Harry Potter Wiki
Advertisement
Harry Potter Wiki

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

Incarcerous is the incantation of a spell that conjures ropes to be used to bind the victim[1].

Known uses

IncarcerousOnHarry

Quirinus Quirrell's Incarcerous on Harry Potter

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 him and forcing him to the ground.
  • 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" 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.

See also

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 33 (Fight and Flight)
  2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Chapter 17 (The Man with Two Faces)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Chapter 19 (The Servant of Lord Voldemort)
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 9 (A Place to Hide)
Advertisement