The Complete Idiot's Guide to the World of Harry Potter (29 page)

“strange” or “stranger” in Russian, and Durman and Durme are cities in Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The name, then, might convey a sense of a strange city or strange place, rather than storm and stress, but either translation is possible.

Head of Durmstrang was, for a number of years, Professor Igor Karkaroff, a former Death Eater (that is, a follower of Lord Voldemort; see Chapter 1). Igor is a common name in Slavic countries, and stories such as
The Winter of Prince Igor
and
The Song of Igor’s Campaign
flourish in Russian literature. Karkaroff is a common Bulgarian surname.

Viktor Krum, an 18-year-old student at Durmstrang, is the school’s most well-known student. A world-renowned Quidditch Seeker, Krum’s athletic accomplishments make girls swoon. Viktor is a familiar Slavic name for boys and also means “victor”; appropriate for the best Seeker in the world. Krum’s last name is just as filled with promise: Krum was the name of a ninth century ruler (also called a khan or tsar) of Bulgaria who was among that country’s most influential leaders, expanding the borders of his country, nearly conquering Constantinople, and establishing a written rule of law. For a young Bulgarian hero to have the name Krum is like a young American hero being called Washington.

From roughly 1300 to 1900, the three largest wizarding schools in Europe came together every five years to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, a test of wizarding skills among three contestants—one from each school—who competed not only for a cash prize but also for personal and school glory. Each school rotated its turn as host, with the other two schools sending a small group of potential contestants to live at the school for that year. The contest—discontinued for more than 100 years after a number of students died—was recently revived and held at Hogwarts.

Choosing
three
schools for the competition is probably more about keeping the competition manageable than anything else. All three schools are roughly the same size, thus eliminating the complaints about large schools competing with smaller ones that plague many state-wide high-school sporting contests in the United States. And two contingents of guests from visiting schools is a manageable amount to house for nearly an entire school year. Had five, eight, or more schools been involved in a Pentawizard or Octowizard Tournament, the result may have been more chaotic. In addition, including three schools continues a long tradition in magical and fairy realms. The number three is (along with the number seven) one of two oft-used numbers in mythology and fairy tales: think of Goldilocks and her three bears, the three pigs, and three billy goats gruff, along with the many stories of three sons, the youngest of whom succeeds when his older siblings fail at a task.

Interschool competition exists throughout the nonwizarding community in Europe, including sports competitions (in soccer, cricket, and rugby) and academically oriented competitions like problem-solving, mathematics, science competition, web design, linguistics, and so on. Although these contests rarely last for an entire year, schoolchildren do travel from country to country to compete, much like some national-caliber U.S. high school teams travel several hundred miles to compete in high-level competitions.

In this part, you get to read the detailed backstory on how J.K. Rowling chose the names and functions of dozens of wizard herbs, potions, and spells. You also get detailed information on some of the special, high-level spells and tools that only a select few wizards will ever use.

Herbology is the study of plants and is taught at all good wizarding schools. Herbs have, in fact, been a key component of a healer’s toolbox for millennia, dating back beyond ancient Greece and Rome. Many of today’s Muggle pharmaceuticals still use herbs and plants as their base.

This chapter gives you an overview of the primary herbs and plants that exist in the wizarding world. First you’ll find out what we know about each plant or herb in the nonwizarding world, including its botanical name, characteristics, and medicinal uses (if any). That’s followed by a brief look at how each herb or plant is used in the wizarding world. For plants that exist only in the wizarding world, as is the case with those at the end of this chapter, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at why

Rowling may have chosen each particular plant’s name and characteristics. (Be sure to also check out Chapter 11 for in-depth information on magical potions.)

Witches have long been rumored to use herbs to make potions, and in Rowling’s wizarding world, herbs have that vital function. Many herbs, along with eyeballs, livers, and the like from a variety of creatures—plus the occasional magical stone—make up the essential elements of potions, which are used both to cast spells and to cure everything from acne to broken bones.

On the other hand, some herbs and plants are not used in potions but are interesting in and of themselves. Like Muggles, some wizards have a green thumb and simply like to surround themselves with interesting plants. And if you thought the Venus Flytrap was “interesting,” wait until you see some of the wizard plants in this chapter!

The plants and herbs in this section exist in the Muggle world—in fact, you could buy any of these plants and grow them in your garden. You may not have the wizarding skills to boil them up into potent potions, but you’d have the raw ingredients.

Aconite is from the
Aconitum
genus of the buttercup family, and is considered highly poisonous. Tiny amounts can slow down the heart and lungs for medical purposes, but larger amounts are toxic. It is also known by two other words: monkshood and wolfsbane.