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{{Spoiler|HM|MA|HL}}
{{Title|''{{PAGENAME}}''}}
 
 
{{Spell infobox
 
{{Spell infobox
|name=''Incarcerous''
+
|name = Incarcerous Spell
  +
|image = Incarcerous.gif
|image=[[File:IncarcerousSnatcher.JPG|255px]]
 
|incantation=''Incarcerous'' (in-CAR-ser-us)
+
|incantation = ''Incarcerous''<ref name="OP33">{{OOTP|B|33}}</ref><br/>(in-KAR-ser-us)<ref name="OP33"/>
|type=[[Transfiguration]]
+
|type = [[Conjuration]]<ref name="OP33"/>
  +
|hand = [[file:HPHM Incarcerous Spell wand movement.png|100px|left]]
|hand=Point wand at target
 
|light=None
+
|light = None<ref name="OP33"/>
|effect=Conjures ropes that bind the victim
+
|effect = Bound target in ropes<ref name="OP33"/>
  +
|creator =
 
}}
 
}}
  +
{{Quote|Thin cords shot from [[Remus Lupin's wand|Lupin's wand]] this time, and next moment, [[Peter Pettigrew|Pettigrew]] was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged.|Description|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}
  +
The '''Incarcerous Spell'''<ref name="LEGOY1">{{LEGO|Y1}}</ref> (''Incarcerous'')<ref name="OP33"/> was a [[spell]] that [[Conjuration|conjured]] thick ropes or thin cords from "thin air", that bound whatever the [[Wizardkind|caster]] was pointing their [[wand]] at.<ref name="OP33" />
   
 
==Known uses==
{{Quote|Ropes flew out of midair like thick snakes, wrapping themselves tightly around the centaur's torso and trapping his arms...|Dolores Umbridge's use of the spell on Magorian in the Forbidden Forest|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
 
  +
{{Quote|<nowiki/>'<nowiki/>''Incarcerous!''<nowiki/>' A few of them stumbled, one or two of them bound in ropes, but those climbing onto the rock behind them merely stepped over or on the fallen bodies.|[[Harry Potter]] conjuring ropes against attacking [[Inferius|Inferi]] with this spell|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince}}
   
  +
===Successful===
'''''Incarcerous''''' is a [[spell]] that [[Conjuration|conjures]] ropes, which then bind the victim.
 
 
{| class="wikitable" border="1" 500px; "
 
==Known uses==
 
{|class="wikitable" border="1"
 
!Caster(s)
 
!Victim(s)
 
!Notes
 
 
|-
 
|-
  +
! align="center" width="20%" |Caster(s)
|[[Dolores Umbridge]]
 
 
!Victim
|[[Magorian]]
 
  +
! align="center" width="20%" |Date
|During the [[Skirmish in the Forbidden Forest]] in [[1996]] when the [[Centaur]]s carried her off after she insulted them.<ref name="OOTP">{{OOTP}}</ref>
 
  +
! scope="col" |Notes
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Harry Potter]]
+
|[[Ruth Singer]]
|[[Inferius|Inferi]]
+
|[[Cassandra Mason]]
  +
|[[1891]]
|In the [[Horcrux cave]] in [[1997]].<ref name="HBP">{{HBP}}</ref>
 
  +
|Used to bind Mason with ropes so she could arrest her.<ref name="HL-Haunted">{{HL}} - (The Haunted Hogsmeade Shop)</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Harry Potter]]
+
|[[Cecil Lee]]
|[[Severus Snape]]
+
|[[Fenrir Greyback]]
  +
|[[31 October]] [[1984]]
|During the [[Battle of the Astronomy Tower]]; unsuccessful.<ref name="HBP"/>
 
  +
|Used this spell to restrain Fenrir Greyback during his [[Fenrir Greyback's attack on Hogwarts|attack]] on [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry|Hogwarts]].<ref name="HM1HH">{{HM|1|Howling Hallowe'en}}</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
  +
|[[Jacob's sibling]]
|[[Snatchers|Unidentified Snatcher]]
 
  +
|[[Merula Snyde]]
|Either [[Harry Potter]], [[Hermione Granger]] or [[Ronald Weasley]], unsuccesful.
 
  +
|[[1988]]
|During the run in the [[Forest of Dean]].
 
  +
|Jacob's sibling used this spell on [[Merula Snyde]] after learning the spell from [[Patricia Rakepick]] on the [[Training Grounds]].<ref name="HM51">{{HM|5|1}}</ref>[[File:Tied-up Merula.gif|thumb|right]]
|}
 
  +
|-
 
  +
|[[Alastor Moody]]
==Possible Uses==
 
  +
|[[Burke]]
The following are possible uses of this spell, when ropes were conjured [[nonverbal spell|nonverbally]].
 
  +
|[[1990–1991 school year]]
 
  +
|Used to bind Burke at the [[Romanian Dragon Sanctuary]] after [[Jacob's sibling]] defeated him in a [[Duelling|duel]], in order to transport him to [[Azkaban]].<ref name="HM736">{{HM|7|36}}</ref>[[File:Burke bound with ropes HM736.png|thumb|250px|right]]
{|class="wikitable" border="1"
 
!Caster(s)
 
!Victim(s)
 
!Notes
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Quirinus Quirrell]]
 
|[[Quirinus Quirrell]]
 
|[[Harry Potter]]
 
|[[Harry Potter]]
  +
|[[4 June]] [[1992]]
|In [[1992]]<ref name="PS">''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]''</ref><ref>{{PSVG}} - PS1 version</ref>
 
  +
|Used it [[Nonverbal spell|nonverbally]] and [[Wandless magic|wandlessly]] to bind and gag Harry, during the [[Skirmish in the Underground Chambers|Attack in the Underground Chambers]].<ref name="PS17">{{PS|B|17}}</ref>[[File:IncarcerousOnHarry.png|thumb|right]]
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Severus Snape]]
+
| colspan="1" rowspan="2" |[[Severus Snape|Severus]] [[Severus Snape|Snape]]
 
|[[Remus Lupin]]
 
|[[Remus Lupin]]
  +
| colspan="1" rowspan="3" |[[6 June]] [[1994]]
|In [[1994]] in the [[Shrieking Shack]]<ref name="POA">{{POA}}</ref>
+
|Used it nonverbally to bind and gag Remus in the [[Shrieking Shack]].<ref name="PA19">{{POA|B|19}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Sirius Black]]
  +
|Used it nonverbally to when he found him unconscious next to [[Hermione Granger]] and [[Harry Potter]] under the influence of [[Dementor]].<ref name="PA19" />
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Remus Lupin]]
 
|[[Remus Lupin]]
 
|[[Peter Pettigrew]]
 
|[[Peter Pettigrew]]
|In [[1994]] in the [[Shrieking Shack]]<ref name="POA"/>
+
|Used it nonverbally in the Shrieking Shack, after forcing him out of his [[Animagus]] form.<ref name="PA19" />
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Peter Pettigrew]]
 
|[[Peter Pettigrew]]
 
|[[Harry Potter]]
 
|[[Harry Potter]]
  +
| colspan="1" rowspan="2" |[[24 June]] [[1995]]
|At the [[Little Hangleton]] Graveyard in [[1995]].<ref name="GOF">{{GOF}}</ref>
 
  +
|Used it nonverbally to bind and gag Harry Potter to [[Tom Riddle Senior|Tom Riddle Snr]]'s gravestone.<ref name="GOF31">{{GOF|B|31}}</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Albus Dumbledore]]
 
|[[Albus Dumbledore]]
|[[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr.]]
+
|[[Bartemius Crouch Junior|Bartemius Crouch Jnr]]
  +
|Used it nonverbally after Crouch's [[polyjuice potion]] with [[Alastor Moody]]'s hair stopped working and he revealed by [[Veritaserum]] that he escaped from [[Azkaban]] and helped [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] to capture [[Harry Potter]].<ref name="GOF36">{{GOF|B|36}} - "Then he raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it, ropes that twisted themselves around Barty Crouch, binding him tightly."</ref>
|In [[Alastor Moody]]'s [[Defence Against the Dark Arts professor's office|office]] in [[1995]].<ref name="GOF"/>
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Dolores Umbridge]]
|Possibly [[Millicent Bulstrode]]
 
|[[Hermione Granger]]
+
|[[Magorian]]
  +
|[[18 June]] [[1996]]
|[[1996]]; was bound and gagged by the [[Inquisitorial Squad]]<ref name="OOTP"/>
 
  +
|Used it to strangle a [[centaur]] [[Magorian]], during the [[Skirmish in the Forbidden Forest]].<ref name="OP33" />
 
|-
 
|-
|[[C. Warrington]]
+
|[[Harry Potter]]
|[[Neville Longbottom]]
+
|[[Inferius|Inferi]]
  +
|[[30 June]] [[1997]]
|[[1996]]; was bound and gagged by the [[Inquisitorial Squad]]<ref name="OOTP"/>
 
  +
|Used it to bind and gag one of them in the [[The Cave|Horcrux Cave]].<ref name="HBP26">{{HBP|B|26}}</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Antonin Dolohov]]
|Unknown
 
 
|[[Ronald Weasley|Ron Weasley]]
|[[Luna Lovegood]]
 
  +
|[[1 August]] [[1997]]
|[[1996]]; was bound and gagged by the [[Inquisitorial Squad]]<ref name="OOTP"/>
 
 
|Used nonverbally during the [[Luchino Caffe Duel]].<ref name="DH9">{{DH|B|9}}</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
|[[C. Warrington]]
+
|[[Robyn Thistlethwaite]]
  +
|A copy of ''[[The Monster Book of Monsters]]''
|[[Ginevra Weasley]]
 
  +
|[[2 September]] [[2008]]
|[[1996]]; was bound and gagged by the [[Inquisitorial Squad]]<ref name="OOTP"/>
 
 
|Tried out the spell and angered the book.<ref name="MA">{{MA}}</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
  +
|[[Ivy Warrington]]
 
|Unknown
 
|Unknown
  +
|Before or during the [[2010–2011 school year]]
|[[Ronald Weasley]]
 
  +
|Used this spell for unknown purpose. Was discovered by [[Linderina Crane]] when she used the [[Reverse Spell]] on [[Ivy Warrington's wand|Ivy's wand]].<ref name="MA"/>
|[[1996]]; was bound and gagged by the [[Inquisitorial Squad]]<ref name="OOTP"/>
 
 
|-
 
|-
  +
|[[Unidentified Muggle-born Hogwarts student]]
|[[Antonin Dolohov]]
 
  +
|A [[Manticore]]
|[[Ronald Weasley|Ron Weasley]]
 
  +
| rowspan="2" |2010–2011 school year
|During a [[Luchino Caffe Duel|skirmish]] at the [[Luchino Caffe]] in [[1997]].<ref name="DH">{{DH}}</ref>
 
  +
|Used this spell to restrain a Manticore found in the [[Forbidden Forest]].<ref name="MA"/>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Minerva McGonagall]]
  +
|[[Elspeth MacGillony]]
  +
|Used this spell to incarcerate Elspeth MacGillony when she was found [[Duel at the Great Lake|duelling]] with students by the [[Great Lake]].<ref name="MA"/>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Jacturus Cloke III]]
  +
|[[Megan Scott]]
  +
|[[21st century]]
  +
|Cloke attacked the [[Non-magic people|Muggle]] Megan Scott with this spell in an [[Upper Flagley]] graveyard.<ref name="FBC91">{{FBC|9|1}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Draco Malfoy]]
 
|[[Harry Potter]]
  +
|[[September]] [[2020]]
  +
|Draco used this spell while duelling Harry Potter.<ref name="CC">{{CC|B|2|13}}</ref>
 
|}
  +
  +
===Unsuccessful===
 
{| class="wikitable" border="1" 500px; "
  +
|-
  +
! align="center" width="20%" |Caster(s)
 
!Victim
  +
! align="center" width="20%" |Date
  +
! scope="col" |Notes
  +
|-
 
|[[Harry Potter]]
 
|[[Severus Snape]]
  +
|[[30 June]] [[1997]]
  +
|Used it in an failed attempt to restrain Severus Snape to stop him from fleeing from [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry|Hogwarts]] during the [[Battle of the Astronomy Tower]] after the murder of Albus Dumbledore.<ref name="HBP28">{{HBP|B|28}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|[[Linderina Crane]]
  +
|A [[Boggart]] in the form of a masked wizard from [[Nocturnal Order of Tricks and Magical Exhibitions|NOTME]]
  +
|[[2010–2011 school year]]
  +
|Used it in an attempt to restrain it, but failed to realise it was a Boggart instead of a real wizard.<ref name="MA"/>
 
|}
 
|}
   
 
==Known practitioners==
 
==Known practitioners==
  +
<gallery orientation="portrait" widths="105" position="center" spacing="small">
*[[Antonin Dolohov]] (possibly)
 
  +
Ruth Singer - HL.png|[[Ruth Singer]]<ref name="HL-Haunted"/>
*[[Dolores Umbridge]]
 
  +
Alastor Moody Profile.jpg|[[Alastor Moody]]<ref name="HM736"/>
*[[Harry Potter]]
 
  +
Quirinus Quirrel.jpg|[[Quirinus Quirrell]]<ref name="PS17"/>
*[[Peter Pettigrew]] (possibly)
 
  +
Severus Snape OOTP.jpg|[[Severus Snape]]<ref name="PA19" />
*[[Quirinus Quirrell]] (possibly)
 
  +
Remus Lupin Deathly Hallows promo image.jpg|[[Remus Lupin]]<ref name="PA19" />
*[[Remus Lupin]] (possibly)
 
  +
Wormtail DH1.jpg|[[Peter Pettigrew]]<ref name="GOF31" />
*[[Severus Snape]] (possibly)
 
  +
600full-Albus-Dumbledore-the-prisoner-of-azkaban-photo.jpg|[[Albus Dumbledore]]<ref name="GOF36"/>
*[[Snatchers|Unidentified Snatcher]]
 
  +
Harry Potter movies hbp promostills 6.jpg|[[Harry Potter]]<ref name="HBP26" />
*[[Albus Dumbledore]] (possibly)
 
  +
Dolohov-0.jpg|[[Antonin Dolohov]]<ref name="DH9"/>
 
  +
Draco Malfoy TDH.png||[[Draco Malfoy]]<ref name="CC"/>
==Behind the scenes==
 
  +
Dolores Umbridge Deathly Hallows promotional image.jpg|[[Dolores Umbridge]]<ref name="OP33" />
*In [[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|the film version]] of ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', [[Dolores Umbridge]] says the spell wrong when she uses it against the [[centaurs]]. She says "In-cer-car-serous" not "In-car-cer-ous".
 
  +
Patricia Rakepick - Hogwarts Mystery.png|[[Patricia Rakepick]]<ref name="HM51"/>
*In ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1]]'', when the trio are running though the Forest of Dean from the [[Snatchers]], it appears that the fetters used to bind their victims were chains instead of rope.
 
  +
CecilLee TrainingGrounds.png|[[Cecil Lee]]<ref name="HM1HH"/>
*In ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2'', Harry is seen using this spell to bind a Death eater during the Courtyard Apocalypse scene.
 
  +
Jacob's sibling generic.png|[[Jacob's sibling]]<ref name="HM51"/>
  +
Robyn Thistlethwaite from Harry Potter Magic Awakened.png|[[Robyn Thistlethwaite]]<ref name="MA"/>
  +
Ivy Warrington from Harry Potter Magic Awakened.png|[[Ivy Warrington]]<ref name="MA"/>
  +
Jacturus Cloke - FBC.png|[[Jacturus Cloke III]]<ref name="FBC91"/>
  +
Minerva McGonagall MA.png|[[Minerva McGonagall]]<ref name="MA"/>
  +
</gallery>
   
 
==Etymology==
 
==Etymology==
"Incarcerous" comes from the Latin ''incarcerare'', which means "to capture or imprison."
+
The [[incantation]] "''incarcerous''" most likely derives from the [[Latin]] word "''incarcerus''", meaning "''to jail''" or "''to imprison''". "''Incarcerus''" is also the Danish translation of "''Incarcerous''".
  +
 
==Behind the scenes==
  +
*In the books, the ropes simply wrap themselves around the centaur's arms and chest; in the film, they also encase his throat, slowly strangling and crushing him while forcing him to the ground. The ropes were animate and therefore could move and constrict their victims similarly to a constrictor snake.
  +
*In the film adaption of {{DH|F1}}, a Snatcher is seen casting this spell on Ron Weasley who is bound in chains, of course it could have been a similar spell such as "Incarcereta" (which was used in an early script of the Half Blood Prince film when Harry attacked Snape for killing Dumbledore) but it seems most likely that it was Incarcerous.
  +
*Also in the film adaption of {{DH|F2}}, while fighting their way down to the boathouse, Harry is seen casting this spell where a great flash of orange light escapes his wand and a Death Eater that was trying to lunge at him was instantly bound in chains, again it is unclear if this was Incarcerous or a different capturing-type spell.
  +
*An etymologically and functionally related spell is ''[[Incarcifors]]'', which transforms objects into prisons to restrict a person's movement.
  +
*Based on conjecture, it is likely that ''[[Revulsion Jinx|Relashio]]'' or ''[[Emancipare]]'' could act as counter-spells to ''Incarcerous''. The Revulsion Jinx would be able to release a person from the binding ropes of ''Incarcerous'', while the incantation for ''Emancipare'' is derived from Latin for "set free", suggesting its ability to release a person from any form of incarceration.
  +
*In {{DH}}, [[Minerva McGonagall]] uses a [[Silver rope conjuring spell|spell to conjure a silver rope]] to tie [[Alecto and Amycus Carrow]] up to the ceiling,<ref name="DH30">{{DH|B|30}}</ref> which could be Incarcerous or a possibly a variation of it.
  +
*Based on the text files from the PC version of {{LEGO|Y1}}, ''Incarcerous'' may have been intended to have a different effect from how it acts in the final game. In the released version of the game, ''Incarcerous'' is one of the "joke spells" used only to temporarily incapacitate minifigures. The text files of the game, however, call it "the Indy whip tie" [sic], presumably meaning the spell was originally meant to act similarly to [[w:c:indianajones:Indiana Jones|Indiana Jones]]'s whip from the ''[[w:c:lego:Indiana Jones|LEGO Indiana Jones]]'' games.<ref>[http://tcrf.net/LEGO_Harry_Potter:_Years_1-4_(Windows) ''LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4'' (Windows)] on [http://tcrf.net/The_Cutting_Room_Floor The Cutting Room Floor]</ref>
   
 
==Appearances==
 
==Appearances==
  +
{{Imagecat|Images of the Incarcerous Spell}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' {{Possible}}
 
  +
*{{PS}} {{1st}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)]]'' {{Possible}}
 
  +
*{{PS|G}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' {{Possible}}
 
  +
*{{POA}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'' {{Possible}}
 
  +
*{{GOF}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'' {{1st}}
 
  +
*{{OOTP}} {{1st ID|''Incarcerous''}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)]]''
 
  +
*{{OOTP|F}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''
 
  +
*{{HBP}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)]]''
 
  +
*{{HBP|F}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'' {{Possible}}
 
  +
*{{DH}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1]]''
 
  +
*{{DH|F1}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)]]'' {{C|DS version}}
 
  +
*{{DH|G1}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2]]''
 
  +
*{{DH|F2}}
*''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4]]''
 
  +
*{{CC}}
*''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7]]''
 
  +
*{{CC|P}}
  +
*{{LEGO|Y1}} {{1st ID}}
  +
*{{LEGO|Y2}}
  +
*{{FBC}}
  +
*{{HPV|CR}} {{Mention}}
  +
*{{HM}}
  +
*{{MA}} {{1st ID|Incarcerous Jinx}}
  +
*{{HPMCW}}
   
 
==Notes and references==
 
==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}
+
{{Reflist}}
 
[[Category:Conjurations]]
 
  +
[[Category:Spells with incantations of Latin origin]]
  +
[[Category:The Cave]]
 
[[Category:Transfiguration spells]]
  +
[[de:Fessel-Zauber]]
 
[[es:Incarcerous]]
 
[[es:Incarcerous]]
 
[[fr:Incarcerem]]
 
[[fr:Incarcerem]]
  +
[[pl:Incarcerous]]
[[Category:Conjurations]]
 
  +
[[pt-br:Incarcerous]]
[[Category:Transfiguration Spells]]
 
  +
[[ru:Инкарцеро]]
  +
  +
==See also==
  +
*''[[Incarcifors]]''
  +
*''[[Fulgari]]''
  +
*''[[Brachiabindo]]''
  +
*[[Rope Bind]]

Latest revision as of 15:30, 4 July 2023

"Thin cords shot from Lupin's wand this time, and next moment, Pettigrew was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged."
— Description[src]

The Incarcerous Spell[2] (Incarcerous)[1] was a spell that conjured thick ropes or thin cords from "thin air", that bound whatever the caster was pointing their wand at.[1]

Known uses

"'Incarcerous!' A few of them stumbled, one or two of them bound in ropes, but those climbing onto the rock behind them merely stepped over or on the fallen bodies."
Harry Potter conjuring ropes against attacking Inferi with this spell[src]

Successful

Caster(s) Victim Date Notes
Ruth Singer Cassandra Mason 1891 Used to bind Mason with ropes so she could arrest her.[3]
Cecil Lee Fenrir Greyback 31 October 1984 Used this spell to restrain Fenrir Greyback during his attack on Hogwarts.[4]
Jacob's sibling Merula Snyde 1988 Jacob's sibling used this spell on Merula Snyde after learning the spell from Patricia Rakepick on the Training Grounds.[5]
Tied-up Merula
Alastor Moody Burke 1990–1991 school year Used to bind Burke at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary after Jacob's sibling defeated him in a duel, in order to transport him to Azkaban.[6]
Burke bound with ropes HM736
Quirinus Quirrell Harry Potter 4 June 1992 Used it nonverbally and wandlessly to bind and gag Harry, during the Attack in the Underground Chambers.[7]
IncarcerousOnHarry
Severus Snape Remus Lupin 6 June 1994 Used it nonverbally to bind and gag Remus in the Shrieking Shack.[8]
Sirius Black Used it nonverbally to when he found him unconscious next to Hermione Granger and Harry Potter under the influence of Dementor.[8]
Remus Lupin Peter Pettigrew Used it nonverbally in the Shrieking Shack, after forcing him out of his Animagus form.[8]
Peter Pettigrew Harry Potter 24 June 1995 Used it nonverbally to bind and gag Harry Potter to Tom Riddle Snr's gravestone.[9]
Albus Dumbledore Bartemius Crouch Jnr Used it nonverbally after Crouch's polyjuice potion with Alastor Moody's hair stopped working and he revealed by Veritaserum that he escaped from Azkaban and helped Lord Voldemort to capture Harry Potter.[10]
Dolores Umbridge Magorian 18 June 1996 Used it to strangle a centaur Magorian, during the Skirmish in the Forbidden Forest.[1]
Harry Potter Inferi 30 June 1997 Used it to bind and gag one of them in the Horcrux Cave.[11]
Antonin Dolohov Ron Weasley 1 August 1997 Used nonverbally during the Luchino Caffe Duel.[12]
Robyn Thistlethwaite A copy of The Monster Book of Monsters 2 September 2008 Tried out the spell and angered the book.[13]
Ivy Warrington Unknown Before or during the 2010–2011 school year Used this spell for unknown purpose. Was discovered by Linderina Crane when she used the Reverse Spell on Ivy's wand.[13]
Unidentified Muggle-born Hogwarts student A Manticore 2010–2011 school year Used this spell to restrain a Manticore found in the Forbidden Forest.[13]
Minerva McGonagall Elspeth MacGillony Used this spell to incarcerate Elspeth MacGillony when she was found duelling with students by the Great Lake.[13]
Jacturus Cloke III Megan Scott 21st century Cloke attacked the Muggle Megan Scott with this spell in an Upper Flagley graveyard.[14]
Draco Malfoy Harry Potter September 2020 Draco used this spell while duelling Harry Potter.[15]

Unsuccessful

Caster(s) Victim Date Notes
Harry Potter Severus Snape 30 June 1997 Used it in an failed attempt to restrain Severus Snape to stop him from fleeing from Hogwarts during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower after the murder of Albus Dumbledore.[16]
Linderina Crane A Boggart in the form of a masked wizard from NOTME 2010–2011 school year Used it in an attempt to restrain it, but failed to realise it was a Boggart instead of a real wizard.[13]

Known practitioners

Etymology

The incantation "incarcerous" most likely derives from the Latin word "incarcerus", meaning "to jail" or "to imprison". "Incarcerus" is also the Danish translation of "Incarcerous".

Behind the scenes

  • In the books, the ropes simply wrap themselves around the centaur's arms and chest; in the film, they also encase his throat, slowly strangling and crushing him while forcing him to the ground. The ropes were animate and therefore could move and constrict their victims similarly to a constrictor snake.
  • In the film adaption of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, a Snatcher is seen casting this spell on Ron Weasley who is bound in chains, of course it could have been a similar spell such as "Incarcereta" (which was used in an early script of the Half Blood Prince film when Harry attacked Snape for killing Dumbledore) but it seems most likely that it was Incarcerous.
  • Also in the film adaption of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, while fighting their way down to the boathouse, Harry is seen casting this spell where a great flash of orange light escapes his wand and a Death Eater that was trying to lunge at him was instantly bound in chains, again it is unclear if this was Incarcerous or a different capturing-type spell.
  • An etymologically and functionally related spell is Incarcifors, which transforms objects into prisons to restrict a person's movement.
  • Based on conjecture, it is likely that Relashio or Emancipare could act as counter-spells to Incarcerous. The Revulsion Jinx would be able to release a person from the binding ropes of Incarcerous, while the incantation for Emancipare is derived from Latin for "set free", suggesting its ability to release a person from any form of incarceration.
  • In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Minerva McGonagall uses a spell to conjure a silver rope to tie Alecto and Amycus Carrow up to the ceiling,[17] which could be Incarcerous or a possibly a variation of it.
  • Based on the text files from the PC version of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Incarcerous may have been intended to have a different effect from how it acts in the final game. In the released version of the game, Incarcerous is one of the "joke spells" used only to temporarily incapacitate minifigures. The text files of the game, however, call it "the Indy whip tie" [sic], presumably meaning the spell was originally meant to act similarly to Indiana Jones's whip from the LEGO Indiana Jones games.[18]

Appearances

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 13 images related to Incarcerous Spell.

Notes and references

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 33 (Fight and Flight)
  2. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
  3. 3.0 3.1 Hogwarts Legacy - (The Haunted Hogsmeade Shop)
  4. 4.0 4.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 1, "Howling Hallowe'en" Achievement
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 5, Chapter 1 (Year Five Begins)
  6. 6.0 6.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 7, Chapter 36 (Impenetrable and Unplottable)
  7. 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 17 (The Man with Two Faces)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 19 (The Servant of Lord Voldemort)
  9. 9.0 9.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 31 (The Third Task)
  10. 10.0 10.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 36 (The Parting of the Ways) - "Then he raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it, ropes that twisted themselves around Barty Crouch, binding him tightly."
  11. 11.0 11.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 26 (The Cave)
  12. 12.0 12.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 9 (A Place to Hide)
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
  14. 14.0 14.1 Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World - Case 9: Cloke and Dagger, Act 1
  15. 15.0 15.1 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Act Two, Scene Thirteen
  16. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 28 (Flight of the Prince)
  17. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 30 (The Sacking of Severus Snape)
  18. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Windows) on The Cutting Room Floor

See also