G is for Grindilow

G is for Grindylow because I these creatures have always fascinated me. Okay, they’re not real, but they are one of JK’s incredible creations that seem so realistic.

For those who don’t know Harry Potter as well as I do, a grindylow is:

A small, horned water demon that lives in the weed beds at the bottom of lakes in Great Britain and Ireland It has green teeth, pointy horns and long fingers, which are used to strangle their prey. They are violent and aggressive towards wizards and witches and Muggles, although merpeople have been known to domesticate them and keep them as pets.

Grindylows inhabit Black Lake at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and they attacked students competing in the Triwizard Tournament, forcing the retirement of Fleur Delecour. In Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts, Remus Lupin tells Harry that the trick to combating them is to break their grip; their abnormally long fingers are strong but very brittle.

Grindylows mostly survive on fish, algae, and small sea creatures. They are usually not a threat but have been known to eat humans, for this reason Grindylows are considered 'Dark Creatures'.

This is a Grindylow:

My aim for this A-Z Blogging, I’ve now decided, is to make sure that anyone reading them will learn something from it, however trivial the piece of knowledge because any type of knowledge and learning expands the brain and makes your cleverer. And I like that. I hope my readers do too. J