Runespoor

Runespoor
Species information
Skin colour	Orange with black stripes
Native to	Burkina Faso, Africa
Length of average adult	Six to seven feet
Distinction	Three heads
Affiliation	Dark Wizards (formerly)
Ministry of Magic Classification	Beast XXXX
Status	Extant

The Runespoor is a magical three-headed snake native to the African country of Burkina Faso. Runespoors are commonly six to seven feet long, with orange and black stripes. Since they are very easy to spot, the Burkina Faso Ministry of Magic has made several forests Unplottable for the Runespoor's use, and to avoid sightings by non-wizards.

In the runic alphabet, the three heads of the Runespoor are used to represent the number three. The Runespoor is a possible rare corporeal form of the Patronus Charm. Runespoor eggs are used in Potion-making.

Description

According to writings from Parselmouths, each of the Runespoor's heads serves a different function.

The left head (from the perspective of someone facing the snake) is the planner; it decides where the Runespoor is to go and what it is to do next. The middle head is the dreamer (it is common for a Runespoor to remain stationary for days lost in glorious visions and imaginations), and the right head is the critic; it evaluates the efforts of the left and middle heads with a continuous irritable hissing, and its fangs are highly venomous. It is common to see Runespoors with the right head missing, as the other two heads often band together to bite it off when it criticises them too much. Because of this, the Runespoor rarely lives to a great age.

Runespoor eggs are produced through the creature's mouth, and the Runespoor is the only magical beast known to produce eggs in such a manner. The eggs are very valuable in making potions that stimulate mental agility, and have flourished on the black market for several centuries.

Some witches and wizards have attempted to create homemade Floo Powder (known as "Faux Floo") using the fangs of Runespoors, but like all imitation Floo Powder, it doesn't suffice, and causes injury, as noted by Rutherford Poke in 2010.

History

The giant Runespoor in the Newt Scamander's suitcase

The Runespoor has long been associated with Dark Wizards, and what is known of their habits is due in large part to the writings of Parselmouths that have conversed with the creatures.

Newt Scamander carried two Runespoors in his suitcase in December 1926: an apparently normal-sized individual whose right head was wearing a protective cone, and an unusually gigantic specimen. Newt later told Tina Goldstein in 1927 that she had “gone middle head” during her investigation on Credence Barebone, explaining it was an expression derived from the three heads of the Runespoor, the middle of which he claimed was the visionary; he also admitted he was most likely the only person who used the expression.

Mathilda Grimblehawk and her partner investigated a case involving a Runespoor, and Runespoor eggs, that had caused Bilius Finbok to be sent to hospital.

Behind the scenes

Illustration of a Runespoor from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The Runespoor could represent the character of a writer: the first head dealing with plot outlines and story plans, the second head dealing with description and the 'flesh' of the story (often getting stuck spending hours describing a simple scene) and the third head being the writer's internal critic- questioning everything they do and making them revise every single word. Of course some writers start ignoring their internal critic (represented by the runespoors biting off the third head) and without that criticism the story (or the runespoor) dies.

Appearances

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (First appearance)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) (Appears in a deleted scene)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World
• J. K. Rowling's official site
• Pottermore (Appears as a Patronus)
• LEGO Dimensions