Category:Giants

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Creature profile
Giant
Allegiance	Voldemort
Appearance	humanoid, about 20 feet high, misshapen, ugly
Known specimens	Grawp, Fridwulfa, Karkus, Golgomath, famous giants
First appearance in canon	The Yule Ball (GF) (mention); Grawp (OP) (appearance)

Giants are magical creatures that reach enormous heights (up to over 20 feet). Their figure is humanoid, but they look strangely misshapen and quite ugly to humans. They use fire and can speak and negotiate, but they seem to be less intelligent than humans and are unable to live in large communities for long. They have a reputation of being vicious and violent (OP20, OP30).

They cannot perform magic themselves and hate to have magic used against them, but they value magical artefacts very highly (OP20). Like trolls, they have a natural resilience to Stunners and curses (OP31, HBP28).

Giants originally live solitary or in small tribes led by a chief, the so-called "Gurg", but since the species has become nearly extinct, the survivors have gathered in a larger, secluded colony in Eastern Europe. During the summer of 1995, the camp counts about seventy or eighty giants, but several are killed in a fight shortly afterwards and more probably die in the Second War, in which they side with Voldemort (GF24, OP20, DH31).

Most wizards are deeply afraid of and prejudiced against giants. As Ron Weasley puts it, "it's in their natures, they're like trolls... they just like killing, everyone knows that" (GF23). In turn, giants are highly distrustful of wizards (OP20).

It is probable that giants are considered beings. Because of their violent nature and the bad history between wizards and giants, however, it is possible that they have been denied being status.

Giants can have children with humans. Half-giants resemble normal humans in behaviour, intelligence and looks, except that they are about twice as tall and have inherited part of a giant's resistance to magic (OP31, HBP28). A lot of the wizarding prejudice against giants reflects on half-giants, too—they are considered dumb, dangerous and brutal (GF24, GF31, OP21). Both Rubeus Hagrid and Olympe Maxime are half-giants (GF23).

History and decline of the species

Originally, hundreds of giant tribes could be found all over the world. Famous ancient and medieval giants include Cyclops from Mount Etna, Sicily, Morholt from Ireland, Goliath from Israel, and Bran the Bloodthirsty and Hengist of Upper Barnton from Britain (FW).

Today, the population is becoming extinct; wizards have killed some of them, but mostly giants kill their rivals. In Britain, the giants lead wars against each other for a century until they are almost extinct. The last ones join Voldemort in the First War and cause horrible mass Muggle killings. Many are killed by Aurors, and the rest flee to the continent. Fridwulfa, Hagrid's mother, is among them (GF23, GF24, OP20).

The remaining giants found a colony in a n a mountainous region in Eastern Europe where they live undisturbed by wizards. Their camp lies in a secluded and badly accessible valley next to a lake surrounded by four high mountains. Muggles sometimes stumble into the colony, but their deaths are attributed to mountaineering accidents. However, giants are not accustomed to living together in large groups, and the numbers of the colony are frequently diminished due to internal fights (OP20).

At the Yule Ball at Hogwarts in 1994, Hagrid tells Madame Maxime that he is a half-giant and implies that she is one, too. Madame Maxime refuses to admit this and is furious at Hagrid. Their conversation is overheard by Rita Skeeter, who publishes a lurid article in the [Daily Prophet]] that ruins Hagrid's reputation and makes him the victim of hateful comments and letters (GF24).

Immediately after his return, Voldemort plans to regain the giants' allegiance and bring them back to Britain (GF33). Albus Dumbledore knows this and asks Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge to send envoys to the giants and offer friendship to them before they join with the enemy. Fudge refuses to believe in Voldemort's return and declares that Dumbledore is mad; apporoaching the giants would mean the end of his career (GF36). In consequence, Dumbledore sends Hagrid and Madame Maxime to the giant colony to negotiate in the summer of 1995. After shaking off the Ministry spy following them, they head for Minsk and from there to the location Dumbledore gave them. They reach the colony in the evening and see about seventy to eighty giants—the only ones left now—gathered about several fires. They watch them during the night; the giants fall asleep at about three in the morning and snore so loud that they cause an avalanche. At daybreak, Hagrid and Madame Maxime approach the Gurg Karkus, holding a gift of Gubraithian Fire high over their heads and bowing. Karkus summons some giants who speak English to translate and is very pleased with the gift. Negotiations start the following day after Karkus has received another gift and seem to go well, but that night, a fight breaks out among the giants. Karkus is killed and replaced by Golgomath; his surviving followers leave the camp and hide in caves nearby. When the two half-giants come down in the morning to negotiate with the new Gurg, two giants grab Hagrid by the ankles. Madame Maxime hits them in the eyes with a Conjunctivitus Curse and they escape, but they know that they will not be able to enter the camp again after using magic against the giants. Over the following days, they observe the colony and see that Golgomath is negotiating with a Death Eater delegation including Macnair. At night, Hagrid and Maxime search the caves for giants hiding from Golgomath. They finally find some, badly wounded, and start negotiating with them over the following days. They are able to convince about six or seven, but then Golgomath raids the caves and the survivors no longer want to speak to Hagrid and Maxime (OP20).

At one point during his stay, Hagrid learns that his mother died years ago and that he has a half-brother named Grawp. Grawp is small for his age and therefore constantly mobbed by the other giants. Hagrid decides to take him with him to Hogwarts. Grawp, who does not speak English, does not want to go with Hagrid and has to be taken by force. They are fighting constantly along the way, and Hagrid is badly injured. It takes him two months till Hogwarts. Madame Maxime leaves them because of Grawp's behaviour. Hagrid, who is convinced that Grawp does not mean harm and simply does not know his own strength, ties his brother up in the Forbidden Forest. He tries to teach him English and some manners; with little success. When he is in danger of being sacked, he introduces Harry Potter and Hermione Granger to Grawp and asks them to look after him. They are terrified (OP30). Grawp appears during the confrontation of the centaurs with Harry, Hermione and Dolores Umbridge, calling for Hagrid. A fight breaks out between him and the centaurs, and Harry and Hermione escape (OP33).

The first giants probably arrive in Britain in the summer of 1996.The Muggles blame uprooted trees, detached roofs, bent lampposts, and horrible injuries in the West Country on a hurricane, but the Ministry of Magic suspects it was the work of a giant. However, the cannot find the creature (HBP1).

In the Battle of Hogwarts on May 2, 1998, several giants fight for Voldemort while Grawp helps the other side. He wrestles one of them (DH33). Two giants guard the Acromantula clearing where Voldemort observes the battle (DH34). They follow him and his Death Eaters when he goes to the school to show them the supposedly dead Harry Potter. During the final battle, they fight Grawp while the Hogwarts Thestrals and Buckbeak the Hippogriff attack them from the air (DH36).