- "Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank."
- —The Durmstrang ship arrives at Hogwarts[src]
The Durmstrang Ship[2] was a magical ship used by Durmstrang Institute to reach Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the 1994 Triwizard Tournament. The ship could travel underwater, though, in practise, the students steered while Headmaster Igor Karkaroff stayed in his cabin, and probably capable of invoking a magical means of travelling from one large body of water to another.[1]
Design and appearance
The ship was described as having a strange, skeletal look and appeared to be similar to a 16th century Spanish galleon, possessing a quarterdeck and forecastle. It was square-rigged and had two masts.[1]
History
The ship arrives at Hogwarts
In 1994, the Durmstrang delegation arrived with their candidates on board of the ship. Karkaroff tyrannically stayed in his cabin while having the students steer the ship. During their stay at Hogwarts, the ship was anchored in the Black Lake in front of Hogwarts Castle. The Durmstrang students and Karkaroff slept in the ship at night. At the end of the Tournament, the Durmstrang students boarded their ship and sailed back to Durmstrang.[1] In 1994, Viktor Krum was seen diving off the ship and into the lake by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley.[3]
Despite being used as a method of transportation by Durmstrang, travelling by underwater ship is a breach of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.[4]
Behind the scenes
The Durmstrang ship in LEGO form
- A LEGO model of the ship was produced for the LEGO Harry Potter sets.
- This LEGO model contains, in addition to the Durmstrang crest, the crest of an unnamed faction from the LEGO Castle sets.
- In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, if all Gold Bricks are collected in Year 4 then one can build the ship for that year in the Leaky Cauldron's Basement.
- The Durmstrang ship seen in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) was a scale model, built to rock back and forth like a real ship, pumping water as it rises to the lake's surface.[5]
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) (Seen on Game Cover)
- Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
- LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
- LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World (Mentioned only)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- LEGO Harry Potter
- Pottermore
- Harry Potter: The Character Vault (Mentioned only)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 15 (Beauxbatons and Durmstrang)
- ↑ Pottermore - The Durmstrang Ship
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 37 (The Beginning)
- ↑ Wizards' Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Test - Grade 1, Question 11
- ↑ Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
