Snidgets
From UnknowableWiki
| Creature profile | |
|---|---|
| |
| Golden Snidget | |
| Ministry of Magic Classification | XXXX[1] |
| Appearance | round, tiny bird, long thin beak, glistening red eyes |
| Origin | northern Europe |
| First appearance in canon | An A-Z of Fantastic Beasts (FB) |
Golden Snidgets are extremely rare magical birds that could once be commonly found in northern Europe (QA4). They are walnut-sized (QA6), completely round, with golden plumage, a long, thin beak and red eyes that glisten like jewels (FBAZ). They are known for their speed, able to change directions with remarkable swiftness and skill due to their wings that have rotational joints (FBAZ, QA4).
Snidget hunting became very popular at the beginning of the 12th century due to the Snidget's highly prized eyes and feathers and the prestige that came with being able to catch such an agile creature. At the time, Snidgets were quite common in northern Europe, although mostly undetected by Muggles due to their speed and size. Nets, wands, and even bare hands were used to capture these creatures, and the successful witch or wizard presented with a bag of gold for their accomplishment. Often, the Snidget was crushed during the catch. Snidget-hunting was reprehensible not only becaue of the killing of peaceful creatures for the sake of entertainment but also because the hunting in broad daylight led to numerous Muggle sightings of broomsticks.
Nevertheless, the practice was socially accepted for over a century and used as a theme in arts, as is demonstrated by the twelth-century tapestry that details Snidget-hunting housed in the Museum of Quidditch today. In fact, it was Barberus Bragge, the Chief of the Wizards' Council himself who had the idea to include Snidget hunting in a Quidditch game in 1269.
Bragge brought a caged Snidget to the game and promised the player who would catch the bird the incredible sum of 150 Galleons (equivalent to over a million Galleons today). As a result, all the players abandoned their usual position and started to hunt the Snidget, which was stopped from leaving the playing field by Repelling Spells from the crowd. However, a witch named Modesty Rabnott had mercy with the bird. She Summoned it and ran away from the crowd to release it.
Despite Modesty Rabnott's efforts, Snidget-catching soon became part of all Quidditch games, and an additional player on each team was introduced. As a result, Snidget numbers dwindled. By the middle of the 14th century, the Golden Snidget was declared a protected species and the Modesty Rabnott Snidget Reservation in Somerset founded for its survival. Bowman Wright invented the Golden Snitch, which replaced the Snidget as a Quidditch ball (QA4).
Today, Snidget capture and injury are severely punished by the Ministry of Magic and sanctuaries have been established worldwide (FBAZ).
