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"Mimblewimble, which prevents your opponent from accurately casting their next spell."
Gilderoy Lockhart on the usefulness of a Tongue-Tying Curse in a duel[src]

The Tongue-Tying Curse (Mimblewimble),[1] also known as the Tongue-Tying Spell,[3] was a curse that tied the target's tongue in a knot, preventing them from making coherent speech. This feature also allowed one to prevent the victim from speaking the incantations of spells correctly, and hence like the Silencing Charm it was useful in duelling (though can be overcome with more advanced magic).[2] It was covered in the book Curses and Counter-Curses, authored by Professor Vindictus Viridian.[5]

History[]

MimblewimbleHM

The effects of this curse

During the 1988–1989 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Patricia Rakepick taught this curse to her fifth-year Defence Against the Dark Arts students.[4]

In 1989, Bill Weasley willingly allowed Jacob's sibling to cast this spell on him in an effort to amuse Peeves the poltergeist and get him to disclose the whereabouts of the Weasley twins.[6]

On 31 July 1991, when Rubeus Hagrid found out that Harry Potter had been told nothing of the wizarding world, he angrily rounded on the Dursleys, at which point Harry heard his Uncle Vernon whisper "something that sounded like 'Mimblewimble'",[7] which was ironic considering Vernon was a Muggle with no knowledge of spells.

In late 1992, this spell was taught by Gilderoy Lockhart during the Duelling Club to help students to better defend themselves.[2]

"'We're not Snape!' croaked Harry, before something whooshed over him like cold air and his tongue curled backwards on itself, making it impossible to speak. Before he had time to feel inside his mouth, however, his tongue had unravelled again."
— The effects of this curse on Harry Potter in 12 Grimmauld Place[src]

In 1997, Alastor Moody set up several curses to protect the Order of the Phoenix headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place. One of these curses was this spell. It was placed to prevent Severus Snape from revealing the area's location to Lord Voldemort, as the properties of the Fidelius Charm protecting the house made Snape a Secret-Keeper when Albus Dumbledore died. The curse was intended to both "keep him out and bind his tongue if he tried to talk about the place". It is unknown what would occur if Snape tried to write the location on paper, which would also have passed on the secret of the house's location.[8]

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were affected by this curse when they sought refuge at 12 Grimmauld Place after fleeing Death Eaters in 1997. A sensation of cold air whooshed over them, causing their tongues to curl backwards, making it impossible for them to speak. Though their tongues soon unravelled again, Ron made retching noises and Hermione stammered for a while afterwards.[8]

Known practitioners[]

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Tongue-Tying Spell/Curse practise screen on Pottermore (see this image)
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) - PC version
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Curses and Counter-Curses" spell menu on Pottermore (see this image)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 5, Chapter 8 (Trial by Fire) - Defence Against the Dark Arts Lesson "Mimblewimble"
  5. 5.0 5.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 5 (Diagon Alley)
  6. 6.0 6.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 5 (Wherefore Art Thou, Weasleys?)
  7. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 4 (The Keeper of the Keys)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 9 (A Place to Hide)

See also[]

Curses and Counter-Curses
Curses-and-counter-curses
Spells included in the book: Full Body-Bind Curse · Leg-Locker Curse · Jelly-Legs Curse · Pimple Jinx · Stickfast Hex · Tickling Hex · Tongue-Tying Curse · Hair Loss Curse
Defence Against the Dark Arts (D.A.D.A.)
Subjectsdada
D.A.D.A. at Hogwarts
Classroom 3C · Classroom 3C backrooms · Temporary Classroom · Hogwarts Turris Magnus · Teacher's Office · Storeroom · Staircase · Storage room · Lesson Cup · Race Cup · Duelling Club · Dumbledore's Army
Professors
Isidora Morganach · Dinah Hecat · Arsenius Jigger · Albus Dumbledore · Galatea Merrythought · 1984–1985 professor · 1985–1986 professor · 1986–1987 professor · 1987–1988 professor · Patricia Rakepick · 1989–1990 professor · First 1990–1991 professor · Olivia Green · Quirinus Quirrell · Gilderoy Lockhart · Remus Lupin · Bartemius Crouch Junior (as Alastor Moody) · Dolores Umbridge · Severus Snape · Amycus Carrow (as Dark Arts teacher) · Unidentified professor · Brindlemore
Textbooks
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection · Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts · Break with a Banshee · Gadding with Ghouls · Holidays with Hags · Travels with Trolls · Voyages with Vampires · Wanderings with Werewolves · Year with the Yeti · The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts · Defensive Magical Theory · Dark Arts Defence – Basics for Beginners · Confronting the Faceless · Defence Against the Dark Arts
Spells studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Aqua Eructo · Boggart-Banishing Spell (Riddikulus) · Bombarda Maxima · Cave inimicum · Concealment Charms · Counter-curses · Counter-jinxes · Cruciatus Curse (Crucio) · Curse of the Bogies (Mucus ad Nauseam) · Cursed barrier spell · Densaugeo · Deprimo Spell (Deprimo) · Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) · Ear-Shrivelling Curse · Everte Statum · Freezing Spell (Glacius) · Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus) · Fumos Duo · Green Sparks · Hex-Breaker· Hex-deflection · Hex Zapper · Homorphus Charm · Human-presence-revealing Spell (Homenum Revelio) · Impediment Jinx (Impedimenta) · Imperius Curse (Imperio) · Imperturbable Charm · Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra) · Knockback Jinx (Flipendo) · Lacarnum Inflamari · Langlock · Levitation Spell (Levioso) · Limbo Mist anticharm · Nonverbal spells · Patronus Charm (Expecto Patronum) · Pimple Jinx (Furnunculus) · Protective enchantments · Red Sparks (Vermillious) · Reductor Curse (Reducto) · Salvio hexia · Sea Urchin Jinx · Seize and pull charm (Carpe Retractum) · Shield Charm (Protego) · Smokescreen Spell (Fumos) · Snake-Vanishing Spell (Vipera Evanesca) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Stretching Jinx · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Tongue-Tying Curse (Mimblewimble) · Trip Jinx · Twitchy-Ears Hex · Verdimillious Charm (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Duo Spell (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Tria · Vermillious Duo · Vermillious Tria · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos)
Creatures studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Banshee · Boggart · Chameleon Ghoul · Charmed skeleton · Cornish Pixie · Dementor · Dugbog · Erkling · Flesh-Eating Slug · Ghost · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Gytrash · Hag · Hinkypunk · Iguana · Imp · Inferius · Kappa · Manticore · Nocturnal beasts · Nogtail · Poltergeist · Red Cap · Snake · Troll · Vampire · Vampire bat · Werewolf · Yeti · Zombie
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