Albus Dumbledore, a renowned wizard, is known for his invention of numerous magical spells and devices, including the Deluminator. This device, first introduced in the same chapter as Dumbledore himself, is used to trap the light of any lamp or candle and return it when prompted. Dumbledore is considered one of the greatest wizards of the age, with many established characters researching spell development independently.
Dumbledore also created hundreds of various wards and protection spells throughout Hogwarts, including the Deluminator device. When the Inferi guarding the Horcrux attacked them, Dumbledore used this spell (with the Elder Wand) to drive them back into the water and protect Harry and himself until they were saved.
Despite the speculation that Dumbledore would teach Harry amazing defensive spells, Professor Marshbanks confirmed that there is no known mention of specific spells. Instead, Dumbledore teaches Harry what he needs to know about magic.
Dumbledore also conjured protective spells around Gaunt’s Ring, Slytherin’s Locket, and even created a talking diary. He also created the Death Eaters sign and a powerful silver shield to deflect Voldemort’s silver shield when casting the Deluminator spell.
Dumbledore is also known for creating unique magical spells and devices, such as the Patronus method for communication. His forceful spell, which reveals the number of times one’s soul has been split and detached, is a testament to his knowledge of almost every spell used in the franchise, especially those taught to Hogwarts students.
📹 How Spells Are Created – Harry Potter Theory
In this video, we’re presenting our theory on how spells are actually created in the HP universe. There is not much information out …
Who invented Avada Kedavra?
The Killing Curse, created in the early Middle Ages by Dark witches and wizards, was used to quickly slay opponents during duels. In 1707, the Wizards’ Council was restructured into the Ministry of Magic, allowing for stricter restrictions on certain types of magic. The three Unforgivable Curses were classified as Unforgivable in 1717, with a life sentence in Azkaban. From then until the First Wizarding War, only the darkest wizards used the Unforgivable Curses.
During the First Wizarding War, Bartemius Crouch Senior legalized the use of the Curses against those suspected of being Death Eaters. The most infamous event surrounding the Killing Curse occurred on 31 October 1981, when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named vanished after murdering Lily and James Potter and attempting to use the Curse on Harry Potter in Godric’s Hollow.
Did Dumbledore make spells?
In the Harry Potter series, the Deluminator, introduced by Albert Dumbledore, is a notable magical spell that traps and returns light to lamps or candles. It also has other secret functions, such as helping Ron return to his true place in the Deathly Hallows. Lord Voldemort, another wizard, likely invented many spells, including the Horcrux protections and the Emerald Potion. However, the Unsupported Flight spell, exclusive to Voldemort in the books, shocked the Order of the Phoenix members.
Severus Snape, a skilled wizard, was known for his love for spells. After losing his best friend, Lily Evans, Snape took on the name Half-Blood Prince and documented his magical inventions in his Potions textbook. The most notorious spell was Sectumsempra, which Harry unwittingly used on Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, demonstrating his downward spiral into the Dark Arts. Inventing spells seemed to be a right of passage for the most skilled wizards in the series.
Was Dumbledore a pureblood?
Dumbledore is a half-blood, born to a mother who is a member of the magical community, despite both parents being pure-blood.
Could Dumbledore do wandless magic?
Wandless magic is a unique form of wizardry that can be achieved through determination and skill. It is exemplified by Albus Dumbledore, who has mastered it on multiple occasions, such as changing banners in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, saving Harry from falling during a Quidditch match, extinguishing candles and lights, and summoning objects to his hand. Tom Riddle, later Lord Voldemort, also performs wandless magic, such as knocking Harry to the ground by waving his hand.
Hermione, another wizard, also demonstrates wandless magic, particularly in The Half-Blood Prince, where she cast the Confundus Charm under her breath to prevent Cormac McLaggen from joining the Gryffindor team. Other wizards known to have used wandless magic include Gellert Grindelwald, Queenie Goldstein, Alastor Moody, Barty Crouch Jr., Severus Snape, Filius Flitwick, Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin, and Quirinus Quirrell. These examples demonstrate that wandless magic can be achieved if a wizard is determined and skilled enough. It reminds the audience that the true power lies within the wizard, not just their wand.
What did Dumbledore create?
In 1970, Lord Voldemort began his rise to power, leading the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organization of witches and wizards who risk their lives to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Dumbledore, the only wizard Voldemort was truly afraid of, was the perfect leader of the organization. Later, Sybill Trelawney, the great-great granddaughter of Seer Cassandra Trelawney, applied to become the new professor of Divination at Hogwarts. Dumbledore initially dismissed her as a Seer, but later fell into a trance and made a prophecy about the birth of the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord.
This astonished Dumbledore, but the Death Eater Severus Snape had overheard most of the prophecy but was caught spying and ejected from the tavern by Dumbledore. Dumbledore hired Trelawney to protect her from the Death Eaters.
Albus Dumbledore passed away in 1981, at age 100, during the trial of Igor Karkaroff.
What magical device did Dumbledore invent?
Dumbledore’s Deluminator, also referred to as a Put-Outer, was a magical apparatus that possessed the capacity to remove, store, and subsequently return light sources. The device was employed to conceal Harry Potter’s delivery by magical motorbike, thereby preventing any prying neighbors from witnessing the event. Additionally, the device proved advantageous to Ron Weasley when he was separated from his companions, as it enabled him to regulate illumination and preclude any potential glimpses.
Is Dumbledore a pure blood wizard?
Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was an English half-blood wizard who served as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Transfiguration Professor, and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was also the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Born in Azkaban to Percival and Kendra Dumbledore, he was the elder brother of Aberforth and Ariana. His early losses greatly impacted him, but they made him a better person.
Dumbledore initially struggled to act against Gellert Grindelwald due to their past blood pact, the Ministry’s surveillance, and his love for Grindelwald. However, after the tragic death of Leta Lestrange, Dumbledore became determined to contribute helpful advice to the resistance against Grindelwald. Initially, Grindelwald intended to use Aurelius Dumbledore, Grindelwald’s alleged Obscurial relative, as a weapon against him.
Who invented spells in Harry Potter?
Severus Snape, Langlock Muffliato, Charm Sectum, Dangling Jinx Liberacorpus, Toenail-growing hex, Gilderoy Lockhart, Holographic spell, Badeea Ali and Jacob’s sibling, Star Shower Spell, and Flipendo Maxima are known as spell inventors. The art of creating new spells was dangerous and complex, with only witches and wizards with great understanding and skill in magic known to invent them. The exact process beyond crafting the wand movement and incantation remains unknown, but it was a difficult and potentially fatal process.
Did Dumbledore have ancient magic?
Dumbledore, a talented wizard, was able to learn some ancient magic skills, despite not starting Hogwarts late. Ancient magic was a mysterious and powerful form of magic that had been forgotten by the late 19th century. Those who could perceive and wield it were considered to have a unique and rare ability. Ancient magic appeared in traces or “whispers” and could also access unique expressions of more ordinary magic, augmenting their spells with increased power and potency.
Three known inherent wielders of ancient magic began schooling at Hogwarts only in their fifth year, linking the ability with late-blooming. Xenophilius Lovegood believed that love was a great blessing bestowed upon the world by practitioners of ancient magic.
What was Dumbledore’s famous spell?
Dumbledore’s most frequently utilized spells were Apparition and Invisibility, which he employed for a multitude of purposes throughout his lifetime.
What spell did Dumbledore counter Avada Kedavra?
The Killing Curse is a spell that causes instantaneous death and is one of the three Unforgivable Curses. Its incantation is Avada Kedavra. The only known counter-spell is sacrificial protection, which uses love magic. The curse cannot be intercepted by another spell, except in Priori Incantatem situations where the caster and opponent’s wands and spells are locked together. An explosion or green fire may result if the spell hits something other than a living target.
Only two wizards have survived the curse: Harry Potter and Tom Riddle. Harry survived two direct attacks in 1981 and 1998, thanks to his mother’s self-sacrificing love and Voldemort’s blood protection. Voldemort was notorious for using the curse regularly and indiscriminately. The Killing Curse was invented during the early middle ages by Dark witches or wizards to quickly and efficiently kill opponents in duels.
📹 How Snape Made Sectumsempra and HOW Spells are Created – Harry Potter Theory
Hey everyone, Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, we’re going to be discussing Severus Snape …
I always pictured spell creation to be like computer programming. Spells actually only require intent. You picture what you want to do and try to accomplish it with great focus, determination, and magic talent. If you are lucky, you get the result you want. Once you have your “function.” Then, you name it something (the incantation) and attach the wand movement. Then, you make the magic in the environment remember the spell through either using it a bunch with the incantation and wand movement or through some other method. Others can now use the spell through the incantation and wand movement without having to duplicate your work.
In a recent content update of “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery” you get to create an original spell with one of your class mates. Basically makes it rain meteors (turns out to be pretty dam dangerous). Not much goes into making the spell, mainly just finding the right incantation. I don’t know if the game is canon but it’s interesting none the less.
I viewed it slightly different, that words themselves hold no real meaning towards the spell being cast. For example, Harry doesn’t know any Latin when he was younger, yet he could still preform spells that made glass disappear, cause his hair to grow, and shrink sweaters he didn’t like. To me, spells are more like shortcuts in the mind to draw out the effect. The Latin is just a holdover from their origins. Spellcraft to me goes more like this. You need two things to make a spell; Intention and Will. The intention of the spell is pretty straight forward, what do you want the spell to do? Using Lumos as an example, the intent is to create a ball of light. The next step is the Will part. You need to will the light into being, drawing upon the innate magic to force it to happen. Reciting the incantation is hard wiring the brain to associate the word and the required magical output needed to cause the effect to happen. It is a tool, much like a wand, to help focus the mind and call out the spell. It’s why wordless and wandless magic is so difficult, it’s unlearning this train of thought and allowing the Witch/Wizard to preform the spell on their own. As for wands, I saw it as a amplifier and focus. The magical core enhances the magic, the wood directs the magic, and the wizard supplies the power. Again, not needed but helps with learning magic and casting in a more precise manner.
Can’t work. If I remember correctly, Sectumsempra’s only hint was “For Enemies” in the half-blood prince’s book. So Harry had no clue what the intent of the spell was before he used it. And I’m fairly certain that Harry didn’t intend to slice and dice Draco. If this worked without intent or something, a bored wizard could just name out random latin word combinations and variations and write down whatever produced an effect since you don’t need to know what it does in order to use the spell. The entirety of spell creation is just a huge plothole probably answered with the lazy “It’s magic.” answer.
what makes the most sense to me is that a known word and an associated meaning is required for a spell so they choose a language that they won’t speak so that they don’t accidentally cast spells at random during conversation or while reading as a safety precaution. Though nearly every spell we see is clearly rooted in Latin there is that time that Ron tried getting Malfoy to vomit slugs that backfired on himself and the incantation he used was just “eat slugs”. Also, i think that spells like crucio, that require not just an intent but a certain frame of mind/personality to cast, should have been mentioned.
I’ve always believed that magic at its core is all about intentions. This is why young wizards can use it by accident, such as Harry’s hair growing overnight because he doesn’t want to be seen woth it cropped short. The wands and words are focusing agents, meant to make using magic easier. Most spells would be Latin-ish because that was the language that was available at the time they were made. But, the ones in other countries arent Latin-ish, but can have similar or identical effects. This would mean that if you focus hard enough. And associate a word with the effect you want, could shorten Avadakadavra to just the english word Kill or Die. But most wizards probably avoid using their native tongue to avoid accidentally causing spells to gonoff because they say the right word while feeling a low level of the intent. This is probably why the killing curse is so long, too. To keep it from being said hastily in anger. I mostly base this belief off of when Belatrix told Harry that to use the Cruciartus curse, “you have to mean it”.
Great article I have often plated around with spell creation when reading Harry potter before I was even old enough to learn that they came from the Latin language One of my favourites was Animalis Tranquillis which would be used to calm magical beasts for practical reasons such as vet care or training.
Given that language not only changes from place to place but over time, I don’t think the incantation really matters, I think the incantation is probably more like a mnemonic to focus your mind on the spell you want to cast and give it punctuation. After all, non verbal casting is a thing. I’d say it’s a matter of having an understanding of magic’s mechanics and having the creativity to come up with the solution which gives you the desired effect.
Well, we see a fair bit of wandless magic, as well as speechfree magic (where one does not really incantate the spell). Both usually done by the more powerful (or presumably powerful). And especially in one of the later books, we actually read that the ability to not utter the spell is a sophisticated proficiency as it prevents the opponents from knowing what you cast and thus casting the proper counterspell. This leads to the assumption that both wand and spell are not necessary to cast, but mere intent and knowledge about both spell, purpose and goal.
Please do a article on what determines a powerful wizard? Like, will the same spell cast by two wizards have exactly the same extent of effectiveNess? Or is it like mediclorians( I think that’s how one spells it) and the force in Star Wars. Some wizards can do it better because they have stronger magic? Or simply skill
In addition, I think that spoken incantation is an aid rather than a requirement. Same goes for wands. If you’re skilled enough you don’t require neither to do magic. Silent incantation might still be required, as in you’ll need to visualize the incantation in your mind. Also, I don’t think magic is hard-wired to any language, it’s just a matter of how you’re thaught to do magic. One thing I think you left out is visualization, you’ll need to visualize the effect of the spell to your “inner eye”.
My theory is that in creation of a spell all that matters is the intention. The books mentions nonverbal spellcasting and wandless spellcasting as well in case of powerfull wizards. That means to me, that the wand, the wand moves and the incantation are for intensification of the intention, for precise the willing of the spellcaster and to controle the magical energy. I mean that a powerfull and experienced wizard can use a spell without the incantation, just with his willing. For example the kitchen work or the cleaning don’t needs an incantation, it is enough to outthink wath you want and the broom will clean and the sponge will wash the dishes. The main thing is that the incantation just makes easier to cast the spell, but a spell can be casted without an incantation. Or, if that is not enough proof, then how the glass disappeared in the zoo, how Harry get to the roof of the muggle school and how Marge ended as a balloon? (In these situations the intention was intensified by powerfull emotions)
5:16 a portuguese spell with the same effect as “alohomora” was used in one of the fantastic beasts movie. “portaberto” being the two words porta aberto(a) being fused together, meaning literally door open or opened door (porta aberta) So i think different languages just use their own versions of spells with their own language to achieve the same result as the spells we know from the books/movies. It’s said names and words have power, so to create a spell you probably need to find the right words and have intent and practice which wand movements give the best results.
What if spells and incantations is used only to limit the atempt to the intent and wands to focus the effect to a speciffic place or object. Take a look at apparation training and how Harry escaped his bullies and made his hair grow before learning he’s a wizard. Wild effects and sometimes all over the place.
You should absolutely have considered Arithmancy. Try to look at numbers of “power” in the Harry Potter universe, sometimes the spells have specific syllables to produce significant power, sometimes the numbers are in terms of phonetical uttering and sometimes it is even all about the sound of the numbers. Example; Sectumsempra – Septem means seven in Latin, seven is also the most powerful magical number.
My spell would be aequalis and (your spell). It’s meant to give you more of a shot when you are facing a stronger opponent in a simultaneous duel (like when Harry Potter faces Voldemort in the final battle and “coloured lighting bolts” come out of both wands). What aequalis stands for is equal. So when you say for example aequalis expelliarmus sorry for spelling it equalises your spell with the opponents in a simultaneous duel. I also subbed
“Magic”, in the universe, is probably a kind of distributed consciousness that can converse with and act through certain people, creatures, and elements. As you say, intent is key, but the incantation is not something to be discovered but rather programmed so to speak. For instance, the inventor of Lumos probably didn’t just happen to find out that saying “Lumos” makes light, but by imagining a ball of light and repeatedly saying something that helped her visualize the goal, “magic” learned that that is what she meant, and thus will tend to respond the same way when others use the same incantation. The more it is used and the more often wizards get the results they expect, the deeper engrained the spell becomes. At the same time, “magic” knows there are different languages in the world and thus knows that the effect of “Lumos” is meant to be identical when certain other words are said. Perhaps even the magical output has something of an accent when a given version of an incantation is used, because that was how it was trained in a different cultural context. This theory aligns with the common use of Latin in most canon incantations, because the language was so commonly used at one point and forms the roots of so many modern languages as they’ve evolved, it makes sense that “Magic” would be trained particularly well in Latin given its history. There’s nothing inherent in Latin itself that makes it more likely to produce magic.
based on the rules for spell making you gave, i made 2 spells Dicio Umbra = control Shadows there might be a component necessary to animate the shadow so it can be controlled, so i avoided imperio as it only works (apparently) on already living things Dicio literally means sovereignty, control, Dominion, Power, authority, sway as the purpose of the spell is to control shadows and not alter their will, i think its the best root for the job as it implies in its meaning control of the object meaning it would simply act as you will it to not with one of its own. kind of like remote piloting. would likely need to be a chanted spell to keep the effects active. a second spell to animate a shadow and send it off to complete a specific task might be. Animadicio Umbra or umbradicio viventem without the ability to actually test these and figure out which actually works its hard to say. thoughts? lol
The logic of the article doesn’t completely check out. Sectum sempra is an example where the incantation can produce the spel without the intent of the caster. From Wingardium Leviosa we learn that even the way the spell is pronounced inflounces the succes of the spell. Personaly I think that some historic wizard or witch created a magical record that is weaved into magic or surounds every wand or witch and wizzard (specifics are not importand). The creator of the spell combines an incantation and wand movement as a sort of code to a spell effect. This works the creator of the spel makes a function like a coder would and than for the spell effect only the function has to be started. This for easyer casting for the creator and for less powerfull wizards. The level of understanding needed to cast spell would differ per spell, caused by the difficulty of the spell or how well the coding off the spell is made by the creator (sectum sempra would be very well made so only an incantion and the knowledge that it is made for enemies would be enough to cast the spell. Latin is used out of tradition I think. For the same reason it was used for the church, science and medicine. P.S. Englisch is not my first language so sorry for spelling errors.
I think that spell creation is a science itself, similar to broom making or wandlore. JK Rowling made sure that fans know how many branches of magic are not uncovered. There has to be some set of rules. In order to create a spell you have to know these rules and be able to follow them perfectly. Remember Luna’s mom. She was said to be powerful but all it took was one misguided attempt and poof – she’s gone. We can say literally nothing about these rules, safe for the fact that they exist, but I think that there have to be limits on what you can do and not do. If anything was possible, why not invent a spell that apparates people to a certain location. Why not summon a spell that tracks the people it is aimed at and doesn’t stop until it has killed all of the enemies of the caster. Imagine what Voldemort could have done to the population of Hogwarts with this thing. No one would be able to shield him- or herself from his magic for long.
Magic words are one of those things i’ve always disliked in fiction. They just make literally no sense at all. They just take latin, which used to be the most commonly spoken language of the ancient world and everyone spoke fluently, and say simple things like “light” to magically create light. WHY did latin have this magical power in the first place? Now I know the actual real world reason. It all comes from prayer. Since ancient times, people would beseech higher powers, be it gods or spirits or whatever native words they used to mean essentially gods or spirits, to beseech them for blessings and gifts. These things became ritualized into chanting or prayers or hymns which are still used in religious practice today where modern catholics chant what are basically spells many times over and over for a desired effect. But the idea behind this is that the power is always granted to you, a powerless mortal, by some entity that has the power in the first place: a god or a spirit. So is there some powerful magical entity that really likes latin who made magic actually happen when those words are uttered? This is what i’ve always thought was a sort of “missing link” in magical world building to justify the existence of magical words. That power has to come from somewhere. If it was purely internal power and you were the source without needing outside influence, you wouldn’t need magic words in the first place or everyone’s magic words would be different and unique to them. The idea that LATIN = MAGIC LANGUAGE HURR has always rubbed me the wrong way as just being lazy world building and lack of creativity.
As a native Spanish speaker I was always aware of the Latin influence over Harry Potter spells. It’s fairly obvious when you give it a bit of thought. All Romance languages are descended from Latin after all. Finite Incantatem literally means “Finish Incantation”. Always found it curious how most shows involving magic use Latin as their base.
Isn’t it possible, that the spell creating works like horclux creating? Let me clarify: With nearly all spell we know the creators name, and they are usually really well established magicians. And we know that too, – as you mentioned in the article – that creating powerful spells requires real dedication. For sure a powerful or useful spell will give the magician the “eternal life” in a sense of fame, but I think spell creating and horclux creating are similar because a different reason. I think, to create a spell we have to sacrifice a part of our magical ability instead of our soul. For a really powerful spell, you need to pay with excessively more mojo, than for a small handy one which does not alter too many things in the living world. That is why we always see that the powerful spells comes from very powerful magicians ; they can sacrifice the necessary mount of “magic-force”. As it is a way to gain back positive-life-force via remorse in this magician-world, I guess one can gain back its magical “pool” or mana, but I guess it is evenly hard. What do You think about that?
I think creating your own spell should be a lot more complicated than just saying the word of a native dialect. Because if you go back in time where certain societies spoke Latin as their first language. The Wizards of that time would be spitting magic every time they talked. I think part of creating a magical spell is to choose a set of words that is already extinct to it wouldn’t be triggered accidentally. The Latin speakers of the time would have used spells from dead languages of their time too. And with every generation, older spells from forgotten languages would have been lost completly. Though the act of creating a spell must be something really complex otherwise anyone can just create a spell if they understand Latin. I feel like there is a step of instructions that one can use to website and mould magic and bind it to a word, I believe only the most intelligent of wizards would have access to this and have the ability to pull this off, and I believe anyone with this knowledge would be part of the ministry as they were to publish their spells to keep on record. But for a child like Snape to be able to do so must have implied that snape would have been such a powerful and intelligent wizard as a child that would have made him a direct target for the ministry to employ. Creating spells in secret without the ministry having it on record is like being able to create your own home-made inventions/firearms and will be apprehended if caught. I believe the muggle equivalent in creating your own spell is creating your own voice activated weapon in your garage.
If I could create a spell it would be Dueling centric, and used defensively, its purpose would be to temporarily sever, or stop a Witch or Wizard from casting any magic. I could see it being very useful for Aurors and other such groups. I wish that Magic existed, if it did I would soo focus on repairing magics and healing magics, as well as defensive stuff.
When I used to be a dance teacher and drove my students around (young kids) I would convince them that by magic I could change the lights green. I would watch the lights on the side and put my hand out and said there see? They were like whoa. One of them who was smart was like hey why didn’t you do that earlier? I was like well it takes alot of stored up power to cast a powerful spell.
I like to think that magic build it’s way into a language. And the longer language has been used the longer the magic has a chance to adapt to it. Which is why I wizard use old languages like Latin. English could work but because English hasn’t existed quite as long as Latin Latin just works better when used with magic. So English might be more uncontrollable. So other countries that have used one language for centuries wouldn’t have a problem. So newer words made by one language wouldn’t have the same magical affect as older ones.
obviously 100% opinion etc etc. But, i think this is 100% wrong lol. The way it’s described here is like there is a finite amount of spells that are already out there, and they are linked to this language that was made up by humans…that makes no sense. Not to mention there are spells that don’t use latin + you don’t HAVE to say the incantation to use the spell, elves have their own branch of magic etc etc. Assuming magic wasn’t “created”, and it’s just something that’s in the world, it seems obvious to me that it would work like a muscle. At a certain skill level (like dumbledore let’s say) you can just “do magic”. Albus does this all the time (not saying any specific spell, just causing something to happen. Exactly what he wants to happen). So, if you take that skill, and purposefully connect it to a phrase/movement, we have a spell. The fact that other wizards can “tap into” that creation, I would point to the apparent “hivemind” that wands seem to have. (like how they switch primary users when you disarm. Other wands know when primary users change etc.) It would seem ridiculous to me to say that magic would care what words you decide to use. The fact that the words describe what the spell does is purely for the learning process/easier memorization etc.
I doubt the words in spells matter. It likely helps the wizard in concentration, but there are instances where a wizard is seen casting a spell or even magic not commonly used with no incantation. I believe incantations just help you really feel out the spell, but it’s not required, which is why experienced wizards can perform Magic without incantation. I think the same is with wand movement though it’s probably partially up to personal preference and how the person feels the spell should be projected from their wand
so for this im going to borrow from the movie merlin ( dont remember which one) i guess we should start with ‘what magic is”, magic is the extreme focus of will to manipulate matter into doing something. wands, wands are used to enhance/magnify/focus ones enate magical ability. which is why new wizards use a wand to learn. it focuses their magic so they can learn to control it so as a wizard gets “stronger” (i.e.) has more control over their magic, then they are able to move on from using a wand to using their hand then to just concentrating. what this means is, to cast a spell you have to focus on what you want to happen, how it is to happen, so saying the words in latin, in an age that does not use latin, focuses the mind intently on what you are trying to have happen. then throw in a specific wand movement and youre focusing even more. now you are a budding wizard and want to create a spell, so obviously you first need to know “what is my spell going to do”, ok got that? now you need to focus, focus, you have a wand? use that to focus even more, feel like yelling at your spell add some words that coerce the result.. and it happens. now think about that, the first wizard who was trying to light his wand up was probably yelling at his wand “i dixit lux” which later got standardized to luminos or whatever it is and poof spell created, now you have to standardize it so that other wizards can learn it, the government is going to say aye or nay to different things about it and rip it apart and glue pieces back together
The spells are like words in Romain.Anyway…. Latin is old Romain… So yea… Oculus Reparo – Ochelari Reparați Lumos – Lumină Confundo – Confuz Bombarda – Bombardat Ventus – Vânt If you don’t know what means well…(If you eant to know some spells in english read this….) Ochelari Reparați – Repaired Glasses Lumină – Light Bombarda – (IDK how to explain is like boom) Vânt – Wind And ther are lots of similar spells. Only I was too lazy to write more 👁️👄👁️
Hmm.. verbal spells inherently require targets to “hear” or feel the vibration of sounds in order to be affected by spells. Nvb, non verbal spells would then be focal thought patterns of specific sounds and intents necessary only for the caster. Its really a level of physics all its own, should a mind but walk that path, which also explains why wizards are always confused by mechanical devices which do what words do, but in a different, non sonic/intention-anyone can use it kinda way. Wizards cant see the intent of machines because they arent vocalized.
How about the spell that summons the pure essence of ‘Murica, releasing red, white, and blue jets of energy that burn on contact, fires missiles, tank shells, gun bullets, fireworks and fire, also “Merica F yeah” plays the whole time the spell is being used. The incantation is “AMERICA FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!”
Words are just names for things. You dont need to know latin to know that avada kedavra is the killing curse and thats all you really need to know because words just represent things. The spells are latin because the UK seems to have been influenced by Roman magical teachings that were brought to the isles. Maybe Roman teachings brought along wand use and thats why everyone adopted it.
Nitpick: Requiring the caster to have perfect, exact intent of effect for the spell they cast is actually disproven in the books and movies. Specifically, in the Half-Blood Prince, Harry did not know that Sectumsempra would make Malfoy go splat; if he did, me might well not have used it on him. That’s one example of knowing the incantation, but not the effect, so that makes it a wee bit less… rigid.
I don’t think incantation is location dependent, because in Fantastic Beasts, the setting changes to America, Germany, and Butan(?) and can still use Latin incantations just fine. That’s why I think it’s either racially dependent, or there’s a set amount of ancient languages that from different parts of the world that work. So if you spoke English, spell casting incantation would be harder for you to figure out, Romance languages would be similar to Latin and it would be easier for you to reach a derived incantation from the modernized language you currently speak, while places like China probably have easier incantations because their modern language is closer to the ancient language, likely similar with Native American languages, they probably have their own incantations that work
Very nice articles, I started perusal star wars theory many years ago and now also like hp theory, so I respect you guys. But this does not explain how can harry use sectus sempra. Did he have knowledge about what it does? I did not read the books yet sorry. But this always bugs me, how does the world know that there is a spell, I don’t mean the people I mean the world. I know it’s fiction but still would be nice if it was explained xd. The force is just that, no incantations, focusing your desired effect. Dr. Strange magic is great it really looks like programming the space surrounding you.
Spells are Memes: Wizards can create an action in their minds (intent) and make it happen just by thinking. This is very hard. To make it easier to re-use the same action they give it a name, like a saving it to a file on a computer (their brain). This name is an incantation and/or a wand/hand-movement (this also explains wordless casting). Then when trying to teach it to another wizard, they perform the incantation and movement and demonstrate the action. The pupil then learns by imitation, adopting the same trigger as a by-product. Voila, a meme. You could have two entirely different spells doing the exact same thing but nobody bothers because why re-invent the wheel? Also it is very hard to do something new, like walking in the dark without knowing where you want to go exactly. But if somebody already told them where they have to go and laid out a path then that’s easier.
I am not Harry Potter fan, but i had read the books many years ago, on elementry school. When I think about it, it could be similar to force powers in Star Wars – you must create your own set of skills and powers, and word (potter) or some movements (star wars) are not needed. In harry potter universe, it would mean, that in order to master sectumsempra, you do not need to know the word itself, but the emotions, intent, and stuff like that considering the spell – you want to inflict pain and damage. Stronger feelings you put into it (and experience in magic), the stronger the will be. Spells we see in movies and books are just spells which is easiest way to perform desired effect – you have unlimited number of spells how to kill someone, but avada kedavra is the most convenient way to do it, with words,,avada kedavra” being just convention, standartized way of doing it. This would also explain casting spells without words.
If I were to create a spell, it’d be a spell that traps someone in their own mind, and forces them to face their subconsciousness, whether it be traumatic experiences or mental blocks. The spell would be named in the likes of “Interio Animo.” Interio – interior (inside), and animo – mind. It may also be able to create a medium in which those who are skilled in legilimency can enter one’s subconciousness and more effectively observe their mind. It may very well be a way to help Neville Longbottom’s parents, with an incantation like this.
My theory is that only gifted people with certain desires to drive them can create spells, while the rest ist purely luck or accidents. Let us take Snape as an example: He is gifted in potions and a highly ambitious student with a vivid interest in the dark arts. He is in love with his childhood friend (Lily), but there are these bullies who make his life… less pleasurable (The Marauders). Snape has everything a persons need to create an offensive spell such as Sectrumsempra. He wants to hurt somebody (the marauders that bully him) and he is a driven individual with a high interest in more lethal magic. He is also quite intelligent (the youngest Potion Master in Britain, or maybe worldwide) and can hold grudges forever, even if the target of his negative emotion is already dead.
My spell would be Sanavae Vadum or Sanavae Mihivadum It would be used to eliminate sadness or anxeity over trivial things. Seeing a sadness and anxiety are nesasary for healing/health or survival I would only want the spell to free the target from negative thoughts that don’t benefit them in anyway. While still preserving important sad feelings. The wand or hand movement would sharp rapid downward flick kinda like when you are cutting some thing .
If we use the logic of the expecto patronum incantation, we can theorise that magic is dependent of the caster’s mindset, intention, and mental strength. This theory can also be backed due to the reliance of complete strength in one’s focus in animagus magic and disapparition. This could mean that spells are directly linked to a specific intention. Wand movements could just be a medium of expressing that intention. An organically rounded direction in a floating spell, wingardium leviosa. A movement that emulates the direction of a key’s movement as it unlocks doors, alohomora. This is also not completely dependent on, as expecto patronum is seen in the movie, as having differing effort in wand movement. Harry’s spellcasting is more fast and strong, while Luna Lovegood’s casting of the spell is more gentle. It could be very subjective to one’s preference in expression. This could also go the same for incantations.
Think of it this way. You might know many spells that require just a point and incantate that you could produce without your wands help but because many also include wand movements, you’d of course want your pointing and gesturing aid just in case you need one of those spells. In a quick moment too fast to fetch a wand like on the quidditch pitch yeah you’d know a spell you can use but when you have time to get prepared to use magic, why not always use your magic focusing aid? Creating new spells are hard.. you might have the right words but not know if you need a wand pattern gesture or what it could possibly be. Like how long did it take and how many gestures did it take to figure out that a very specific swish and flick motion is what would complete the deal to make something float the way they wanted? Because literally nothing happens when you get that one part wrong so do they just have a department of people repeating the same spell over and over with different wand movements or something? or how would you figure that part out if not pure luck?
Making spells command is like making programming language. Even computer programming language have many variety, so magic spell shouldn’t be limited to only Latin. Simply said you could use English to make modern spells. As the root of magic in Potter world goes many thousand years back, naturally english haven’t existed yet thus most of the spell in present time were using old languages and haven’t change since then.
I wonder if actually the intent is the only really important thing. What if spells aren’t actually really needed at all? Look at any witch or wizard who causes changes to occur, like glass to disappear in a zoo without any utterance. It could be that the utterance is used just like the wand – to focus your intent and magic. It may be that the patronus charm works the way it does because that’s the accepted phrase for it. Maybe if the patronus charm had been given the incantation “expel dementor,” it would do the same thing – thinking also of “eat slugs” being a curse. Based on this, I think the more powerful magic is even harder to create as creating and keeping that focus at that level is incredibly difficult
I think that someone that creates a spell can probably cast it without an incantation although with an incantation it may be more powerful. I can’t exactly think in which order it may happen but I think that in the creation of a spell, the wizard must have the intention to do exactly what the spell is intended to do, like avada kedavra, you have to have actual intent to kill or it won’t work. Once you figure out your intent you have to train yourself to cast magic with the purpose of the spell to prevent unintended events from happening. And then you give it a name, an incantion, preferably with a language that isn’t used in common speech, so you and your own brain can create a connection to that spell, to that specific intent, almost like you are labeling spells. So basically, you have to cast magic with an intent of doing something to actually cast a spell because if you just cast magic without an intent then something random will happen. Once you have that sorted out, you give it a name, a label so you can establish a stronger connection in your brain to that specific spell making it happen faster and having a stronger effect. For example, if you think about it, Levi Corpus and Wingardium Leviosa are two spells with really similar effects but they are meant for different purposes and ultimately the incantations are what separate these two spells. Imagine Snape one day trying to lift up someone in a combat situation with a spell that he was taught in school to lift up FEATHERS.
They probably use Latin because helps keep you focused and it’s close to English and one word means multiple things so they shorten it up so students can learn their feelings as shown in the first movie Harry makes glass disappear out of emotion without knowing any spell. Magic comes from the person itself you can see that with other wizards. The wand and words help wizard control their spells.
makes me wonder if there are entire schools of magic in harry potter that don’t use latin for incantations. Like druidic wizards who speak old celtic, chinese wizards who speak archaic chinese, weird thule society muggleborn wizards who speak old germanic, west african wizards using bantu based incantations and native american wizards using an old version of their native tongue. Or if there are entire traditions of wizards that use hand gestures (or entire bodily movements/dances) instead of wands to cast spells.
Considering that wandless spells are also nonverbal maybe the incantation is a command to the wand to shape magical fabric to produce result hence a wand purchase in china could not understand sectumsempra but would understand it’s chinese equivalent. Each wand has it’s “programming language” and while you know one you can use compatible wands.
I’m creating a hex that makes you sneeze all of your mucus out and most saliva. It’s incantation is “mucosternumenta” which directly translates in Latin to “mucus sneeze”. If done properly, after the hex hits it’s target, the target will take up to 5 seconds to clear up all congestion and then sneeze it out. If petrificus totalus is casted on the target before the target sneezes, the sneeze will get caught in the targets throat and they will choke to death.
Habea corpous, a counter curse to spell that’s intention by the user is to kill the target, and would be a counter curse to avadaekedava effectively. A jet of white smoke forming thousands of hands that push in the direction of the spell in an effort to protect the caster and requires a strong will to live to pull off sucessfully. the spell appon hitting the target would prevent them temporaily using magic.
Going along with this idea, If spell creation requires the idea of intent as well as the incantation, I wonder how it works when teaching the spell. Yes they learn about in classes but there were a few spells in the books that were just whipped out of nowhere, like sectumsempra, when harry just throws it at malfoy without having any idea what it’s supposed to do. I mean, in the case of snape, yes it would work for him, but as far as we know he never shared the spell with anyone, and harry just found it written down with no explanation of its effect, so wouldn’t it be like him just shouting latin based gibberish?
In a number of books that I have used in the distant past, the incantations/affirmations that appeared best were structured as so for instance the subject (in latin) of body “Corpus” and the verb/action “to heal” would be “ad sanandum” yielding the phrase “Corpus ad sanandum”. The reverse of this would be “ad sanandum corpus” The question would be which form sounds best and why? I tend to lead towards the second but is that more of an english perspective over say a German format? should the action be reduced to just “Heal”/Sana? is the verb implied as an action? Do some languages lend themselves better to “spells” than others? I have friends that feel that latin does.
this thought comes from reading dresden files. but I think it fits into harry potter too. Wands, words and posture or hand movements you use are all just tools. It all comes from your will, these tools are there to assist your concentration in shaping the magic or your will into the desired spell. i have been studying memory techniques recently and see similarities, using imaginary senses such as imagery, touch, taste etc to create an imaginary “image” of something that represents what you want to remember so to remember the word caber in Spanish (to fit), you represent it as a bear stuck in the door of a taxi cab. “car”, “bear”, “stuck, to fit, snug”. all these things when conjured in your mind reminds you of the pronunciation of the word and its meaning. the Latin root words, the hand movements and possible imagery and intent in the wizard will all shape the spell. this is supported by wandless and wordless magic being much harder and undertaken by more advanced wizards in the harry potter universe, as well as wizards capable of wandless and wordless magic tend to still use the “tools” in dire situations or spells that are unfamiliar or vastly more powerful and complicated to create.
I think you have the right idea I think everything you said is true but I also think that it incorporated to more ideas I think you have to have the right mental state of mind for example allow defensive spells are more of a protected nature so it seems like people the cast protective spells are more calm and happy determined protect people they care about and they’re very caring where is more aggressive spells I have people that are focused or aggressive in nature and dark spells I’m more twisted in evil in nature seems like more people with a darker nature in a more evil mindset have an easier time cast in those so it seems like you have to have the right emotional state As well so other than that it also seemed like the ones don’t have an effect but I think that the one can amplify the spell and that’s about it
Nice theory, me personally I would try to create a counter curse to Crucio as there’s sadly no counter curse, imagine a counter curse to relieve the pain caused by the Cruciatus curse. I would either try “finite crucio” (end crucio) or “Lenio/Leniens maxima” a pain reduction charm from what I looked up. My charm would be “finite crucio” my makeshift counter curse to crucio.
I always thought that people concentrated very much on what they wanted. What would enhance this, is to chant, or say what you want. Even pointing it out, like with a wand. But you would only be able to do a small thing at once, as doing more and more things would take more power, emotion, willpower, concentration, and more experience with the specific magics. A wand that concentrates the magic and points how and where you want the magic to apply. You can then teach others this thought process to share the knowledge of spells.
Well Alohomorah is a good example of a foreign spell used in latin speaking countries. It seems that spells are like languages : there are multiple ways to “speak a spell” and you can learn a foreign spell as long as you get the right pronunciation. But it seems that some spells work better in a specific language.
I always assumed the spells were more dependent on the casters intent and confident they’d work. The incantations and wand movements were just there to reinforce that. That’s why Hermoine was able to do the levitation charm perfectly in the first book. She was so confident that the spell would work with the incantations that it did. Same with Ron and the Eat Slugs
Colleges don’t train you to work in a field. Hogwarts doesn’t train you to be a powerful wizard. They give you the basics of what they believe a wizard to be. Through curriculum that increases in difficulty and understanding. The wand is a fundamental to them because of the symbolism. It’s an instrument and the basic way to harness magic. Used by Voldemort still as a way to mock yet reflect the way of the school. But Hogwarts is only there to fulfill the legacy of the magic users that came before. Not create a magic ruling class
In somewhat defence of your theory, there is a concept in Japanese called “kotodama” meaning “the power of words” that is the basis for why anime characters tend to give attacks names and why they shout out them out as they perform them, with the intent of making them more powerful. I would imagine kotodama is real phenomenon and other magical communities in the HP universe have similar beliefs or structures that aren’t as public knowledge to muggles as kotodama is in our world.
You know, once I made some of my own spells for my blog, and here are a few: -Verto Fluctus Fraxinus is a spell of transfiguration, and it is used as a wide range combat spell than can turn an army into dust… -Morsus Incisura is a spell that summons a powerful wind. -Invoco Mortem, a replacement for avada kedavra Adtonitus Mortem Acies kinda like bundles of lightning shot at you.
I actually think that you are attempting to explain to your wand the exact function you are attempting to form. Language is merely the expression of thoughts and ideas so the original languages were the most accurate way primitive humans believed they could make their utterances. As modern languages are often variations on these root-based thoughts/emotions it is in them that a caster can find the most basic ideas and concepts that it will try to use to instruct their wand. I believe that is why some of the most primitive and often least function spells come in long sentence form and are often used by children when they’re attempting to communicate with their new wand yet they won’t be anywhere close to the precision or effectiveness of even the most trivial of the more anciently worded spells they are later taught. For us with European languages this origin is mostly latin or sanscrit in origin but there are a boatload of different languages from similar times elsewhere like the Olmecs, East Asian or Indus valley civilizations and their languages
Here’s how I like to think spell creation works: magic is difficult and using it requires an extensive knowledge of how magic works and interacts with the natural world. You need to learn not only how to website magic, but how to command it to do every little thing; need a fire? Figure out how to use magic to create friction. Need to kill something? Figure out how to use magic to sever an major artery. Need to create something out of thin air? Figure out how to rearrange matter. Because it’s so infuriating, I think wizards who figure out the commands necessary to do certain things use a kind of magic similar to taboos to bind them to words. (any words will do really, I think they just use Latin because it’s a kind of traditional nomenclature like how we use it to name animals). Basically, you say the words with the intention to cast the spell, and the same magical websites that are used in taboos to detect the someone saying the specified word and report it to the caster are used to activate a series of set magical commands that carry out the intended function. It’s a bit like magical programming; you create a simple, short command that activates a complex series of previously made protocols, saving everyone time and effort. The real explanation is probably a little more nuanced than that and there’s probably a bit more concentration and artfulness necessary on the caster’s behalf, but I can see this explanation fitting into the lore of the wizarding world quite nicely.