In Harry Potter, What is the Philosophers Stone?
The idea of a Philosopher’s Stone is a common one in European mythology. J.K. Rowling borrowed the idea of an alchemically created stone with magical properties for her popular Harry Potter series. In the Harry Potter books, there is only one Philosopher’s Stone, created by Nicolas Flamel in the 1400s. Flamel’s stone is able to transform objects into gold and produce an Elixir of Life which grants the drinker immortality. The magical item first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which was released under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States. Scholastic, the American publisher of the Harry Potter books, believed that American readers would not be as drawn to a book about a “Philosopher’s Stone.” This choice has been criticized, along with the Americanization of the Harry Potter books released in the United States: small changes were made in the language that characters used out of a fear that Americans would not understand it.
