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"A sickly green creature with sharp little horns had its face pressed against the glass, pulling faces and flexing its long, spindly fingers."
— Description[src]

A Grindylow was a small, horned, pale-green skinned water demon native to Great Britain and Ireland.[2]

Description and traits[]

The first stage of a Grindylow's life cycle was the larval stage, where it was referred to as a Grypt. It was also known by several local names, such as a "Pollywiggle" in Ilkley, a "Candypole" in Kettlewell, and a "Jarvis" in Sheffield.[2]

GrindylowFBIE

A Grindylow eating fish

Aggressive towards witches, wizards and muggles alike, the Grindylow was only ever tamed by merpeople; the half-fish water dwellers who sometimes kept them as pets.[2]

Grindylows survived, for the most part, on fish, algae, and small sea creatures; however, occasionally they would eat humans (it is for this reason that they are classified as dark creatures).[2]

Grindylow HP4

A Grindylow in the Great Lake

These creatures were found in the weed beds at the bottom of lakes in Great Britain and Ireland.[2]

The Grindylow was particularly prevalent in Yorkshire, where it displayed a large amount of physical variation. It was generally found in still or stagnant water. Grindylows also took to urban environments such as Porter Beach in the heart of Sheffield, where they sheltered in submerged shopping trolleys and traffic cones.[5]

The Grindylow was a sickly green colour, with green teeth and small pointy horns on its head. It had long, strong (albeit brittle) fingers which it used to strangle its prey, and was a rather good swimmer, since it was adapted to live in water.[2]

Defence[]

The Grindylow had long, brittle fingers which despite their fragility were rather strong. The trick to escaping a Grindylow was to break their grip on a person; the Revulsion Jinx would help with this task, as underwater it shot jets of boiling hot water, which would scold their skin and cause them to release their grip and retreat.[6]

History[]

"Ah. Why don't you come in? I've just taken delivery of a grindylow for our next lesson."
Remus Lupin to Harry Potter[src]
Grindylow FB

A Grindylow in Newt Scamander's suitcase

In 1910, Newton Scamander kept a jar of baby Grindylows in water in a cupboard at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[7] Newt Scamander had several Grindylows in his suitcase during his travels to New York in 1926.[8]

In the 1989–1990 school year, the Grindylows attacked the Merpeople in the lake.[9]

There was a black market trade in Grindylows, as some wizards enjoyed them (illegally) as a delicacy.[10]

Harry Potter's encounters[]

Professor Remus Lupin ordered a Grindylow in 1993 for his third year class to study for Defence Against the Dark Arts.[1] After his resignation, he left behind the tank in which the Grindylow was kept.[11]

"Harry twisted his body around and saw a grindylow, a small, horned water demon, poking out of the weed, its long fingers clutched tightly around Harry's leg, its pointed fangs bared-"
— Harry Potter's encounter with Grindylows during the second task[src]
Grindylows stunned

Harry defending himself against Grindylows in the Great Lake

One year later, the Grindylows of the Black Lake at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry attacked the students competing in the 1994-1995 Triwizard Tournament. They caused the early retirement from the task of Fleur Delacour, and harassed Harry Potter. Harry however managed to repel a swarm of Grindylows by using the Revulsion Jinx underwater. He blasted them with hot water and releasing himself from their tight grip, allowing him to continue swimming.[6]

After the Battle of the Seven Potters, at The Burrow, Remus Lupin verified Harry's identity by asking "What creature sat in the corner the first time that Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?" Harry correctly answered Grindylow, which proved to Lupin that he was not a Death Eater impostor.[12]

Behind the scenes[]

GrindylowPOP

A Grindylow as a POP! Vinyl

Appearances[]

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 39 images related to Grindylow.

Notes and references[]

Magical creatures by classification
X Flobberworm · Horklump
XX Augurey · Bowtruckle · Chizpurfle · Clabbert · Diricawl · Fairy · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Imp · Jobberknoll · Mooncalf · Porlock · Puffskein · Ramora · Winged horse
XXX Ashwinder · Billywig · Bundimun · Crup · Doxy · Dugbog · Fire crab · Fwooper · Glumbumble · Hippocampus · Hippogriff · Hodag · Jarvey · Knarl · Kneazle · Leprechaun · Lobalug · Mackled Malaclaw · Moke · Murtlap · Niffler · Nogtail · Pixie · Plimpy · Pogrebin · Red Cap · Salamander · Sea serpent · Shrake · Streeler · Winged horse
XXXX Centaur · Demiguise · Erkling · Erumpent · Golden Snidget · Graphorn · Griffin · Hidebehind · Kappa · Kelpie · Merperson · Occamy · Phoenix · Re'em · Runespoor · Snallygaster · Sphinx · Tebo · Thestral · Thunderbird · Troll · Unicorn · Winged horse · Yeti
XXXXX Acromantula · Basilisk · Chimaera · Dragon · Horned Serpent · Lethifold · Manticore · Nundu · Quintaped · Wampus cat · Werewolf
Defence Against the Dark Arts (D.A.D.A.)
Subjectsdada
D.A.D.A. at Hogwarts
Classroom 3C · Classroom 3C backrooms · Temporary Classroom · Hogwarts Turris Magnus · Teacher's Office · Storeroom · Staircase · Storage room · Lesson Cup · Race Cup · Duelling Club · Dumbledore's Army
Professors
Isidora Morganach · Dinah Hecat · Arsenius Jigger · Albus Dumbledore · Galatea Merrythought · 1984–1985 professor · 1985–1986 professor · 1986–1987 professor · 1987–1988 professor · Patricia Rakepick · 1989–1990 professor · First 1990–1991 professor · Olivia Green · Quirinus Quirrell · Gilderoy Lockhart · Remus Lupin · Bartemius Crouch Junior (as Alastor Moody) · Dolores Umbridge · Severus Snape · Amycus Carrow (as Dark Arts teacher) · Unidentified professor · Brindlemore
Textbooks
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection · Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts · Break with a Banshee · Gadding with Ghouls · Holidays with Hags · Travels with Trolls · Voyages with Vampires · Wanderings with Werewolves · Year with the Yeti · The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts · Defensive Magical Theory · Dark Arts Defence – Basics for Beginners · Confronting the Faceless · Defence Against the Dark Arts
Spells studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Aqua Eructo · Boggart-Banishing Spell (Riddikulus) · Bombarda Maxima · Cave inimicum · Concealment Charms · Counter-curses · Counter-jinxes · Cruciatus Curse (Crucio) · Curse of the Bogies (Mucus ad Nauseam) · Cursed barrier spell · Densaugeo · Deprimo Spell (Deprimo) · Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) · Ear-Shrivelling Curse · Everte Statum · Freezing Spell (Glacius) · Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus) · Fumos Duo · Green Sparks · Hex-Breaker· Hex-deflection · Hex Zapper · Homorphus Charm · Human-presence-revealing Spell (Homenum Revelio) · Impediment Jinx (Impedimenta) · Imperius Curse (Imperio) · Imperturbable Charm · Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra) · Knockback Jinx (Flipendo) · Lacarnum Inflamari · Langlock · Levitation Spell (Levioso) · Limbo Mist anticharm · Nonverbal spells · Patronus Charm (Expecto Patronum) · Pimple Jinx (Furnunculus) · Protective enchantments · Red Sparks (Vermillious) · Reductor Curse (Reducto) · Salvio hexia · Sea Urchin Jinx · Seize and pull charm (Carpe Retractum) · Shield Charm (Protego) · Smokescreen Spell (Fumos) · Snake-Vanishing Spell (Vipera Evanesca) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Stretching Jinx · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Tongue-Tying Curse (Mimblewimble) · Trip Jinx · Twitchy-Ears Hex · Verdimillious Charm (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Duo Spell (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Tria · Vermillious Duo · Vermillious Tria · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos)
Creatures studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Banshee · Boggart · Chameleon Ghoul · Charmed skeleton · Cornish Pixie · Dementor · Dugbog · Erkling · Flesh-Eating Slug · Ghost · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Gytrash · Hag · Hinkypunk · Iguana · Imp · Inferius · Kappa · Manticore · Nocturnal beasts · Nogtail · Poltergeist · Red Cap · Snake · Troll · Vampire · Vampire bat · Werewolf · Yeti · Zombie
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