Order of Merlin

The Order of Merlin (abbreviated O.M.) was an award bestowed upon wizards and witches who had achieved great things. It had three different levels: First Class, Second Class, and Third Class.

History

Merlin, the most famous wizard of his era, for whom the Order of Merlin award was named.

An organisation called the Order of Merlin was founded by Merlin in the Middle Ages. Merlin believed that wizards and witches should help Muggles, and, thus, the Order of Merlin established rules against the use of magic on Muggles.

The award known as the Order of Merlin was created in commemoration of Merlin and was first given out by the Wizengamot in the 15th century. It is unknown whether this award was connected to the earlier organisation of the same name.

As often happens with such highly coveted awards, Ministry of Magic favourites seem to receive the Order of Merlin, especially the higher classes, more often than one might expect. Notable unworthy recipients are Cornelius Fudge, who gave it to himself despite his less-than-distinguishable career, and Arcturus Black III, who was widely believed to have bought it by loaning the Ministry a large amount of gold.

Appearance and classes

The Order of Merlin consisted of a "handsome" golden medal which hung on a coloured ribbon indicating its class.

There were three different classes of Order of Merlin that were awarded:

• First Class: Awarded for "acts of outstanding bravery or distinction" in magic. The colour of the ribbon for this class was green, which was believed to represent Merlin's Hogwarts house, Slytherin.
• Second Class: Awarded for "achievement or endeavour beyond the ordinary." The colour of the ribbon for this class was purple.
• Third Class: Awarded to individuals who "have made a contribution to our store of knowledge or entertainment." The colour of the ribbon for this class was white.

Known recipients

Order of Merlin, First Class

Portrait	Name	Date	Notes
	Podric Batworthy	Unknown	Batworthy held, additionally, the title of Grand Sorcerer, which suggests he was particularly accomplished in magic.
	Arcturus Black III	Between 1901 and 1991	Awarded for his "services to the Ministry", which, according to Sirius, was another way of saying that he had given them a lot of gold. Sirius threw the medal into the garbage when he was cleaning 12 Grimmauld Place.
	Albus Dumbledore	1945 Minister Leonard Spencer-Moon	Awarded for his defeat of the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, effectively putting an end to the global wizarding war. During the campaign to discredit him, it was suggested by Remus Lupin that the Ministry would consider taking away the Order of Merlin from Dumbledore. Dumbledore claimed that he didn't care as long as he wasn't taken off of the Chocolate Frog Cards. However, when Dumbledore's credibility was restored, the Ministry's consideration to retract the medal was cancelled.
	Cornelius Fudge	Between 1990 and 1995 Minister Cornelius Fudge	Presumably for his work as Minister for Magic; awarded by Fudge to himself, which caused controversy in the wizarding community.
File:1Remus.jpg	Remus Lupin	1998 Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt	Awarded posthumously for his role as a member of the Order of the Phoenix and for his death during the Battle of Hogwarts. Remus was the first werewolf ever to be accorded this honour.
File:OrabellaNuttley.png	Orabella Nuttley	1754 Minister Hesphaestus Gore	Awarded for her use of the Mending Charm to repair the Colosseum after it was destroyed by an explosion that occurred when a fight broke out between supporters of two broom racers in 1754.
	Peter Pettigrew	1981 Minister Millicent Bagnold	Awarded posthumously (or so it was believed at the time) for a "heroic confrontation" with Sirius Black. The medal was given to Pettigrew's mother. Pettigrew, not Black, was later revealed to have been the one who betrayed the Potter family.
	Tilly Toke and her family	1932 Minister Hector Fawley	Awarded for saving the lives of several Muggles during the Ilfracombe Incident in 1932.
	Norvel Twonk	1957 Minister Wilhelmina Tuft	Awarded posthumously for saving the life of a Muggle child from a runaway manticore.

Order of Merlin, Second Class

Portrait	Name	Date	Notes
	Newton Scamander	1979 Minister Harold Minchum	Awarded "in recognition of his services to the study of magical beasts, Magizoology".

Order of Merlin, Third Class

Portrait	Name	Date	Notes
	Gilderoy Lockhart	Between 1982 and 1992 Minister Millicent Bagnold or Minister Cornelius Fudge	He received this award for his encounters with many dark creatures and for penning his autobiographic works instructing people on how to repel them. In 1993, it was revealed that he had only taken credit for these deeds and had not really done any of them.

Recipients of unknown class

Portrait	Name	Date	Notes
	Cottismore Croyne	Unknown	May have been awarded for his tenure as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards.
	Albert Gibbering Stump	Between 1662 and 1700 Wizards' Council	For unknown reasons.
	Damocles	Sometime after the mid-1970s	May have been awarded for his invention of the lycanthropy-treating Wolfsbane Potion.

Possible recipients

• Cornelius Fudge promised to give Severus Snape the Order of Merlin, First Class, for capturing Sirius Black, then assumed to be a fugitive murderer, but Black escaped before Fudge could follow through on his word. It was later stated that the loss of this Order of Merlin hit Snape hard, and allegedly was the reason that he let it slip that Remus Lupin was a werewolf.

Behind the scenes

• The "Muggle" counterpart to the Order of Merlin could include the Order of the British Empire, Victoria Cross, Medal of Honor, Presidential Medal of Freedom, or the Nobel Prize.
• Since 1966, the International Brotherhood of Magicians has been awarding its own Order of Merlin to long-standing members.
• Since Dumbledore was on the verge of losing his Order of Merlin during Fudge's campaign, it means that a certain level of disgrace is capable of causing a recipient to lose the Order of Merlin.
• As Fudge was heavily disgraced for his lack of actions against Lord Voldemort's return, and because of Pettigrew's act of treason, it's possible that their Orders of Merlin has been retracted.
• Due to Lockhart being a fraudulent crook who stole credits from other wizards and witches to boost his own fame, it's most likely he earned his Order of Merlin with deceit and trickery. It's possible that it was retracted when his true colours were revealed.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (Mentioned on a Famous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Mentioned on a Famous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore