Harry Potter Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Harry Potter Wiki

"I could not be prouder that this simple school text book is now being used in schools for magic all over the world, and has been translated into seventy-two languages, including Gobbledegook and Mermish."
— Miranda Goshawk, Book of Spells (Foreword)[src]

Miranda Goshawk (b. 1921) was a witch and celebrated author who specialised in writing Charms spellbooks. The Standard Book of Spells was a collection written by her and were Hogwarts textbooks that covered the entire Charms syllabus. She also wrote a Herbology encyclopedia and the third volume of the Which Owl? series.

Biography[]

Early life[]

"I was born into a poor family, the last of nine sisters. When I was a youngster, there was no basic spellbook to give a beginner witch like myself the clear and simple instructions that would have made magic a much less mysterious process."
— Miranda Goshawk, Book of Spells (Foreword).[src]

Miranda Goshawk was born in 1921,[1] somewhere in Great Britain, the last of nine daughters born to the wizarding Goshawk family.[4] Her family was relatively impoverished by the time she arrived, and she recalls having to wear her sisters' hand-me-down robes, which she found "embarrassing".[4]

In her youth, she received formal instruction, attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from approximately 1932 to 1939. Miranda found the complicated instructions and abstruse concepts in her "old-fashioned textbooks" rather hard to understand. To further her confusion when it came to learning magic, her sisters used to deliberately give her the wrong incantation for every spell she attempted.[4]

As the youngest child in a large family, she also often found it difficult to make herself heard, and sometimes resorted to using the Bat-Bogey Hex — which she invented herself — to render whoever she wanted to give a piece of her mind silent long enough to let her speak. She used it on her sister Diadema to get her to return clothes she borrowed without permission; on her sister Romilda to keep her out of her room when she wanted to be left alone; and on her sister Tangwystl when she wanted to keep her quiet so she could finish her homework.[4]

Adult life[]

Goshawk

Miranda in her younger years

After her schooling, in which she self-admittedly "struggled", Ms. Goshawk realised that the help she had needed as a young witch simply did not exist. In response to this, she made a living by writing school textbooks all the while striving to make her writings both scientifically correct and academically useful, but also appealing and plain enough to be understood without too much difficulty, allowing every student to be in possession of knowledge about "basic and not-so-basic" witchcraft.[4]

Her first book, the Book of Spells, was a success: it was not only translated into seventy-two languages (among them, Gobbledegook and Mermish), but it also became an approved textbook in many schools for magic around the world. Goshawk did not miss the opportunity to get back at her sisters for their mischievous pranks: she had "special editions" of Book of Spells (actually just editions with several misprints) sent to them. As a result, and as part of a series of "comical mishaps", her sister Romilda was left with a tail, and Miranda's relationship with her sisters was negatively affected. Goshawk notes that the tail eventually vanished, and that the sisters became friends again.[4]

Goshawk's decision to include jinxes in the school textbook Book of Spells was controversial. She later defended it by stating that she believed including mild offensive spells in the book would deter students from seeking out more dangerous spells with which to settle their disputes.[4]

It was around this time, presumably, that Ms. Goshawk penned the The Standard Book of Spells series, a collection of Charms textbooks that have been regularly requested at Hogwarts[5] by Charms Master Filius Flitwick, regarded as "the best and most knowledgeable Charms master alive in the world today",[6] further attesting to the prestige of Goshawk's works. Ms. Goshawk has also published a comprehensive encyclopedia of Herbology[7] and has written the third volume of the Which Owl? collection.[8]

Miranda Goshawk Chocolate Frog Card HM

Miranda on a Chocolate Frog Card

In recognition of her efforts in the teaching of magic, Miranda Goshawk was immortalised in a Chocolate Frog Card bearing her effigy and achievements.

During the Calamity in the late 2010s or early 2020s, Miranda Goshawk visited a professor member of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force and engaged in a one-on-one lesson on scaling defensive spells with them, increasing the amount of damage they could do in combat.[9]

Personality and traits[]

Goshawk was an intelligent witch who authored The Standard Book of Spells series to provide clear magical education to young witches and wizards.

Magical abilities and skills[]

Published Works[]

Etymology[]

  • Miranda is from Spanish and means "admirable" or "beautiful." A goshawk is a large, powerful species of hawk with rounded wings, long tail and brown or grey feathers. It is also pronounced like "Got chalk" nodding towards her teaching standard.

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 7 images related to Miranda Goshawk.

Notes and references[]

Charms (class)
PS Wingardium Leviosa feather
Charm-book writers and developers
Blagdon Blay · Daisy Pennifold · Delfina Crimp · Miranda Goshawk · Jarleth Hobart · Basil Horton · Helixa Hyslop · Syna Hyslop · Randolph Keitch · Levina Monkstanley · Orabella Nuttley · Mnemone Radford · Scarpin · Elliot Smethwyck · Felix Summerbee · Violeta Stitch
Professors Fortinbras · Filius Flitwick · Abraham Ronen · Unidentified male professor · Unidentified medieval professor
Textbooks Achievements in Charming · Extreme Incantations · Quintessence: A Quest · The Standard Book of Spells
Charms studied at Hogwarts
Anti-Alohomora Charm · Ascension Charm (Ascendio) · Banishing Charm (Depulso) · Blackboard Writing Spell · Blue sparks · Bombardment Spell (Bombarda) · Box Blasting Charm (Cistem Aperio) · Bubble-Head Charm · Cheering Charm · Cleaning Charm · Colour Change Charm (Colovaria) · Confundus Charm (Confundo) · Counter-charm for hiccoughs · Dancing Feet Spell (Tarantallegra) · Descendo · Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) · Disillusionment Charm · Drought Charm · Entrancing Enchantments (theoretically) · Eradication Spell (Deletrius) · Engorgement Charm (Engorgio) · Extinguishing Spell · Fire-Making Spell (Incendio) · Freezing Charm (Immobulus) · Freezing Spell (Glacius) · Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus) · General Counter-Spell (Finite Incantatem) · Gouging Spell (Defodio) · Growth Charm · Ice Jinx · Impervius Charm (Impervius) · Knitting Charm · Knockback Jinx (Flipendo) · Leg-Locker Curse (Locomotor Mortis) · Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa) · Locking Spell (Colloportus) · Locomotion Charm (Locomotor) · Lumos Solem Spell (Lumos Solem) · Mending Charm (Reparo) · Memory Charm (Obliviate) · Muffliato Charm (Muffliato) · Nonverbal spells · Pack Charm (Pack) · Red Sparks (Vermillious) · Reductor Curse (Reducto) · Scouring Charm (Scourgify) · Seize and pull charm (Carpe Retractum) · Severing Charm (Diffindo) · Shrinking Charm (Reducio) · Silencing Charm (Silencio) · Slowing Charm (Arresto Momentum) · Skurge Charm (Skurge) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Spell for growing legs · Substantive Charm · Summoning Charm (Accio) · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Unlocking Charm (Alohomora) · Vinegar to wine spell · Wand-Extinguishing Charm (Nox) · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos) · Lumos Maxima · Water-Making Spell (Aguamenti)
Herbology
Pottedmandrake
Herbologists
Astrid Cole · Clifford Cromwell · Marmaduke Dale · Blossom Degrasse · Miranda Goshawk · Alfred Lawley · Olgae Marinus · Beaumont Marjoribanks · Nepali wizard · Gethsemane Prickle · Sanjay Shanker · Selina Sapworthy · Phyllida Spore · Yubert Thorne · Tilden Toots · Hadrian Whittle · Winogrand
Herbology at Hogwarts
Herbology Award · Herbology Lesson Cup · Herbology Race Cup · Herbology Store · Hidden Herbology Corridor
Greenhouses One · Two · Three · Four · Five · Six · Seven · Professor's office
Professors Mirabel Garlick's predecessor · Mirabel Garlick · Herbert Beery · Pomona Sprout · Neville Longbottom
Textbooks Flesh-Eating Trees of the World · Ingredient Encyclopedia · One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi · Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants
Plants studied and grown at Hogwarts
Aconite · Alihotsy · Asphodel · Belladonna · Bouncing Bulb · Bubotuber · Bubotuber pus · Chinese Chomping Cabbage · Cowbane · Dandelion · Devil's Snare · Dirigible Plum · Dittany · Fanged Geranium · Fat cactus-like plant · Fire seed bush · Flitterbloom · Floo · Flutterby bush · Fluxweed · Gillyweed · Ginger · Greenhouse Tree · Hemlock · Honking daffodil · Ivy · Knotgrass · Lady's Mantle · Lavender · Leaping Toadstool · Lovage · Mandrake · Mimbulus mimbletonia · Mistletoe · Moly · Nettle · Peppermint · Puffapod · Raspberry · Rose · Sage · Screechsnap · Scurvy grass · Self-fertilising shrub · Shrivelfig · Snargaluff · Sneezewort · Sopophorous plant · Sopophorous Bean · Spiky Bush · Spiky Prickly Plant · Stinksap · Sugar Shrub · Toad-eating plant · Tormentil · Umbrella Flower · Valerian · Vampiric vegetation · Venomous Tentacula · Walking plant · Wax vegetables · Whomping Willow · Wiggentree · Wild rice · Wormwood
Spells taught in Herbology at Hogwarts
Fire-Making Spell (Incendio) · Herbivicus Charm (Herbivicus) · Incendio Duo Spell (Incendio Duo) · Lumos Solem Spell (Lumos Solem) · Severing Charm (Diffindo)
Albus Dumbledore-101-chocFrogCard
Chocolate Frog Cards
Bridget-wenlock-card-lrg
Gold cards

Armando Dippet · Albus Dumbledore · Barberus Bragge · Bertie Bott · Carlotta Pinkstone · Dzou Yen · Falco Aesalon · Godric Gryffindor · Harry Potter · Herpo the Foul · Helga Hufflepuff · Montague Knightley · Phillipus von Hohenheim · Rowena Ravenclaw · Salazar Slytherin

Silver cards

Alberic Grunnion · Alberta Toothill · Andros the Invincible · Artemisia Lufkin · Blenheim Stalk · Bowman Wright · Chauncey Oldridge · Circe · Cliodna · Crispin Cronk · Cyprian Youdle · Daisy Dodderidge · Derwent Shimpling · Donaghan Tremlett · Dunbar Oglethorpe · Dymphna Furmage · Elfrida Clagg · Felix Summerbee · Fulbert the Fearful · Gaspard Shingleton · Gideon Crumb · Glenda Chittock · Gondoline Oliphant · Gregory the Smarmy · Gwenog Jones · Honoria Nutcombe · Ignatia Wildsmith · Joscelind Wadcock · Kirley Duke · Laverne de Montmorency · Leopoldina Smethwyck · Maeve · Mirabella Plunkett · Mopsus · Morgan le Fay · Oswald Beamish · Roderick Plumpton · Sacharissa Tugwood · Thaddeus Thurkell · Wendelin the Weird · Xavier Rastrick

Bronze cards

Adalbert Waffling · Almeric Sawbridge · Archibald Alderton · Balfour Blane · Beatrix Bloxam · Beaumont Marjoribanks · Bridget Wenlock · Burdock Muldoon · Cassandra Vablatsky · Celestina Warbeck · Cornelius Agrippa · Devlin Whitehorn · Dorcas Wellbeloved · Edgar Stroulger · Elladora Ketteridge · Ethelred the Ever-Ready · Flavius Belby · Gifford Ollerton · Glanmore Peakes · Glover Hipworth · Greta Catchlove · Grogan Stump · Gulliver Pokeby · Gunhilda de Gorsemoor · Havelock Sweeting · Hengist of Woodcroft · Heathcote Barbary · Herman Wintringham · Hesper Starkey · Jocunda Sykes · Justus Pilliwickle · Merlin · Merton Graves · Merwyn the Malicious · Miranda Goshawk · Mungo Bonham · Musidora Barkwith · Myron Wagtail · Newton Scamander · Norvel Twonk · Orsino Thruston · Perpetua Fancourt · Quong Po · Roland Kegg · Stoddard Withers · Tilly Toke · Uric the Oddball · Yardley Platt

Famous Vampires cards

Blodwyn Bludd · Vlad Drakul · Amarillo Lestoat · Carmilla Sanguina · Herbert Varney

Famous Hags cards

Babayaga · Malodora Grymm · Old Mother Hubbard · Cordelia Misericordia · Leticia Somnolens

Famous Giants cards

Bran the Bloodthirsty · Cyclops · Goliath · Morholt · Hengist of Upper Barnton

Famous Goblins cards

Alguff the Awful · Eargit the Ugly · Gringott · Ug the Unreliable · Urg the Unclean

Dragon cards

Common Welsh Green · Hebridean Black · Hungarian Horntail · Norwegian Ridgeback · Romanian Longhorn

Beast cards

Billywig · Bowtruckle · Doxy · Double-ended Newt · Giant Purple Toad · Giant Squid · Gnome · Gytrash · Imp · Kelpie · Manticore · Mountain Troll · Streeler · Phoenix · Unicorn

Advertisement