Hey guys,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, we’re going to be
discussing none other than famed magizoologist Newt Scamander, and the form of his Patronus
animal. Newt is of course the author of ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them’ - a very
popular book in the magical world outlining all sorts of magical creatures. It’s essentially
an encyclopaedia of magical creatures, and lists everything that you need to know about
these beasts. Newt gathered his information over years of scouring the globe, and once
described his profession as follows:
"I have visited lairs, burrows and nests across five continents, observed the curious habits
of magical beasts in a hundred countries, witnessed their powers, gained their trust
and, on occasion, beaten them off with my travelling kettle."
Newt’s book was so well received by the wizarding population that it was even made
an integral part of the Hogwart’s curriculum by headmaster Albus Dumbledore:
"Newt's masterpiece had been an approved textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
ever since its publication and must take a substantial amount of credit for our students'
consistently high results in Care of Magical Creatures examinations”
We’re first introduced to Newt Scamander in the new Fantastic Beasts films, where he’s
one of the main characters. He’s a calm, mild-mannered man with an astounding amount
of patience and an incredible attitude toward dealing with animals. He’s highly nurturing,
very quirky, and certainly awkward, but he has a certain charm about him. He’s often
barely able to make eye contact with other people and is sometimes painfully awkward,
but his honest love for magical creatures and his empathy and desire to help others
means that we can’t help but like him.
So, if you’re anything like me, you must be wondering- what is the patronus animal
of a man who has an affinity for so many different creatures? In this video, we’re going to
be theorizing on WHAT exactly Newt’s patronus animal is, and I think that he’s a particularly
interesting subject to analyze in this regard because of his relationship with creatures.
A Patronus is of course the result of a witch or wizard casting the Patronus charm. There
are two types of patronus charms, corporeal and incorporeal. The more basic form of the
spell is the incorporeal patronus, which assumes no animal form and simply resembles a burst
of white vapour or smoke, and the more advanced form of the spell is the conjuring of a corporeal
patronus. The ability to successfully cast a corporeal patronus is considered an impressive
feat in the wizarding community. The corporeal patronus assumes the form of the witch or
wizards ‘spirit animal’, and varies extensively from witch to witch or wizard to wizard. While
casting spells that create your very own spirit animal is probably fun, there is a purpose,
and that purpose is to ward off dementors or lethifolds- dark creatures that feed on
human happiness and incite a feeling of despair in anyone that gets close to them. They are
among the foulest creatures around, and represent nothing but darkness, depression and decay.
The patronus charm is the ONLY known way of dealing with a dementor, and so it’s a gravely
important thing for a witch or wizard to know. The patronus represents everything that a
Dementor doesn’t: hope, happiness, survival and purity. As the patronus itself does not
feel despair or hopelessness, as a human might, the dementors can’t hurt it and are repelled
by its presence.
It’s also worth noting that each witch or wizard that’s actually able to produce a
corporeal patronus will produce an animal that is uniquely tied to them. When initially
casting the corporeal patronus, the witch or wizard will have no idea what animal they
are conjuring until they’ve done it for the first time. There is no explanation for
how a certain patronus animal is tied to a witch or wizard. However, It has been heavily
speculated that the shape of the patronus produced is significantly influenced by the
personality of the caster, and so when we see characters with the same Patronus (Harry
& his father), Snape & Lily Potter, we can infer that they had similar personality types-or
a bond of some sort. It is also worth noting that the corporeal patronus of a wizard can
actually change according to life events. A witch or wizards patronus animal is a massively
personal thing- and is often recognized as an extension of their identity. In many cases
you will even know who is trying to contact you through their patronus alone, which can
actually be used like a messenger.
There are also almost NO Limits on what a patronus can be, and this is well documented
by Professor Catallus Spangle, who also had this to say on Patronuses:
“The Patronus, asserted Spangle, represents that which is hidden, unknown but necessary
within the personality..... Here, says Spangle, is the explanation for the appearance of Patronuses
in forms that their casters might not expect, for which they have never felt a particular
affinity, or (in rare cases) even recognise....
It is usual, but not inevitable, for a Patronus to take the form of an animal commonly found
in the caster's native country. Given their long affinity with humans it is perhaps unsurprising
that among the most common Patronuses (although it must be remembered that any corporeal Patronus
is highly unusual) are dogs, cats and horses. ...
Extinct Patronuses are very rare but not unknown. Strangely, given their long connection with
wizardkind, owl Patronuses are unusual. Most uncommon of all possible Patronuses are magical
creatures such as dragons, Thestrals and phoenixes. ... While a rare and magical Patronus undoubtedly
reflects an unusual personality, it does not follow that it is more powerful, or will enjoy
greater success at defending its caster."
A little while back Actor Eddie redmayne, who plays Newt Scamander, actually took the
Patronus test himself, and had this to say:
"I actually did (the Patronus test) twice as it launched. Both times I got the same
Patronus. The people from Pottermore told me that that was incredibly rare because of
the amount of algorithms it takes to choose the Patronus. So I must really be that thing."
It’s then Revealed that Redmayne’s Patronus is "A basset hound with long floppy ears”.
So, that’s Redmayne, but what about Newt? When JK Rowling was asked about Newt’s Patronus
on Twitter, all that she could say was that it would be a ‘big spoiler’. This just
makes me even more curious.
My first theory involves Newt’s relationship with lifelong friend, Leta Lestrange. Leta
and Newt grew up together, they both attended Hogwarts, and though Leta ended up with Newt’s
brother, Theseus, they seem to have a very unusual relationship. Ever since childhood,
there has been a certain..tension, between them, and I think that in the most recent
films, this tension is apparent on-screen. Newt may have found a new love interest in
Tina Goldstein, but that doesn’t suddenly strip away the years and years that Newt and
Leta spent together. They were so close, in fact, that Newt remained in love with Leta
for years after they parted ways, and even kept a framed photograph of her in his work
shed. As we see with Snape and Lily in Harry Potter, love certainly plays a part in the
role of one’s patronus, and that’s why Snape, who shared a similar friendship with
Lily in his youth, had a patronus that matched Lily’s. So, in order to figure out what
Newt’s patronus is, we first need to figure out Leta’s.
As JK Rowling always seems to place a certain amount of emphasis on etymology in Harry Potter,
I’m going to dissect Leta’s name to see if we can figure it out from there.
It has been expressed that the name Leta most likely originates from the name Leda, who
was the daughter of the Aetolian king Thestius. She was an Aetolian princess who became a
Spartan queen in Greek mythology, and it just so happens that the most popular fable surrounding
Leda involved one particular animal - a swan.
If we assume that Newt’s patronus matched Leta’s out of his love for her, then I think
that it’s reasonable to assume that Newt’s patronus would also be a swan. What this would
mean for Newt’s relationship with Tina Goldstein is unclear, but as Patronuses can change,
I don’t think that it would be out of the question for us to witness Newt’s patronus
changing- perhaps to later match Tinas.
My second, and more conservative theory, is that Newt’s Patronus is a Hippogriff- here’s
why. First things first, Hippogriffs are very rare magical creatures- half horse, and half
eagle. We first see them in the Harry Potter films when Hagrid introduces us to Buckbeak.
So far in Fantastic Beasts, we haven’t seen them, but if we dig just a little bit in to
Newt’s past, it’s easy for us to quickly make an association. You see, Newt was born
and raised in England, and his mother, who’s name we don’t actually know, happened to
be a Hippogriff breeder by profession. It was growing up with such majestic creatures
surrounding him that sparked Newt’s initial interest in magical creatures- Hippogriff’s
were part of his introduction to the world of beasts. And I think that it’s reasonable
to assume that the positive associations pertaining to his introduction to his life long passion,
paired with the thoughts of his mother, would have some sort of bearing on his patronus.
And that’s all I’m going to say for now. What do you guys think? What do YOU think
newt’s patronus is? Do either of my theories work for you?
Let me know down in the comment section below
UNTIL NEXT TIME
YER A WIZARD ARRY