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Human to pig spell

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The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.

"Shouldn'ta lost me temper, but it didn't work, anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."
—Rubeus Hagrid on his attempt to turn Dudley Dursley into a pig[src]

This spell (incantation unknown) was used to transform a human target into a pig.[1]

History[]

The witch Circe was fond of using this spell to turn sailors into pigs in ancient Greece.[2][3]

On 31 July 1991, Rubeus Hagrid, despite being forbidden to perform magic, attempted to transfigure Dudley Dursley into a pig, after his father Vernon Dursley had crudely insulted Albus Dumbledore at the Hut-on-the-Rock, but only managed to give him a tail.[1]

Known practitioners[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • In an early script for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry threatened to use this spell on Dudley once again when Dudley and his gang tormented Harry near the film's start.[4]
  • Hagrid mentions that he tried to turn Dudley into a pig, but supposes that it did not work because he was already too much like a pig. Provided Hagrid was not simply joking to amuse Harry after successfully, purposefully giving Dudley a pig's tail in order to humiliate him, this might be an instance of Hagrid's magic not working fully, due to his snapped wand. It is also possible that Hagrid was not skilled enough, as Human Transfiguration is a very difficult branch of transfiguration.
  • It is unknown if this spell is specifically to turn humans into pigs, or if it could turn any creature into a pig. It may be even be the same spell Professor Minerva McGonagall used to turn her desk into a pig. If it is, this means that it can also be used on inanimate objects.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Chapter 4 (The Keeper of the Keys)
  2. ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
  3. ↑ Pottermore
  4. ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Second Draft
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