | 0:20:23 | |
"Indeed, Wendelin the Weird
enjoyed being burnt so much | 0:20:23 | 0:20:27 | |
"that she allowed herself to be
caught no fewer than | 0:20:27 | 0:20:30 | |
"47 times in various disguises." | 0:20:30 | 0:20:33 | |
Witches and wizards
in the Potterverse, | 0:20:35 | 0:20:36 | |
they are morally neutral. | 0:20:36 | 0:20:38 | |
You are as good or as bad
as you decide to be. | 0:20:38 | 0:20:40 | |
There's nothing inherently wrong
about performing magic, | 0:20:40 | 0:20:43 | |
it's simply an ability
that some people have. | 0:20:43 | 0:20:45 | |
Yet in history, most references to
witches are resoundingly negative. | 0:20:48 | 0:20:52 | |
And the link between witches
and powerful dark magic | 0:20:55 | 0:20:59 | |
was forged by a book. | 0:20:59 | 0:21:01 | |
So this is the earliest illustrated
printed treatise on witchcraft. | 0:21:02 | 0:21:07 | |
It's called De Lamiis Et
Phythonicis Mulieribus, | 0:21:07 | 0:21:10 | |
which roughly translate as
"of witches and soothsayers". | 0:21:10 | 0:21:14 | |
This is the first time | 0:21:14 | 0:21:16 | |
that you get a printed visual
representation of witches. | 0:21:16 | 0:21:21 | |
And it was published in 1489, | 0:21:21 | 0:21:21 | |
And it was published in 1489, | 0:21:21 | 0:21:23 | |
written by a man
called Ulrich Molitor. | 0:21:23 | 0:21:27 | |
In the book, Molitor claims | 0:21:27 | 0:21:28 | |
that witches were not as powerful
as people thought, | 0:21:28 | 0:21:31 | |
but his illustrator clearly didn't
read his text, | 0:21:31 | 0:21:35 | |
because the drawings tell
a different story. | 0:21:35 | 0:21:39 | |
So here you have two women. | 0:21:39 | 0:21:41 | |
They're old, they're haggard
and they're evil-looking. | 0:21:41 | 0:21:45 | |
They're dangerous
and they're powerful. | 0:21:45 | 0:21:47 | |
It shows them as able to create
dangerous weather magic, | 0:21:47 | 0:21:51 | |
hailstorms, using cauldrons. | 0:21:51 | 0:21:53 | |
This is the earliest printed image
of witches using a cauldron. | 0:21:55 | 0:21:59 | |
The book was published
in 49 different editions | 0:22:02 | 0:22:04 | |
and was still in print
a century later. | 0:22:04 | 0:22:07 | |
The whole text is written in Latin, | 0:22:08 | 0:22:10 | |
which wouldn't really be that
accessible to your average person | 0:22:10 | 0:22:14 | |
even if they could read. | 0:22:14 | 0:22:15 | |
But the images are something that
everyone can read | 0:22:15 | 0:22:18 | |
and that is where the power of this
book comes in, | 0:22:18 | 0:22:21 | |
and it cemented the iconography of
how we understand witches to look. | 0:22:21 | 0:22:26 | |
At the edge of the Atlantic
on the North Cornwall coast, | 0:22:38 | 0:22:41 | |
Boscastle is one of the most magical
places in the land. | 0:22:41 | 0:22:44 | |
It even has its own
museum of witchcraft. | 0:22:45 | 0:22:47 | |
So this broomstick belonged
to Olga Hunt of Manaton. | 0:22:51 | 0:22:55 | |
She used to,
on the night of the full moon, | 0:22:55 | 0:22:59 | |
scamper and leap about | 0:22:59 | 0:23:02 | |
on this broomstick on the rocks
of Haytor, on Dartmoor. | 0:23:02 | 0:23:06 | |
Olga Hunt's broomstick is one
of the artefacts | 0:23:08 | 0:23:10 | |
that will feature in the show. | 0:23:10 | 0:23:12 | |
The British Library has been
scouring the museum | 0:23:12 | 0:23:15 | |
for other objects that might fit. | 0:23:15 | 0:23:16 | |
There are 3,000 to choose from. | 0:23:16 | 0:23:20 | |
This cauldron has a very unusual
story attached to it | 0:23:20 | 0:23:23 | |
because it exploded, | 0:23:23 | 0:23:25 | |
much like the one in the stories
of Harry Potter. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:28 | |
Ooh, this is interesting! | 0:23:28 | 0:23:30 | |
The tarred head. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:31 | |
I most definitely believe in magic. | 0:23:33 | 0:23:34 | |
Do I have to justify that? | 0:23:36 | 0:23:38 | |
The museum owns one of the largest
collections of witchcraft artefacts | 0:23:40 | 0:23:43 | |
in the world. | 0:23:43 | 0:23:45 | |
So this is a dried cat. | 0:23:45 | 0:23:47 | |
They're often found in old buildings | 0:23:47 | 0:23:49 | |
and they were used as a protection
charm to ward off infestation. | 0:23:49 | 0:23:53 | |
You'd think that a live cat would do
a better job of it, but here we are. | 0:23:53 | 0:23:57 | |
And here we've got
a selection of wands, | 0:23:58 | 0:24:01 | |
one of which is going to feature
in the exhibition. | 0:24:01 | 0:24:04 | |
Now, wands are subtle tools. | 0:24:04 | 0:24:06 | |
They're used to direct energy, | 0:24:06 | 0:24:08 | |
but they're also used
for creating a magical space. | 0:24:08 | 0:24:12 | |
We have an example here
of a very dark use... | 0:24:14 | 0:24:18 | |
..of the practice,
which is a blasting rod. | 0:24:19 | 0:24:23 | |
And blasting rods are basically used
to blast people and to direct | 0:24:23 | 0:24:28 | |
negative energy at them
for a curse of some form. | 0:24:28 | 0:24:31 | |
Oh, it could kill somebody
very easily, I should imagine, | 0:24:32 | 0:24:35 | |
so... Used by the right person
in the right way. | 0:24:35 | 0:24:39 | |
So it's kept behind glass normally. | 0:24:39 | 0:24:41 | |
Every Hogwarts pupil needs
their very own magic wand. | 0:24:44 | 0:24:48 | |
But no two wands are the same. | 0:24:48 | 0:24:50 | |
"'You talk about wands like
they've got feelings,' said Harry. | 0:24:52 | 0:24:55 | |
"'Like they can think
for themselves.' | 0:24:55 | 0:24:57 | |
"'The wand chooses the wizard,'
said Ollivander. | 0:24:57 | 0:25:01 | |
"'That much has always been clear
to those of us who have studied
wandlore.'" | 0:25:01 | 0:25:05 | |
Wands are an essential part
of casting a spell | 0:25:07 | 0:25:10 | |
and everyone has
their favourite. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:12 | |
Expelliarmus! | 0:25:12 | 0:25:15 | |
Did that work? | 0:25:15 | 0:25:17 | |
If we could only use them
in the muggle world, | 0:25:17 | 0:25:20 | |
they'd come in very handy. | 0:25:20 | 0:25:22 | |
I would cast a spell
to make TJ in my class like me. | 0:25:22 | 0:25:25 | |
Oh, not on telly! | 0:25:25 | 0:25:27 | |
BOTH: Obliviate! | 0:25:30 | 0:25:31 | |
But for the spell to work, | 0:25:31 | 0:25:33 | |
you need exactly the right flick
or twist of the wrist. | 0:25:33 | 0:25:37 | |
ALL: Piertotum locomotor! | 0:25:37 | 0:25:39 | |
I couldn't find anything on wands,
so I just made it all up. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:46 | |
That was all me and I had so much
fun | 0:25:46 | 0:25:49 | |
and actually, I do remember
exactly where I was. | 0:25:49 | 0:25:52 | |
I literally was sitting under a tree
out in the open | 0:25:52 | 0:25:55 | |
on a very warm summer's day
when I wrote that chapter, | 0:25:55 | 0:25:58 | |
the wand shop
in the Philosopher's Stone. | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
And I just sat there and made up
all these properties | 0:26:01 | 0:26:03 | |
and the cores and, yeah,
I really enjoyed that. | 0:26:03 | 0:26:06 | |
So, yeah, no, I'm afraid I don't
know anything about... | 0:26:06 | 0:26:09 | |
I don't know what anyone else has
said about wands. | 0:26:09 | 0:26:11 | |
I made the whole thing up! | 0:26:11 | 0:26:13 | |
But there are folk out there | 0:26:19 | 0:26:21 | |
who have been making wands
for centuries. | 0:26:21 | 0:26:24 | |
Dusty Miller, father and son,
come from a long line of wandmakers. | 0:26:24 | 0:26:29 | |
I'm Dusty XII. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:32 | |
XIII, sorry. My father was XII.
Hello, Grandad! | 0:26:32 | 0:26:35 | |
My son is the XIII. XIV! | 0:26:38 | 0:26:41 | |
I like that, I got promoted then.
Did you see that? | 0:26:41 | 0:26:43 | |
We work for the tree spirits, | 0:26:51 | 0:26:53 | |
so they tell us when to go
and collect a piece of wood, | 0:26:53 | 0:26:56 | |
where to collect it, | 0:26:56 | 0:26:58 | |
which tree to collect it from. | 0:26:58 | 0:26:59 | |
It's all very complicated | 0:26:59 | 0:27:01 | |
and often means getting up
in the middle of the night | 0:27:01 | 0:27:04 | |
to be in the forest at daybreak. | 0:27:04 | 0:27:05 | |
Why they always want daybreak,
I don't know. | 0:27:05 | 0:27:08 | |
Why it can't be lunchtime... | 0:27:08 | 0:27:10 | |
another matter entirely.
Trees don't have lunch! | 0:27:10 | 0:27:12 | |
No, that's true, they don't. | 0:27:12 | 0:27:15 | |
The wood they collect
is made into wands, | 0:27:19 | 0:27:22 | |
which they believe channel
the sacred power of the trees. | 0:27:22 | 0:27:25 | |
Because we have this partnership
with the tree spirits, | 0:27:27 | 0:27:29 | |
when they tell us to make certain
tools, to create certain items for | 0:27:29 | 0:27:34 | |
people to make changes
in their lives... | 0:27:34 | 0:27:38 | |
and be able to... Maybe do healing
on other people, or themselves, | 0:27:38 | 0:27:41 | |
then we're quite happy to do that | 0:27:41 | 0:27:43 | |
and that's what we've spent
our entire lifetimes doing. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:46 | |
In Rowling's wizarding world, | 0:27:51 | 0:27:53 | |
the effects of a spell can happen
in an instant. | 0:27:53 | 0:27:56 | |
Expecto Patronum! | 0:27:56 | 0:28:01 | |
You just have to say the words
the right way. | 0:28:02 | 0:28:05 | |
Take the doubling spell. | 0:28:05 | 0:28:07 | |
Geminio. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:09 | |
Geminio. | 0:28:11 | 0:28:12 | |
Geminio! | 0:28:13 | 0:28:15 | |
The spells often have their roots
in classical languages | 0:28:15 | 0:28:19 | |
and Rowling's degree in French and
Classics turned out to be useful. | 0:28:19 | 0:28:22 | |
Sometimes I just invented it. | 0:28:24 | 0:28:26 | |
It usually depended on the gravity
of what I was inventing. | 0:28:26 | 0:28:29 | |
I often tended to give a richer
provenance to things | 0:28:29 | 0:28:32 | |
that were very significant,
like the Cruciatus Curse | 0:28:32 | 0:28:36 | |
or Avada Kedavra,
whereas the more... | 0:28:36 | 0:28:38 | |
The fun things, Wingardium Leviosa
is exactly what it sounds like | 0:28:38 | 0:28:41 | |
and it's flippant and it's fun. | 0:28:41 | 0:28:43 | |
Wingardium Leviosa! | 0:28:43 | 0:28:45 | |
It's only in fourth year that Harry
encounters the most sinister spells | 0:28:47 | 0:28:51 | |
in the wizarding world - | 0:28:51 | 0:28:53 | |
the three unforgivable curses. | 0:28:53 | 0:28:56 | |
What are the unforgivable curses
and what do they do? | 0:28:57 | 0:29:00 | |
Imperio! | 0:29:00 | 0:29:01 | |
There's Imperio,
which is the controlling curse. | 0:29:01 | 0:29:05 | |
Crucio! | 0:29:05 | 0:29:07 | |
Crucio is a torture curse. | 0:29:07 | 0:29:09 | |
It makes whoever you're casting it
at go into great pain. | 0:29:09 | 0:29:12 | |
So...pretty bad. | 0:29:12 | 0:29:14 | |
And the final curse,
the most dreadful of them all - | 0:29:16 | 0:29:20 | |
the killing spell. | 0:29:20 | 0:29:21 | |
"Avada Kedavra! | 0:29:22 | 0:29:24 | |
"A blast of green light blazed
through Harry's eyelids | 0:29:26 | 0:29:31 | |
"and he heard something heavy
fall to the ground beside him. | 0:29:31 | 0:29:35 | |
"The pain in his scar reached
such a pitch that he retched | 0:29:36 | 0:29:39 | |
"and then it diminished. | 0:29:39 | 0:29:41 | |
"Terrified of what he was about to
see, he opened his stinging eyes. | 0:29:42 | 0:29:47 | |
"Cedric was lying spread-eagled
on the ground beside him. | 0:29:48 | 0:29:53 | |
"He was dead." | 0:29:56 | 0:29:57 | |
It sounds so powerful, doesn't it,
Avada Kedavra? | 0:30:02 | 0:30:05 | |
It's got a real force to it. | 0:30:05 | 0:30:07 | |
It's Aramaic, I think. | 0:30:07 | 0:30:09 | |
Well, that is genuinely
the derivation of abracadabra, | 0:30:09 | 0:30:12 | |
not many people know that.
That's where abracadabra came from. | 0:30:12 | 0:30:15 | |
And literally translated, it means,
"May the thing be destroyed." | 0:30:15 | 0:30:19 | |
Abracadabra is today often
thought of as a charm | 0:30:25 | 0:30:28 | |
which stage magicians use when they
are pulling a rabbit out of a hat, | 0:30:28 | 0:30:33 | |
but actually it was first used
in Roman times as a protection | 0:30:33 | 0:30:37 | |
against catching
the disease malaria. | 0:30:37 | 0:30:40 | |
"'Double divination
this afternoon,' | 0:30:44 | 0:30:47 | |
"Harry groaned, looking down. | 0:30:47 | 0:30:49 | |
"Divination was his least favourite
subject, apart from potions. | 0:30:49 | 0:30:54 | |
"Professor Trelawney kept
predicting Harry's death, | 0:30:54 | 0:30:57 | |
"which he found extremely annoying." | 0:30:57 | 0:30:59 | |
A nice item relating to divination. | 0:31:05 | 0:31:08 | |
"On wonders past and present
and to come." | 0:31:08 | 0:31:11 | |
About the prophecies
of Old Mother Shipton, | 0:31:11 | 0:31:13 | |
who was a famous witch that made
prophecies from Knaresborough. | 0:31:13 | 0:31:17 | |
A nice interesting image of a witch,
which I think is... | 0:31:17 | 0:31:20 | |
Yes, in no way a cliche,
with her enormous nose | 0:31:20 | 0:31:23 | |
and her chin that almost
meets the tip of it! | 0:31:23 | 0:31:26 | |
That's great. | 0:31:26 | 0:31:27 | |
I have a lot of fun with divination
in the Potter books | 0:31:27 | 0:31:30 | |
because I make it quite clear | 0:31:30 | 0:31:32 | |
that you get lucky
once every million times. | 0:31:32 | 0:31:35 | |
Free will is the abiding principle
of the Potter books, not prophecy. | 0:31:35 | 0:31:39 | |
"There was a lot more to magic,
as Harry quickly found out, | 0:31:43 | 0:31:46 | |
"than waving your wand
and saying a few funny words." | 0:31:46 | 0:31:49 | |
The exhibition will be divided | 0:31:57 | 0:31:58 | |
into subjects corresponding
to the Hogwarts curriculum, | 0:31:58 | 0:32:02 | |
from divination to astronomy. | 0:32:02 | 0:32:04 | |
The most spectacular
and bizarre exhibits | 0:32:06 | 0:32:08 | |
belong to a section on
care of magical creatures. | 0:32:08 | 0:32:12 | |
So this is Edward Topsell's
History Of Four-footed Beasts. | 0:32:17 | 0:32:20 | |
He describes a number
of different beasts | 0:32:20 | 0:32:23 | |
that feature in Harry Potter,
including the Sphinx. | 0:32:23 | 0:32:26 | |
Yes... | 0:32:26 | 0:32:28 | |
Yeah. She's interesting. | 0:32:28 | 0:32:30 | |
Yeah. Very unusual. It's not how
we'd actually imagine a Sphinx | 0:32:30 | 0:32:34 | |
to look like from
classical mythology, is it? | 0:32:34 | 0:32:36 | |
No. They are bred
in India and Ethiopia. | 0:32:36 | 0:32:39 | |
Interesting. | 0:32:39 | 0:32:41 | |
When it comes to beasts,
the hippogriff or the dragon, | 0:32:46 | 0:32:49 | |
there are certain beasts
that absolutely must be in Potter | 0:32:49 | 0:32:52 | |
because they're so well known, you
would just expect to see them there. | 0:32:52 | 0:32:56 | |
And I've played with them
to an extent. | 0:32:56 | 0:32:58 | |
This one dates from probably
the early 13th century. | 0:33:02 | 0:33:05 | |
First of all, the phoenix is
making its own funeral pyre | 0:33:06 | 0:33:10 | |
by picking twigs and leaves
and branches from the trees. | 0:33:10 | 0:33:13 | |
Oh, that's fantastic.
And there you are. I love that. | 0:33:13 | 0:33:16 | |
It's on fire and it's going
to rise from the ashes. | 0:33:16 | 0:33:20 | |
That's my favourite creature.
He's gorgeous, isn't he? Yeah. | 0:33:20 | 0:33:23 | |
Stunning. I also like this chap, | 0:33:23 | 0:33:26 | |
because that's like an Augerey,
which I invented. | 0:33:26 | 0:33:29 | |
There's no such thing,
but I call it the Irish phoenix. | 0:33:29 | 0:33:31 | |
These are so beautiful. | 0:33:33 | 0:33:34 | |
Incredibly human-looking owl. | 0:33:37 | 0:33:38 | |
In Harry Potter, JK Rowling
refers to over 100 species | 0:33:45 | 0:33:48 | |
of mythical creature,
drawn from across the globe. | 0:33:48 | 0:33:51 | |
In every society and every culture, | 0:34:00 | 0:34:02 | |
there is the practice of magic | 0:34:02 | 0:34:04 | |
or the understanding
of the supernatural. | 0:34:04 | 0:34:07 | |
Magic is a universal language. | 0:34:07 | 0:34:09 | |
In the Department
of African Studies, | 0:34:10 | 0:34:13 | |
one curator has made
an exciting discovery. | 0:34:13 | 0:34:16 | |
It's a text written in Ge'ez,
an ancient language of Ethiopia. | 0:34:16 | 0:34:21 | |
"If you wish to turn into a lion
or transform yourself into a lion, | 0:34:21 | 0:34:26 | |
"read the above prayer | 0:34:27 | 0:34:29 | |
"and write it on a silk cloth | 0:34:29 | 0:34:32 | |
"and tie it around your head. | 0:34:32 | 0:34:34 | |
"Or if you wish to be | 0:34:34 | 0:34:36 | |
"a serpent, write this
and tie it on your wrist." | 0:34:36 | 0:34:40 | |
This is a prayer for transformation
or to turn... | 0:34:41 | 0:34:45 | |
You know, to change into
something else. | 0:34:45 | 0:34:48 | |
By the 15th century, | 0:34:48 | 0:34:49 | |
this type of magic had been outlawed
by Ethiopia's Christian king. | 0:34:49 | 0:34:53 | |
So manuscripts like these
are exceptionally rare. | 0:34:53 | 0:34:56 | |
But despite its Ethiopian roots, | 0:34:58 | 0:35:00 | |
this branch of magic is very similar | 0:35:00 | 0:35:02 | |
to an important subject
taught at Hogwarts. | 0:35:02 | 0:35:05 | |
This book is
defence against the dark arts. | 0:35:05 | 0:35:09 | |
So the purpose of this talisman
is to protect the client | 0:35:09 | 0:35:13 | |
from real or imagined harm. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:15 | |
In Defence against the Dark Arts, | 0:35:19 | 0:35:22 | |
Harry's magical ability shines | 0:35:22 | 0:35:24 | |
when he masters wizarding's
most powerful protective charm. | 0:35:24 | 0:35:28 | |
"'Expecto Patronum,' he yelled. | 0:35:30 | 0:35:33 | |
"And out of the end of his wand
burst not a shapeless cloud of mist | 0:35:35 | 0:35:40 | |
"but a blinding, dazzling,
silver animal. | 0:35:40 | 0:35:44 | |
"He screwed up his eyes
to see what it was. | 0:35:46 | 0:35:49 | |
"It looked like a horse. | 0:35:49 | 0:35:51 | |
"It was galloping
silently away from him | 0:35:51 | 0:35:54 | |
"across the black surface
of the lake." | 0:35:54 | 0:35:57 | |
As the last few objects arrive
from museums across Britain... | 0:36:04 | 0:36:08 | |
..they're being joined by works
that are rather more recent. | 0:36:09 | 0:36:13 | |
These date from the 1990s. | 0:36:13 | 0:36:16 | |
I chose them all because
they had particular meaning to me. | 0:36:18 | 0:36:23 | |
They're all pieces of writing | 0:36:23 | 0:36:25 | |
or doodles that
I could particularly remember. | 0:36:25 | 0:36:29 | |
And they come from very different
stages in the process. | 0:36:29 | 0:36:32 | |
So some of it's on my very old
manual typewriter. | 0:36:32 | 0:36:35 | |
Lots of hand-written stuff. | 0:36:35 | 0:36:37 | |
They just show what I was thinking. | 0:36:37 | 0:36:39 | |
This is a sketch of Hogwarts that
JK Rowling sent to her publishers, | 0:36:42 | 0:36:48 | |
Bloomsbury, and it maps out
all the key elements of Hogwarts | 0:36:48 | 0:36:54 | |
and she's given notes, as well. | 0:36:54 | 0:36:57 | |
My favourite bit about this one is | 0:36:57 | 0:36:59 | |
where she's drawn the squid
that lives in the lake. | 0:36:59 | 0:37:02 | |
So this is one of mine. | 0:37:06 | 0:37:08 | |
So I don't feel quite so reverent
about this one. | 0:37:08 | 0:37:10 | |
Professor Sprout is the herbologist. | 0:37:16 | 0:37:19 | |
Very lovable character. | 0:37:19 | 0:37:21 | |
I would say she's the most maternal,
actually, or parental, | 0:37:21 | 0:37:24 | |
of the four Heads of House
at Hogwarts. | 0:37:24 | 0:37:28 | |
So I drew this picture
on December 30th, 1990. | 0:37:29 | 0:37:34 | |
And I can be very precise
about when I drew this picture | 0:37:35 | 0:37:38 | |
because I was staying
at a friend's house, | 0:37:38 | 0:37:41 | |
I'd been writing Potter
for six months | 0:37:41 | 0:37:44 | |
and I stayed up when everyone else
had gone to bed | 0:37:44 | 0:37:47 | |
because I was watching the movie
The Man Who Would Be King. | 0:37:47 | 0:37:51 | |
And the reason I can be
incredibly precise about | 0:37:51 | 0:37:54 | |
when I drew this is because... | 0:37:54 | 0:37:56 | |
at some point... | 0:37:56 | 0:37:58 | |
during the time I was watching that
movie and drawing this picture, | 0:37:58 | 0:38:01 | |
my mother died 250 miles away | 0:38:01 | 0:38:04 | |
and I got the phone call
the next day | 0:38:04 | 0:38:07 | |
to say that she had died. | 0:38:07 | 0:38:09 | |
So this obviously means
a great deal to me, this picture. | 0:38:11 | 0:38:14 | |
But there was something quite
extraordinary that I only realised | 0:38:16 | 0:38:19 | |
about 20 years later, so it seems
very appropriate to say it now | 0:38:19 | 0:38:22 | |
in the context of this exhibition. | 0:38:22 | 0:38:24 | |
The Man Who Would Be King,
for those who don't know, | 0:38:26 | 0:38:28 | |
is a story with Sean Connery
and Michael Caine in it | 0:38:28 | 0:38:32 | |
and it's from
an old Rudyard Kipling story. | 0:38:32 | 0:38:35 | |
And the Masonic symbol is
very important in that movie. | 0:38:35 | 0:38:39 | |
And it was literally 20 years later | 0:38:39 | 0:38:41 | |
that I looked at the sign
of the Deathly Hallows | 0:38:41 | 0:38:45 | |
and realised how similar they were. | 0:38:45 | 0:38:48 | |
The Deathly Hallows is comprised
of the Elder Wand, | 0:38:49 | 0:38:53 | |
the Cloak of Invisibility
and the Resurrection Stone. | 0:38:53 | 0:38:57 | |
And whoever possesses all three
is said to be Master of Death. | 0:38:58 | 0:39:02 | |
When I saw the movie again
and saw the Masonic symbol, | 0:39:04 | 0:39:06 | |
I sort of went cold all over
and I thought... | 0:39:06 | 0:39:09 | |
..is that why the Hallows symbol
is what it is? | 0:39:11 | 0:39:13 | |
And I've got a feeling that,
on some deep subconscious level, | 0:39:13 | 0:39:17 | |
they are connected. | 0:39:17 | 0:39:19 | |
So I feel as though I sort of
worked my way back over 20 years | 0:39:19 | 0:39:24 | |
to that night because the Potter
series is hugely about loss... | 0:39:24 | 0:39:29 | |
And I've said this before,
if my mother hadn't died, | 0:39:30 | 0:39:33 | |
I think the stories would be utterly
different and not what they are. | 0:39:33 | 0:39:37 | |
Um... So, yeah. | 0:39:37 | 0:39:39 | |
So, this picture is very meaningful
to me | 0:39:39 | 0:39:43 | |
on a lot of different levels. | 0:39:43 | 0:39:46 | |
"Harry was so close
to the mirror now | 0:39:53 | 0:39:56 | |
"that his nose was nearly touching
that of his reflection. | 0:39:56 | 0:40:00 | |
"'Mum?' he whispered. | 0:40:00 | 0:40:02 | |
"'Dad?' | 0:40:05 | 0:40:06 | |
"They just looked at him... | 0:40:08 | 0:40:10 | |
"..smiling... | 0:40:10 | 0:40:12 | |
"..and slowly Harry looked
into the faces | 0:40:12 | 0:40:15 | |
"of the other people in the mirror | 0:40:15 | 0:40:17 | |
"and saw other pairs of green eyes
like his, | 0:40:17 | 0:40:20 | |
"other noses like his, | 0:40:20 | 0:40:22 | |
"even a little old man who looked as
though he had Harry's knobbly knees. | 0:40:22 | 0:40:26 | |
"Harry was looking at his family
for the first time in his life." | 0:40:28 | 0:40:34 | |
I meet people quite regularly
who tell me | 0:40:42 | 0:40:45 | |
what Potter meant to them | 0:40:45 | 0:40:47 | |
and I can only say that even they
have no idea what it meant to me. | 0:40:47 | 0:40:51 | |
So I wrote Potter during what I hope
will turn out to have been | 0:40:52 | 0:40:56 | |
the most turbulent period of my life | 0:40:56 | 0:40:58 | |
and I put a huge amount,
more than people will ever know, | 0:40:58 | 0:41:01 | |
of my own life and experiences
into those books | 0:41:01 | 0:41:05 | |
and it's not that
lots of people liked it, | 0:41:05 | 0:41:09 | |
it's the fact that it meant
that much to a few people even | 0:41:09 | 0:41:13 | |
is more than enough for a writer.
It's an amazing feeling. | 0:41:13 | 0:41:16 | |
"Hermione, however,
clapped her hand to her forehead. | 0:41:28 | 0:41:31 | |
"'Harry, I think I've just
understood something. | 0:41:31 | 0:41:34 | |
"'I've got to go to the library.' | 0:41:34 | 0:41:36 | |
"And she sprinted away
up the stairs. | 0:41:36 | 0:41:38 | |
"'What does she understand?'
said Harry, distractedly, | 0:41:45 | 0:41:48 | |
"still looking around trying to tell
where the voice had come from. | 0:41:48 | 0:41:51 | |
"'Loads more than I do,'
said Ron, shaking his head. | 0:41:53 | 0:41:56 | |
"'But why's she got to go
to the library?' | 0:41:56 | 0:41:58 | |
"'Because that's what Hermione
does,' said Ron, shrugging. | 0:42:01 | 0:42:05 | |
"'When in doubt,
go to the library.'" | 0:42:05 | 0:42:08 |