How To Draw A Golden Snitch

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"This ...is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it."

— Description of a Golden Snitch^[src]

The Golden Snitch, often simply called the Snitch, is the third and smallest ball used in Quidditch. It is a walnut-sized gold-coloured sphere with silver wings. It flies around the Quidditch field at high speeds, sometimes pausing and hovering in place. The Seeker's goal is to catch the Snitch before the other team's seeker, which is worth one-hundred and fifty points. The game can only end when the Snitch has been caught, or by mutual agreement of the two teams' Captains; the latter is very rare, however, as one team would have to lose.^[5] Going off of Ginny Weasley's statement, it would appear Snitches fly at varying speeds, or at least can wear out.

The Quidditch rule also stated that only the two team's Seeker has the right to catch (or touch) the Snitch, any player other than the Seeker to do so commits a foul called a Snitchnip.^[5]

1 History
2 Flesh memory
3 Behind the scenes
- 3.1 Translations
4 Appearances
5 Notes and references

History

The Golden Snitch was originally not a ball, but a little magical bird called a Golden Snidget. It was introduced in 1269, when the Chief of the Wizards' Council, Barberus Bragge, unleashed a Golden Snidget during a Quidditch match, offering a reward of 150 Galleons to the player who caught the Snidget.^[1]

Thereafter, it became customary to set frightened Snidgets loose during games. As a tribute to Bragge, 150 points were given to the team that caught the Snidget. This Snidget-catching craze naturally harmed the bird's population (as Snidgets are very fragile birds, and a simple human grip is enough to crush them to death), but the wizarding community was then unwilling to stop this barbaric activity and ceased to use Snidgets only when the bird was labelled as endangered.^[1]

Bowman Wright, creator of the Golden Snitch

A replacement for the Golden Snidget was sought, and the skilled metal-charmer Bowman Wright invented the Golden Snitch to replace it. The Snitch weighed exactly the same as a Snidget, and its rotational wings imitated the bird's, allowing it to change direction and speed like its living counterpart.^[1]

One tale concerning the Snitch is that, during a match on Bodmin Moor in 1884, it managed to avoid capture for six months until both teams finally gave up in disgust at the performance of their Seekers. Cornish wizards and witches insist to this day that the Snitch is still wild in the area, which is possible due to its magical properties.^[1]

For Harry's seventeenth birthday, in 1997, Molly Weasley made him a Golden Snitch-shaped birthday cake, which was commented on by the then-Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour.^[4]

Flesh memory

The Snitches have flesh memories and remember the touch of the first person who handled them, in case of a disputed capture. Everyone, including the maker, has to wear gloves when handling the snitch until releasing one for each game. Because of this, a new snitch must be used for each game. In Harry Potter's very first match, which was against Slytherin, he caught the Snitch in his mouth during the 1991–1992 school year.^[3]

Upon his death, Albus Dumbledore left Harry the first golden snitch he had caught. Dumbledore put enchanted writing on the snitch that could only be read when Harry touched it to his mouth; it read "I open at the close". Dumbledore had also enchanted the Snitch to hold the Resurrection Stone inside of it, and it would only open for Harry once he accepted the fact that he needed to sacrifice himself in order to defeat Lord Voldemort.^[4]

Behind the scenes

Translations

Albanian: Topi i arte
Bulgarian: златен снич (zlaten snich)
Catalan: Papallona daurada ("Golden Butterfly")
Chinese (Simplified): 金色飞贼
Chinese (Traditional): 金探子
Croatian: zlatna zvrčka
Czech: Zlatonka (literally "Little Golden (One)")
Danish: Det Gyldne Lyn ("The Golden Lightning")
Dutch: Gouden Snaai (literal; Snaaien "to snitch")
Estonian: kuldne kitu
Faroese: Gylta Kippan
Finnish: Kultasieppi
French: Vif d'or (vif "quick, brisk, vivid; idea of speed")
German: Goldener Schnatz
Greek, Ancient: φθαστέον
Greek, Modern: χρυσή μπάλα ("gold ball")
Hebrew: הסניץ' המוזהב
Hindi: सुनहरी गेंद sunaharī gēṃd
Hungarian: aranycikesz
Icelandic: gullna eldingin
Irish: Sneaitsín/Sneaitsín Óir
Italian: Boccino d'oro ("golden jack")
Japanese: スニッチ (sunicchi)
Latin: Aureum Raptum'
Latvian: zelta zibsnis
Lithuanian: Aukso Šmaukštas
Norwegian: gullsnoppen
Polish: złoty znicz (Golden Grave Candle)
Portuguese (Portugal): Snitch de Ouro/Snitch Dourada (literal)
Portuguese (Brazil): Pomo de Ouro ("golden apple")
Romanian: Hoţoaica Aurie (literal)
Russian: Золотой Снитч (literal)
Serbian: Златна скривалица (Zlatna skrivalica) (skrivati se "to hide", literally "The little gold hider")
Slovak: Ohnivá strela/Zlatá strela (Ohnivá "fire", Zlatá "golden")
Slovenian: zlati zviz
Spanish: la snitch dorada
Swedish: Kvicken (full name Den gyllene kvicken)
Turkish: Altın Snitch
Ukrainian: золотий снич (zolotiy snych)
Welsh: Snichyn Aur

Appearances

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Mentioned only)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play) (Mentioned only)
Quidditch Through the Ages
Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book (Appears as black-and-white illustration)
LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World (Mentioned only)
Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Harry Potter for Kinect
Harry Potter Trading Card Game
LEGO Harry Potter
Pottermore
Wizarding World
Harry Potter: The Character Vault
LEGO Dimensions
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells

Notes and references

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 Quidditch Through the Ages
↑ The Golden Snitch wasn't invented yet a century after 1296, and as it was invented by Bowman Wright, it was created before he died.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 11 (Quidditch)
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 7 (The Will of Albus Dumbledore)
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 10 (Hallowe'en)

Game of Quidditch

Officials: Quidditch referee
Player positions: Beater • Chaser • Keeper • Seeker
Playing equipment: Beater's bat • Bludger • Broomstick • Golden Snitch • Quaffle