Skip to main content

harry potter - Why isn't a riding broom a Muggle Artifact?



In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Mr. Weasley says that carpets are "defined as a Muggle Artefact by the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects," and as such were illegal in Britain. Why don't brooms fall into the same category?



Answer



It has to do with the history of broomsticks. In the days before the International Statue of Wizarding Secrecy, witches and wizards still kept to themselves, simply because they knew that Muggles would try to exploit them as well as coming to them for solutions to all their problems. As a result, the wizards and witches "hid" their magical items, including their means of flight.


The reason for using brooms is given in Quidditch Through the Ages:



"If [wizards and witches] were to keep a means of flight in their houses, it would necessarily be something discreet, something easy to hide. The broomstick was ideal for this purpose; it required no explanation, no excuse if found by Muggles, it was easily portable and inexpensive."

Quidditch through the Ages - Kennilworthy Whisp - page 2



As this was all before the International Statue of Wizarding Secrecy, there was no such thing as a Muggle Artefact (the whole point of restricting the enchantment of certain objects was to prevent them from falling into Muggle hands and letting out the secret or from harming the Muggle) and therefore brooms couldn't be illegal in this way.


By the time the International Statue of Secrecy did come about, brooms had been around for around 600 years, and there was no way that the Ministry was going to try to control them, especially because Quidditch was so popular:




"The popularity of the game was increasing rapidly, for the Council found it necessary to amend the ban [on playing Quidditch around Muggle settlements] in 1368, making it illegal to play within a hundred miles of a town."

Quidditch through the Ages - Kennilworthy Whisp - page 16



However, the flying carpet having originated in the East, it wasn't nearly as popular at the time, and so wasn't granted this special exception.


For more on the history of brooms and Quidditch, see Quidditch Through the Ages.


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 - How could Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra?

I want to be very careful about how I ask this question – I am not asking How did Voldemort die? [CLOSED] Below the text is the relevant passages from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows if anyone wants to review them (I'm sorry for the amount of text). How did Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra and kill Voldemort? I feel the reason Harry's Expelliarmus overpowered Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse has to do with who was master of the Elder Wand and how the Elder Wand works. I've always had trouble understanding fully how the Elder Wand works, though. How much did the fact that Voldemort never truly won or mastered the Elder Wand factor into how Expelliarmus reacted to Avada Kedavra and caused Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Voldemort? An answer based in book canon would be especially welcome, but any canon source really is fine. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he, too, yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: ‘ Avada Kedavra !’ ‘ Expelliarmus !...
Post a Comment
Read more

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...
Post a Comment
Read more