Difference between revisions of "Fingo"

Revision as of 05:22, 20 April 2018

Introduction

Fingo is an illusory spell which falls under an extended branch of Conjuring and Summoning, that of conjuring illusions. It is capable of creating complex environmental/landscape illusions, and requires intense focus to cast completely successfully. More complex images naturally require more focus and effort from the caster.

History

Creation

Fingo was originally developed by Ella Galanis, head of Ravenclaw (1949-present) and Conjuring/Summoning professor (1951-present), between 1945 and 1947, during the years she spent in Greece with her husband and his family. It is based on a similar and far more common illusory spell, the incantation for which is ‘Illusione de’, but is specific to creating landscapes. Fingo in its final and perfected form was created in July 1947.

Etymology

The Latin word fingo can mean (among other definitions) ‘I create/invent’, ‘I devise’, ‘I imagine’, or ‘I mould/form/shape’.

Known Uses

The spell was intended for personal use, and was used by Ella as a way to combat homesickness during her time in Greece: she would often create English landscapes to entertain herself and her husband’s family. Now that she is back in England, the situation has reversed itself. The windows in both her office and the Conjuring/Summoning classroom are painted in illusions of Grecian views.

In the Conjuring/Summoning lesson on Monday 4 May 1953, Ella taught this spell to her class. The practical portion of the students’ final Conjuring/Summoning exam at the end of the year involved successfully casting an illusion appropriate to the caster’s magical level.

The spell is a fairly unknown one. Only those whom have been taught the spell either directly by Ella or by somebody that she herself has taught will know of its existence and be able to use it.

Casting and Effects

Casting Guidelines

General

The spell is cast by simultaneously sweeping the wand in a horizontal line and uttering (or, in the case of silent spell, thinking) the basic incantation, Fingo (pronounced FIN-goh). It should be cast in conjunction with the desired illusion, much like the fundamental Conjuring and Summoning Charms (e.g. Fingo mare will produce an illusion of a sea). The desired illusion must be spoken in Latin for the spell to work.

Focus, creativity, and imagination are crucial to the success of this spell. Those who can clearly visualise the specific landscape that they wish to see will be far more successful in creating their illusions.

Incantation Structure

Nouns should always be spoken first, and any adjectives should directly follow the noun that they refer to. Adjectives should always match their nouns in case (this is always the accusative case), gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and number (singular or plural).

A list of common illusions are available via the vocabulary book that Ella provided for her students during the lesson in which she taught this spell. For other illusions, it is advised that you use a Latin dictionary, such as this one. You may also find it useful to refer to a Latin grammar table, such as this one.

Layering

Fingo works best when cast in multiple layers, though a less detailed image can be cast with a single spell. For best effects, it is advised that the caster casts in the following order of categories: background, detail, action. In some cases, adjectival action modifiers may work best when combined with background or detail layers. See the example below for further clarification.

Example: Ella Galanis wishes to create the illusion of a garden.

• Casting Fingo herbas, fingo caelum, fingo arborem, fingo flores caeruleos, fingo solem ardentem, fingo ventum in succession will create a layered illusion of grass (background), sky (background), a tree (detail), blue flowers (detail), a shining sun (detail, action), and a visible breeze (action).
• Casting Fingo hortum will create an illusion of a garden, but the image will be static, noticeably less detailed, and potentially even out of focus.

The number of illusions that the caster can layer is dependent upon their magical level, as is the amount of time for which each illusion will last before it fades. See the 'Magical Rules' section for further clarification.

Relationships with Other Charms

Fixing Charm

There is a way to circumvent the layer and time limitations, however, which involves the use of a ‘fixing’ charm, (again developed for private use by Ella Galanis). The charm is cast onto a specific object e.g. a window or a mirror, and this object is then used as the ‘canvas’ for the illusions. The illusions will effectively ‘stick’ to the charmed object, meaning that multiple illusions can be layered and that none of them will fade.

Counter-spell

Illusions can be removed at any time through the use of the Vanishing spell, Evanesco. Again, the number of illusions that the caster can remove at once is dependent on their magical level, which means that it may take multiple casts to entirely remove a complete illusion. See the 'Magical Rules' section for further clarification.

Magical Rules

Please see the table below for a breakdown of the limitations of Fingo and Evanesco at different magical levels.