Winged horse

Winged Horse
Species information
Hair colour	Varies
Related to	Horse Abraxan Aethonan Granian Thestral
Native to	Worldwide
Mortality	Mortal
Distinction	Horses with wings capable of flight
Ministry of Magic Classification	Beast XX-XXXX
Status	Extant

"Winged horses exist worldwide. There are many different breeds, including the Abraxan (immensely powerful giant palominos), the Aethonan (chestnut, popular in Britain and Ireland), the Granian (grey and particularly fast) and the rare Thestral (black, possessed of the power of invisibility and considered unlucky by many wizards). As with the Hippogriff, the owner of a winged horse is required to perform a Disillusionment Charm upon it at regular intervals."

— Newt Scamander, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The winged horse was a magical species of horse, distinct for possessing wings which enabled them to fly. Winged horses were found worldwide, with many different breeds existing, including the Abraxan, Aethonan, Granian and Thestral. Owners of winged horses were required by law to cast Disillusionment Charms on them regularly. Owners might compete in a winged horse race.

History

A winged horse Patronus

A team of Abraxan winged horses were owned by Beauxbatons Academy of Magic Headmistress Olympe Maxime, and only drank single malt whiskey. They were used to pull a carriage to transport a delegation of Beauxbatons students to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the Triwizard Tournament in 1994, and again in 1997 for the funeral of Albus Dumbledore.

The Abraxan, Granian and Thestral were known corporeal forms of the Patronus Charm.

Known breeds

There were four known different types of winged horse, each with its own unique set of physical differences.

Breed	Image	Description
Abraxan		A gigantic and extremely powerful breed and they only drank single-malt whiskey. Similar in appearance to a palomino horse.
Aethonan		Had a chestnut coloured coat.
Granian		Had a grey coat and they were extremely fast.
Thestral		A carnivorous breed attracted to the smell of blood, though they were mostly harmless, as well as unusually intelligent. They were invisible to most and could only be seen by people who had seen death. They had a rather nightmarish appearance, with a dark and bony body, a reptilian face, and bat-like wings. Classified as XXXX.

Behind the scenes

• The concept of winged horses derives from Pegasus, a pure white stallion with wings from Greek mythology. Pegasus is most directly referenced in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, where an account is related of a wizard who killed a Chimaera while on a winged horse, a reference to Bellerophon using Pegasus to defeat the mythical Chimaera.
• Pottermore describes that Thestrals have equivalents in other parts of the world, suggesting that there are other breeds of Winged Horses Newt Scamander did not describe.

See also

• Unicorn
• Hippogriff
• Abraxan
• Aethonan
• Granian
• Thestral
• Winged horse racing

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Pottermore
• Wizarding World
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
• LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
• LEGO Harry Potter
• J. K. Rowling's official site (Mentioned only)
• LEGO Harry Potter
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• Hogwarts Legacy