Full Body-Bind Curse

Chapter 5

The Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus), also known as the Body Freezing Spell, was a curse that temporarily paralysed the opponent. It was often used by inexperienced or young wizards and witches in duelling. When used on a living subject, the victim's arms and legs snapped together, and they would fall down, stiff as a board. However, the person's abilities to hear, see (albeit just straight forward), feel, and think still worked properly. Technically, the spell also worked on inanimate objects, but its effects were usually imperceptible, because the object was not moving in the first place. The effects of the Full-Body Bind Curse could be undone by use of the General Counter-Spell, the healing spell Episkey, an Anti-Paralysis Potion or the Reparifors spell. Despite the incantation, the Full Body-Bind Curse was fundamentally different from petrification, which was highly advanced Dark Magic and which cannot be reversed by a simple counter-curse. The root of this curse's incantation seems to be the Latin words petra, "rock", ficus, "making or doing something" and totus, "whole" or "entire". Also, pertrificus seems to come from the word "petrify", meaning to turn into stone, or describes a manner in which someone takes on the characteristics of a stone. Totalus likely comes from "Total", meaning complete or wholly. Following this, the spell likely means, entirely petrify.