Sword of Gryffindor

Magical weapon wielded by Harry Potter in the Harry Potter Franchise

Overview[]

Over a thousand years old and crafted by Goblins, this mighty blade was used by the illustrious wizard Godric Gryffindor from whom the sword was named after.  Only true Gryffindors, "those brave of heart" can apparently wield it in battle and will only appear to those in dire need of this magically forged relic.

Technical Specifications[]

• TYPE: Broadsword
• PURPOSE: Muggle Dueling and Dark Creature Slaying
• OVERALL LENGTH: 86 centimeters (34 inches, blade length)
• OVERALL WIDTH: Unknown
• MASS: Unknown

Design Features[]

Fashioned by the finest Goblin metalworkers at the behest and specifications of Godric Gryffindor, the sword blade is 34" in length and is a straight double-edged heavy medieval type broadsword. It is forged out of pure silver with sparkling decorative rubies embedded in the hilt which were the favored stone of Gryffindor.

The elaborately engraved hilt also bore the images of a unicorn, a hippogriff, and it's first wielder, Godric himself.  His name. Godric Gryffindor has also been engraved on the blade itself in English.

Due to its forging and manufacture, the sword is a wondrous magical artifact thanks to the Goblin metalworkers with other unique magical properties and powerful enchantments added to by the noted wizard Godric himself. Thanks to the Goblin's metal forging techniques, the legendary sword is remarkably sharp and durable.  The purity of the silver that it is forged out of is reputedly anathema to many dark creatures such as vampires and werewolves thus making the weapon especially lethal to them.

Further, goblin crafted items such as the sword have the unique property to "strengthen itself" when it comes into contact with certain unique items or substances. For example, Basilisk venom is the most toxic and poisonous substance known to exist yet the blade not only resisted the corrosive effects; it absorbed the toxicity of the venom itself which allows it inflict mortal wounds with the merest scratch and destroy Voldermort's Horcruxes as well. Presumably, the blade can further evolve itself or augment its power should it encounter other unique substances.

The sword appears to possess a limited sort of sentience as it can only be wielded by those it deems "worthy". While a number of individuals have carried the weapon such as Severus Snape and the goblin Griphook―neither of whom actually used it in combat. Of that number, only a select few have ever successfully wielded it including Albus Dumbledore and Ronald Weasley.   

Furthermore, the sword has the capability to vanish and return to another of Gryffindor's artifacts; the Hogwarts' Sorting Hat where it would reside until a "true Gryffindor" in dire need would be able to pull it from the hat itself.  So far, only Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom were able to do so.  The concept of a "true Gryffindor" does not relate to a blood relationship or kinship but rather one of being brave and having a courageous heart as it was stated that Godric Gryffindor has no offspring or descendants who survived to the modern era. 

In the film adaptation of the sword, it seemingly was able to alter its size and shape to a limited extent.  When first wielded by Harry Potter, the hilt of the sword was sized for being wielded by a single hand of a young boy while for Neville, the hilt was considerably longer and more appropriate for dual-wielding of an adult. This shapeshifting properties were indicated as well in the novels as the sword apparently had the ability to resize itself at the user's need or preference, shifting to a dagger length blade to a more regular sized broadsword length.

It is unknown if the Sword of Gryffindor had other hidden or unique capabilities or properties. 

History[]

Over a thousand years ago in the early 10th Century well before the advent of the International Stature of Secrecy that prompted the separation of the Mundane World and the Wizarding World; interacting between the two were much more common.  It was necessary for Wizards to blend in and occasionally, defend themselves which prompted noted wizard Godric Gryffindor to arm himself with a blade should he require to duel against Muggles. Gryffindor commissioned the creation of special weapon from the Goblins and the finest Goblin silversmith, King Ragnuk the First completed the weapon and gave it to Gryffindor.   

However Ragnuk grew to resent having to relinquish what he considered to be his finest work to the wizard.  Ragnuk secretly sought to reacquire it and sent his minions to try and steal it back from Gryffindor who contemptuously didn't even both to draw the goblin-forged weapon and defeated them with only his wand.  He further threatened Ragnuk that if he ever tried again to steal it; Gryffindor would have no prohibitions against unsheathing the blade to use against the goblins themselves.   

Cowed by the threat of Gryffindor's unleashed fury coupled with the goblin-forged item wielded against him, Ragnuk renounced possession of the sword but bitterly claimed that it was "stolen" by Gryffindor ever after.  Centuries later, it is still a popular story in Goblin history of the inherent "untrustworthiness" of wizards. 

The blade eventually became known as the Sword of Gryffindor after its legendary owner even as it too passed on to became a legend in its own right. 

The Sword was one of the lost relics of the Four Founders of Hogwarts and presumed missing for centuries afterwards.  However unbeknownst to many, it returned to the Hogwarts' Sorting Hat after Gryffindor's death and remained hidden until 1993 A.D. when it was pulled from the Sorting Hat by Harry Potter. 

The Sword was used to slay Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk and became a trophy in Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts afterwards for the next few years.

Dumbledore later employed the sword to destroy the Gaunt Ring in the summer of 1996 and tried to entrust it to Harry Potter upon his death as it would be an invaluable tool in destroying the rest of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Obstructionists in the Ministry of Magic barred Harry from claiming the sword in Dumbledore's will, countering that the Sword of Gryffindor was an historical artifact that belonged to Hogwarts itself and not Dumbledore's property to pass out.

However a copy was secretly made and substituted for the real one which was delivered by Severus Snape to Potter's Resistance Group in late 1997 just in time for Ronald Weasley to make use of it to destroy the Slytherin Locket.

Griphook subsequently made a deal with Potter for possession of the Sword of Gryffindor, citing that it truly belonged to the goblins in exchange for allowing for Potter to enter Bellatrix Lestrange's Gringotts Vault to search for another Hocrux. Their break-in however was discovered and Griphook ran off with the sword in his possession only to be later killed by Voldemort. The Sword of Gryffindor simply vanished afterwards, returning to the Sorting Hat where it would be summoned forth in 1998 by Neville Longbottom to slay Nagini, Voldemort's large serpent familiar and final Horcrux.

The final fate of the Sword is unknown, presumably it has either been reinstalled as part of the collection of Hogwarts' Founders Relics or simply vanished back into the Sorting Hat for a new worthy wielder to appear.

Appearances[]

Films[]

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) (deleted scenes)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Production Notes[]

The Sword of Gryffindor first appeared in the novel "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" which was published in July of 1998 in the United Kingdom.   

This legendary sword was made verbal mention of or referenced to in several of the subsequent novels in the series, culminating in its reappearance in the final two books, "Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince" and "Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows" where it played a pivotal role in aiding Harry Potter and later Neville Longbottom in destroying the Hocruxes of Voldemort.  It was subsequently adapted in the Harry Potter film series as well. 

Author J.K. Rowling freely admits that she was heavily influenced by the stories of Excalibur in only King Arthur being able to pull the sword form the stone in fashioning the Sword of Gryffindor although she did throw in a twist in having them pulling the weapon out of a hat―which is a common magician's trick.

She not-so ironically deliberately chose both Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom for "pulling the sword out from the hat" akin to King Arthur's own feat of pulling Excalibur from the Stone.  It was made more important because both characters were doubtful of their proper placement in the House of the Courageous and Brave. This act however proved that their placement was not a mistake as it confirmed that they were true exemplars of what Gryffindor House is said to stand for.

Rowling proclaimed another subtle lesson that the Sword of Gryffindor emboides is one of ownership.  That simply possessing an object did not imply ownership; a fact that she also employed with the Deathly Hallows but also as an object lesson with the Sword of Gryffindor which has no true owner.

Rowling also included the Goblins' cultural belief of ownership of their own creations belonging to them in perpetuity with someone merely "renting" it for their lifespan upon which it legally reverts back them while humans tend to view that an object belongs to their legal heirs or descendants as another subtle lesson of the clashing cultural values and views.