The "Harry Potter" fandom was shaken to its core last week when it was announced that American wizards have an entirely different term for the word "muggle." "No-maj" (pronounced no-madge) is the word that American wizards use to describe someone with non-magical abilities and will be used throughout the forthcoming film "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," which stars Academy Award-winning actor Eddie Redmayne. The actor weighed in on the debate of "muggle" vs. "no-maj" while promoting his newest film, "The Danish Girl."
"They haven't changed the word 'muggle,'" he said, according to Hypable. "This is the important thing, the word 'muggle' has not been changed, the word 'muggle' still exists. It's just different nationalities. The word 'muggle' will definitely be in 'Fantastic Beasts,' I can put it that way."
The new phrase was coined by "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling herself. The author, who wrote the screenplay for "Fantastic Beasts," created the new phrase to show the different wizarding cultures.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is an extension of the "Harry Potter" world and takes place in New York City in the 1920s, as HNGN previously reported. The screenplay was based on Rowling's 2001 encyclopedia of magical creatures from the wizarding world. The film will center on Newt Scamander, a famous Magizoologist.
The word "muggle" is one of the most well-known phrases from the "Harry Potter" series and was even added to the Oxford English dictionary in 2003. According to the official definition, a muggle is "a person who is not conversant with a particular activity or skill."
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" will be released in theaters on Nov. 18, 2016.
