Amulets, Talismans & Other Magical Items
With magic, a length of wood may become a powerful wand, or a mixture of herbs an enchanted potion. With this art a wizard can turn an ordinary object into a magical one.
One such type of enchantment is being able to make objects fly. Like brooms or cars (Weasley's Muggle car) Other types of enchantments are used in the creation of amulets or talismans, whose power may last for hundreds of not thousands of years. It is also possible to imprison spirits or other magical creatures in objects such as lamps or bottles so they may do our bidding upon their release.
There are many items through out wizard history/literature that one can name at the top of their head. Below is a list of 13 Magical treasures of the Isle of Britain that are each marked with the mark of Merlin |x| and were hidden to avoid the misuse of each object.
1. The Flaming Sword - (if a well-born man drew it himself, it burst into flame from its hilt to its tip.)
2. The Bountiful Basket - (food for one man would be put in it, and when it was opened, food for a hundred men would be found in it.)
3. The Horn of Delectable Drinks - (whatever drink might be wished for was found in it.)
4. The Sweet Chariot - (Immediate transports you where you wish to go)
5. The Handy Halter - (Summons horses)
6. The Notable Knife - (Cuts food for 24 peope in a single slice)
7. The Capital Cauldron - (if meat for a coward were put in it to boil, it would never boil; but if meat for a brave man were put in it, it would boil quickly)
8. The Wonderful Whetstone - (Sharpens the blade of a brave warrior)
9. The Commodious Coat - (Perfectly fits any brave man; will not fit on a cowardly man)
10 & 11. The Pleasing Pan & Dish - (Both contained any food you wish)
12. The Champion Chessboard - (The Pieces play chess by themselves)
13. The Cloak of Invisibility - (whoever was under it could not be seen, and he could see everyone)
Other Magical Objects
Sigillum Mysteriorum
The Sigillum Mysteriorum is a powerful magical symbol. Its two outer rings can be used for making and revealing codes written in alchemical symbols.
Genie's Lamp
In modern day we think of a Genie as a spirit or magical being that was trapped into a bottle that wants to escape. However, they are sort of put into this life of servitude never to die and only to serve those that wish for something that they don't have.
However, if we look further into this history we can see a darker side. According to Wikipedia - In Islam and pre-islamic folklore, a genie (also jinn, djinn, from Arabic جني jinnī) is a supernatural fiery creature which possesses free will. Genies are mentioned in the Qu'ran, wherein a whole Sura is named after them (Al-Jinn). They can be either good or evil. In some cases, evil genies are said to lead humans astray.
We have seen good genies like in the movie Aladdin and the show I dream of Genie, but in the 1997 movie (rated R) Wishmaster - we get to actually see a bit of the dark history of the Jinn. (Remember Hollywood took some liberties with the history of the Jinn, but in a scene an archeologist explains the Islamic view on genies)
Sword in the Stone aka Exalibur
Excalibur is the sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was associated with the Arthurian legend very early; in Welsh, the sword was called Caledfwlch.
In surviving accounts of Arthur, there are two originally separate legends about the sword's origin. The first is the "Sword in the Stone" legend, originally appearing in Robert de Boron's poem Merlin, in which Excalibur can only be drawn from the stone by Arthur, the rightful king. The second comes from the later Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin, which was taken up by Sir Thomas Malory. Here, Arthur receives Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake after breaking his first sword, called Caliburn, in a fight with King Pellinore. The Lady of the Lake calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel," and Arthur takes it from a hand rising out of the lake.
As Arthur lay dying, he tells a reluctant Sir Bedivere (Sir Griflet in some versions) to return the sword to the lake by throwing it into the water. Bedivere thinks the sword too precious to throw away, so twice only pretends to do so. Each time, Arthur asks him to describe what he saw. When Bedivere tells him the sword simply vanished underwater, Arthur scolds him harshly. Finally, Bedivere throws Excalibur into the lake. Before the sword strikes the water's surface, the hand reaches up to grasp it and pull it under. Arthur leaves on a death barge with the three queens to Avalon, where as his legend says, he will one day return to save Britain from a threat.
Harry Potter Magical Items
In the HP world, there are uber amounts of magical items that we can discuss. However, here are some of the items.
1. Wands: Usually a long thin piece of wood which contains a magical item in the core. Wand is the most crucial part of a wizard's necessity, without it a wizard is defenseless. Different properties of a wand will give it different types of strength. The owner does not choose the wand, but the wand chooses its owner. When using a wand, a spell is most certainly needed, whether the incantation is said aloud or silently. Along with the spell, a wand movement of some sort is also used, sometimes a simple pointing of the wand is enough, while some spells require more complicated wand movement.
Some known properties of wands and its effect:
- Veela hair: makes it temperamental
- Mahogany wood: good for transfiguration
- Willow wood: good for charms work
2. Time-Turner: it looks like an ordinary hourglass and varying in sizes, except time-tuner can be used to travel back in time. The use of time-turners is strictly watched by the Ministry of Magic over the concerns of the dangerous effects it may cause. Many wizards have killed their visiting future selves by mistake, hence the most important rule while using a time-turner is to avoid being seen by your past self.
3. The Deathly Hallows: consist of three legendary and powerful items, created by the Perevell brothers: Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus. The symbol of The Deathly Hallows is a vertical line and a circle, all enclosed within a triangle. The circle represents the Resurrection Stone, the line represents the Elder wand, the triangle represents the Invisibility Cloak.
- Resurrection stone: a black stone that can be used to bring back the dead. This however, doesn't mean the soul is brought back to full life, instead the soul exists in a kind of in between world. The stone belonged to the middle Perevell brother Cadmus.
- Elder wand: looks like any other wand, made from elder tree wood, with a very powerful magic which makes this wand unbeatable. To gain the power of this wand you must beat its previous owner first. Many people took this meaning as killing its previous owner, but we have learned that Dumbledore was able to gain ownership of this wand without killing. Other name for this wand: The wand of Destiny, the Death Stick. This item belonged to Antioch Perevell.
- The Invisibility Cloak: Like the name, this cloak provides total impenetrable concealment for the wearer. Dumbledore had said that the cloak's true magic lies in the fact that it can be used to protect and shield others as well as its owner. This cloak was owned by the youngest Perevell brother Ignotus and passed down from generation to generation in his family.
4. Mirror of Erised: A tall mirror with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. The inscription carved around the top says "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi", which read backwards "I show not your face but your heart's desire". This mirror shows the deepest, most desperate desire of the person looking into the mirror. The happiest man in the world would see nothing but himself exactly as he is in the mirror. Many people have been trapped by the reflection created by this mirror, driving themselves mad not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.
5. Floo powder: shiny silvery powder which can be used to travel within seconds from one fireplace to another. It can also be used to communicate between two connected fireplaces. It was invented in the 1200s by Ignatia Wildsmith. To travel, a witch or wizard steps into the flames and states their destination, or to communicate just simply inserts the head and states the destination. The Ministry of Magic controls the fireplaces network and ensure no travelling witches or wizards spin into muggle fireplaces.