Friday, 21 September 2012

Ouidditch Fouls


Rowling writes that there are 700 Quidditch fouls listed in the Department of Magical Games and Sports records, but most of these fouls are not open to the public, owing to the Department's supposed fear the wizards/witches who read the list of fouls "might get ideas". It is claimed that all 700 occurred during the very first Quidditch World Cup. Apparently, most are now impossible to commit as there is a ban on using wands against an opponent (imposed in 1538). The most common of those fouls which are described are enumerated below.

  • Blagging: No player may seize any part of an opponent's broom to slow or hinder the player (Draco Malfoy commits this foul in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, thus preventing Harry from seizing the Snitch).
  • Blatching: No player may fly with the intent to collide. (Substitute Slytherin seeker Harper breaks this rule when he collides into Harry after insulting the latter's friend, and Gryffindor Keeper, Ronald Weasley. This occurs in the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.)
  • Blurting: No player may lock broom handles with the intent to steer an opponent off course. (Often occurs whilst playing Slytherin)
  • Bumphing: Beaters must not hit Bludgers towards spectators (although Harry jokingly orders one of his Beaters to send one at Zacharias Smith in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), or the Keeper, unless the Quaffle is within the scoring area (in the first film, however, Marcus Flint, a Chaser, commits this foul with a Beater's bat, and Madam Hooch refuses to penalise him for it).
  • Cobbing: Players must not make excessive use of their elbows against opponents. (Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Chaser, commits this foul against the Gryffindor Chaser, Angelina Johnson, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban).
  • Flacking: Keepers must not defend the posts from behind by punching Quaffles out of the hoops—goals must be defended from the front.
  • Haversacking: Chasers must not still be in contact with the Quaffle as it passes through a hoop (the Quaffle must be thrown through).
  • Quaffle-pocking: Chasers must not tamper with the Quaffle in any way.
  • Snitchnip: No player other than the Seeker may touch or catch the Golden Snitch.
  • Stooging: No more than one Chaser is allowed in the scoring area at any one time.

1 comment:

  1. Well done Callum! Ensure you have a read of this before next week. Have a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete