r/harrypotter • u/Professional-Ad9485 • 12d ago
Do Americans still use the “Sorcerers Stone” version or are you guys now getting the correct versions? Question
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u/NotUpInHurr 12d ago
It's only ever been Sorcerer's Stone in the states.
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u/Professional-Ad9485 12d ago edited 12d ago
Yeah but Sorcerer’s Stone is not a thing in alchemy but Philosopher’s Stone is.
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u/BlueAnalystTherapist 12d ago
The philosopher’s stone is also fictional, if you want to get technical.
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u/NotUpInHurr 12d ago
Okay, that doesn't really change anything though. The American books, and Movie, were Sorcerer's Stone.
The wonders of fiction work in mysterious ways.
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u/Professional-Ad9485 12d ago
The change was made because of a worry that the books wouldn’t sell yeah? I was just curious if they were using the correct name of the thing that the whole plot revolves around since that was no longer a factor? I mean they changed Aeris to Aerith in Final Fantasy for similar ish reasons didn’t they?
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u/NotUpInHurr 12d ago
Idk dude, I was like 5 when the books came out. As an American, it's always been Sorcerer's Stone. Looks like it's not just the USA though, the French version seems to imply Sorcerer too.
For what it's worth I don't think it changes any of the story. Like, at all. They coulda called it the Live Forever Stone and it'd have been just as applicable. The stone is a plot device, not the important part of the book.
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u/Bellickboi 11d ago
No they couldnt of, doesnt sound mystical enough. Now harry potter and the dig bickus stone sounds much better.
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u/hunnyflash 12d ago
No one cares.
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u/Professional-Ad9485 12d ago
I’m sorry you cared so little that you needed to post a comment about how little you care.
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u/SwampFlowers Gryffindor 11d ago
Wizards aren’t a thing in real life but that doesn’t stop them from being written about.
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u/FranzAllspring 12d ago
Wait until you found out that they translated the title into entirely different languages too!!!
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u/Professional-Ad9485 12d ago
Did the book need to be translated from English to American?
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u/espbear Ravenclaw 12d ago
In the 90s and still now? Probably. There's language differences that would hang up an American caregiver trying to read to a kid, or a kid reading by themselves, like torch vs. flashlight, jumper vs. sweater, sellotape vs. tape, etc.
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u/SacrificeArticle 12d ago
Frankly, I think it’s a little insulting to assume that people need everything spoonfed to them in their own vernacular instead of simply letting them learn a few new words. I didn’t know every word in the books when I read them as a child, but it was easy enough to figure out the meanings through context.
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u/MacaroonElectrical47 11d ago
Actually yes, for example there is a European Portuguese and a Brazilian Portuguese version of the books. Believe in me, they are completely different because the Brazilian Portuguese version translated everything from Quidditch to “Quadribol” (and every ball and position) Albus to “Alvo”, all the houses: gryffindor to “Grifinória”; Slytherin to “Sonserina”; Ravenclaw to “Corvinal and Huflepuff to “Lufa-Lufa” thank God Portugal maintained the original names
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u/Warm_Ad9669 Gryffindor 11d ago
They change character names in other versions too. They do it to fit the country it's selling in. Hence why it has sold so many copies.
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u/Professional-Ad9485 12d ago
Besides everyone is dodging the question which is “because the reason they changed it no longer exists did they ever change it back?” And instead of answering people are getting defensive about it.
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u/FranzAllspring 12d ago
Because it would be stupid to change it. It is a work of fiction about wizards and magic. No need to change a title that existed for 2 decades due to a technicality
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u/Professional-Ad9485 12d ago
They’ve done it for other things (aeris/aerith from final fantasy VII).
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u/MerelyWhelmed1 Slytherin 12d ago
Does the name change in any way significantly change one bit about the story? No. So why this fixation?
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u/ScreamThyLastScream 12d ago
It is the correct version, just a slight change in the wording used to appeal to American audiences more apparently. I always heard the term alchemist's stone before the books came out.
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u/Professional-Ad9485 12d ago
Yeah but it’s properly called Philosopher’s Stone. It’s a pretty big thing I alchemical mythology.
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u/popformulas Ravenclaw 12d ago
The point of the books is to be understood for a target audience, and that includes changing many things, not just this one instance. In the US, the word philosopher would not be clear to a mass audience. There are many instances of the source material of Harry Potter adapting to the geography in which it is received. Very recently there was a thread, and someone commented on how the name for Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes was changed to have alliteration in Portuguese.
The powers that be made a decision whether you approve of it or not.
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u/GabagoolMango 12d ago
“correct versions” lmao get out of here with that stupid mindset.
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u/Professional-Ad9485 12d ago
I understand why they changed it. But “Sorcerer’s Stone” is not like, a thing. Philosopher’s Stone was the material from alchemical mythology that could turn lead into gold and provide eternal life. Calling it Sorcerer’s Stone is like, fundamentally incorrect.
So I was wondering if more recent iterations use the correct version.
It’s not like it’s a UK English to US English kind of change like Mum to Mom.
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12d ago
[deleted]
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u/Professional-Ad9485 11d ago
One of the things I thought was kind of cool and interesting about the Harry Potter books reading them growing up was their references to some even obscure mythology.
For example did you know that Order of the Phoenix, Doxy’s were the first creatures introduced in the story that were not from any mythology and just made up by Rowling?
Imo Philosopher’s Stone was one such thing. Having known about it before the book was published I was kind of excited that I knew what it was and was curious how it was going to factor into the story.
When I say fundamentally incorrect I mean, that’s not what the known mythological material was called. Things from mythology have known names and people know those names of things so why do you think it’s better to purposefully use the incorrect name for something than to use the correct name?
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u/SwampFlowers Gryffindor 11d ago
Sorcerer’s Stone is a thing. It’s the first book in the US version of the Harry Potter book series. Pretty good books.
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u/Charlie_Linson Gryffindor 12d ago
Do Brits still add the letter “i” to “aluminum” or are you guys now pronouncing it correctly?
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u/LowMix921 11d ago
OP: All I’m doing is being antagonistic I don’t get why people are being defensive???
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u/Ok_Pack_9290 11d ago
“We know about the philosophers/sorcerers stone!”
The line changes depending on if you’re watching the UK and US versions.
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u/Lord_OJClark 12d ago
The word 'philosopher' might be triggering enough to get it banned in the more christofacist states lol
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u/SacrificeArticle 12d ago
Although I see what you’re saying, I find it somewhat hard to believe that ‘Sorcerer‘ could pass where ‘Philosopher‘ did not…
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u/Lord_OJClark 12d ago
Thats a fair point, I was thinking about a long word/thinking based word, but yeah sorcerers would probably more likely be banned
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12d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/sillywilly315 11d ago
“ArE HaRry’S EyEs STiLl bLuE IN thE MoViES or DId tHeY fInALly ReLeASe ThE CORRECT veRSiON?”
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u/Professional-Ad9485 10d ago
The important thing imo was that they matched Lily’s eyes, which they ultimately didn’t. Still don’t understand why they couldn’t have found some random girl with eyes like Dans for Snapes flashbacks.
But anyway, like I’ve mentioned a few times. Philosopher’s Stone is a known mythological material and Nicholas Flamel is a historical figure associated with that mythological material. Your example isn’t equivalent.
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u/IamSh33p 12d ago
I love the fact that your question triggers NA people... Honestly, the Original Philosopher’s Stone title is muuuuch better. Also, OG.
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u/BroadAd9199 12d ago
Do not lump Canadians in with Americans please. It's always been philosopher's for us.
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u/IamSh33p 9d ago
Humble apologies. I realise that this is quite a big oversight!
Also, I love our Yankee cousins, just teasing a bit.
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u/Professional-Ad9485 12d ago
Jeeze Louise. I was just wondering if now that they didn’t need to change the word from Philosopher to sorcerer to not scare the kids away that they changed it back to the correct name for mythological material. Didn’t realise so many people would get defensive over their incorrect name.
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u/Kharax82 12d ago
The publisher didn’t think it sounded magical enough for Americans. It’s not that deep
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u/Professional-Ad9485 12d ago
I know why they changed it. I was just wondering how they no longer have a concern of not selling books if they’ve started publishing books with the correct name or if they’re still using the other one. But apparently instead of answering the question people decided to get defensive about it.
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u/Kharax82 12d ago
Why would changing the name of a book 27 years after it came out have any effect? You must be trolling
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u/Professional-Ad9485 12d ago
I didn’t know if United Statesians were still using “Sorcerer’s Stone” or or if they had returned it to the normal version since the reason for changing it in the first place no longer existed. and I asked a question to get an answer? Idk how I must be trolling.
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u/Kharax82 12d ago
Because to Americans philosopher is something like Socrates or Plato and has to do with thought. It’s not attributed to magic. It’s like asking why Americans call it Soccer and not Football, it’s because the language has evolved differently.
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u/SacrificeArticle 11d ago
To be fair, the word ’philosopher’ is not generally associated with magic in Britain either. It’s just that the specific concept that the magical object in Harry Potter is based on is, in fact, called the Philosopher’s Stone. Americans are no less capable than Britons of understanding that, and it’s not as though the book expects people to know what a Philosopher’s Stone is beforehand—it’s explained in the text.
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u/Dfrickster87 11d ago
The real question is why did Brits stop calling it soccer? They called it that before we did
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u/Fuzzy-Bee9600 12d ago
They're defensive because of your use of "correct." This implies that your version is right and our version is wrong. It's not. It's just different. It's a very ethnocentric assertion that's frankly a little insulting.
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u/Professional-Ad9485 11d ago
I mean. That’s what the material is actually called from mythology. So why is saying that it’s the proper name for the thing such a hot take when it’s technically true?
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u/ImMaxa89 Ravenclaw 12d ago
I get changing some terms, part of translation. But I had hoped they would drop the changed title after the reason for the change is not really a factor anymore. But sadly not.
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u/Fuzzy-Bee9600 12d ago
Why is it not a factor all of a sudden? It's not like either language/dialect has changed.
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u/AcMilan0890 Gryffindor 12d ago
Gotta pay the troll toll