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"I've always said that travel broadens the mind."
— Ignatia Wildsmith plaque at Hogwarts[src]

Ignatia Wildsmith (12271320) was a witch and wizarding inventor, who was famously the creator of Floo powder. During her childhood, she attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was sorted into Ravenclaw.[2]

Biography[]

Early life[]

"Ravenclaw house has an illustrious history. Most of the greatest wizarding inventors and innovators were in our house, including […] Ignatia Wildsmith, the inventor of Floo powder."
Robert Hilliard[src]

Ignatia Wildsmith was born in 1227,[3] somewhere in the British Isles.

In her youth, she attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from around 1238 or 1239 to 1245 or 1246, where she was sorted into Ravenclaw.[2]

One night, she was faced with a particularly challenging riddle from the eagle door knocker and had to spend two days sleeping in the corridor outside the Ravenclaw common room. Tulip Karasu and Jacob's sibling guessed that this was when she first had the idea to create a method of travel that allowed people to get around doors.[4]

Adulthood[]

After her graduation from Hogwarts School, Ms Wildsmith presumably studied further into Herbology and discovered the magical properties of the Floo plant. From it, she devised a magical powder, Floo powder, which, when thrown into a fire, could transport wizards from one fireplace to another via a network of fireplaces.[3]

Death and post-mortem[]

Ignatia Wildsmith Chocolate Frog Card HM

Ignatia Wildsmith immortalised on a Chocolate Frog Card

Ms Wildsmith died in 1320, aged around 93. In her honour, her achievement, the invention of the Floo powder, was recorded on a Chocolate Frog Card.[3]

In the 1890s, talking busts of Ignatia were placed around Hogwarts Castle with Floo Flames in front of them. They could talk to the students.[5]

By the 1989–1990 school year, Helena Ravenclaw had a biography of Ignatia in her personal archive.[4]

On 1 September 1991, Prefect Robert Hilliard welcomed the Ravenclaw first-years to Ravenclaw Tower with a short speech in which he mentioned inventor Ignatia Wildsmith as one of the many notable Hogwarts students who had been sorted, like them, into Ravenclaw.[2]

Etymology[]

"Ignis" is Latin for "fire".

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 17 images related to Ignatia Wildsmith.

Notes and references[]

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Chocolate Frog Cards
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Gold cards

Armando Dippet · Albus Dumbledore · Barberus Bragge · Bertie Bott · Carlotta Pinkstone · Dzou Yen · Falco Aesalon · Godric Gryffindor · Harry Potter · Herpo the Foul · Helga Hufflepuff · Montague Knightley · Phillipus von Hohenheim · Rowena Ravenclaw · Salazar Slytherin

Silver cards

Alberic Grunnion · Alberta Toothill · Andros the Invincible · Artemisia Lufkin · Blenheim Stalk · Bowman Wright · Chauncey Oldridge · Circe · Cliodna · Crispin Cronk · Cyprian Youdle · Daisy Dodderidge · Derwent Shimpling · Donaghan Tremlett · Dunbar Oglethorpe · Dymphna Furmage · Elfrida Clagg · Felix Summerbee · Fulbert the Fearful · Gaspard Shingleton · Gideon Crumb · Glenda Chittock · Gondoline Oliphant · Gregory the Smarmy · Gwenog Jones · Honoria Nutcombe · Ignatia Wildsmith · Joscelind Wadcock · Kirley Duke · Laverne de Montmorency · Leopoldina Smethwyck · Maeve · Mirabella Plunkett · Mopsus · Morgan le Fay · Oswald Beamish · Roderick Plumpton · Sacharissa Tugwood · Thaddeus Thurkell · Wendelin the Weird · Xavier Rastrick

Bronze cards

Adalbert Waffling · Almeric Sawbridge · Archibald Alderton · Balfour Blane · Beatrix Bloxam · Beaumont Marjoribanks · Bridget Wenlock · Burdock Muldoon · Cassandra Vablatsky · Celestina Warbeck · Cornelius Agrippa · Devlin Whitehorn · Dorcas Wellbeloved · Edgar Stroulger · Elladora Ketteridge · Ethelred the Ever-Ready · Flavius Belby · Gifford Ollerton · Glanmore Peakes · Glover Hipworth · Greta Catchlove · Grogan Stump · Gulliver Pokeby · Gunhilda de Gorsemoor · Havelock Sweeting · Hengist of Woodcroft · Heathcote Barbary · Herman Wintringham · Hesper Starkey · Jocunda Sykes · Justus Pilliwickle · Merlin · Merton Graves · Merwyn the Malicious · Miranda Goshawk · Mungo Bonham · Musidora Barkwith · Myron Wagtail · Newton Scamander · Norvel Twonk · Orsino Thruston · Perpetua Fancourt · Quong Po · Roland Kegg · Stoddard Withers · Tilly Toke · Uric the Oddball · Yardley Platt

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Blodwyn Bludd · Vlad Drakul · Amarillo Lestoat · Carmilla Sanguina · Herbert Varney

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Babayaga · Malodora Grymm · Old Mother Hubbard · Cordelia Misericordia · Leticia Somnolens

Famous Giants cards

Bran the Bloodthirsty · Cyclops · Goliath · Morholt · Hengist of Upper Barnton

Famous Goblins cards

Alguff the Awful · Eargit the Ugly · Gringott · Ug the Unreliable · Urg the Unclean

Dragon cards

Common Welsh Green · Hebridean Black · Hungarian Horntail · Norwegian Ridgeback · Romanian Longhorn

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Billywig · Bowtruckle · Doxy · Double-ended Newt · Giant Purple Toad · Giant Squid · Gnome · Gytrash · Imp · Kelpie · Manticore · Mountain Troll · Streeler · Phoenix · Unicorn

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