"Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burnt so much that she allowed herself to be caught no fewer than forty-seven times in various disguises."
-- from "A History of Magic" by Bathilda Bagshot (PA1)
Wendelin the Weird was a witch living during the Middle Ages who enjoyed being burned at the stake. She allowed herself to be captured by witch-hunting Muggles many times. She used a Flame Freezing Charm to protect herself from the flames (PA1, FW).
Appearances
Harry Potter reads about Wendelin when he was assigned the homework “Witch-Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless – discuss” during the summer before his third year at Hogwarts. He used his school textbook – A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot – as his main reference while writing the essay at the Dursleys, but was also able to draw on Florean Fortescue while later staying in Diagon Alley, as the ice cream maker knew “a great deal about medieval witch-burnings” (PA1, PA4).
Wendelin appears on a Famous Wizard card. Her dates are listed as “Medieval, dates unknown” (FW).
Skills
Talented at using the Flame Freezing Charm.
Commentary
Notes
The sources about Wendelin do not match: the Wizard Card gives the number of times she was captured as 14, while the book states that it was "no less than forty-seven times."
Pensieve (Comments)
Tags: executions fire inconsistencies jokes persecution prejudice
