The Accio Spell or Summoning Charm makes the object fly towards the caster. The caster must know the location of the object they are trying to summon and picture it clearly. It is one of the oldest spells in the wizarding world.
“And then he heard it, speeding through the air behind him; he turned and saw his Firebolt hurtling towards him around the edge of the woods, soaring into the enclosure, and stopping dead in mid-air beside him, waiting for him to mount.“
—The Firebolt, under the influence of this spell, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The etymology of the Accio spell
The word ‘accio’ comes from the Latin verb “accerso” which means “to summon or fetch”. Rowling restyled the spelling to be “accio” and the pronunciation to create the incantation for this summoning charm.
Accio Spell: History
The spell was notably used by the Accionites and their leader, Gideon Flatworthy, according to a witch and author, Miranda Goshawk.
In wizard folklore, “The Wizarding and the Hopping Pot” from The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the son of the pot’s original owner summoned a lost donkey that belonged to one of his fellow villagers.
Glimpses of the Accio Spell at Hogwarts
Fourth years learn this spell in the Charms class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is revised again in a student’s fifth year in preparation for O.W.L.s. This spell features in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4 by Miranda Goshawk, a celebrated author specializing in the Charms curriculum.
Being the Charms teacher, it would be Professor Flitwick, who would have taught the students the spell in 1991. However, in the case of Harry, Hermione taught him the spell to prepare him for the Triwizard Tournament’s first task. Harry had to summon his broom to escape from the Hungarian Horntail after he stole her egg.
Effects of Accio Spell
One can cast this spell verbally or nonverbally, depending on the skill and aptitude of the wizard or witch casting it. The sorcerer shall do a nice wrist movement while casting the spell. More preferably, a ‘swish and flick’ movement that makes the spell’s power more effective.
The casting charm will work exclusively on non-living objects. Furthermore, the objects have to be of a particular size. The Accio spell won’t work on objects of a visibly bigger scale, for instance, buildings and living things.
It is harder to summon objects that are really far away from the caster. The spell is more effective at a short-range distance. However, if the caster can picture and visualize the object clearly, then the distance does not matter.
Wizards should be able to summon anything with ease as long as they can clearly picture the target objects. The charm requires complete awareness and a certain mental exertion of what object/s the wizard is summoning and where it is, and where they want it to end up landing.
Known Uses of the Accio Spell
Accio Spell in The Triwizard Tournament
One had to retrieve a golden egg guarded by the Hungarian Horntail in the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. The Hungarian Horntail had the egg within her clutch amongst her other eggs.
On the advice of Professor Moody (who was actually Baty Crouch Jr. In the Professor’s disguise), Harry used the Summoning Charm to bring his Firebolt broom close to him in order to escape from the ferocious dragon. The spell was one of the key reasons he completed his first task with roaring success.
Little Hangleton graveyard
As the Battle of Little Hangleton was going on, Harry and Voldemort’s wands briefly touched each other. It occurred as both the wands had “twin cores”.
It caused the echoes of the people Voldemort had killed to appear as apparitions. Lily and James Potter, Cedric and Frank Bryce, and Bertha Jorkins appeared and told Harry to break the connection while they held the Dark Lord at bay momentarily. It allowed Harry to escape.
On breaking the connection, and with the apparitions distracting Voldemort, Harry summoned the Triwizard Cup with the Accio spell. He was also able to get a hold of the dead body of Cedric Diggory. Thus, Harry escaped from the Little Hangleton Graveyard and Lord Voldemort.
In the sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry uses the Accio spell to retrieve his wand after Draco puts him in a Body-bind Curse. They were aboard the Hogwarts Express, and Harry was spying on Draco. Harry later used this spell to summon Gryffindor’s sword from the lake but failed. In Hogsmeade, he also used it to summon a few of Madam Rosmerta’s brooms to fly to Hogwarts.
Also, the trio used the spell in the seventh year at Hogwarts when they were hunting Horcruxes. The Trio wielded the spell many several times to summon objects that were Horcruxes. They tried to summon the legendary Sword of Gryffindor. However, the charm proved unresponsive, and they failed.
Counter Spell of the Accio Spell
The counter spell of the Accio spell or the Summoning Charm is the anti-theft charm. Sorcerers used the anti-theft charm to prevent something from being summoned by anyone but the rightful owner of the targeted object. It was mostly done for security purposes. Merchants sell their merchandise in the modern wizarding world with the anti-theft spell already enchanted on them.
Boundless Legacy of the Accio Spell
The Accio spell has helped Harry on various occasions. In a few, it has saved his life. The spell is harmless but extremely useful. It is one of the most used Harry Potter spells in the books. With the power it bestows upon its caster, the spell can summon anything and everything the caster desires.
The Accio spell makes life and tasks easier for the wizards daily as objects fly towards them, and they can get anything they want without having to lift a finger.
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