Moving Up to More Challenging Hexes, Jinxes, and Spells
As I’ve mentioned, there is virtually no difference between a hex and a jinx; both tend to produce painful results and are not considered “nice” in the wizarding world. Jinxes, however, are often used defensively, either to deflect a spell or to incapacitate a dangerous wizard. Hexes are almost always used offensively, and one can work to gain proficiency in deflecting hexes.
A spell can be of the benign, charm-like variety or may be as deadly as a curse.
Spell
is the default term that is used synonymously with charm, hex, jinx, and curse.
Anapneo!
This incantation saves a person from choking; it’s the wizard equivalent of the Heimlich Maneuver. It is derived from the Greek
apapneo
(breathe), from which we get the English word apnea, which is a temporary suspension of breathing. (Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person stops breathing for a few seconds several times during the night.)
Aparecium!
From the Latin
aperio,
meaning to show or discover, this incantation forces invisible ink to become visible.
Avis!
From the Latin
avis,
meaning bird, this incantation makes birds shoot out of the end of a wand.
Bat-Bogey Hex
This hex is great to use on an opponent, because it covers his or her face with large, flapping bats that presumably were formed from the person’s bogies. This hex may also be known as the Curse of the Bogies, a curse that is mentioned but not defined in Rowling’s novels.
KING’S ENGLISH
A bogey in the United States is a frightening object; for example, a bogey-man (often spelled "boogie man”) is the monster that hides under the bed or in the closet. But in the UK, bogey generally has one meaning: booger.
Probably derived from the Latin
colligo
(connect) and
portus
(harbor or haven), this spell seals a door together with a loud squish, the way a boot sounds in mud. The spell, therefore, creates an airtight seal.
Densaugeo!
From the Latin
dens,
meaning tooth, and
augeo,
meaning increase, this incantation causes teeth to grow at any alarming rate.
Diffindo!
From the Latin
diffindo,
meaning split, this spell causes something to split or break—another person’s pants, a bookbag, and so on.
Ennervate!
This incantation has an interesting history in Rowling’s novels. It is used to revive someone who has fainted, been knocked out, or been Stunned, yet the definition of “enervate” is to
weaken
someone’s vitality, not to strengthen it, which means that the incantation is a word that means the opposite of the incantation’s outcome. So, Rowling renamed this incantation
Rennervate!
(“unweaken”), which matches the purpose of the spell much more closely.
Episkey!
(Healing Spell)
From the Greek
episkeyazo,
meaning to recondition or repair, this Healing Spell restores an injured wizard back to health.
Evanesco!
(Vanishing Spell)
From the Latin
evanesco,
meaning disappear, this spell makes an object vanish. The larger and more complex the object, the more difficult the spell is to perform. Making the broccoli on your plate vanish doesn’t take much skill; disappearing a house takes a substantial amount of wizarding power.
Ferula!
A
ferule
is a spanking paddle, and
Ferula communis
is the botanical name for giant fennel, which has huge stalks that are strong and wide. We can assume, then, that Rowling was referring to a splint of some kind when using the incantation
Ferula!,
because this spell splints and bandages up a break or sprain.
Finite Incantatem!
Finite
means “end,” and
Incantatem!
refers to incantations; thus, this spell stops all spells. This is what you say when your wizard children have been playing in the backyard all morning, hexing and jinxing each other, and you’ve had enough.
Flagrate!
From the Latin
flagro,
meaning blaze or flame, this incantation affixes a large, flaming "X” on an object, making it easy to find and recognize in the future.
Incendio!
From the word
incendiary
, meaning highly flammable, this incantation creates fire.
Langlock!
Likely derived from the English words
language
and
lock
, this incantation glues the tongue to the roof of the mouth, rendering the person unable to speak (and, thus, language is locked).
Leberacorpus!
This incantation undoes
Levicorpus!
(see the following entry), bringing a body back down to the ground. It’s likely derived from the Latin
liber
(free or unimpede) and
corpus
(body).
Levicorpus!
From the Latin
levis,
meaning light, and
corpus,
meaning body, this incantation levitates a body. Different from
Wingardium Leviosa!
(the Levitating Charm) because it’s lifting a human being, and none too carefully. Differentiate this spell also from the
Mobilcorpus!
curse, in which a person is being controlled like a puppet, while dangling above the ground.
Mobiliarbus!
Wizards with a green thumb can make great use of this incantation, which moves a tree from one place to another. The incantation is derived from the Latin
mobilis,
meaning movable, and
arbor,
meaning tree.
Oppugno!
From the Latin
oppugno,
meaning assault or attack, this none-too-friendly charm provokes something (birds, for example) to attack another wizard. The effect isn’t deadly or even injury-inducing, but it is annoying and perhaps even frightening. This could be the incantation for the Bat-Bogey Hex, but the two are never connected in the
Harry Potter
novels.
Portus!
From the Latin
porta,
meaning gate or entrance and
portus
, meaning harbor, haven, or port, this spell creates a Portkey, which is a transportation device (see Chapter 5).
Serpensortia!
From the Latin
serpens,
meaning serpent and
ortus/orior
(to have appeared on the scene)
,
this incantation causes a snake to shoot out of the end of a wand.
Specialis Revelio!
(Scarpin’s Revelaspell)
This spell identifies the ingredients of a potion, allowing one to sniff out poisons, truth serum, love potions, and other dangerous concoctions. The spell also allows a wizard to detect unique ingredients in potions, thus copying them. (See Chapter 11 for more on potions.) The incantation is derived from the English words
special
and
reveal
. Using it on something other than a potion can sometimes reveal some history or secret of that object.
Stupefy!
(Stunning Spell)
Stupefy!
is an extremely effective spell when in a fight, because it temporarily disables your attacker, producing roughly the same effect as using a stun gun. From
stupor,
which comes from the Latin
stupeo,
meaning stunned or numbed, this spell is colloquially referred to in the wizarding world as a Stunner.
Tarantallegra!
This spell causes one to tap dance frantically. The incantation is a combination of the
tarantella,
a fast-moving Italian dance, and the Italian word
allegro,
meaning fast or high-spirited.
TOURIST TIP
Visit the city of Taranto, in southern Italy, where the tarantella originated and is still practiced in some weddings and even in town festivals. This couples’ dance begins slowly, and then changes direction each time the music, played on a mandolin, speeds up. Before long, keeping up is nearly impossible. Legend has it that the tarantella began in the Middle Ages to help sweat out the effects of a tarantula bite, which was thought to be poisonous (it usually isn’t).
Although no curse should be considered “minor,” compared to the Unforgivable Curses (which allow for stealing a person’s identity, torturing a person, or killing a person), even the dangerous curses in this section may seem benign.
Furnunculus!
(Furnunculus Curse)
In what probably fits in the category of “vocabulary you didn’t ever need to know,”
carbuncle
is the medical term for a pimple, and a
furuncle
is a boil. Thus, this curse causes huge boils to spring up on the victim.
Impedimentia!
(Impediment Curse)
This curse (also called a jinx) slows down, obstructs, and even stops attackers, making it extremely useful when dueling or battling. If you’re running away and can throw an Impediment Curse over your shoulder, you’ll gain the advantage. It’s derived from the Latin
impedimentum,
meaning hindrance or impediment.
Incarcerous!
From
incarcerate
(to imprison), this incantation places ropes around a person’s arms and legs, temporarily securing the prisoner.
Locomotor Mortis!
(Leg-Locker Curse)
The English verb
locomote
means to move under your own power.
Mortis
is Latin for death. “Death to moving under your own power” is a great way to describe what happens with the Leg-Locker Curse, which locks a person’s legs together, bunny-hop style, and renders him partially paralyzed.
Mobilcorpus!
From the Latin
mobilis,
meaning movable and changeable, and
corpus,
meaning body, this incantation makes a person or object as malleable as a puppet, able to be moved and controlled for a period of time.
Morsmordre!
From the Latin
mors
(death) and the French
mordre
(to bite), this frightening incantation causes Lord Voldemort’s Dark Mark (an intertwining skull and snake, in glowing green) to hover in the sky. Lord Voldemort’s goal is to defeat death and achieve immortality; hence, “to bite death.”
Reducto!
(Reductor Curse)
From the Latin
reductus,
meaning receding deeply, this curse reduces items to a fraction of their original size. Don’t want to go around that park bench on your walk? Use the Reductor Curse! Tired of hitting your head on that low-hanging beam? Blast it out of sight! This curse also works as an antidote to the Engorgement Curse.
Sectumsempra!
From the Latin
sectum
(cut) and
sempra
(always), this ghastly incantation is used in battle to cover one’s enemy in deep cuts. This is a serious, powerful curse that can cause great damage.
MAGIC TALE
The U.S. Marine Corps has a Latin motto that would do a wizard proud:
Semper Fidelis
(often shortened to
Semper Fi
), and both terms are used in Rowling’s spells. (
Semper
means always;
Fidelis
means faithful.) The British Royal Marines also boast a Latin motto:
Per Mare Per Terram
(by sea, by land), but no wizard spells contain those Latin words.
This curse may exist only in the minds of braggart wizards, but if it
is
real, it can kill someone. That it exists is unlikely, because it would clearly be included among the Unforgivable Curses.
The origin of
Transmogrifian
is not entirely clear, although
mogrify
is a computer programming term for transforming an image. And, of course, Calvin (of the famed
Calvin and Hobbes
comic strip) had a Transmogrifier machine.
Steering Clear of the Three Unforgivable Curses
Aptly named, these curses are unforgivable. Using any of them on another person will, if caught, lead to a life sentence in Azkaban prison (see Chapter 15). They’re listed here in order of their impact on the victim.
Imperio!
(Imperious Curse)
From the Latin
impero,
meaning command or rule over, this curse gives the curser total control over the victim. Whatever the wizard who is in command orders of the other person, the person under the Imperius Curse must obediently perform.
Those with very strong personalities can fight off this curse, and when doing so, the actions and speech of the victim will be jerky and hesitant until the curse can be thrown off completely.
Crucio!
(Cruciatus Curse)
From the Latin
crucio,
meaning torture, this curse causes unbelievable agony for the victim. There’s no need for thumbscrews in the wizarding world; one jolt of this curse and the victim will jerk, shudder, and twitch from unbelievable pain. People have gone insane from this curse. Like any torture, it can get people to talk if a truth potion (see Chapter 11) isn’t close at hand.
Avada Kedavra!
(Killing Curse)
In the wizarding world, no one has to use guns or bombs to kill someone; instead, this curse does the job. Because the curse can be performed only by powerful wizards and requires a strong presence of magic, there is no blocking it. And there’s no countercurse, either. Only one person (Harry Potter) has ever survived it.
The incantation is a play on
abracadabra,
the age-old incantation for any spell desired, and on
cadaver
, meaning corpse.