Rubeus Hagrid from Harry Potter is a beloved character, and one of the things that makes him so likable is how much he loves magical creatures. He has a unique ability to see the beauty and value in all of these glorious beasts, even the dangerous or unattractive ones. While at times his love of dangerous creatures can go too far and put himself and others at risk, Hagrid definitely has a good heart and he wants to help all magical animals. Many of the most interesting magical creatures from the entire series were first introduced because of Hagrid, whether in his Care of Magical Creatures classes or in other situations.
Here are the top ten magical creatures introduced to us by Hagrid.
FLOBBERWORMS
These are definitely the least interesting magical creature that Hagrid introduced to his class. But their dullness is somewhat interesting, in and of itself, because it reveals to the reader that not all animals in the magical world are exciting or particularly interesting. Hagrid has his Care of Magical Creatures classes take care of flobberworms after the accident with Buckbeak and Malfoy happens. This leads to some pretty boring classes for the poor students, who are tasked with watching a bunch of worms and trying to feed them.
ARAGOG
Aragog is definitely an interesting and fascinating magical creatures, and he’s also one of the most terrifying in the entire series. Hagrid might see Aragog as a pet or even a friend because the spider is an intelligent being, but he’s also an extremely dangerous creature. This is one example of when Hagrid’s love of dangerous creatures went too far. He definitely shouldn’t have brought Aragog a wife so that they could create a whole brood of giant spiders right next to a school.
BLAST-ENDED SKREWTS
This is another example of a magical creature Hagrid introduces that isn’t exactly positive. In fact, these creatures were created by Hagrid himself, or he at least got them from an illegal breeder. Blast-Ended Skrewts are monstrous and quite dangerous, and they definitely aren’t a good idea to introduce to a class of 14-year-olds. These animals were created as a mix of a manticore and fire crab, and they definitely aren’t something you’d ever want to encounter in real life if they existed.
SALAMANDERS
These fire salamanders were one of the most positive and interesting of the creatures that Hagrid introduced to his classes. While his other classes often tended to be a bit too dangerous or too boring, this class was just right. These fire salamanders were enjoyable for the students to study, as they lived in the fire flames and were entrancing to watch. When reading about them in the books, they were definitely a creature that you’d want to exist in the real world.
NIFFLERS
Nifflers are magical creatures from the Harry Potter books that many people love. This is especially the case after the Fantastic Beasts movies where they are featured and shown to be cuddly with rather mischievous personalities. In the books, Hagrid introduces his Care of Magical Creatures to these adorable and fascinating creatures. They are rather cute and similar to moles except that they like to dig and search for any sort of gold or treasure. You definitely want to keep them around, as they are rather determined in their search.
UNICORNS
Unicorns are some of the most beautiful and interesting magical creatures from the series. They have been in mythology and fantasy stories for centuries, so it was definitely exciting to see how they were depicted in the Harry Potter world. While they are beautiful to look at, they are also extremely useful for magical purposes. Their hairs are used as the core of wands, for example. They are definitely one of the most powerful magical creatures out there.
THESTRALS
When Harry first notices the Thestrals in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, he has no idea what they are, as he’s never been able to see them before. So when Hagrid shows them to the Care of Magical Creatures class, Harry discovers why he could suddenly see them — because he’s seen death. While they might be rather morbid creatures in a way, they are rather beautiful in their own right and also quite useful. They might look like demonic horses, but they are overall good and peaceful creatures.
FLUFFY
Even in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone readers get a sense of Hagrid’s obsession with magical creatures that lean toward the dangerous side. He has both Fluffy and Norbert in this book. Fluffy is definitely a compelling creature since it’s literally a three-headed dog. This creature isn’t really mentioned in other books, and it’s never stated what kind of animal it really is. However, it’s definitely an interesting nod to mythology and Cerberus, who guarded the Underworld for Hades.
DRAGONS
Dragons are one of the most exciting characters to ever encounter in a fantasy series, and this holds true in Harry Potter. We first are introduced to the concept of dragons in the magical world from Hagrid when he gets Baby Norbert as a pet. While full-grown dragons are featured later on in the series, it’s clear that even a baby dragon can be dangerous even if quite beautiful and stunning to look at.
HIPPOGRIFFS
While Hippogriffs may not be the most powerful or even the cutest creature that Hagrid introduced in the series, they are one of the most iconic. Buckbeak is definitely well-loved by fans of the series, and he’s also important as a plot point in the book, as he allows Sirius to escape. Hippogriffs are definitely regal, beautiful, and interesting, and they also have fascinating personalities in how they relate to humans. It’s too bad they don’t actually exist.
