Changes: Bezoar

Revision as of 03:26, 27 December 2014

"A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons."

— Snape lecturing in Harry Potter's first year Potion class.^[src]

A bezoar as every first year Potions student learns is a stonelike mass taken from the stomach of a goat that acts as an antidote to most poisons, but does not work on everything (such as Basilisk venom). This is the reason why bezoars are used in the preparation of the Antidote to Common Poisons. This object is usually made of hair, plant fibre, or similar indigestible matter that stays in the gut of an animal and forms a hard ball or "stone".

History

"Just shove a bezoar down their throats."

— A note by the Half-Blood Prince in his copy of Advanced Potion-Making^[src]

There is a small stock of bezoars in the Potions Classroom store cupboard, as well as at least two in the Hospital Wing. Severus Snape asks Harry Potter where to find a bezoar in Harry's first Potions class. Three years later, in a Potions exam, Harry forgets to add a bezoar to his potion, because he was thinking about asking Cho Chang to the Yule Ball. This earns him bottom marks.

BezoarPottemore — A bezoar on Pottermore.

As a student at Hogwarts, the Half-Blood Prince wrote "Just shove a bezoar down their throats." across the list of antidotes in his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. During his sixth-year class about antidotes, Harry, who was unable to understand Golpalott's Third Law, fetched a bezoar from the cupboard and showed it to Professor Horace Slughorn as the answer to the poison he was supposed to be analysing. This gained Harry Slughorn's admiration and ten points to Gryffindor for "sheer cheek."

In 1991, a Bezoar was seen on a desk in the Potions Classroom. In 1994, a bezoar was lying on the road into Hogwarts as the carriages entered. Later that year, there was another Bezoar on the floor in the Potions Classroom.

Known Users

Halfblood-02663 — Harry Potter shoving a bezoar down Ron Weasley's throat

On 1 March, 1997, Ron Weasley was poisoned when he drank some oak-matured mead that was intended for Professor Dumbledore. Harry, remembering the above mentioned incident in Potions class, quickly found the bezoar he had given Professor Slughorn and shoved it down Ron's throat, saving his life.

Etymology

Bezoars are undigested clumps of matter that accumulate inside a digestive system, similar to a cat's hairballs. They are used in Chinese herbology, and are claimed to remove toxins from the body. The word "bezoar" may come from the Persian pâdzahr (پادزهر), which literally means "protection from poison."

Appearances

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First mentioned)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (Mentioned only)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (First appearance) (GBC version only)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
Pottermore

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 |manufacturer=
 |made=In a goat's stomach
-|usage=Antidote for most poisons
+|usage=Antidote for most poisons and is an ingredient in several potions.
 |owners=*[[Horace Slughorn]]
 *[[Potions Club|Hogwarts Potions club]]
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 {{Quote|A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons.|Snape lecturing in Harry Potter's first year Potion class.|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone}}
-As every [[First year]] [[Potions (class)|Potions]] student learns, a '''bezoar''' is a stonelike mass taken from the stomach of a [[goat]] that acts as an antidote to most [[poison]]s, but does not work on everything. This object is usually made of hair, plant fiber, or similar indigestible matter that stays in the gut of an animal and forms a hard ball or "stone".
+A '''bezoar '''as every [[first year]] [[Potions (class)|Potions]] student learns is a stonelike mass taken from the stomach of a [[goat]] that acts as an antidote to most [[poison]]s, but does not work on everything (such as [[Basilisk venom]]). This is the reason why bezoars are used in the preparation of the ''[[Antidote to Common Poisons]]''. This object is usually made of hair, plant fibre, or similar indigestible matter that stays in the gut of an animal and forms a hard ball or "stone".
 ==History==
 {{Quote|Just shove a bezoar down their throats.|A note by the [[Severus Snape|Half-Blood Prince]] in [[Severus Snape's copy of Advanced Potion-Making|his copy of ''Advanced Potion-Making'']]|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince}}
-There is a small stock of bezoars in the [[Potions Classroom]] store cupboard. [[Severus Snape]] asks [[Harry Potter]] where to find a bezoar in Harry's first Potions class; when Harry is unable to answer this or any of the teacher's other questions, he earns Snape's contempt. Three years later, in a Potions exam, Harry forgets to add a bezoar to his potion, because he was thinking about asking [[Cho Chang]] to the [[Yule Ball]]. This earns him bottom marks.
+There is a small stock of bezoars in the [[Potions Classroom]] store cupboard, as well as at least two in the [[Hospital Wing]]. [[Severus Snape]] asks [[Harry Potter]] where to find a bezoar in Harry's first Potions class. Three years later, in a Potions exam, Harry forgets to add a bezoar to his potion, because he was thinking about asking [[Cho Chang]] to the [[Yule Ball]]. This earns him bottom marks.
+[[File:BezoarPottemore.png|thumb|left|180px|A bezoar on [[Pottermore]].]]
 As a student at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry|Hogwarts]], the [[Severus Snape|Half-Blood Prince]] wrote ''"Just shove a bezoar down their throats."'' across the list of antidotes in [[Severus Snape's copy of Advanced Potion-Making|his copy]] of [[Advanced Potion-Making]]. During his sixth-year class about antidotes, [[Harry Potter|Harry]], who was unable to understand [[Golpalott's Third Law]], fetched a bezoar from the cupboard and showed it to Professor [[Horace Slughorn]] as the answer to the poison he was supposed to be analysing. This gained Harry Slughorn's admiration and ten points to [[Gryffindor]] for ''"sheer cheek."''
+In [[1991]], a Bezoar was seen on a desk in the [[Potions Classroom]]. In [[1994]], a bezoar was lying on the road into Hogwarts as the carriages entered. Later that year, there was another Bezoar on the floor in the Potions Classroom.
 ==Known Users==
-On [[1 March]], [[1997]], [[Ronald Weasley|Ron Weasley]] was poisoned when he drank some oak-matured mead that was intended for [[Albus Dumbledore|Professor Dumbledore]]. Harry, remembering the above mentioned incident in Potions class, quickly found the bezoar he had given Professor Slughorn and shoved it down Ron's throat, saving his life.
+[[File:Halfblood-02663.jpg|thumb|240px|[[Harry Potter]] shoving a bezoar down [[Ron Weasley]]'s throat ]]On [[1 March]], [[1997]], [[Ronald Weasley|Ron Weasley]] was poisoned when he drank some oak-matured mead that was intended for [[Albus Dumbledore|Professor Dumbledore]]. Harry, remembering the above mentioned incident in Potions class, quickly found the bezoar he had given Professor Slughorn and shoved it down Ron's throat, saving his life.
 ==Etymology==
-[[Wikipedia:Bezoar|Bezoars]] are undigested clumps of matter that accummulate inside a digestive system, similar to a cat's hairballs. They are used in Chinese herbology, and are claimed to remove toxins from the body. The word "bezoar" may come from the Persian ''pâdzahr'' (پادزهر), which literally means "protection from poison."
+[[Wikipedia:Bezoar|Bezoars]] are undigested clumps of matter that accumulate inside a digestive system, similar to a cat's hairballs. They are used in Chinese herbology, and are claimed to remove toxins from the body. The word "bezoar" may come from the Persian ''pâdzahr'' (پادزهر), which literally means "protection from poison."
-==Behind the scenes==
-*[[J.K. Rowling]] is a declared fan of classic mystery writer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_L._Sayers Dorothy L. Sayers], who is particularly famous for her [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Peter_Wimsey Lord Peter Wimsey] series. One of Sayers' short mystery stories featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, "The Fascinating Problem of Uncle Meleager's Will," centers around a crossword puzzle that is to be filled in on the tiles at the bottom of a pool, and which will reveal the location of a rich uncle's will that could save one of the protagonists from poverty. [[J.K. Rowling]] has said she is fond of puzzles like these, so she is likely to have enjoyed the story and the riddle. One of the clues in the puzzle is "And so you dine with with Borgia? Let me lend you this as a precaution, my poor friend." The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borgia Borgias] were an Italian noble family famous for poisoning their enemies' wine. The solution to the riddle is "bezoar," with the explanation "The bezoar stone was supposed to be a prophylactic against poison." This may be one inspiration for how J.K. Rowling uses bezoars in the Harry Potter series, especially in ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]], ''where [[Draco Malfoy]] attempts to poison [[Albus Dumbledore]] by lacing a bottle of [[Mead|oak-matured mead]] with deadly poison, which [[Ron Weasley]] drinks, and whose effects [[Harry Potter]] undos by using a bezoar.
 ==Appearances==
@@ Line 49: / Line 47: @@
 [[ru:Безоар]]
 [[Category:Antidotes]]
+[[Category:Creature products]]
 [[Category:Potion ingredients]]
+[[Category:Plot to assassinate Albus Dumbledore]]
+[[Category:Medical Magic]]