Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery & Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells & Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. |
- Rubeus Hagrid: "I've never met another one before!"
- Olympe Maxime: "Anuzzer what, precisely?"
- Rubeus Hagrid: "Another half-giant, o' course!"
- Olympe Maxime: "'Ow dare you! I 'ave nevair been more insulted in my life! 'Alf-giant? Moi? I 'ave — I 'ave big bones!"
- — Olympe Maxime accidentally insulted about her half-giant heritage[src]
Half-giants were beings with some, but not a total, amount of giant heritage or blood, as well as part human blood. For instance, someone with this title might have had a giant mother and a wizard father or vice versa.[4][1]
Characteristics[]
All known half-giants had magical blood and were capable of producing magic, traits they received from their witch or wizard ancestors.[1] From their giant family they usually retained a large height and build,[2] they were usually considered extremely tall by human standards and short by giant standards. They also retained the natural resistance to most types of magical attacks from their giant blood.[5][6]
It is unknown as to whether a half-giant would still have magic if the human parent was a Muggle; it is possible they could receive magic from the giant parent as giants are technically magical creatures. However, the very act of a Muggle even meeting a giant, let alone having offspring with one, would be a breach of Clause 73 of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Such a union after the events of the First Wizarding War became even less likely; Muggle mountaineers who approach the colony of the last giants would likely meet their demise at the hands of these fearsome beings.
Half-giants could not use any potion that was only designed for human physiology, such as Polyjuice Potion.[7]
Appearance[]
The large physical build of half-giants lent itself easily to great physical strength and stamina that could rival many, if not most magical creatures, with endurance dependent on how active an individual's lifestyle was. They were also gifted with human intelligence, enabling them to learn the use of magic at a wizarding school and the right to own a wand.[2]
Despite their immense stature, half-giants appeared otherwise indistinguishable from humans, as their proportions relative to their size were not said to be abnormal, meaning that they simply appeared as oversized humans.
History[]
Rubeus Hagrid, a half-giant, was born on 6 December 1928 to Mr Hagrid (a wizard) and Fridwulfa (a giantess) and grew up in the West Country of England. He grewup near the Forest of Dean, where he acquired his distinctive accent.[8][9]
When Hagrid was about three, his mother returned to her Giant colony, leaving his father to raise him alone. 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 Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger about the death of his mother, Hagrid admitted that she was not a great mother at all.[10] Hagrid grew to a height of eleven and a half feet tall, immense by human standards but very small by giant standards.
Olympe Maxime, a half-giant, was born to one magical parent and one giant (unknown whether the giant was her mother or father) making her a half-giantess. She kept this heritage hidden, out of fear of the prejudice that would strike her were it to be revealed.[11] She was likely educated at Beauxbatons in France, as she would later become the establishment's Headmistress.[3]
DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE was an article published in the Daily Prophet in early January 1995. It was written by Rita Skeeter and revealed to the public that Rubeus Hagrid was a half-giant on the side of his mother, Fridwulfa, and also contained a number of nasty insinuations regarding Hagrid's suitability to teach at Hogwarts.[12] As was the usual standard with material published by Rita Skeeter, the article contained a certain amount of fact, but mixed it with exaggerations, insinuations, and at least one outright falsehood.
Upon the publication of the article, Hagrid received a large amount of hate mail, which caused him to lock himself in his hut and refuse to teach classes, requiring a substitute to teach them instead.[1] Not long after reading this article, Harry, Ron and Hermione paid a visit to Hagrid in an attempt to draw him out, but he simply refused to answer his door.[1]
Oppression[]
- Cornelius Fudge: "Dumbledore, you know what that woman is?"
- Albus Dumbledore: "I consider her to be a very able headmistress — and an excellent dancer."
- Cornelius Fudge: "Dumbledore, come! Don't you think you might be prejudiced in her favour because of Hagrid? They don't all turn out harmless — if, indeed, you can call Hagrid harmless, with that monster fixation he's got —"
- Albus Dumbledore: "I no more suspect Madame Maxime than Hagrid. I think it possible that it is you who are prejudiced, Cornelius."
- — Prejudice towards the half-giant Olympe Maxime[src]
Many half-giants had been discriminated against, as with werewolves, centaurs, and other half-humans. This prejudice was notoriously demonstrated by Death Eaters, some pure-bloods, and simply rude individuals like Dolores Umbridge.[13] One example of this prejudice was then-Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge accusing Olympe Maxime of murdering Bartemius Crouch Senior during his conversation with Albus Dumbledore because of the circumstantial evidence of Crouch's disappearance taking place near the Beauxbatons Carriage, despite having no conclusive evidence to back up this claim and instead basing this suspicion around the violent nature that giants commonly have.[14] Pure giants also looked down on half-giants due to their inferior sizes, as it was a giant's pride to give birth to large children.[1]
Half-giants were rare, as Hagrid never thought he would meet another one before Madame Maxime. This suggests that the bonding between humans and giants was indeed rare, seeing animosity for giants as it was. Maxime desperately kept her heritage hidden to protect herself from prejudice.[4]
Known half-giants[]
- Gawrloc
- Olympe Maxime[4]
- Rubeus Hagrid[4][1] - wizard father, giant mother
Known part-giants[]
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First identified as Half-giant)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Appears in dream)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play) (Appears in dream)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Mentioned only)
- Pottermore
- Harry Potter (website)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Motorbike Escape
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- The Making of Harry Potter
- Harry Potter: The Character Vault
- Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
- Harry Potter Trading Card Game
- Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
- LEGO Harry Potter
- LEGO Harry Potter
- LEGO Creator: Harry Potter
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- LEGO Dimensions
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
- Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 24 (Rita Skeeter's Scoop)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 4 (The Keeper of the Keys)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 15 (Beauxbatons and Durmstrang)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 23 (The Yule Ball)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 31 (O.W.L.s)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 28 (Flight of the Prince)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 4 (The Seven Potters)
- ↑ 1999 Scotland on Sunday article
- ↑ 2000 Blue Peter interview
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 23 (The Yule Ball)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 23 (The Yule Ball)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 24 (Rita Skeeter's Scoop)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 21 (The Eye of the Snake)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 29 (The Dream)
- ↑ Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (see this image)
See also[]
Giants and half-giants | |
---|---|
Giant colony |
Gurgs: Karkus (Former) ·
Golgomath |
Other giants |
Bran the Bloodthirsty ·
Cyclops ·
Death Eaters' giant army in the First Wizarding War ·
Goliath ·
Grawp's father ·
Grawp's opponent ·
Hengist of Upper Barnton ·
Morholt ·
Morholt's brother ·
Unidentified giant in The Blind Pig |
Half-giants |