Quidditch Through the Ages

“If they 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.”

By describing how European wizards and witches developed the flying broom as an everyday vehicle, the author develops her theme of Protecting the Wizarding World. This detail helps the reader imagine the everyday life and necessities of an average medieval wizard.

“By the twelfth century, however, wizards had learned to barter services, so that a skilled maker of brooms could exchange them for the potions his neighbour might make better than himself. Once broomsticks became more comfortable, they were flown for pleasure rather than merely used as a means of getting from point A to point B.”

This passage explains how brooms became a comfortable and reliable form of transportation. These details help the reader understand how witches and wizards came to invent broom sports, such as Quidditch, and add to the book’s theme on The History and Evolution of Wizarding Society.

“The famous painting Günther der Gewalttätige ist der Gewinner (‘Gunther the Violent is the Winner’), dated 1105, shows the ancient German game of Stichstock. A twenty-foot-high pole was topped with an inflated dragon bladder. One player on a broomstick had the job of protecting this bladder.”

The specificity and detail of the author’s fictional sources deepen the realism and believability of her wizarding world. This interesting description of an early broom-based game suggests that, like humans, wizarding inventions and activities also slowly evolve over the generations, an element of The History and Evolution of Wizarding Society.

“Creaothceann players each wore a cauldron strapped to the head. At the sound of the horn or drum, up to a hundred charmed rocks and boulders that had been hovering a hundred feet above the ground began to fall towards the earth. The Creaothceann players zoomed around trying to catch as many rocks as possible in their cauldrons.”

This passage describes a dangerous Scottish broom game that is banned in the modern wizarding world. This quotation shows how early broom games were intentionally dangerous to increase the excitement and prestige of the game, unlike Quidditch, which has become safer and more regulated over the centuries.

“Ended up watching those numbskulls playing their game on the marsh. That big Scottish warlock from up the hill was there. Now they’ve got two big heavy rocks flying around trying to knock them all off their brooms.”

Gertie Keddle’s diary entry reveals details about the first Quidditch games ever played. Her grumpy demeanor adds humor to the passage, and her specific descriptions allow the reader to envision how medieval witches and wizards developed the Bludger balls and the position of Beater.

“Here we see how far the game has progressed in a century. Goodwin’s wife was to have played ‘Catcher’—probably the old term for Chaser. The ‘Blooder’ (undoubtedly Bludger) that hit Radulf the blacksmith should have been fended off by Ugga, who was obviously playing Beater, as he was carrying a club. The goals are no longer trees, but barrels on stilts. One crucial element in the game was still missing, however: the Golden Snitch.”

Rowling’s commentary on the evolution of the game shows that it was far from an instant invention. This passage adds to the theme of The History and Evolution of Wizarding Society by showing that generations of wizards added their own inventions and rules to Quidditch to shape it into the game it is today.

“Chief Bragge’s idea had forever changed the nature of Quidditch. Golden Snidgets were soon being released during all Quidditch games, one player on each team (the Hunter) having the sole task of catching it. When the bird was killed, the game was over, and the Hunter’s team was awarded an extra one hundred and fifty points, in memory of the one hundred and fifty Galleons promised by Chief Bragge.”

This surprising passage adds depth to the book’s exploration of The History and Evolution of Wizarding Society. By discussing the role of the Snidget bird in Quidditch games, the author shows how different the game once was and demonstrates how the wizarding world’s attitude to wildlife has changed dramatically over the centuries, which lends authenticity and realism to this fictional history.

“The invention of the Golden Snitch is credited to the wizard Bowman Wright of Godric’s Hollow. While Quidditch teams all over the country tried to find bird substitutes for the Snidget, Wright, who was a skilled metal-charmer, set himself to the task of creating a ball that mimicked the behaviour and flight patterns of the Snidget.”

This quotation reveals how wizards made the change from using a live Snidget bird to a golden metal ball. By discussing the behavior of the Snitch, the author helps the reader understand the connection between the metal Snitch and its bird predecessor.

“As every school-age wizard knows, the fact that we fly on broomsticks is probably our worst-kept secret. No Muggle illustration of a witch is complete without a broom, and however ludicrous these drawings are (for none of the broomsticks depicted by Muggles could stay up in the air for a moment), they remind us that we were careless for too many centuries to be surprised that broomsticks and magic are inextricably linked in the Muggle mind.”

This passage reveals that witches and wizards were often not discreet enough about their magic, which explains why Muggles have a certain concept of wizardry. This quotation adds to the book’s theme of Protecting the Wizarding World as it shows how wizards sought to overcome their “careless” habits and keep their magical abilities hidden from Muggles.

“Nowadays Quidditch teams do not play locally, but travel to pitches which have been set up by the Department of Magical Games and Sports where adequate anti-Muggle security is maintained.”

The author’s explanation of modern Quidditch adds detail to her theme of Protecting the Wizarding World, as she shows how modern wizards have developed more reliable ways to keep Muggles from detecting their magic.

“Alone of the four Quidditch balls, the Quaffle was not originally enchanted, but merely a patched leather ball, often with a strap (see Fig. E), as it had to be caught and thrown one-handed. Some old Quaffles have finger holes. With the discovery of Gripping Charms in 1875, however, straps and finger holes have become unnecessary, as the Chaser is able to keep a one-handed hold on the charmed leather without such aids.”

This description provides the reader with deeper knowledge about the equipment Quidditch players use and how magic influences their gameplay. This passage adds to the book’s theme on The History and Evolution of Wizarding Society as it shows how wizards continually applied their inventiveness both to their physical surroundings and to their knowledge of spells and enchantments.

“Lead was eventually discovered to be too soft for the purpose of Bludger manufacture (any indentation left on a Bludger will affect its ability to fly straight). Nowadays all Bludgers are made of iron. They are ten inches in diameter. Bludgers are bewitched to chase players indiscriminately.”

These facts are a valuable addition to the author’s description of Quidditch, and they add realism to her discussion of game equipment and rules. These details help the reader understand every aspect of this magical game, making them more invested in the sport and the world of Harry Potter.

“Chaser is the oldest position in Quidditch, for the game once consisted wholly of goalscoring. The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and score ten points for every time they get it through one of the goal hoops. The only significant change in Chasing came about in 1884, one year after the substitution of goal hoops for goal baskets. A new rule was introduced which stated that only the Chaser carrying the Quaffle could enter the scoring area. If more than one Chaser entered, the goal would be disallowed.”

By describing Quidditch’s changing rules and positions, the author adds to her theme on The History and Evolution of Wizarding Society. This passage helps the reader understand how and why the position of Chaser changed over the many centuries of Quidditch play.

“Rules are of course ‘made to be broken’. Seven hundred Quidditch fouls are listed in the Department of Magical Games and Sports records, and all of them are known to have occurred during the final of the first ever World Cup in 1473.”

This amusing passage suggests that Quidditch has become safer and more predictable since the first World Cup in the 15th century. By discussing rules and fouls, the author reminds the reader that Quidditch has always been an organized game with a keen sense of fairness built into the rules, but as in any sport, there has always been rule-breaking.

“While there have been no proven referee slayings since, there have been several incidences of broom-tampering over the centuries, the most dangerous being the transformation of the referee’s broom into a Portkey, so that he or she is whisked away from the match halfway through and turns up months later in the Sahara Desert. The Department of Magical Games and Sports has issued strict guidelines on the security measures relating to players’ brooms and these incidents are now, thankfully, extremely rare.”

The author’s discussion about violence toward referees suggests that Quidditch and society in general were more violent in the Middle Ages. This point adds to her theme on The History and Evolution of Wizarding Society, as it demonstrates how wizard culture has become gentler and more law-abiding in recent centuries.

“The Holyhead Harpies is a very old Welsh club (founded 1203) unique among Quidditch teams around the world because it has only ever hired witches. Harpy robes are dark green with a golden talon upon the chest.”

This passage reveals that local Quidditch culture can vary between communities. While most Quidditch teams hire males and females, The Holyhead Harpies is a female-only team.

“Founded in 1163, Puddlemere United is the oldest team in the League. Puddlemere has twenty-two League wins and two European Cup triumphs to its credit.”

Puddlemere United, which has the distinction of being Albus Dumbledore’s favorite team, was founded only a century after the invention of the game itself. This passage shows that the evolution of the sport included the invention of new teams and clubs.

“We know that Norway was an early convert to the game (could Goodwin Kneen’s cousin Olaf have introduced the game there?) because of the verse written by the poet Ingolfr the Iambic in the early 1400s:

Oh, the thrill of the chase as I soar through the air

With the Snitch up ahead and the wind in my hair

As I draw ever closer, the crowd gives a shout

But then comes a Bludger and I am knocked out.”

In this funny passage, the author provides the reader with yet another fictional primary source, inviting them to imagine the wizarding society in the 15th century. This quotation adds substance to the author’s conversation on the spread of Quidditch while also adding humor to the narrative.

“The broomstick was probably introduced to the African continent by European wizards and witches traveling there in search of information on alchemy and astronomy, subjects in which African wizards have always been particularly skilled. Though not yet as widely played as in Europe, Quidditch is becoming increasingly popular throughout the African continent. Uganda in particular is emerging as a keen Quidditch-playing nation.”

This quotation adds to the theme of The History and Evolution of Wizarding Society as the author suggests that European witches and wizards traveled around the world for scholarly reasons. By mentioning African Quidditch teams, the author confirms that Quidditch is truly an international sport in the modern wizarding world.

“The United States has not produced as many world-class Quidditch teams as other nations because the game has had to compete with the American broom game Quodpot. A variant of Quidditch, Quodpot was invented by the eighteenth-century wizard Abraham Peasegood, who had brought a Quaffle with him from the old country and intended to recruit a Quidditch team.”

The author adds interest and realism by explaining that while Quidditch is popular, it is not totally universal. Other countries, such as the US, prefer broom games that are more familiar to them, such as Quodpot.

“Quidditch has never achieved great popularity in the East, as the flying broomstick is a rarity in countries where the carpet is still the preferred mode of travel.”

In this passage, the author draws on magical legends from the East to describe how witches and wizards in most of Asia use carpets, not brooms, for travel. This makes Quidditch a more foreign concept to them, and they have not formed famous Quidditch teams. This passage reveals the cultural diversity of the wizarding world and intrigues the reader, who might wonder about the other games and sports of Asian magical cultures.

“The breakthrough occurred in 1926, when the brothers Bob, Bill, and Barnaby Ollerton started the Cleansweep Broom Company. Their first model, the Cleansweep One, was produced in numbers never seen before and marketed as a racing broom specifically designed for sporting use.”

Much like the Muggle world, the wizarding world developed better travel technology in the last few centuries. This passage brings the reader up to the present day, revealing how British broom companies developed the wizards’ first racing brooms specifically for sports.

“Transylvanian Tackle: First seen at the World Cup of 1473, this is a fake punch aimed at the nose. As long as contact is not made, the move is not illegal, though it is difficult to pull off when both parties are on speeding broomsticks.”

This special move is one of many that have been cleverly developed by professional Quidditch players. By describing the game’s many styles and moves, the author depicts it as a dynamic sport played by bold and inventive witches and wizards.