Before we start this video I just wanted to mention that only 19% of you are subscribed, so if you enjoy the content please consider subscribing to the channel
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, I’m going to be discussing
Gellert Grindelwald and the Patronus charm. First we’ll be looking at whether or not
he was actually capable of producing one, and next we will be theorizing on what his
patronus animal would be.
We first see Grindelwald in the Deathly Hallows, when a then-much older Grindelwald refused
to give Voldemort the information that he needed regarding the elder wand. Then, we
see him again when he is much younger in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, followed by
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Grindelwald was born in the year 1883, and in his younger years he was a student at Durmstrang
institute. While attending the school, Grindelwald demonstrated exceptional magic ability, however,
his sadistic nature also shone through, and he was expelled for experimenting with twisted
and dark magic. Grindelwald continually pushed the limits of his magical abilities. After
being expelled, Grindelwald was intent on achieving higher and higher levels of power,
this mission for power eventually landed him in Godric’s Hollow, England.
When he arrived in Godric’s Hollow he met Albus Dumbledore, and the two were inseparable.
During the time that they spent together, the two were able to learn a lot from one
another, reaching new heights with regards to magical ability. They had a lot in common,
each as ambitious as the other. Not only that, but both boys shared a common goal: to seek
out and acquire all 3 of the deathly hallows: the cloak, the wand, and the stone. They wanted
to lead a wizarding revolution that would effectively put an end to the international
statute of secrecy, breaking down the ‘secretive’ divide between muggle and magical world. But
when things went awry, Grindelwald and Dumbledore parted ways. At this point in time, Grindelwald
stole the elder wand from Mykew Gregorovitch and set off on the mission alone, operating
under the slogan ‘for the greater good’.
So, given Grindelwald’s innate magical talent AND possession of the elder wand, surely he
should be able to cast a patronus charm. Right?
A Patronus is the result of a witch or wizard casting the Patronus charm. There are two
types of patronus charms, corporeal and incorporeal patronuses. 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. 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. Harry’s
is a stag, Ron’s is a jack russel terrier, and Hermione’s is an otter, etc. 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.
Okay, so it’s an impressive magical feat, that should be no problem for a wizard as
impressive as Grindelwald, right? The thing with him is that it’s not quite so straightforward.
Though I am divided on this matter, I do tend to slightly lean towards him being ABLE to
produce a Patronus. Here’s why. In order to produce a patronus, one cannot rely only
on their magical ability, they also need to understand concepts of love and happiness.
These are things that someone like Voldemort would have no concept of, and while Voldemort
and Grindelwald are often compared as forces of evil, Grindelwald had more humanity. Voldemort
is just as dark and evil as a dementor, and so it makes sense that he would not be able
to produce something that could combat them. Voldemort’s only joy came from doing terrible
things. He was never happy, even in childhood, and never got to experience true love or happiness-
leaving him with no concept of either. Grindelwald on the other hand, did find love in his life,
and his ambitions of establishing a new world order were not driven by notions of evil or
darkness. Grindelwald genuinely felt that what he was doing was important for the world,
and that is why his slogan was ‘for the greater good’. He recognized that a lot
of his actions were wrong, but ultimately believed that his mission to establish the
global wizarding hierarchy was important for wizardkind. He felt that he was just helping
his people.
So, despite all of the dark and twisted magic that Grindelwald performed, he did understand
love, and so i think that if he were faced with a dementor, he WOULD be able to cast
a patronus. He’s definitely got the magical talent, and he has the emotional intelligence.
With that out of the way, that leaves one question: What is his Patronus animal?
In my last video, I established that a Patronus animal can be pretty much anything. This is
supported with the following information from Pottermore:
"No reliable system for predicting the form of an individual's Patronus has ever been
found, although the great eighteenth-century researcher of Charms, Professor Catullus Spangle,
set forth certain principles that are widely accepted as true.
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."
So, if a Patronus can be anything, surely a powerful and truly unique wizard such as
Grindelwald would have a powerful and unique Patronus to match. We know that Albus Dumbledore’s
Patronus was a phoenix, which was revealed to us when he wanted to summon Hagrid after
Viktor Krum was Stunned. This probably came to you as no surprise given that Dumbledore
had an affinity with this particular creature. After all, his own animal companion was the
enigmatic and loyal phoenix Fawkes. My first theory for Grindelwald’s Patronus is that,
like Dumbledore, he shares the Phoenix Patronus. A golden Phoenix.
In his youth, Grindelwald was the golden boy- he had long golden locks of hair. He had so
much magical talent, and a long and full life ahead of him. The following quote from The
Deathly Hallows describes Grindelwald in his youth:
‘and there on the window ledge sat perched, like a giant bird, a young man with golden
hair. In the split second that the lantern’s light illuminated him, Harry saw the delight
upon his handsome face, then the intruder shot a Stunning Spell from his wand and jumped
neatly backwards out of the window with a crow of laughter.’
Here’s how I came to the conclusion that his patronus is a golden Phoenix:
First of all, it fits his physical characteristics - he has long golden locks, and the passage
above explained that he sat perched ‘like a giant bird’.
Next, the Phoenix is a particularly powerful and rare creature, which I think is befitting
of Grindelwald’s character.
Lastly, Grindelwald had a deep connection to Dumbledore, and so it would make sense
that their patronus animals are the same. In Harry Potter, we later find out that Snape’s
patronus animal is the same as Lily Evans. Lily Evans loved James Potter, and her "happiest"
memory probably had something to do with him, which made her Patronus a doe. And because
Snape was obsessed with Lily, his Patronus animal was the same as hers. Even though Grindelwald
and Dumbledore parted ways, I think that it’s extremely like that, like Snape, Grindelwald
still held Dumbledore close to him, and for this reason I think that his patronus animal
would mimic Dumbledore’s.
My next theory is less supported by facts, but I think that it’s a bit of fun. In Fantastic
Beasts we see Grindelwald use a powerful magical spell called protego diabolica in the Lestrange
mausoleum. Protego diabolica is a dark spell that creates a ring of protective black fire
around the target. Anyone who is an enemy of the caster will be instantly incinerated
when they try to enter the circle. The spell eventually escalates in to what can only be
described as a fiery winged-demon, similar to fiendfyre. It’s mentioned that if the
spell hadn’t been stopped by the combined efforts of the protagonists, that it would
have destroyed all of Paris. My thought is that this ‘fiery winged demon’ that we
see being produced from his protego diabolica is somehow symbolic and representative of
Grindelwald. Because we know that a rare and magical Patronus usually reflects an unusual
personality, and because we know that there are no limitations on what a patronus can
actually be, I think that Grindelwald’s patronus could perhaps be whatever creature
it is that protego diabolica produces. It looks like some sort of fiery winged-demon,
or dragon, and I honestly think that this fits Grindelwald perfectly. We know that demons
exist in Harry Potter, as they are a known classification of dark magical creature. So,
I wouldn’t put it past Grindelwald, one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time,
to have a Patronus animal like a DEMON.
What do you guys think? Do YOU think that Grindelwald was able to cast a Patronus? If
you agree, what was his patronus animal? Let me know down in the comment section below.
Until next time
YER A WIZARD ARRY