Quidditch Through the Ages

Kennilworthy Whisp is the fictional author of Quidditch Through the Ages. His biography at the end of the book explains that he is an obsessive Quidditch fan and a prolific author on the topic. Whisp has authored other fictional books on Quidditch, such as He Flew Like A Madman, The Wonder of Wigtown Wanderers, and Beating the Bludgers.

Whisp’s writing style in Quidditch Through the Ages is largely objective and factual. He cites fictional historical sources such as letters, diary entries, manuscripts, laws, paintings, and tapestries to support his narration. However, Whisp sometimes reveals his own opinions, such as condemning the hunting of the Snidget bird. Whisp does not appear as a character in any of the Harry Potter books or movies, but he is mentioned in a footnote of the series’ companion book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Zacharias Mumps is mentioned in Quidditch Through the Ages as the author of the first known description of Quidditch. Writing in 1398, over 300 years after the invention of the game, Mumps described the game’s rules, players, and equipment. Mumps’s essay was an important primary source for Kennilworthy Whisp, and he uses it to provide the reader with insights into how Quidditch was played in its early history.

In addition to revealing the different responsibilities of the players and positions, Whisp also uses Mumps’s work to glean insights from overall Quidditch and wizarding culture. For instance, he refers to Mumps’s anecdote about a particularly violent Quidditch game in which the referee was killed and infers that Quidditch used to be much more dangerous: “Refereeing a Quidditch match was once a task only for the bravest witches and wizards. Zacharias Mumps tells us that a Norfolk referee called Cyprian Youdle died during a friendly match between local wizards in 1357” (57). Whisp portrays Mumps as an insightful commentator on the game of Quidditch and its best practices. He writes, “As Zacharias Mumps so rightly suggested six hundred years ago, Quidditch pitches are safest on deserted moors” (36).

Quintius Umfraville is the author of the 1620 fictional book The Noble Sport of Warlocks, in which he describes and illustrates the game of Quidditch and explains how it is played. This book is a minor source for Whisp’s Quidditch Through the Ages. This source helps Whisp explain how certain positions had changed between the 14th and the 17th centuries. He writes, “It is clear from this that in Mumps’ day, the Keepers performed like Chasers with extra responsibilities. […] By the time Quintius Umfraville wrote The Noble Sport of Warlocks in the 1620s, however, the Keeper’s job had been simplified” (49). Whisp also borrows Umfraville’s drawings to illustrate Quidditch’s old style of pitch and scoring baskets.

Goodwin Kneen was a 12th-century English wizard who lived in Yorkshire. Kneen’s letter to his Norwegian cousin Olaf is an important source on early Quidditch, as it is the second known written source about the sport. In his letter, Kneen tells his cousin that he and his wife Gunhilda enjoyed a game of “Kwidditch” recently. In describing their victory, Kneen reveals that early Quidditch had positions called catchers instead of Chasers and were pursued by “Blooders” rather than Bludgers. In this early version of the game, there was no Snitch.