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Rubeus Hagrid

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Rubeus Hagrid
Harry Potter character
Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid [a]
First appearanceHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)
Last appearanceHarry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016)
Created byJ. K. Rowling
Portrayed by
In-universe information
SpeciesHalf-giant
Family
  • Fridwulfa (mother)
  • Grawp (half-brother)
NationalityBritish
HouseGryffindor
Born6 December 1928

Rubeus Hagrid (/ˈhæɡrɪd/) is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. He was introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) as a half-giant who is the gamekeeper and groundskeeper at the wizarding school Hogwarts. He eventually becomes the Care of Magical Creatures professor and is later revealed to be a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Hagrid is portrayed by Robbie Coltrane in all eight Harry Potter films.

Character development

Hagrid was one of the first characters Rowling created.[1] She has explained the source of his name as "another old English word, meaning – if you were hagrid – it’s a dialect word – you’d had a bad night. Hagrid is a big drinker – he has a lot of bad nights."[2] His first name, Rubeus, was named after red in Latin to reflect alchemy and his paternal contrast to Albus Dumbledore: his "passion" to Dumbledore's "asceticism".[3] In her article "Harry’s Fame", Rosemary Goring notes the Forest of Dean is an influence on Rowling’s work, and Hagrid is the only character that is "directly drawn from the Forest of Dean". According to Goring, Hagrid’s "dropped word-endings are a Chepstow speciality." She also claims that Hagrid is physically "modeled on the Welsh chapter of Hells Angels who’d swoop down on the town and hog the bar, 'huge mountains of leather and hair".[4]

The character of Hagrid and conversations between him, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in his hut are expository through the series, due to the fact that the trio frequently discover things about Albus Dumbledore and Hogwarts by talking with Hagrid, as he has a habit of letting slip bits of information that were specifically confided to him. He was also one of the first characters to imply that the idea of thinking of wizards as "pure-bloods" and "half-bloods" is a dated concept.

Rowling has stated in an interview that Hagrid was in Gryffindor house during his time as a student.[5] When he comes into possession of an acromantula, he is expelled from Hogwarts as his pet is believed to be the "monster of Slytherin". However, persuaded by Dumbledore (who at the time was Transfiguration teacher), Headmaster Armando Dippet agrees to train Hagrid as gamekeeper, allowing the boy to remain at Hogwarts. By the time Harry attends Hogwarts, Hagrid is also the Keeper of Keys and Grounds: the former, according to Rowling, means "that he will let you in and out of Hogwarts."[6] Part of his job includes leading the first years across the lake in boats, upon their initial arrival at Hogwarts.

When discussing the killing off of characters in her books, Rowling said that she always knew she was "working towards the point where Hagrid carried Harry out alive – but supposedly dead – out of the forest". She said she had planned from very early on that Harry would walk to his death accompanied by the 'ghosts', and that "he would emerge in Hagrid's arms". In her own words, "that's what always kept Hagrid safe". She said "Hagrid would have been a natural to kill in some ways", but that the mental image of this moment – a big fatherly Hagrid carrying the limp Harry in his arms – was so strong it decided his fate. She also liked the circular notion of Hagrid both bringing Harry into the world, and then bringing him back from the dead.[7]

Appearances

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Hagrid is introduced in the opening chapter of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997). Following the murder of James and Lily Potter by Lord Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore entrusts Hagrid with the infant Harry Potter, who survived Voldemort's attack. Ten years later, Hagrid brings the Philosopher’s Stone from Gringotts Wizarding Bank to Hogwarts, where it is guarded by an enormous three-headed dog named Fluffy. Dumbledore also gives Hagrid the task of locating Harry and helping him buy school supplies for his first year at Hogwarts.

Later in the novel, a hooded person—Professor Quirinus Quirrell in disguise—gives Hagrid a dragon egg in exchange for details about Fluffy. Harry and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are also curious about Fluffy, and Hagrid lets slip that the way to get past him is to play music. When Harry and his friends decide to seek the Philosopher's Stone, they soothe Fluffy to sleep with a flute which Hagrid carved for Harry. When the dragon egg hatches, the three friends assist Hagrid by helping to remove the baby dragon Norbert, who is taken to a dragon sanctuary in Romania.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Hagrid returns in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998). The novel reveals that Hagrid was a student at Hogwarts at the same time as Tom Riddle, the wizard who later became Voldemort. Hagrid was expelled after being caught in the company of Aragog, a gigantic spider. It was believed that Aragog was responsible for mysterious attacks upon students, and that Hagrid had released him from the Chamber of Secrets. The belief of Hagrid's guilt was encouraged by Riddle, the actual criminal, who had been using a different monster—a Basilisk—to assault students. In Chamber of Secrets, the Basilisk is unleashed again and Hagrid, seemingly guilty once more, is sent to the wizard prison Azkaban. Before being arrested, Hagrid tells Harry and Ron to follow spiders into the Forbidden Forest so they can meet Aragog and discover the truth about the monster. After Harry defeats the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, Hagrid is freed from prison.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Hagrid becomes the Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999). He was cleared of wrongdoing after the events of the previous novel, and is now allowed to perform magic. During his first class, he introduces Buckbeak and other hippogriffs to the students. After Draco Malfoy provokes Buckbeak, the hippogriff attacks him. As a result, the Ministry of Magic sentences Buckbeak to death. Near the end of the book, Hermione and Harry use a Time-Turner to save Buckbeak from execution.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000), it is revealed that Hagrid is a half-giant. His mother was the giantess Fridwulfa, and his father was a human wizard. Hagrid’s parentage is exposed in the Daily Prophet newspaper by the tabloid journalist Rita Skeeter, who portrays Hagrid as dangerous and incompetent. Hagrid is deeply affected by her article and attempts to resign from his position, but Dumbledore will not accept his resignation. During the course of the novel, Hagrid develops a romantic interest in Olympe Maxime, the towering headmistress of the French wizarding school Beauxbatons.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Hagrid is absent during the first part of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003). He later reveals to Harry, Ron and Hermione that he and Madame Maxime travelled across Europe together on a mission to find giants and convince them to ally themselves with Dumbledore. However, Death Eaters managed to bring the giants to Voldemort’s side. Hagrid was attacked by giants during the mission, and saved by Maxime. During the journey, Maxime became exasperated with Grawp, Hagrid’s giant half-brother whom he was attempting to bring with them. Hagrid introduces Grawp to Harry and Hermione, and asks them to supervise him when Hagrid leaves Hogwarts. During the course of the novel, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts Dolores Umbridge supervises classes and seeks an excuse to fire Hagrid. Eventually, Umbridge and other Ministry of Magic officials attempt to arrest him, but he manages to escape. He is later reinstated as a professor.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

In the sixth novel, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are no longer students of Care of Magical Creatures, and Hagrid is both angry and disappointed with them during the first part of the book, but he soon realises that it is not because they do not like him. Later in the novel, Aragog dies, and Hagrid risks his life to recover the Acromantula's body to give it a proper funeral. After the funeral, he and Horace Slughorn drink excessive amounts of Firewhisky, and Harry takes advantage of this situation (under the influence of Felix Felicis potion, otherwise known as "liquid luck") to retrieve a certain memory from Slughorn. Towards the end of the book, Death Eaters attack Hogwarts and Hagrid's hut is set on fire as he tries to fight them. During Dumbledore’s funeral, Hagrid is seen carrying the Headmaster’s body.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

In the seventh novel, Hagrid is part of the Order of the Phoenix delegation assigned to remove Harry from the Dursleys' home to the magic-protected Burrow. Hagrid takes Harry on the flying motorcycle he inherited from Sirius but the plan goes awry when the Order delegation is ambushed by Death Eaters. The pair narrowly make it to the Burrow after being attacked by Voldemort himself. After attending Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding reception, Hagrid does not appear again until near the end of the book when it is revealed he has been driven into hiding in the mountains by the new Death Eater regime at Hogwarts.

During the climactic battle, Hagrid attempts to come to the defence of Aragog's carnivorous children, who have been driven out of the Forbidden Forest by the Death Eaters and are now attacking both Hogwarts defenders and Death Eaters indiscriminately, but he is carried off by a swarm of them. He later turns up, captive in the Death Eaters' camp, when Harry sacrifices himself to Voldemort. Hagrid is forced to carry Harry back to the school, not realising that Harry has survived again, and en route accuses the watching Centaurs of not doing enough to help. The Centaurs soon afterward join the fray and Hagrid takes part in the second half of the battle, felling his main nemesis among the Death Eaters, the magical-creature executioner Walden Macnair.

According to Rowling, the scene in the final book in which Hagrid is seen carrying Harry’s apparently dead body is very significant as "Hagrid brings Harry from the Dursleys. He takes him into the wizarding world ... He was sort of his guardian and his guide ... And now I wanted Hagrid to be the one to lead Harry out of the forest."[8] Rowling also commented that Hagrid was never in danger of dying, as she "always had that picture in my head of the huge gigantic Hagrid walking through the forest crying with Harry in his arms".[9]

Epilogue

Nineteen years after Voldemort’s defeat, Hagrid is still at Hogwarts and invites Harry and Ginny Weasley's second son Albus Severus Potter to his hut for tea, just as he had once done for Harry himself, implying that he and Harry are still close. During an interview in 2007, when asked if Hagrid did marry, Rowling answered that Hagrid developed a relationship with a giantess but it did not work out.[10]

Film portrayal

Robbie Coltrane portrayed Hagrid in all eight films. Right: Hagrid costume at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London

Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane has portrayed Hagrid in all of the film adaptations of the Harry Potter novels.[11] Robin Williams was interested for the role and approached Chris Columbus, the director of the first two films, about participating in the project but Columbus rejected him due to the "all-British and Irish cast" policy.[12][13] Rowling had wanted Coltrane for the role from the start,[12] responding "RobbieColtraneforHagrid" all in one quick breath when asked who was the top of her list of casting choices.[14][15] Coltrane was already a fan of the books[16] and has commented that being part of the Harry Potter franchise was "a fantastic thing".[17] Rowling discussed Hagrid's past and future with Coltrane, assisting him in preparing for the role.[16][18] She also stated that "Robbie is just perfect for Hagrid because Hagrid is a very loveable character, quite likeable, quite comic [...] but he had to have – you really do have to sense – a certain toughness underneath [...] and I think Robbie does that perfectly."[15]

Former English rugby union player Martin Bayfield portrayed Hagrid as a stunt performer in longer shots due to his large size to emphasise Hagrid’s height. Bayfield also appeared as a young Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

English actor Greg Draven portrayed Hagrid as an acting double in rollercoaster Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure pre-show. Draven's performance was required due to Coltrane's poor health at the time of filming.[19][20]

Characterisation

Outward appearance

In Philosopher’s Stone, Hagrid is described as being twice as tall as the average man and nearly five times as wide (later novels call him three times as wide). In the film version of Philosopher’s Stone, his height is 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 metres).

Personality

Hagrid has a friendly, softhearted personality and is easily driven to tears. He is very loyal to his peers, especially Dumbledore, to whom he refers as the greatest wizard in the world multiple times. As first seen in Philosopher’s Stone, he becomes extremely angry whenever anyone insults Dumbledore around him (a mistake made by Vernon Dursley, who called Dumbledore a "crackpot old fool"). He is also very loyal to Harry, suffered several times during the series because of this loyalty, and had to go into hiding twice to avoid prison. Rowling says of Hagrid, "Hagrid was always supposed to be this almost elemental force. He’s like the king of the forest, or the Green Man. He’s this semi-wild person who lives on the edge of the forest".[21]

Magical abilities and skills

Following his expulsion from Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic broke Hagrid’s oak wand and forbade him to perform magic.[22] Hagrid keeps the pieces of his wand in a pink umbrella, and performs small spells from time to time; however, he was technically forbidden to do magic until the third book, and since he is not a fully qualified wizard, he "will always be a bit inept" as compared to other adult wizards,[citation needed] but "occasionally surprises everyone, himself included, by bringing off more impressive bits of magic".[23] However, he is unable to produce a Patronus.[24] He also has magical abilities that stem from his giant blood. For example, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, many of the stunning spells thrown at him by Ministry officials simply bounce off him. Also, being half-giant gives Hagrid some level of superhuman strength, which allowed him to bend the barrel of a shotgun with one hand.

Being a half-giant, he is less vulnerable to jinxes and spells than full-humans. In Order of the Phoenix, when Umbridge and some other wizards come to remove him from Hogwarts he fights back. They try to jinx and stun him, but the spells just bounce off him because of giant-inherited resistance to magic. Hagrid also shows this resilience at the end of Half-Blood Prince, during the chapter Flight of the Prince, withstanding a Death Eater’s powerful curses. Some potions are also ineffective with him, such as Polyjuice Potion, which is designed for human-only use.[25]

Family

Grawp

Grawp is the giant half-brother of Hagrid.[26] They have the same mother, the giantess Fridwulfa. Grawp is roughly 16 feet (4.9 m) tall, which Hagrid claims is small for a giant. The other giants were bullying Grawp because of his diminutive size, and this is a factor in Hagrid’s decision to bring him to the Forbidden Forest. He only knows a few words in English and his manners are wild and unpredictable, but he is also a child in giant years.

In the film adaptation of the fifth book Grawp is computer-generated using a new "soul capturing" process from Image Metrics.[27] Andrew Whitehead spent 18 months working on the giant Grawp for the film.[28] Grawp is voiced and motion-captured by Tony Maudsley.

Parents

In the Goblet of Fire, the truth about Hagrid’s parents is revealed: his father, who is never named in the stories, married a giantess, Fridwulfa. Fridwulfa left Rubeus to his father’s care after his birth; according to Hagrid, she was not very maternal. Later she gave birth to Grawp.

Hagrid has appeared in various animated and non-animated parodies of Harry Potter. He was twice featured in the American sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, portrayed by Horatio Sanz and Bobby Moynihan.[29] In Alistair McGowan's Big Impression show, Hagrid appeared in a sketch called "Louis Potter and the Philosopher’s Scone", in which he was portrayed by Robbie Coltrane himself.[30] Hagrid is also parodied in Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan, a story released by Comic Relief in 2003, and he was played by Ronnie Corbett.[31][32] In the Potter Puppet Pals parodies by Neil Cicierega, Hagrid appeared in the episode "Ron's Disease",[33] and later in the episode "Neville's Birthday".[34] Hagrid also appears in the parody stage production Harry Potter and the Obnoxious Voice, interacting with Draco Malfoy and a dementor.[35]

Hagrid makes an appearance in the theme park attraction Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Japan and Hollywood. A new rollercoaster, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, opened at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure theme park on 13 June 2019, replacing the Dragon Challenge dual roller coasters and is themed around Hagrid and his love for magical creatures.

Notes

  1. ^ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
  2. ^ Harry Potter film series
  3. ^ Chamber of Secrets (teenager)

References

  1. ^ "What Jo says about...Rubeus Hagrid". Accop Quote. pp. 37–38. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  2. ^ "November | 2012 | The Pensieve". sites.psu.edu. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  3. ^ Rowling, J.K. "Colours". Pottermore. Wizarding World. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  4. ^ Goring, Rosemary (17 January 1999). "Harry's Fame". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Rubeus Hagrid - 10 Things You May NOT Know | Wizarding World". www.wizardingworld.com. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  6. ^ Anelli, Melissa; Spartz, Emerson (16 July 2005). "The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part Three". The Leaky Cauldron. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  7. ^ HarryPotterAdmirer (2011). A Conversation with J.K.Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe (YouTube). Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  8. ^ Brown, Jen (30 July 2007). "Rowling: 'I wanted to kill parents'". Today.com. MSNBC. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  9. ^ SueTLC (18 November 2007). "New Interview with J.K. Rowling for Release of Dutch Edition of 'Deathly Hallows'". The Leaky Cauldron. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
  10. ^ Weingarten, Tara (15 October 2007). "Rowling Says Dumbledore Is Gay". Newsweek. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
  11. ^ "Casting Is Complete on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (Press release). Warner Bros. PR Newswire. 16 November 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2007.
  12. ^ a b Bradley, Bill (31 December 2016). "The Hilarious Reason Daniel Radcliffe Was Cast As Harry Potter". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  13. ^ "Robin Williams turned down for Potter". The Guardian. Media Limited. 15 November 2001. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  14. ^ Stacy (17 July 2007). "Movie Trivia: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". Neatorama. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  15. ^ a b Alderson, Andrew (4 November 2001). "'They really do look as I'd imagined they would inside my head'". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  16. ^ a b Jensen, Jeff; Fierman, Daniel (14 September 2001). "Inside Harry Potter – It May Be a Movie about a Tyro Wizard and His Magical Adventures, but Bringing Harry Potter to the Big Screen Took Real Muggle Might, No Hocus-Pocus about It". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  17. ^ Wylie, Ian (24 September 2006). "Harry Potter and the Personal Demons". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 29 August 2009.
  18. ^ Rowling, J. K. (2 November 2001). "JK Rowling interview in full". Newsround (Interview). Interviewed by Mzimba, Lizo. CBBC. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  19. ^ O'Shea, Lucy (24 March 2020). "Geminio: Greg Draven on Being Hagrid's Body Double". MuggleNet. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  20. ^ Michelle Marshall, "Robbie Coltrane: Harry Potter star ‘confined to wheelchair’ amid osteoarthritis battle", The Express
  21. ^ "J.K.Rowling Video Clip Features More on Hagrid and Robbie Coltrane". The-Leaky-Cauldron.org. 25 September 2006. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  22. ^ Rowling, JK. "Section: Extra Stuff". jkrowling.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011.
  23. ^ "J.K. Rowling's World Book Day Chat: March 4, 2004". The Leaky Cauldron. Archived from the original on 13 March 2004.
  24. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (27 August 2015). "JK Rowling reveals Harry Potter character Hagrid could not produce Patronus". The Independent. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  25. ^ Rowling, J. K. (2007). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Bloomsbury. ISBN 1551929767., chapter 5
  26. ^ Dickerson, Darby (28 February 2008). "Professor Dumbledore's Advice for Law Deans". University of Toledo Law Review. 39 (1): 269–296. SSRN 1088056.
  27. ^ Waxman, Sharon (15 October 2006). "Cyberface: New Technology That Captures the Soul". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  28. ^ Tucker, H. (5 September 2007). "At the movies". ITNOW. 49 (5). British Computer Society: 8–9. doi:10.1093/itnow/bwm023.
  29. ^ Kelly, Joe. "Hogwart's Academy". Saturday Night Live Transcripts. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
  30. ^ "BBC One press release" (PDF). BBC One. 2001. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
  31. ^ "Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan". tv.com. 14 March 2003. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2007.
  32. ^ "Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan". French and Saunders. Comic Relief. Retrieved 8 July 2007.
  33. ^ "Ron's Disease". Potter Puppet Pals. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017.
  34. ^ "Neville's Birthday". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
  35. ^ Jaquish, Jeannette. "Harry Potter and the Obnoxious Voice". Angelfire.

Further reading

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