Rubeus Hagrid
Rubeus Hagrid
Main page

Rubeus Hagrid

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers
What are your thoughts?
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Rubeus Hagrid

Rubeus Hagrid (/ˈrbiəs 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 (1997) as a half-giant who is the gamekeeper and groundskeeper at the wizarding school Hogwarts. He is a member of the Order of the Phoenix and eventually becomes the Care of Magical Creatures professor. Hagrid is portrayed by Robbie Coltrane in all eight Harry Potter films.

Rubeus Hagrid was one of the first characters Rowling created. In a 1999 interview, she explained that the name "Hagrid" is an Old English word. She said it means "you'd had a bad night" and she explained that Hagrid "has a lot of bad nights" due to his heavy drinking. In Latin, "Rubeus" means "red", and was chosen because Rowling conceived of Hagrid as an "earthy, warm, and physical man".

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. When he comes into possession of an acromantula (Aragog), 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." 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. Although some fans were afraid that Hagrid would die in the final novel, Rowling had always planned for him to survive. She also liked the circular notion of Hagrid both bringing Harry into the world, and then bringing him back from the dead. 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.

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.

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.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.