Skip to main content

harry potter - Is Azkaban the Only Prison in the Magic World?


The only prison that I can remember being mentioned in Harry Potter is Azkaban. Some simple research indicates one person was imprisoned for owning Sphinxes and Hagrid was sent there, apparently as a precautionary measure, after the re-opening of the Chamber of Secrets. This implies that even though living in Azkaban is a terrible ordeal, that it's possible to be sent there for smaller crimes.


Are there other prisons in the magical world, or is Azkaban the only one? And if there are, has JKR ever made any comments about why one would be sent to Azkaban as opposed to another prison?


Are there also prisons that might be more like a "minimum security" setup without dementors for lesser crimes?




Answer



No. We know at least of Nurmengard, where Gellert Grindelwald is imprisoned. Voldemort visits (that's probably an overly kind description) Grindelwald in his cell in search of the Elder Wand.


From the HP Lexicon:



A towering, "jet-black" wizarding prison built by Gellert Grindelwald to hold his enemies, Nurmengard is a forbidding place (DH18, DH23). Carved over the entrance is Grindelwald's grim mantra: "For the Greater Good" (DH18). And when Grindelwald was defeated by Albus Dumbledore in 1945, he himself was placed in the topmost cell of the tower, held captive for over fifty years (DH18, DH24) where he eventually began to show some remorse (DH35). Finally, in 1998, Voldemort sought Grindelwald out here, looking for information on the Elder Wand, and killed him (DH23).



HP Lexicon - Nurmengard


ETA: A cursory search doesn't turn up specific quotes from JKR re: why a prisoner would go to Azkaban as opposed to another wizarding prison, but I would wager that wizards and witches who commit an offense in the UK go to Azkaban. For example, Igor Karkaroff, a foreign-born Death Eater caught in the UK, did his time in Azkaban rather than Nurmengard.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...
Post a Comment
Read more

aliens - Interstellar Zoo story

I vaguely remember this story from my childhood: it was about an interstellar zoo that came to Earth with lots of bizarre and unusual species, and humans would file through and gape at all the crazy looking creatures from other planets. The twist came at the end when the perspective shifted to the other side of the bars and we discovered that the "creatures" were traveling through space on a kind of safari. They thought they were the visitors and we were the animals. Neither side knew that the other side thought they were the zoo creatures. Answer Got it. Zoo, by Edward D. Hoch. Published in 1958. Link to Publication History Link to PDF
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - Does Animagus transformation alter the level of intelligence?

I found this quote: No spell yet devised enables wizards to fly unaided in human form. Those few Animagi who transform into winged creatures may enjoy flight, but they are a rarity. The witch or wizard who finds him- or herself transfigured into a bat may take to the air, but, having a bat’s brain, they are sure to forget where they want to go the moment they take flight. Quidditch Through the Ages - Page 1 - Scholastic Edition at this place: https://scifi.stackexchange.com/a/7783/13716 Since it is from a reputable user I doubt the quote is wrong However, this raises the question, does changing into an animal also change one's level of intelligence into that animal? The way the Animagi in the books act in their animal form sort of indicates that they keep their human level intelligence (for example, Rita Skeeter, in terms of intelligence, should have been on the lowest end of the scale when transformed, but still she is able to find out information as a beetle, as well as remember...
Post a Comment
Read more