Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. For today’s video, I’m going to
be continuing with what you guys seem to enjoy, and making a ‘ranking’ video. However,
this is a different sort of ranking video- because it doesn’t concern the wizards or
witches of the magical world, in fact, it doesn’t really concern humanoids at all.
Today, I’m going to be ranking the most powerful/intimidating/daunting CREATURES of
the magical world. Now, in a world full of magic it should come as no surprise that there
are some POWERFUL creatures out there- and we’re even able to catch a glimpse of some
of them in the books and films. Trolls/Giants/Dragons- these are all featured in the films and often
their power was put on display in totality. However, there are a lot of powerful creatures
that never really made it in to the books and films, or appeared very little, and I
want to highlight some of those creatures.
This list was hard to compile- and there were MANY creatures that NEARLY made the cut. After
watching I implore you to share your own top 10 with me.
Without further ado, let’s jump in to the top 10 most powerful creatures in the wizarding
world.
10. Lethifolds
The etymology behind the name ‘Lethifold’ is quite sinister as "Lethifold" comes from
two roots: lethum, variation of letum, which is Latin for "death", "annihilation" and "ruin",
as well as ‘fold’, which likely alludes to the creature's cloaked appearance.
“The Lethifold resembles a black cloak roughly half an inch thick, and appears slightly thicker
if the creature has recently digested a victim. It glides along surfaces in an unknown form
of locomotion in search of its prey, humans. It attacks at night, when the target is asleep,
by suffocating and then digesting it.”
The lethifold is a TRULY dangerous magical beast. They are extremely aggressive, violent
and even carnivorous. Luckily, the Lethifold is found only in tropical climates, so as
long as you don’t go on holiday, you should be safe from them.
9. Werewolf
The Werewolf is considered to be a category XXXXX creature by the ministry of magic- meaning
that they are impossible to domesticate/reason with and equally dangerous to wizardkind.
Werewolves suffer from Lycanthropy- a condition which forces them to transform in to their
violent form at the first sign of a full moon. Notable werewolves from the series include
Remus Lupin and Fenrir Greyback- however, Lupin contains his condition somewhat with
a Wolfsbane potion. While in their werewolf form- werewolves have no awareness of who
they are interacting with- this means that even the friends and allies of a werewolf
aren’t safe during a full moon. Furthermore, when they revert back to their regular form,
they will have no recollection of the terrible actions that they made. Werewolves are POWERFUL
creatures capable of widespread destruction, and for that reason I feel they are deserving
of this spot on the list.
8. Acromantula
Acromantulas are basically..Giant spiders, so if you suffer from ‘arachnophobia’
aka the fear of spiders, then this one might be number one on your list. If you’ll remember,
the most notable Acromantula from the series is Aragog- Hagrid’s old pet and the reason
for his expulsion from Hogwarts. Like werewolves, Acromantulas are classified a category XXXXX
beast by the ministry of magic, and this is for good reason. It has been expressed that
the leg-span of Acromnatula’s can be as large as fifteen feet, which makes them a
bit more intimidating than your average house spider. Additionally, they have eight black
eyes, thick black hair, giant pedipalps which they use to eat their prey, and HIGHLY toxic
venom. Not only that, but Acromantulas are sentient and HIGHLY intelligent- even capable
of human speech.
7. Giants
Giants are incredibly powerful creatures that tend to live out their lives in tribes completely
separate from the rest of the wizarding community. They are smarter than trolls, but stupider
than humans, and their innate bloodthirsty nature has typically resulted in their own
population control. The secret to giants power is in their name- they are ‘giant’. In
fact, they are larger than almost any other magical creature, equal in physical strength
to dragons, and highly resistant to spells. Giants have been known to side with Voldemort,
as we saw in both the first and second wizarding wars, however, despite their immense power
they do have an achilles heel - their eyes. The eyes of giants are much more vulnerable
to spells/attacks, and this is how the good guys were able to take them out. This obvious
vulnerability is the only reason that they aren’t higher on the list.
6. Dementor
If you’ve watched/read Harry Potter, then you should know this next creature well- the
Dementor. Dementors are cloaked creatures that are 3 metres tall with dark grey scabby
skin. They are truly foul creatures that represent unhappiness and despair, and they are frequently
known to be the guards of Azkaban prison, ensuring that all of the darkest witches and
wizards inside do not escape.
“Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest,
filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness
out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can’t see them.
Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you.
If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself
— soul-less and evil. You’ll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your
life.”
Dementors can strip you of your soul and leave you just a shell of a person- and that kind
of power can’t be ignored. However, their achilles heel is the Patronus charm, as is
it a positive light force that represents everything that they aren’t. As a result,
they are repelled by its presence. This means that as long as the witch/wizard knows how
to use a Patronus charm, then they are safe from Dementors.
5. Phoenix
Phoenixes are a little unassuming when compared to other creatures on this list, largely due
to their size and more approachable ‘look’. They are a little more inviting than say,
an eight legged giant spider or werewolf with its teeth out, however, that doesn’t mean
that they aren’t more powerful. The most notable Phoenix from the Harry Potter story
is of course Dumbledore’s loyal Phoenix companion, Fawkes.
“A phoenix is a bird with magical properties. Large and coloured red and gold, they can
carry very heavy loads and their tears have healing powers. On their Burning Days phoenixes
burst into flames and are reborn from the ashes.”
Ok- so, why are Phoenixes so powerful? This is actually quite a long list. First of all-
they’re immortal. When a Phoenix ‘dies’ it bursts into flames, and it ceases to exist..but
not for long., After no time at all a Phoenix will then be reborn from its own ashes. Next,
the tears of a Phoenix have extremely powerful healing properties- able to save even those
who are at the brink of death. Next, the Phoenix has somewhat of an immunity to magic- we see
this when Fawkes fights the Basilisk as he is seemingly uneffected by the Basilisks gaze.
NEXT, Phoenixes have sharp talons- which are no joke when it comes to clawing at enemies,
and lastly, Phoenix feathers are used to craft some of the most powerful wand cores. Yes,
they’re a little less intimidating than some of the others on this list, but they
are CERTAINLY powerful.
4. Thunderbird
You may not have heard of a Thunderbird before, but they are extremely powerful magical birds
that eclipse even the powers of the fabled Phoenix. Like the Phoenix and it’s association
to the element of ‘fire’, Thunderbirds more closely resonate with aspects of thunder
and lightning. Though not explicitly stated, I suspect that the two mythical birds are
related in some way. Thunderbirds can command the weather and create powerful targeted storms
whenever they want, additionally, they are immense in size, have incredible strength,
and possess huge powerful talons. Like the phoenix, their feathers can be taken and used
in a wand core- Thunderbird cores are said to be particularly powerful at transfiguration.
3. Basilisk
You may remember the Basilisk from the chamber of secrets. They are enormous serpentine creatures
that were originally created by a dark wizard by the name of Herpo the Foul (though commonly
their original creation is wrongfully credited to Hogwarts founder Salazar Slytherin). Though
Slytherin created his OWN- this was not the original basilisk that Herpo had created.
"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious
or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which
may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched
beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and
venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam
of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their
mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is
fatal to it."
Basilisks are gigantic, powerful and immune to a lot of magic. Not only that, but they
possess giant fangs, protective scales, and a gaze that can kill you instantly. The Basilisk
in the film was defeated by Harry with the help of Fawkes, however, I am of the impression
that 9 times out of 10 the battle would have gone in the Basilisks favour. Harry got lucky...Really
lucky.
2. Dragons
I’m sure you knew that Dragons would appear somewhere on the list- but I bet you didn’t
know where and when. Dragons pop up in the Harry Potter films quite a bit, and are frequently
referred to as some of the most powerful creatures in existence. Dragons are giant, winged fire
breathing beasts that incite fear in the hearts of even the bravest witches and wizards. They
bear the potential to be extremely destructive, and they are even classified as category XXXXX
by the Ministry of magic. This classification means that they are known to kill witches/wizards,
and are either extremely difficult to or impossible to domesticate.
We see or hear mentions of dragons pop-up constantly throughout the books and films,
and they are an integral part of the series. One important thing worth mentioning, however,
is that there are many types of dragons, and some are more powerful than others. In my
opinion, the most powerful dragon of them all is the Hungarian Horntail, followed closely
by the Ukrainian Ironbelly. The Horntail is enormous, and has a lizard-like appearance,
along with bronze horns, spikes that protrude from its long tail, and yellow eyes with vertical
pupils. It is known to have one of the longest firebreathing ranges, and can scorch you from
fifty feet away. The hungarian horntail was also used in Hogwarts as one of the guardians
of the Cursed vaults. I think that dragons are more than deserving of this position on
the list.
1. Nundu
Last but certainly not least we have the Nundu. The Nundu is scarcely mentioned, and that’s
probably for good reason as they are perhaps the most destructive and powerful creatures
of them all when untamed. Though not as big as giants, dragons or basilisks, Nundus are
nonetheless considered by many witches and wizards to be the most dangerous creature
in existence. In fact, no Nundu has ever been defeated by fewer than 100 sorcerers- which
in my opinion makes the Nundu the clear #1 on this list. For some perspective, a dragon
will usually require about 10 sorcerers to subdue.
Nundus somewhat resemble lions, and though we aren’t exactly sure of their size, we
do know that they are massively fast, resistant to most magic, and possess the ability to
breathe toxins that can clear entire villages. The only ‘weakness’ that a Nundu has,
and I’m not sure that you can even call it a weakness, is that they actually CAN be
tamed- as Newt Scamnader was reportedly able to have tamed a young one.
And that concludes the list. What do you guys think? This list was hard to make- and it
was even harder to justify some of the rankings, but I did my best. What order would you put
these creatures in? What substitutions would you make? What’s your TOP 10 list? Let me
know in the comment section below.
Until next time
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live