- "Uric was a strange wizard who lived in ancient times. Among other things, he was famous for wearing a jellyfish as a hat. No one knows if he meant to become the weirdest wizard of the ages or if it just came naturally."
- — Chocolate Frog Card[src]
Uric the Oddball was a medieval wizard, who became famous for his eccentric behaviour, such as wearing a jellyfish as a hat, and sleeping in a room with fifty pet Augureys. He is considered to be one of the most unconventional and weirdest wizards in history, and, as such, is often the punchline of wizarding jokes.[2]
Biography
Early life
- "Well, I did say we [Ravenclaws] produce eccentrics. In fact, we are also the house that gave the wizarding world Uric the Oddball, who used a jellyfish for a hat. He's the punchline of a lot of wizarding jokes."
- — Robert Hilliard.[src]
Uric was born in the Middle Ages, no earlier than 982,[1] somewhere in the British Isles. In his youth, Uric attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he was Sorted into Ravenclaw.[2]
Adulthood
Uric the Oddball in his trademark jellyfish hat
- "Uric the Oddball is known to have slept in a room containing no fewer than fifty pet Augureys. During one particularly wet winter, Uric became convinced by the moaning of his Augureys that he had died and was now a ghost. His subsequent attempts to walk through the walls of his house resulted in what his biographer Radolphus Pittiman describes as a "concussion of ten days' duration.""
- — Newton Scamander, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.[src]
At some point, Uric became famous for wearing a jellyfish for a hat. This, among other things, is still what Uric is best remembered for.[3]
Uric was known to have slept in a room with fifty pet Augureys. The Augurey's distinctive low and throbbing cry was once believed to foretell death, although the bird actually cries at the approach of rain. On a particularly rainy winter, the moaning of his Augureys convinced Uric that he was dead, and had returned as a ghost. He constantly attempted to walk through the walls of his house, which resulted in a ten-day long concussion.[4]
At one time, Uric the Oddball attempted to prove that the song of the Fwooper was actually beneficial to one's health. After listening to it for three months without a break, he presented his findings to the Wizards' Council. The Council was left unconvinced, as Uric arrived at the meeting wearing nothing but a toupee that, on closer inspection, proved to be a dead badger.[4]
Death and post-mortem
- "Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns […] droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up."
- — Description.[src]
Uric died sometime in the Middle Ages. In honour of his eccentricity, a small biography of him was recorded on a Chocolate Frog Card.[3] At some point, Radolphus Pittiman studied Uric's life, and became his biographer.[4]
In the 1991-1992 school year, students of History of Magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would scribble down names and dates, and mix up Uric the Oddball with Emeric the Evil, while Professor Binns droned on.[5]
On 1 September, 1991, Prefect Robert Hilliard welcomed the Ravenclaw first years to Ravenclaw Tower with a short speech in which he mentioned eccentric Uric the Oddball as one of the many notable Hogwarts students who had been Sorted, like them, into Ravenclaw.[2]
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Mentioned only)
- Wizard of the Month
- Pottermore (Mentioned only)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Given Hogwarts was founded in around 993 A.D. and that Uric attended it, he must have been eleven by or after the school's founding. So, the earliest date he could have possibly been born is 982.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Pottermore introduction for Ravenclaws (transcription available here)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - An A-Z of Fantastic Beasts
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 8 (The Potions Master)
