One of the most exciting happenings in the fourth book of the Harry Potter series, Goblet of Fire, was no doubt the Triwizard Tournament held that year. It was with the introduction of it that we, as readers, didn't only see how a Wizarding tournament is held and what it contains, but were also introduced to other Wizarding schools that exist around the world, with two others joining the competition!
What is the Triwizard Tournament?
The Triwizard Tournament is a legendary contest held between the three largest wizarding schools in Europe - Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Durmstrang Institute, and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Each of these schools has a chosen Champion, a student whose name is "spit out" of the Goblet of Fire, who then competes in three dangerous tasks to win glory and a monetary prize (one thousand Galleons).
The contest is judged by the Headmasters and Headmistresses of the participating schools who give the participants points upon completing each task. These tasks are meant to evaluate the magical ability, courage, and intelligence of the participants who are eligible to participate in it.
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The Goblet of Fire The artifact used to choose a Champion for the Triwizard Tournament
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A Brief History of the Triwizard Tournament
The Triwizard Tournament dates back 700 years ago. At first, it used to be held every five years as a friendly competition between the schools with each school taking a turn at hosting it. The tasks were always dangerous and differed each time it was held, but in every task, the chosen Champion was meant to stand alone without receiving any outward help to complete each task successfully. However, this tradition changed in 1792 when one of the tasks required the Champions to catch a cockatrice. After the task went wrong and the beast ended up injuring all three Heads of the schools and the participants, the tournament was officially canceled with many unsuccessful attempts at resurrecting it. Of course, that was until 1994, during Harry Potter's fourth school year when the tournament was held once again but this time with more restrictions to make it safer for not just the students participating but the ones watching it.
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