Norwegian Ridgeback

Norwegian Ridgeback
Species information
Skin colour	Black
Related to	Dragon
Native to	Norway
Mortality	Mortal
Affiliation	Romanian Dragon Sanctuary
Ministry of Magic Classification	Beast XXXXX
Status	Extant

"All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn’t exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes."

— Norberta the Norwegian Ridgeback dragon hatching in 1992

The Norwegian Ridgeback was a species of dragon that was native to Norway, and its typical habitat was the Northern mountains. It was said to physically resemble a Hungarian Horntail.

Description and traits

The egg of the Norwegian Ridgeback

It resembled the Hungarian Horntail, except for the black ridges on its back, the browner texture in its scales, and its less hostile attitude. It also had venomous fangs.

A Ridgeback's food of choice was large mammals, including aquatic mammals, which was unusual for a dragon. Its eggs were black, and young Ridgebacks developed the ability to shoot flame earlier than any other breeds (around one to three months). Female Ridgebacks were generally more ferocious than the males.

History

In 1802, a Norwegian Ridgeback was reported to have carried off a whale calf off the coast of Norway.

Norberta, a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon

In 1991, Rubeus Hagrid received a Norwegian Ridgeback egg from a hooded stranger in a pub. After hatching the egg, Hagrid named the creature Norbert, and tried to raise it with the help of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. However, the dragon was discovered, and eventually Hagrid gave Norbert to Charlie Weasley, who took the young dragon to live with others of its kind in the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary where he worked. By 1997, it was discovered that Norbert was in fact a female dragon, so her name was changed to Norberta. Charlie mentioned this during his brother's wedding, saying that she was too vicious to be a male.

During the 2008–2009 school year, Ivy Warrington, another student and a centaur battled a Norwegian Ridgeback in the Forbidden Forest. During the Calamity which affected the wizarding world during the 2010s, whirlwind Confoundables trapped baby Norwegian Ridgeback Foundables, for which members of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force had to overpower with the spell meteolojinx recanto.

Etymology

Norwegian Ridgeback is likely a play on Rhodesian Ridgeback, a South African hunting dog used, among other things, to hunt lions. Two other breeds of ridgeback dog exist, the Thai Ridgeback, and the Phu Quoc Ridgeback. Additionally, Ridgeback is a British bicycle company.

Behind the scenes

A Chocolate Frog Card of a Norwegian Ridgeback

• The reference to the Rhodesian Ridgeback hunting dog is especially fitting as this dragon caused so much trouble to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid, all of who were in Gryffindor House, which is represented by a lion.
• While the Ridgeback has green scales in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Newt Scamander wrote in his book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that the Ridgeback resembled the Hungarian Horntail except the ridge, with black/brownish scales.

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 Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter (website)
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Harry Potter
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened