Harry Potter Wiki
Register
Harry Potter Wiki
(Per canon policy, "aim wand" is more canon than "circular movement with wand/swipe wand".)
No edit summary
Line 8: Line 8:
 
|hand=Aim wand at target
 
|hand=Aim wand at target
 
|light=White
 
|light=White
|effect=Cuts the target}}
+
|effect=Cuts the target
  +
|creator=[[Delfina Crimp]] ([[15th century|1400s]])
  +
}}
 
{{Quote|With the Severing Charm, cutting or tearing objects is a simple matter of wand control. The spell can be quite precise in skilled hands, and the Severing Charm is widely used in a variety of wizarding trades. Useful as it is, this charm should be practiced with caution, as a careless swipe of the wand can cause injury.|[[Miranda Goshawk]], ''[[Book of Spells]]''.|Wonderbook: Book of Spells}}
 
{{Quote|With the Severing Charm, cutting or tearing objects is a simple matter of wand control. The spell can be quite precise in skilled hands, and the Severing Charm is widely used in a variety of wizarding trades. Useful as it is, this charm should be practiced with caution, as a careless swipe of the wand can cause injury.|[[Miranda Goshawk]], ''[[Book of Spells]]''.|Wonderbook: Book of Spells}}
The '''Severing Charm''' (incantation: ''Diffindo'') is a [[charm]] used to precisely and accurately cut something.<ref name="WON"/> It is taught in [[second year]] [[Charms (class)|charms classes]]<ref name="VG2">''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)]]''</ref>, and if used inappropriately can cause [[death]] or injury<ref name="WON"/>.
+
The '''Severing Charm''' (''Diffindo'') is a [[charm]] used to precisely and accurately cut something.<ref name="WON"/> It is taught in [[second year]] [[Charms (class)|charms classes]]<ref name="VG2">''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)]]''</ref>, and if used inappropriately can cause [[death]] or injury<ref name="WON"/>.
   
 
==Invention==
 
==Invention==

Revision as of 23:07, 17 February 2013

"With the Severing Charm, cutting or tearing objects is a simple matter of wand control. The spell can be quite precise in skilled hands, and the Severing Charm is widely used in a variety of wizarding trades. Useful as it is, this charm should be practiced with caution, as a careless swipe of the wand can cause injury."
Miranda Goshawk, Book of Spells.[src]

The Severing Charm (Diffindo) is a charm used to precisely and accurately cut something.[1] It is taught in second year charms classes[2], and if used inappropriately can cause death or injury[1].

Invention

"The Severing Charm was created in the fifteenth century by wizarding seamstress Delfina Crimp who created it as an easy and convenient way of cutting cloth and thread."
Book of Spells

This spell was invented in the fifteenth century by wizarding seamstress Delfina Crimp. She made the spell because prior to her discovery, cutting spells were apt to burn or shred things. However, a fellow seamstress nearly killed her after he raided her shop, having realized that she could do magic, and held her tied up. Nonetheless, upon being released to scratch a wart on her chin the wart brought her wand forth and she disapparated with a sack of gold.[1]

Uses

15th century

The charm was invented in this time by Delfina Crimp and used by her to make and tailor clothing.[1]

1994

Diffindo

Harry using the Severing Charm to break a sheet of ice.

Harry Potter cut Cedric Diggory's bookbag with this spell to delay him from class so that Harry could warn Cedric privately about the First Task.[3] Later that year, Ron Weasley used it to sever the lace sleeves of his dress robes before the Yule Ball.[3]

1996

In June of this year, Harry used this to attempt to defend Ron against some brains that were attacking him.[4] Later that year, he used the charm to detach the front cover of his shop-bought potions textbook to replace it with a vandalised version using the mending spell.[5]

1997

Hermione Granger used this to remove the bindings on Ron Weasley after a fight in a cafe; she trembled so much that she cut Ron with it. She used the spell again to remove a locket from Harry Potter's chest shortly after they were attacked by the dark lord. Between her two uses, Harry Potter tried to break Mary Cattermole free of a chained chair; it failed.[6]

1998

Harry uses Diffindo

Harry's failed use on the locket.

Harry Potter used this to attempt to destroy a locket in the woods, but failed.[7] Harry used this a fourth time to break the ice from the frozen pool where a sword was hidden.[6]

Known Casters

Etymology

The incantation is the Latin first person active indicative for "to split, cleave or open".

Behind the scenes

See also

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WON
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named GOF
  4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  6. 6.0 6.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
  7. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DHF
The Standard Book of Spells
Book of Spells 1
Grade 1 · Grade 2 · Grade 3 · Grade 4 · Grade 5 · Grade 6 · Grade 7
Charms included in the series: Dancing Feet Spell (Tarantallegra) · Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) · Engorgement Charm (Engorgio) · Fire-Making Spell (Incendio) · Freezing Charm (Immobulus) · General Counter-Spell (Finite Incantatem) · Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa) · Locking Spell (Colloportus) · Memory Charm (Obliviate) · Mending Charm (Reparo) · Nonverbal spell · Severing Charm (Diffindo) · Skurge Charm (Skurge) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Substantive Charm · Summoning Charm (Accio) · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Unlocking Charm (Alohomora) · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos)