How many new spells did Severus Snape create?

Severus Snape was a highly gifted individual, who created several spells. He was not only a particularly skilled potions master but also a highly accomplished user of the Dark Arts. Even before he became a Death Eater, Snape was an extremely bright student and wizard, as was proven in Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

As per Sirius Black, by the time Snape joined Hogwarts, he already knew more curses than half the students in their seventh year!

So, how many spells did Severus Snape create?

According to the books, Severus Snape created a total of 6 known spells. They were-

• Muffliato
• Toenail Growing hex
• Langlock
• Levicorpus
• Liberacorpus
• Sectumsempra

Harry discovered these spells during his sixth year at Hogwarts. He found them scribbled inside his second-hand copy of Advanced Potion-Making, a potions textbook that once belonged to the Half-Blood Prince, a.k.a Severus Snape. Let us look at these spells in detail.

Muffliato

Muffliato was a particularly useful charm and one of the very first ones that Harry discovered in the Half-Blood Prince’s copy of Advanced Potion-Making.

Muffliato is a charm that fills the ears of anyone near the caster with an unidentifiable buzzing, making it impossible for eavesdroppers to listen in on conversations.

Unlike a lot of other charms in the list, Muffliato became a favorite for the trio, as it helped them have lengthy conversations right in the middle of their classes, without anyone noticing.

“Perhaps most useful of all, Muffliato, a spell that filled the ears of anyone nearby with an unidentifiable buzzing, so that lengthy conversations could be held in class with- out being overheard.“

~Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Levicorpus

Levicorpus was another spell that found its way into the trio’s most frequented spells. Levicorpus is a nonverbal spell that suspends its victims upside down in the air, almost as if they were dangling from an invisible hook.

Unlike many other nonverbal spells, Levicorpus is particularly easy to cast. When Harry used it for the first time, he wasn’t even focusing on it; he just thought about the incantation!

Levicorpus is an exceptionally useful spell in duels, as it catches the enemy by surprise and renders them highly vulnerable

Pointing his wand at nothing in particular, he gave it an upward flick and said Levicorpus! inside his head.

“Aaaaaaaargh!”

There was a flash of light and the room was full of voices: Every- one had woken up as Ron had let out a yell. Harry sent Advanced Potion-Making flying in panic; Ron was dangling upside down in midair as though an invisible hook had hoisted him up by the ankle.

~Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

A fun fact to note regarding this spell is an inconsistency between the books and the movies. In the books, Levicorpus was discovered by Harry in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. However, in the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we briefly witness Luna use this spell against a death
eater in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

How did Luna discover this spell before Harry? Did she, too, find a textbook once owned by Severus Snape behind the scenes? Moreover, why is the effect of the spell different in the books as it is in this scene right here? I guess this secret, like many others, will be forever buried in the Department of Mysteries!

Liberacorpus

Harry discovered Liberacorpus shortly after he discovered Levicorpus, and accidentally attacked Ron; in the paragraph you saw above.

Liberacorpus is the counter-jinx to Levicorpus. It frees the user from the effects of Levicorpus, dropping them onto the ground below.

Liberacorpus does not shield the victim of Levicorpus from falling, however, which makes it rather dangerous. If someone falls head-first on solid ground from that height, it could very well be lethal for them!

Luckily for Ron though, all he had to suffer was a comfortable fall on his bed.

Praying that this was the counter-jinx, Harry thought “Liberacorpus!”
with all his might.

There was another flash of light, and Ron fell in a heap onto his mattress.

~Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Toenail Growing Hex

The toenail-growing hex was the first self-invented spell of the Half-Blood Prince that we were introduced to in the books.

The toenail-growing hex, true to its name, caused the victim’s toenails to grow at an alarmingly fast pace.

Not much else is known about this spell, and it isn’t mentioned as much in the books as the other spells; implying that it is best used for pranks. The only known practitioners of the spell are Harry and Snape, and the only known victim is Vincent Crabbe.

Harry had already attempted a few of the Prince’s self-invented spells.
There had been a hex that caused toenails to grow alarm- ingly fast (he had tried
this on Crabbe in the corridor, with very entertaining results)

~Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Langlock

Another one of Snape’s genius creations was the highly useful spell Langlock.

Langlock was a jinx that glued the victim’s tongue to the roof of their mouth, preventing them from speaking until the jinx was called off.

Again, not much is known about the spell, and it wasn’t used a lot either. The only recorded instance of the spell is when Harry used it on an unsuspecting Filch.

[Langlock] A jinx that glued the tongue to the roof of the mouth (which he
had twice used, to general applause, on an unsuspecting Argus Filch)

~Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Sectumsempra

Sectumsempra is perhaps the most famous spell created by the Half-Blood Prince. It is an extremely powerful and lethal spell, produced using dark magic.

Sectumsempra acts like an invisible sword that slashes at the victim, resulting in deep wounds and possible amputation of body parts.

Sectumsempra was Snape’s specialty and one of the strongest tools in his arsenal against the Marauders. It was due to this very spell, that George Weasley lost his ear.

“SECTUMSEMPRA!” bellowed Harry from the floor, waving his wand wildly.

Blood spurted from Malfoy’s face and chest as though he had been slashed with
an invisible sword. He staggered backward and collapsed onto the waterlogged
floor with a great splash, his wand falling from his limp right hand.

~Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Related questions

How are spells created in Harry Potter?

While the exact process of spell creation was never revealed, it is safe to assume that only wizards with incredible proficiency in magic can create spells.

Spell creation is a particularly dangerous feat, as it requires a lot of experimentation. The consequences of the slightest mistake can prove lethal.

Pandora Lovegood, the mother of Luna Lovegood, died due to this very reason. Something during her experiments went wrong, and it ended very badly for her.

According to the books, wizards such as Herpo the Foul, Severus Snape, and Voldemort among others, have been shown to create their own spells.

Did Snape create any potions?

Severus Snape was a highly skilled potions expert. While it is unknown if he created any new potions, it is well established that he improved upon many existing recipes.

Scribbled away in his copy of Advanced Potion-Making were adjustments and alterations to numerous potion recipes, which helped Harry create the perfect potion in every lesson. This speaks volumes about the mastery and knowledge that Snape had in the subject!