Veela

"And that, boys, is why you should never go for looks alone."

- Arthur Weasley about Veela

The Veela are a race of semi-human, semi-magical hominids reminiscent of the Sirens of Greek mythology. Little is known about their biology; they appear to be young, beautiful humans. Their looks and especially their dance are magically seductive to almost all male beings, which causes them to perform strange actions in order to get nearer to them. Veela are thought to have their own type of magic which does not require a wand. When Veela are angry, however, they transform into something more like Harpies — their faces turn into cruel-beaked bird heads while long scaly wings burst from their shoulders, and they can launch balls of fire from their hands. Veela seem to be quite an irascible race. For example, in the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, they were easily wound up by the Leprechauns, resulting in a fight between both teams' mascots on the pitch. The Veela then got sent away. Veela were the mascots for the Bulgarian National Quidditch team during the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, which indicates an Eastern European origin, although the Delacours, who are from France, are proof that they can be found all over Europe.

Veela hair is a magical substance, suitable as a core for wand manufacture. Renowned wandmaker Garrick Ollivander noted that he personally never uses it, as the product tends to be temperamental. Fleur Delacour's wand contains a single hair from her Veela grandmother. Which is rather ironic as ancient stories state that if a single hair is plucked from a veela's head they will die or disfigure.

Cross-breeding with humans
Veela have been known to marry wizards, although it is unknown whether any have married Muggles. Children of these unions are half-Veela, and they will inherit magical ability from their fathers and beauty and charm from their mothers. Veela traits seem to persist for at least a few generations.

Apolline Delacour is a half-Veela, thus her children Fleur and Gabrielle are quarter-Veela, and Fleur's children Victoire, Dominique and Louis are eighth-Veela; it is unknown if they have inherited any specific Veela characteristics from their great-grandmother.

It is unknown whether half-blooded Veela can throw fire or transform into harpy-like creatures as their full-blooded relatives can.



Known Veela

 * Fleur Delacour's maternal grandmother
 * At least two cousins of Fleur Delacour
 * The Bulgarian National Quidditch team mascots at the Quidditch World Cup in 1994. The mascots danced to hypnotise the players as well as the fans on the other team, even the referee was affected.

Behind the scenes

 * Veela are nymph-like creatures in, who live in bodies of water and have power and ability over storms. They may be the ghosts of women who drowned, especially those who were betrayed by their lovers. They often appear as beautiful women, but are known to morph into swans, snakes, horses, or wolves. Their mystical, seductive speaking and singing voices hypnotise those who hear them, and they are fierce warriors. Interestingly, given that Fleur Delacour's wand has a hair from her Veela grandmother, it is said in some legends that if even one of their hairs is plucked, a Veela will either die or be forced to change into a non-human shape. Veela are main features of Bulgarian and Serbian folklore such as the story of Marko Kraljevic and the Veela.
 * One of the questions on the 2nd Level W.O.M.B.A.T. asks the examinee to identify which of five given statements is false; one of these claims that full-blooded male Veela do not exist.
 * Veela are similar to the Sirens of . They are featured in Homer's , as half-bird, sea-dwelling hybrids whose hypnotic singing causes sailors to run aground. In the modern day, they are depicted in the popular American fantasy series, Percy Jackson &amp; the Olympians. In the series, they are shown as one of the several reasons people vanish in the Bermuda Triangle, or the Sea of Monsters.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2