Hocus pocus, here’s our focus on magic and money, to mark the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Hocus pocus, here’s our focus on magic and money, to mark the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
🧙♂️Wizards and pay
Centuries ago, wizards like John Dee, advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, were rich and powerful. Today, the pay isn’t great. In 2021 Ian Brackenbury Channell received $16,000 (about £8,400) a year to carry out ‘acts of wizardry’ for the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. That’s less than a quarter of the UK’s average salary.
🎩 Wizards vs magicians
Magicians perform magic for entertainment, but, unlike wizards, they don’t claim to have supernatural powers. The world’s most successful magician, David Copperfield, loved Broadway shows and Hollywood stars as a kid, and found a way to work these elements into his hit shows.
💵 Wizards and inherited wealth
In 2021, the Screen Rant site took a guess at the wealthiest characters in the Harry Potter books. It placed alchemist Nicolas Flamel first, since he can make unlimited amounts of gold, followed by Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy and finally Harry, whose fortunes came from inheritances.
🥇Wizards and gold
In Harry Potter, the philosopher’s stone can turn metal into gold. That’s a trick that many ancient would-be wizards, or alchemists, tried. Today, nuclear scientists can turn small amounts of other materials into gold, using things such as nuclear reactors. However, the process costs a lot and only makes a tiny bit of gold.
🔬Wizards and science
We all know that the spells in Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts aren’t possible. However, ancient wizards or alchemists actually helped develop scientific techniques that we now use today.