Professor Rubeus Hagrid (b. 6 December 1928) is a half-giant wizard, son of Mr Hagrid and the giantess Fridwulfa, and elder half-brother of the giant Grawp.
Hagrid attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1940 and was sorted into Gryffindor house. In Hagrid's third year, he was framed by Tom Riddle for the crime of opening the Chamber of Secrets and using his pet Acromantula to attack several Muggle-born students and eventually killing one of them. Though Hagrid's wand was snapped and he was expelled, he was trained as gamekeeper of Hogwarts and allowed to live on the school grounds at the request of Albus Dumbledore.
In 1991, Hagrid was given the task of reintroducing Harry Potter to the wizarding world. In 1993, Hagrid would assume the post of Care of Magical Creatures professor after the retirement of Professor Silvanus Kettleburn. As a member of both the original and the re-instated Order of the Phoenix, Hagrid fought in several battles of the First and the Second Wizarding Wars, including the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. By 2017, he was still living, and presumably still teaching and tending to his gamekeeping duties at Hogwarts, inviting Harry's son Albus Severus for tea when he joined the school as Harry informed him at the station, just as Hagrid had done to his father, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Background[]
Development[]
Hagrid was among the characters that J. K. Rowling says she created on "the very first day". 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." 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". 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".
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, 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. She also liked the circular notion of Hagrid both bringing Harry into the world, and then bringing him back from the dead.
Film portrayal[]
Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane has portrayed Hagrid in all of the film adaptations of the Harry Potter novels. 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. Rowling had wanted Coltrane for the role from the start, responding "RobbieColtraneforHagrid" all in one quick breath when asked who was the top of her list of casting choices. Coltrane was already a fan of the books and has commented that being part of the Harry Potter franchise was "a fantastic thing". Rowling discussed Hagrid's past and future with Coltrane, assisting him in preparing for the role. 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."
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.
Personality[]
He has a friendly, softhearted personality and is easily driven to tears, as seen in his very first scene, when he drops Harry off at the Dursleys' in Philosopher’s Stone. 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".
Physical appearance[]
He was about twice as tall as an average man, standing at eleven feet, six inches tall (too big for an ordinary-sized broomstick) and three times as wide, with a long mane of shaggy black hair and a beard that covered most of his face.
Hagrid's hands were as big as dustbin lids and his feet in their boots were like baby dolphins. He had dark eyes that glinted like black beetles. Hagrid's size often makes it difficult for him to enter rooms or buildings that are designed for ordinary sized people or not built with airy or grand designs, such as him not being able to fit easily into the Hospital Wing or the Burrow yet having no trouble moving in the Great Hall.
He often wore an exceptionally large moleskin overcoat with several pockets that held many things, though that sometimes caused him to spend a lot of time searching for what he wanted to find. Objects within the pockets have included any number of items, such as mouldy dog biscuits, the key to Harry Potter's Gringotts vault, peppermint humbugs, a squashy package of sausages, a copper kettle, a fire poker, wizard money, a birthday cake, birthday presents, a dirty spotted handkerchief, slug pellets, and a living owl. Hagrid's clothing is largely hand-made due to the descriptions of his clothing as being crafted of animal skin and far too large for a full-blooded or non-hybridised human being.
Powers and abilities[]
Following his expulsion from Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic broke Hagrid’s oak wand and forbade him to perform magic. 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, but "occasionally surprises everyone, himself included, by bringing off more impressive bits of magic". However, he is unable to produce a Patronus. 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.
History[]
Early life[]
Hagrid was born on December 6, 1928 to Mr Hagrid, a wizard, and Fridwulfa, a giantess, and grew up in the West Country of England, near the Forest of Dean, where he acquired his distinctive accent. When Hagrid was about three, his mother returned to her Giant colony, leaving his father to raise him alone. Hagrid said he had very few memories of his mother from his childhood, but remembered his father fondly; as a half-giant, he overtook his father in size by the age of six, and amused the "tiny" wizard by picking him up and setting him on top of a dresser when Hagrid was annoyed with him. Later, when talking to Harry, Ron, and Hermione about the death of his mother, Hagrid admitted that she was not a great mother at all.
Hagrid attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1940 and was sorted into Gryffindor house. In Hagrid's third year, he was framed by a Slytherin student named Tom Riddle for the crime of opening the Chamber of Secrets and using his pet Acromantula to attack several Muggle-born students and eventually kill one of them, whom was none other than Myrtle. Though Hagrid's wand was snapped and he was expelled, he was trained as gamekeeper of Hogwarts and allowed to live on the school grounds at the request of Albus Dumbledore, as he felt that Hagrid was innocent. Little did he know that the truth behind his frame-ups was Tom Riddle had planned to construct a Horcrux to gained immortality via murdering Myrtle with his ancestor's basilisk, which was only his first step of his plan to both achieve immortality and world domination and eradication of both all wizardkind with muggle blood and muggles themselves.
He later joined forces with the Order of Phoenix in 1970s. At the abrupt end of the First Wizarding War, Albus Dumbledore sent Hagrid to rescue a one-year-old Harry Potter from the ruins of Godric's Hollow, after Tom, now known as Lord Voldemort, murdered Harry's parents James and Lily Potter in 1981. Using Sirius Black's motorcycle, he brought Harry Potter to Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, who were waiting to deliver the boy to his only remaining family — Lily's Muggle elder sister, Petunia, and her husband Vernon Dursley. Hagrid was very sad at the thought of James and Lily Potter being dead.
Meeting Harry Potter[]
Ten years later in 1991, Hagrid went to a hut on a rock to give Harry his acceptance letter for Hogwarts. Hagrid confronts and threatens Vernon, who along with his wife tried to keep Harry from learning the truth. Vernon also makes Hagrid angrier by insulting Albus Dumbledore in front of the half-giant. Hagrid and took Harry to Dragon Alley to buy his school supplies. During this trip, Hagrid bought Harry a snowy owl for his eleventh birthday, which Harry later named Hedwig.
Chamber of Secrets incident[]
In 1992, Hagrid goes to Knockturn Alley to buy Fresh-eating Slug Repellent, he bumps into Harry Potter whom arrived via Floo Powder and he brings him to the Weasleys and Hermione Granger. When Argus Filch blames Harry Potter for the petrification of his cat Mrs. Norris and as well several students including Hermione, Hagrid was extremely worry over at Filch's actions and informs this to Albus Dumbledore and prepares to swear it to the Ministry of Magic. Hagrid was later arrested believing he was responsible for opening the Chamber of Secrets and was later released after proving his innocence and joins the feast after all of the petrified are cured.
Voldemort's Takeover[]
After Dumbledore's death at the hands of Severus Snape, Voldemort takes over the magic world. Hagrid is however, secretly still a part of the banned Order of the Phoenix, and helping Harry and his friends against the Death Eaters. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Hagrid and his fellow giants, fight against the Death Eaters.
Appearances[]
Live-action films[]
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone[]
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets[]
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban[]
In the third novel, Hagrid is promoted to Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts after Silvanus Kettleburn resigns in order to, according to Dumbledore, spend time with his remaining limbs. However, things go awry in the first day of class, as Draco Malfoy insults Buckbeak, the hippogriff Hagrid used during the lesson. Following the event, Lucius Malfoy has the ministry order Buckbeak's execution. However, Harry and Hermione use a time turner to save Buckbeak and Sirius Black.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire[]
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix[]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince[]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1[]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2[]
Video games[]
Other games[]
Musical[]
Theme Parks[]
Differences from the source material[]
Relationships[]
Quotes[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Hagrid is one of the 14 characters to appear in all 8 film adaptations.
