Occamies were endemic to the Far East and India but were kept by several wizards and witches worldwide. Occamies were two-legged creatures, yet they had serpent-like bodies and wings. Its feathers were teal in colour, its skin was turquoise, and its hair was coloured purple. Occamies were known to be very aggressive creatures, especially when they were protecting their eggs. Occamy eggs, especially Occamy eggshells, were believed to be made of pure soft silver and were very valuable. Occamies ate birds and rats, and sometimes they even ate monkeys. They were known to be choranaptyxic; that is, they had the ability to grow or shrink based on the space they were put in.
Etymology
The name Occamy is most likely derived from the name of the 14th-century Franciscan friar William of Occam. William of Occam is popular mainly for his principle of theory construction in Philosophy called Occam’s Razor. Occam’s Razor suggests that explanations that posit fewer entities or elements should be preferred over the ones that posit more.
Physical Characteristics and Behaviour
An Occamy looked a lot like a winged snake as it had a serpentine body despite having two legs and plumes. It was a bright assortment of colours in appearance as it had turquoise skin, purple hair, and teal-coloured feathers. Since it was a carnivorous creature native to India and the Far East, it mostly lived off rats, birds, and sometimes monkeys, which were all commonly found in these areas. An Occamy’s reputation as a beast with aggression and fierce protective instincts, especially in defence of its eggs was very widespread, which is why most people steered clear of trying to steal them. However, the value of Occamy eggs was immense, which is why it was worth the risk for some wizards and witches.
History
The Occamy closely resembles the Quetzalcóatl (Mayan name Kukulcán), the winged serpent god or plumed god of Mesoamerican culture. It is possible that the two beasts were related in the wizarding world. Interestingly, there also exists a type of dinosaur genus known as the Quetzalcoatlus, which consists of some types of winged dinosaurs with large necks. Occamies are also said to resemble Amphipteres, which appear in European Heraldry. All these creatures, including Occamies, belong to a class of beasts that resemble serpents or reptiles in the case of dinosaurs but are winged and also have limbs in some cases, making them very strange creatures. Some corporeal patronuses, although a rare occurrence, were said to take the form of an Occamy.
Appearance in the Harry Potter Universe
Occamies have never made an appearance in the Harry Potter series. However, they were mentioned in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The new teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, was considering starting a new chain of hair care products for shiny and wavy hair. One of his products under consideration was the Occamy Egg Yolk Shampoo which required the eggs of Occamies, which are very rare and valuable. Eventually, he had to abandon this project due to a lack of proper supply of Occamy eggs.
In the Harry Potter spinoff series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, an Occamy escapes the suitcase of Newt Scamander, the protagonist, along with several other magical beasts. Newt gets this case to New York when he visits there on a mission. Finally, Newt, along with his accomplices Tina, Jacob, and Queenie, find the escaped Occamy in a shop called Ginzberg Delauney. Since the room in which they find the Occamy is pretty big, the Occamy turns into a large being due to its being choranaptyxic. However, Newt finally manages to catch the Occamy by throwing a cockroach into a teapot into which the Occamy dives after shrinking into a very small size due to the available space in the teapot.
Occamies also appears in the video game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. The Care of Magical Creatures teacher at the time, Silvanus Kettleburn brought an Occamy to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He later left a baby Occamy named Squak in the care of Jacob’s Sibling, the protagonist of the video game, and Liz Tuttle, another character in the game. This was when Silvanus Kettleburn had to go away from Hogwarts for a while. In the Hogwarts School year 1990-1991, Kettleburn taught the seventh-year students at Hogwarts about Occamies in his Care of Magical Creatures class.
Another Occamy and Its Etymological Relationship With This One
Occamies are most significant for being choranaptyxic. This is their ability to transform themselves in size, that is, to grow or shrink into the space they are put in. Interestingly occamy is also the name of an alloy that is used to simulate precious metals like gold or silver. Like Occamies, the magical beasts which take the size of the space they are assigned, the alloy occamy also takes the appearance of the precious metals it is assigned, be it gold or silver. This is done by using different proportions of the base metals during the process of combination. It is also possible that the name Occamy was chosen by Rowling for this beast because of the Occamy eggs, which were made of pure soft silver, which is the metal that the alloy occamy imitates.
FAQs
Is Occamy a dragon?
No, Occamies are not dragons. Occamy is a type of magical beast that is serpent-like and plumed but also possesses wings and two limbs. Occamies are popular in the wizarding world because of being choranaptyxic, which means they are capable of fitting any space they are put in. Occamies are also known for their eggs which are made of silver and are very valuable.
Who has Occamy Patronus?
Occamy Patronus is a very rare corporeal form of Patronus. It is most likely to be seen in students of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor’s houses. It is believed that the people who possess the Occamy Patronus are very skilled and able to figure out how to adapt to difficult situations. They are also known to be flexible in their opinions and are willing to compromise where it is possible.
What are Occamy characteristics?
Occamies are magical beasts that are plumed and serpentine yet winged and possess limbs. They are similar to several other mythical winged-serpentine creatures in appearance. Occamies are known to be very fierce when it comes to protecting their eggs which are very valuable as they are made of pure silver. Occamies are also choranaptyxic, which means that they can grow and shrink at will to fit a given space.
