Lesson 1
Brooms in the Wizarding World
Brooms, or broomsticks, are one of the most useful magical items in the wizarding world today. It is primarily used as means of transportation between locations. However, it appears that only witches and wizards use brooms for this purpose. House elves, for example, have apparition as their chosen method of transportation.
Furthermore, use of brooms is like a cultural thing; as in other parts of the world like Asia and the Middle East, the flying carpet is the preferred mode of transportation. Though flying carpets were once legal in Britain, they are now illegal because carpets are currently defined as a Muggle artifact that is prohibited to enchant.
In addition, brooms are also used in several sports like Quidditch and broom race, among others. Cultural and legal differences mentioned above is a good reason for Quidditch’s extreme popularity in Britain and the rest of Europe while being not that popular in Asia and the Middle East. Brooms’ place in the wizarding world is huge that Muggles’ perception of witches always involves a broomstick, as stated by Kennilworthy Whisp in his book ‘Quidditch Through the Ages’.
The Broom
Let us now focus on the broom. A broomstick is not an ordinary, normal broomstick pressed to use as a means of transportation. It is a magical item with built-in charms. We can see in its long history how it evolved to suit the needs and comforts of witches and wizards and the wizarding society as a whole.
History of the Broomstick, Part I
A. The Early Brooms (A.D. 962 – mid-1800s)
Flying is one awesome skill that would bring everything to a whole new level to everything, enticing every one of curious minds to long for it. This longing is not foreign to witches and wizards, who has the most resources to attain this skill, with all of their magical powers in their reach. This desire, along with the context of the early days when the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy (signed in the 1600s) is still nothing brought the wizarding world to rely on a broomstick to attain flying, at the least.
Why broomsticks? Wizards knew that Muggles had their eyes on them and their abilities so they had to make sure that their method of flying would be unobtrusive, easy to hide, portable, cheap and required no explanation. Hence, the broom became the ideal method. However, it would require a long, epic evolution to reach the kind of broom that we enjoy now in our age.
The earliest documentation of broomstick use is that of a German manuscript dated A.D. 962. In the document, three warlocks were showed dismounting from their brooms with looks of discomfort in their faces. Here is a picture of a medieval broomstick:
Brooms, or broomsticks, are one of the most useful magical items in the wizarding world today. It is primarily used as means of transportation between locations. However, it appears that only witches and wizards use brooms for this purpose. House elves, for example, have apparition as their chosen method of transportation.
Furthermore, use of brooms is like a cultural thing; as in other parts of the world like Asia and the Middle East, the flying carpet is the preferred mode of transportation. Though flying carpets were once legal in Britain, they are now illegal because carpets are currently defined as a Muggle artifact that is prohibited to enchant.
In addition, brooms are also used in several sports like Quidditch and broom race, among others. Cultural and legal differences mentioned above is a good reason for Quidditch’s extreme popularity in Britain and the rest of Europe while being not that popular in Asia and the Middle East. Brooms’ place in the wizarding world is huge that Muggles’ perception of witches always involves a broomstick, as stated by Kennilworthy Whisp in his book ‘Quidditch Through the Ages’.
The Broom
Let us now focus on the broom. A broomstick is not an ordinary, normal broomstick pressed to use as a means of transportation. It is a magical item with built-in charms. We can see in its long history how it evolved to suit the needs and comforts of witches and wizards and the wizarding society as a whole.
History of the Broomstick, Part I
A. The Early Brooms (A.D. 962 – mid-1800s)
Flying is one awesome skill that would bring everything to a whole new level to everything, enticing every one of curious minds to long for it. This longing is not foreign to witches and wizards, who has the most resources to attain this skill, with all of their magical powers in their reach. This desire, along with the context of the early days when the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy (signed in the 1600s) is still nothing brought the wizarding world to rely on a broomstick to attain flying, at the least.
Why broomsticks? Wizards knew that Muggles had their eyes on them and their abilities so they had to make sure that their method of flying would be unobtrusive, easy to hide, portable, cheap and required no explanation. Hence, the broom became the ideal method. However, it would require a long, epic evolution to reach the kind of broom that we enjoy now in our age.
The earliest documentation of broomstick use is that of a German manuscript dated A.D. 962. In the document, three warlocks were showed dismounting from their brooms with looks of discomfort in their faces. Here is a picture of a medieval broomstick:
What can we observe from the picture? We can see rough twigs and unvarnished handle. We can distinguish a lot of differences with our broomsticks nowadays. These physical characteristics of the early broomsticks caused neither comfortable nor aerodynamic ride. In addition, the charms on the broom were basic; they had only one speed and focus on only one direction like up, down and stop. Guthrie Lochrin wrote on 1107 of the "splinter-filled buttocks and bulging piles" after a short ride from Montrose to Arbroath.
During these times (962 – 1000s), wizarding families construct their own brooms, making brooms at that time differ in speed and comfort, depending on the skill of the builder. By 12th century, wizards making brooms of better quality started to barter his services for say, a potion from a neighbor, etc.
Up to the 1800s, the context of broom making in the wizarding world is this: broomsticks were of varying quality since they were still handmade by single wizards that are also focused on styling and craftsmanship rather than the performance of the brooms that they are making. As a result, brooms at these times are incapable of reaching high speeds and were hard to control at high altitudes.
Fortunately, in 1820, an inventor called Elliot Smethwyck invented the Cushioning Charm that creates a softening effect on target surfaces. The charm greatly improved the quality and comfort of broomstick rides and is used until today in broom making.
During these times (962 – 1000s), wizarding families construct their own brooms, making brooms at that time differ in speed and comfort, depending on the skill of the builder. By 12th century, wizards making brooms of better quality started to barter his services for say, a potion from a neighbor, etc.
Up to the 1800s, the context of broom making in the wizarding world is this: broomsticks were of varying quality since they were still handmade by single wizards that are also focused on styling and craftsmanship rather than the performance of the brooms that they are making. As a result, brooms at these times are incapable of reaching high speeds and were hard to control at high altitudes.
Fortunately, in 1820, an inventor called Elliot Smethwyck invented the Cushioning Charm that creates a softening effect on target surfaces. The charm greatly improved the quality and comfort of broomstick rides and is used until today in broom making.
B. Brooms of the Cottage Industry (late 1800s – 1925)
The use of broom was never the same after the invention of the Cushioning Charm, switching broom making to greater heights and greater heights it reached. In 1879, Elias Grimstone of Portsmouth created the broomstick called Oakshaft 79, which is a broomstick who made a name for itself. The broom had a thick oak handle for endurance flying and known to withstand high wind conditions. However, the broom, due to its lack of agility, did not gain popularity in Quidditch. It still proved its endurance when Jocunda Sykes used Oakshaft 79 in performing the first ever Atlantic crossing in 1935.
At the dawn of the 20th century, an exemplary broomstick was invented. This was the Moontrimmer, made by Gladys Boothby in 1901. It was known for its ability to fly higher than any other broom and still remain controllable. Together with its slim ash handle, it was a revolution in broomstick design at that time. It was also popular for Quidditch players. However, since Gladys Boothby was working on her own, he was not able to keep up with the huge demand for the Moontrimmer.
Completing the notable brooms that made an impact at the broom market and were made by single wizards and witches (the cottage industry) is the Silver Arrow. The Silver Arrow was made by Leonard Jewkes sometime after the development of Moontrimmer and is the true forerunner of the racing broom. It can fly up to a maximum of 70 miles per hour with a decent tailwind, making it faster than the Oakshaft 79 and the Moontrimmer and in demand for the Quidditch players. Madam Hooch learned to fly on a Silver Arrow and compared it to the Firebolt of our time. Same thing with other cottage-industry brooms, Leonard Jewkes did not manage to keep up with the demand of his broom.
We’ll continue the history of broom making and its vast effect to the way witches and wizards live next meeting. See you next time! Off to Homework 1!
The use of broom was never the same after the invention of the Cushioning Charm, switching broom making to greater heights and greater heights it reached. In 1879, Elias Grimstone of Portsmouth created the broomstick called Oakshaft 79, which is a broomstick who made a name for itself. The broom had a thick oak handle for endurance flying and known to withstand high wind conditions. However, the broom, due to its lack of agility, did not gain popularity in Quidditch. It still proved its endurance when Jocunda Sykes used Oakshaft 79 in performing the first ever Atlantic crossing in 1935.
At the dawn of the 20th century, an exemplary broomstick was invented. This was the Moontrimmer, made by Gladys Boothby in 1901. It was known for its ability to fly higher than any other broom and still remain controllable. Together with its slim ash handle, it was a revolution in broomstick design at that time. It was also popular for Quidditch players. However, since Gladys Boothby was working on her own, he was not able to keep up with the huge demand for the Moontrimmer.
Completing the notable brooms that made an impact at the broom market and were made by single wizards and witches (the cottage industry) is the Silver Arrow. The Silver Arrow was made by Leonard Jewkes sometime after the development of Moontrimmer and is the true forerunner of the racing broom. It can fly up to a maximum of 70 miles per hour with a decent tailwind, making it faster than the Oakshaft 79 and the Moontrimmer and in demand for the Quidditch players. Madam Hooch learned to fly on a Silver Arrow and compared it to the Firebolt of our time. Same thing with other cottage-industry brooms, Leonard Jewkes did not manage to keep up with the demand of his broom.
We’ll continue the history of broom making and its vast effect to the way witches and wizards live next meeting. See you next time! Off to Homework 1!