| | 1 | '''Navigation''': WikiStart | [wiki:Library HSOM Library] | [http://www.hsom.net/forum HSOM Index] |
| | 2 | = Quidditch Through the Ages = |
| | 3 | == ANCIENT BROOM GAMES == |
| | 4 | Early wizarding writings and paintings give us some idea of the games our ancestors played. Some of these no longer exist while others evolved into the sports we know today. Here are some of the Ancient Broom Games: |
| | 5 | |
| | 6 | Annual Broom Race:: |
| | 7 | This game came from Sweden. It dates from the tenth century. Fliers race from Kopparberg to Arjeplog, which covers a distance of over three hundred miles. The course runs straight through a dragon reservation, and the vast silver trophy is shaped like a Swedish Short-Snout. Nowadays this is an international event and wizards of all nationalities congregate to Kopparberg to cheer the starters, then Apparate to Arjeplog to congratulate the survivors. |
| | 8 | |
| | 9 | Stichstock:: |
| | 10 | The ancient game of Stichstock was from Germany. A twenty-foot-high pole was topped with an inflated dragon bladder. One player on a broomstick had the job of protecting this bladder. The bladder-guardian was tied to the pole by a rope around his or her waist, so that he or she could not fly further than ten feet away from it. The rest of the players would take it in turns to fly at the bladder and attempt to puncture it with the specially sharpened ends of their brooms. The bladder-guardian was allowed to use his or her wand to repel these attacks. The game ends when the bladder was successfully punctured, or when the bladder-guardian had either succeeded in hexing all opponents out of the running or collapsed from exhaustion. The game Stichstock died out in the fourteenth century. |
| | 11 | |
| | 12 | Aingingein:: |
| | 13 | The game Aingingein came from Ireland. This game needs a Dom or a ball (actually the gallbladder of a goat). One by one the players would take the Dom and speed through a series of burning barrels set high in the air on stilts. The Dom was to be thrown through the final barrel. The player who succeeded in getting the Dom through the last barrel in the fastest time, without having caught fire on the way, was declared the winner. |
| | 14 | |
| | 15 | Creaothceann:: |
| | 16 | The game of Creaothceann originated from Scotland. This game is probably the most dangerous of all broom games. The players each wore a cauldron strapped to the head. At the sound of the horn or drum, up to a hundred charmed rocks and boulders that had been hovering a hundred feet above the ground began to fall towards the earth. The goal of the players is to catch as many rocks as they can in their cauldrons. Scottish wizards consider this game to be the supreme test of manliness and courage. In the middle ages, Creaothceann became really popular despite the huge number of fatalities that resulted from it. In 1762, the game was made illegal. |
| | 17 | |
| | 18 | Shuntbumps:: |
| | 19 | This game was popular in Devon, England. The aim of the players is to knock as many other players as possible from their brooms. The last person remaining on his or her broom is the winner. |
| | 20 | |
| | 21 | Swivenhodge:: |
| | 22 | The game Swivenhodge began in Herefordshire. Like Stichstock, this game also involved an inflated bladder, usually a pig's. Players sat backwards and forwards across a hedge with the brush ends of their brooms. The first person to miss gave their opponent a point. The first to reach fifty points was the winner. Even though Swivenhodge is still played in England, it has never achieved much widespread popularity. |
| | 23 | |
| | 24 | == Changes in Quidditch Since the Fourteenth Century == |
| | 25 | |
| | 26 | === Pitch === |
| | 27 | In the fourteenth century, Zacharias Mumps describes the Quidditch pitch as oval-shaped, five hundred feet long, and a hundred and eighty feet wide with a small central circle approximately two feet in diameter at the middle. Mumps tells us that the referee (or the Quijudge, as he or she was then known), carried the four balls into this central circle while the fourteen players stood around him. The moment the balls were released, the players raced into the air. The goalposts in Mumps' time were still large baskets on poles. By the year 1883, baskets had ceased to be used for scoring and were replaced with goalposts we use today. The Quidditch pitch has not altered since that time. |
| | 28 | |
| | 29 | === Balls === |
| | 30 | The Quaffle:: |
| | 31 | From the earliest times, the Quaffle was made of leather. Alone of the four Quidditch balls, the Quaffle was not originally enchanted, but merely a patched leather ball, often with a strap, as it had to be caught and thrown one-handed. Some old Quaffles have finger holes. With the discovery of Gripping Charms in 1875, however, straps and finger holes have become unnecessary. The modern Quaffle is twelve inches in diameter and seamless. It was first coloured scarlet in the winter of 1711, after a game when heavy rain had made it indistinguishable from the muddy ground whenever it was dropped. Chasers were also becoming irritated by the necessity of diving continually towards the ground to retrieve the Quaffle whenever they missed a catch and so, shortly after the Quaffle's change of colour, the witch Daisy Pennifold had the idea of bewitching the Quaffle so that if dropped, it would fall slowly earthwards. The "Pennifold Quaffle" is still used today. |
| | 32 | |
| | 33 | The Bludgers:: |
| | 34 | The first Bludgers were just flying rocks, and in Mumps' time they had merely progressed to rocks carved into the shape of balls, but they could be cracked by the magically reinforced Beaters' bats of the fifteenth century, in which case all players would be pursued by flying gravel for the remainder of the game. In the sixteenth century, Agatha Chubb, expert in ancient wizarding artifacts, has identified no fewer than twelve lead Bludgers. Lead was eventually discovered to be too soft for the purpose of Bludger manufacture (any indentation left on a Bludger will affect its ability to fly straight). Nowadays all Bludgers are made of iron. They are ten inches in diameter. Bludgers are bewitched to chase players indiscriminately. If left to their own devices, they will attack the player closest to them, hence the Beaters' task is to knock the Bludgers as far away from their own team as possible. |
| | 35 | |
| | 36 | The Golden Snitch:: |
| | 37 | The Golden Snitch is walnut-sized, as the Golden Snidget. It is bewitched to evade capture as long as possible. The Golden Snitch is the smallest ball used in the game of Quidditch. It is the Seeker's job to catch it. When the Golden Snitch is caught, the team of the seeker who caught it gains his or her team one hundred and fifty points and the game ends. |
| | 38 | |
| | 39 | Players:: |
| | 40 | The Keeper:: |
| | 41 | Since the thirteenth century, the position of the keeper already existed, though the role has changed since that time. In Mumps' time, the keepers performed like chasers. They have extra responsibilities. They were allowed to move around the pitch and score goals. By the time Quintius Umfraville wrote "The Noble Sport of Warlocks" in 1620, the Keeper's job had been simplified. The scoring areas had now been added to the pitch and the Keepers were advised to remain within them, guarding their goal baskets, though Keepers may fly out of this area in an attempt to intimidate opposing Chasers or head them off early. |
| | 42 | |
| | 43 | The Beaters:: |
| | 44 | The Beaters' duties have changed little through the centuries and it is likely that Beaters have existed ever since the introduction of the Bludgers. Their first duty is to guard their team members from the Bludgers, which they do with the aid of bats. Beaters have never been goal-scorers. Beaters need a good deal of physical strength to repel the Bludgers. This position is often taken by wizards rather than witches. |
| | 45 | |
| | 46 | The Chasers:: |
| | 47 | The oldest position in Quidditch is the Chaser, for the game of Quidditch was once consisted mainly of goal-scoring. The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and score ten points every time they get it through one of the hoops. |
| | 48 | |
| | 49 | The Seeker:: |
| | 50 | The Seeker has a big responsibility in the game of Quidditch. The Seekers are usually the lightest and fastest fliers. They need both a sharp eye and the ability to fly one- or no-handed. When the Seeker catches the Snitch, he or she gives his or her house one hundred and fifty points. Given their immense importance in the overall outcome of the match, for the capture of the Snitch so often snatches victory from the jaws of defeat, Seekers are most likely to be fouled by members of the opposition. |
| | 51 | |
| | 52 | Referees:: |
| | 53 | Being a Referee for a Quidditch match was once a task for only the bravest witches and wizards. The Referee in a Quidditch match was once called a Quijudge. The effective Quidditch Referee needs to be more than an expert flier. He or she has to watch the antics of fourteen players at once and the most common Referee's injury is a neck strain. At professional matches the Referee is assisted by other officials to ensure that neither players nor balls stray over the outer perimeter. In Britain, the Referees are selected by the Department of Magical Games and Sports. They have to pass flying tests, and written tests to be qualified. |
| | 54 | |
| | 55 | == Rules == |
| | 56 | |
| | 57 | In 1750, the Department of Magical Games and Sports set down the following rules upon its formation: |
| | 58 | |
| | 59 | 1. Though there is no limit imposed on the height to which a player may rise during the game, he or she must not stray over the boundary lines of the pitch. Should a player fly over the boundary, his or her team must surrender the Quaffle to the opposing team. |
| | 60 | |
| | 61 | 2. The Captain of a team may call for "time out" by signaling to the Referee. This is the only time players' feet are allowed to touch the ground during a match. Time out may be extended to a two-hour period if a game has lasted more than twelve hours. Failure to return to the pitch after two hours leads to the team's disqualification. |
| | 62 | |
| | 63 | 3. The Referee may ward penalties against a team. The Chaser taking the penalty will fly from the central circle towards the scoring area. All players other than the opposing Keeper must keep well back while the penalty is taken. |
| | 64 | |
| | 65 | 4. The Quaffle may be taken from another player's grasp but under no circumstances must one player seize hold of any part of another player's anatomy. |
| | 66 | |
| | 67 | 5. In the case of injury, no substitution of players will take place. The team will play on without the injured player. |
| | 68 | |
| | 69 | 6. Wands may be taken on to the pitch but must under no circumstances whatsoever be used against opposing team members, any opposing team member's broom, the referee, any of the balls, or any member of the crowd |
| | 70 | |
| | 71 | 7. A game of Quidditch ends only when the Golden Snitch has been caught, or by mutual consent of the two team Captains. |
| | 72 | |
| | 73 | == QUIDDITCH FOULS == |
| | 74 | |
| | 75 | There are Seven hundred Quidditch fouls listed in the Department of Magical Games and Sports records. The full list of these fouls has never been made available to the wizarding public. It is the Department's view that witches and wizards who see the list "might get ideas". Here are the ten most common fouls and the correct Quidditch term for each. |
| | 76 | |
| | 77 | Blagging:: |
| | 78 | Seizing opponent's broom tail to slow or hinder ''(All players)'' |
| | 79 | |
| | 80 | Blatching:: |
| | 81 | Flying with intent to collide ''(All players)'' |
| | 82 | |
| | 83 | Blurting:: |
| | 84 | Locking broom handles with a view to steering opponent off course ''(All players)'' |
| | 85 | |
| | 86 | Bumping:: |
| | 87 | Hitting Bludger towards crowd, necessitating a halt of the game as officials rush to protect bystanders. Sometimes used by unscrupulous players to prevent an opposing Chaser scoring ''(Beaters only)'' |
| | 88 | |
| | 89 | Cobbing:: |
| | 90 | Excessive use of elbows towards opponents ''(All players)'' |
| | 91 | |
| | 92 | Flacking:: |
| | 93 | Sticking any portion of anatomy through goal hoop to punch Quaffle out. The Keeper is supposed to block the goal hoop from the front rather than the rear ''(Keeper Only)'' |
| | 94 | |
| | 95 | Haversacking:: |
| | 96 | Tampering with Quaffle, e.g., puncturing it so that it falls more quickly or zigzags ''(Chasers Only)'' |
| | 97 | |
| | 98 | Snitchnip:: |
| | 99 | Any player other than Seeker touching or catching the Golden Snitch ''(All players except seekers)'' |
| | 100 | |
| | 101 | Stooging:: |
| | 102 | More than one Chaser entering the scoring area ''(Chasers only)'' |
| | 103 | |
| | 104 | '''Navigation''': WikiStart | [wiki:Library HSOM Library] | [http://www.hsom.net/forum HSOM Index] |
