Gellert Grindelwald



"I refuse to bow down any longer."

- Gellert Grindelwald

Gellert Grindelwald (c. 1883 – March, 1998) was considered one of the most dangerous Dark Wizards of all time. He was educated at Durmstrang Institute until his twisted, dark experiments resulted in his expulsion. Later he fostered a friendship with Albus Dumbledore, making plans to find the Deathly Hallows and lead a Wizarding revolution to end the International Statute of Secrecy and creating a benevolent global order led by wise and powerful witches and wizards that dominated Muggles. Their partnership fell apart after the two were involved in a three-way duel with Aberforth Dumbledore that resulted in Ariana Dumbledore's death.

Grindelwald left Britain and soon stole the Elder Wand from Mykew Gregorovitch, proceeding alone with the revolution he and Dumbledore had planned. He established a power base in continental Europe at the fortress Nurmengard. Grindelwald was a complex figure, highly idealistic but marred by his links with the Dark Arts. A revolutionary operating outside the law, he and his followers committed numerous crimes, including several known murders. In 1945, at the height of his power, Dumbledore confronted and defeated him in a legendary duel. He was subsequently imprisoned in his own fortress for decades, and was slain there by Voldemort in 1998 when he refused to give up information on the Elder Wand.

Early life
{{Quote|Educated at Durmstrang, a school famous even then for its unfortunate tolerance of the Dark Arts, Grindelwald showed himself quite as precociously brilliant as Dumbledore. Rather than channel his abilities into the attainment of awards and prizes, however, Gellert Grindelwald devoted himself to other pursuits. When Grindelwald was sixteen years old, even Durmstrang felt it could no longer turn a blind eye to his twisted experiments and he was expelled.|The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore describing Grindelwald's school days|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows|

Gellert Grindelwald was born in around 1883, possibly in Hungary or Central or Eastern Europe.{{Fact}} He was educated at the Durmstrang Institute, where he excelled at magic and absorbed much of the strength-obsessed and Darkness-flavoured school culture, but ran afoul of its rigid hierarchies. An extremely talented wizard with an attractive, winsome personality and "merry, wild" disposition, he, like many similar others, felt the pull of the Dark Arts. Dumbledore described to Harry that 'twisted experiments' had been the reason for his expulsion from Durmstrang before graduating, but his mischievousness and disdain for rules probably played a role as well in such an authoritarian institution as Durmstrang.

Keenly interested in history, lore, and the power of magical artefacts, Grindelwald became fascinated with the Deathly Hallows, to the point of appropriating their runic symbol as his own personal emblem and engraving it on the walls of Durmstrang prior to his departure.

Friendship with Dumbledore
"He didn't like that. Grindelwald didn't like that at all. He got angry. He told me what a stupid little boy I was, trying to stand in the way of him and my brilliant brother... Didn't I understand, my poor sister wouldn't have to be hidden once they'd changed the world, and led the wizards out of hiding, and taught the Muggles their place? And there was an argument... and I pulled my wand, and he pulled out his...."

- Aberforth Dumbledore reminiscing to the trio about his brother's past



After expulsion, Gellert's quest for information about the Hallows led him to Godric's Hollow, England, where Ignotus Peverell, said to have been the first owner of Death's Cloak of Invisibility, had been laid to rest. Conveniently, his great-aunt, acclaimed wizarding historian Bathilda Bagshot, lived there and provided a place for him to stay, complete with a treasure trove of books and documents and a minimum of supervision. It was in Godric's Hollow in late 1898 or early 1899 that Grindelwald met and befriended Albus Dumbledore. The two teenagers had a lot in common: they were intellectuals and class-toppingly talented young wizards who were idealistic and ambitious. (Albus, who felt trapped in a boring town out of familial obligation, gained a glamorous, attractive connection to the excitement of faraway places and things in Gellert. Gellert, an ego case, gained a powerful ally, complete with stimulating conversation, who didn't threaten his sense of control.) It is clear that the pair were very close and the friendship was genuine on both sides. They shaped one another's ideas, powers, as well as destinies from that day forth.

They also shared two preoccupations. The Deathly Hallows held their fascination for many shared reasons, but their most fundamental reasons they didn't quite have in common. Gellert wanted (together with his friend) to acquire all three and wield the power of Master of Death, with the controlling motive common to many sociopaths — no one else can be trusted, the only way to assure things stay good is to take control for oneself, the only way to take control is to be strong. Dumbledore's heart yearned for one Hallow in particular — the Resurrection Stone, which he believed could bring back his deceased parents and other lost loved ones.

They also dreamed of overturning the Statute of Secrecy and creating a new order in which wise and powerful wizards and witches were the benevolent overlords of their world, including Muggles. Again, Dumbledore's reasons were subtly different from Grindelwald's: as a young man, Dumbledore had witnessed and been powerless to stop a group of Muggle boys tormenting his younger sister, Ariana, to the point that the sweet-natured girl suffered an emotional breakdown and her repressed magic became dangerously unstable. Dumbledore's father was sent to Azkaban for taking revenge on the Muggle boys and his mother was killed in one of Ariana's accidents. He wanted power to protect his loved ones (and by extension the whole world) against cruelty and xenophobia like that shown by the Muggles. They coined the phrase that would become Grindelwald's slogan and the justification for his moral indiscretions and atrocities: "For the Greater Good."



The friends' plans to leave Godric's Hollow, acquire power, and begin their revolution turned serious. When Dumbledore's brother Aberforth became aware of this in the summer of 1899, he was disgusted with Albus's ambition, but was concerned about it as well, knowing that he and Ariana would need to be brought along as she would not receive the care and attention she needed to keep her stable. The tense situation boiled over into a confrontation and Grindelwald, enraged, inflicted the Cruciatus Curse on Aberforth. Albus moved to defend his brother, igniting a vicious three-way duel in which Ariana was accidentally killed. Aberforth and Albus were devastated. Presumably Grindelwald was also remorseful, as there is no evidence he was an emotionally cold person. Unwilling to face Albus, he fled the country and received putative blame for Ariana's death, thus confirming his place on the wrong side of the law and touching off his career as a Dark revolutionary, which would last until 1945.

Rise to Dark Power
"In a list of Most Dangerous Dark Wizards of All Time, he'd miss out on the top spot only because You-Know-Who arrived, a generation later, to steal his crown."

- The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore on Gellert's reputation



Grindelwald delved into his research on the Deathly Hallows and uncovered the location of the Elder Wand. Rumours had been circulating that the renowned wandsmith Gregorovitch had the wand and was trying to duplicate its properties. Grindelwald broke into Gregorovitch's workshop, lay in wait for the wandmaker, Stunned him, and stole the wand, thereby becoming its new master. He had probably gotten the idea that the old owner of the wand need not be killed in order for it to recognise a new master from Dumbledore, as the prevailing interpretation of the lore at the time was that ownership passed only by murder.

The extent of Grindelwald's success in his revolutionary endeavours is unclear, but his activities gathered international attention and were reported in American wizarding newspapers. In 1926, MACUSA president Seraphina Picquery grew concerned about a threat to the Statute of Secrecy and believed that Grindelwald might be responsible, something which she would have considered an "act of war", showing how seriously Grindelwald's reputation was percieved in America.

Unbeknownst to Picquery, Grindelwald had already infiltrated MACUSA by assuming the identity of her right-hand man Percival Graves. Grindelwald believed the mysterious attacks occurring New York City to be the work of a powerful Obscurial, which he felt would be a great asset for his plans of world domination. Using his disguise as Graves, Grindelwald came into regular contact with Credence Barebone, whom he believed to be connected to the Obscurial due to a vision he received. Believing Credence was an orphaned Squib, Grindelwald manipulated him into helping him find the Obscurial with the promise of protecting him from his abusive adoptive mother and teaching him magic. During this time, Grindelwald (as Graves) arrested Newton Scamander, whose escaped pets were believed by MACUSA to be the cause of the Obscurial's attacks. During his interrogation, Grindelwald discovered the Obscurius within Newt's suitcase, and in an effort to hide his tracks, had him and Porpentina Goldstein sentenced to death. Afterwards, he approached Credence after Mary Lou Barebone was killed by the Obscurial and had him track down his adoptive sister Modesty Barebone, believing her to be the source of the Obscurial. Once they found Modesty, Grindelwald cruelly rejected Credence, as he had no further use of him. This angered Credence, who then revealed that he was the Obscurial, much to Grindelwald's surprise. Grindelwald attempted to convince Credence that he had nothing to fear any more and to join his ranks, but this further angered Credence who began rampaging through the city. After the Obscurial's death at the hands of the Aurors, Grindelwald was apprehended by Newt, who then revealed his real identity. Despite his rather easy arrest, Grindelwald was able to escape his captors and fled the United States, eventually ending up in France.

Grindelwald eventually established a prison, Nurmengard, to serve as a form of containment for his enemies, apparently sufficiently impregnable that he was later imprisoned in it, inaccessible to his former supporters and breached only by Voldemort. In what few accounts of Grindelwald's revolution exist, his great power as a wizard is mentioned often, but there is less mention of his crimes. One murder is noted, that of Viktor Krum's grandfather, and presumably there were others. He was also noted to be capable of darkness from a young age: he and Dumbledore discussed quite openly the idea of ruling Muggles as benevolent overlords, and suggestions were made to the effect that his experiments were too dark even for Durmstrang, a school with a dark reputation to begin with, leading to his expulsion.

Fall from power and life imprisonment
"...while I busied myself with the training of young wizards, Grindelwald was raising an army. They say he feared me, and perhaps he did, but less, I think, than I feared him... It was the truth I feared. You see, I never knew which of us, in that last, horrific fight, had actually cast the curse that killed my sister... I think he knew it, I think he knew what frightened me. I delayed meeting him until finally, it would have been too shameful to resist any longer. People were dying and he seemed unstoppable, and I had to do what I could."

- Albus Dumbledore on Gellert's reign



Albus Dumbledore hesitated to confront Grindelwald, despite the belief held by many, including quite possibly both men themselves, that he was the only wizard skilful enough to stop his former friend. His reasons for hesitating may have included residual affection for his ex-flame, residual sympathy for his revolutionary goals, or shame over his role in shaping Grindelwald's revolution, but the reason Dumbledore himself gave Harry was that he was afraid Grindelwald knew better than he did who exactly was responsible for killing Ariana and he didn't want to find out. But Dumbledore, at this point about 63 years old and Head of Transfiguration at Hogwarts, was finally importuned by people who suffered from his former friend's actions to move against him. Eyewitnesses stated that it was the greatest duel ever fought between wizards. Dumbledore bested Grindelwald, becoming the master of the Elder Wand and sending his defeated foe back to his homeland, where he was tried. He was convicted and imprisoned in the topmost cell of Nurmengard, where he spent the rest of his life until his murder by Voldemort.

Death
"Kill me, then. Voldemort, I welcome death! But my death will not bring you what you seek… There is so much you do not understand…."

- Grindelwald to Voldemort shortly before his death



Fifty-three years after his defeat, Grindelwald was slain in his prison cell by Voldemort, who was searching for the Elder Wand for himself. It was only during the confrontation in Grindelwald's cell that Voldemort learned Albus Dumbledore had claimed the wand long ago. Grindelwald showed no fear during this confrontation, taunting Voldemort by name and laughing at his desire for the wand. Voldemort ended Grindelwald's life with the Killing Curse in the spring of 1998.

Physical appearance
As a young man, Grindelwald had golden blond hair and a "merry, wild" face. Harry Potter thought he had "a Fred and George-ish air of triumphant trickery about him".

Near the end of his life, when Voldemort found him at the top of Nurmengard, Grindelwald was emaciated, a frail skeletal figure with a skull-like face, great sunken eyes, and wrinkled cheeks; most of his teeth were gone.

Personality and traits
Grindelwald was charming and brilliant as a young wizard. His attraction to the Dark Arts, noted previously, was predictable given his personality and background, and not necessary malevolent in its initial stages. He was highly intelligent, magically talented, idealistic, as well as ambitious to the point of ruthlessness, with a vicious temper: for example, when Aberforth Dumbledore challenged his and Albus's plans and tried to convince his brother to abandon them, Grindelwald "lost control" and used the Cruciatus Curse on Aberforth. Some considered Grindelwald the most powerful Dark Wizard in history, aside from Lord Voldemort. Of course, history is very long indeed, and the most recent parts are often best remembered.

Grindelwald was extremely arrogant and self-centred, but able to recognise talent in others and form (or pretend to form) close human connections. In comparison to the "stupid" evil exhibited by some beings such as trolls, the "officious" evil exhibited by the likes of Dolores Umbridge, or the "chaotic", "narcissistic" evil characteristic of Voldemort, Grindelwald is probably best understood in terms of sociopathy. He was filled with intrinsic manipulative traits and the willingness to use them for his own purposes, as well as a malleable moral compass. Judging by Aberforth's testimony, he had little interest in, or patience with, those he considered beneath him. He considered Albus Dumbledore an equal, for instance, but was dismissive of the less talented and intelligent Aberforth and the damaged Arianna. Grindelwald was idealistic to an extreme. He had absolutely no complaints about the murder of hundreds of innocent people who, from his perspective, were lesser than he. That being said, he did understand at least the rudiments of how death affected other people, judging from the fact that he fled in fear of his life after the intense duel between himself, Dumbledore, and Aberforth that resulted in Ariana's death.

There is evidence that Grindelwald regained some perspective after his downfall. He held Voldemort in complete contempt, considering him a powerful idiot who understood nothing of importance. He also apparently lost his will to live in his long confinement. When, trapped and unarmed, Grindelwald faced certain death at the hands of the only Dark Wizard to ever be considered more dangerous than himself; he was openly defiant and even mocking, goading Voldemort into killing him. Indeed, he seemed to exhibit a grotesque remnant of the "merry, wild" temperament of his youth, as though glad he finally had someone interesting to talk to before his long-awaited death. His last words consisted of the dressing-down of Voldemort and a rather enthusiastic outlook on "the next great adventure" seems clear in its connection to his old friend, Albus Dumbledore.

Perhaps due to his great skill and beliefs in his own superiority Grindelwald rarely displayed fear. This is best shown during his aforementioned encounter with Lord Voldemort where he neither feared the Dark Lord's power or the likelihood of death. Like Voldemort, however, he did seem to have some fear of Albus Dumbledore, as he quickly fled the scene after Ariana was killed trying to intervene in a duel he started, and later in life when he refrained from attacking England despite his possession of the Elder Wand out of fear for his former friend. Dumbledore himself later told Harry that he believed that Grindelwald feared the possibility of duelling him.

Some consider Grindelwald to have been an unambiguously evil Dark Wizard, more or less a Voldemort-before-Voldemort. But there are two pieces of evidence that suggest otherwise. First, his decision to stun Gregorovitch, not kill, when he acquired the Elder Wand hints at a willingness not to kill simply as a matter of course. However, this might have been a calculated decision, perhaps considering that people were more likely to give credence to Gregorovitch's claims that he'd had the Elder Wand if he was murdered, as that was the traditional method of passing it on. Second, part of his motivation for refusing to give Voldemort any information about the Elder Wand may have been a desire to prevent Dumbledore's tomb from being desecrated, or even out of remorse for his own crimes. Alternatively, he may have merely wanted to taunt Voldemort.

Magical abilities and skills
"In a list of 'Most Dangerous Dark Wizards of All Time,' he'd miss out on the top spot only because You-Know-Who arrived, a generation later, to steal his crown."

- A line from The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore about Grindelwald

Grindelwald was outstandingly talented while a Durmstrang student, and later as an adult. His skills in magic are comparable with those of Albus Dumbledore and Voldemort, the latter of whom he may even have exceeded in power, therefore making Grindelwald a wizard of frighteningly tremendous power, indeed, one of the greatest in history. As a former master of the Elder Wand, Grindelwald's already extremely formidable magic was further enhanced by the artifact's legendary powers, allowing him to perform spells more powerful than any believed to be magically possible otherwise.
 * Magical Mastery: Grindelwald was noted to be extremely talented and prodigiously skilled while still a student of Durmstrang Institute, and his skills, mastery, and understanding of magic, were considered to be on par with those of Albus Dumbledore, which induced the two young men to befriend one another. As an adult, Grindelwald perfected almost every aspect of Dark magic, and was generally considered to be the most dangerous Dark Wizard who had ever existed, until Lord Voldemort emerged many years later. Grindelwald's frighteningly tremendous skills, further amplified by his mastery over the Elder Wand, would make him a seemingly unstoppable opponent. Grindelwald terrorised much of wizarding Europe, only being defeated by his former friend Dumbledore in a duel of legendary proportions. While Grindelwald ultimately lost the duel and mastery over the Elder Wand, it should be noted that he had been able to fight off Dumbledore at the height of the latter's power for three long hours, and Dumbledore himself would later admit that he had been only "a shade more skillful" than Grindelwald. It should also be noted that while Grindelwald's power was rivaled by that of Lord Voldemort, he definitely surpassed Voldemort in his knowledge of wandlore (and possibly other aspects of magic), as Grindelwald, unlike Voldemort, would actually succeed in attaining mastery over the Elder Wand, and Grindelwald, when confronted by Voldemort, would openly hold the latter in complete contempt, considering him a powerful idiot who understood nothing of importance.
 * Dark Arts: Grindelwald had a talent and passion for the Dark Arts from a young age. In his school days, he experimented with Dark Arts on his fellow students at Durmstrang with lethal results and was expelled. Grindelwald was adept at casting the Cruciatus Curse; he used it against Aberforth Dumbledore, who was only seventeen years old at the time.
 * Duelling: Grindelwald was a duelist of tremendous, almost unrivaled skill. He quickly and effortlessly stunned Gregorovitch in order to master the Elder Wand, fought a three-way duel with Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore when the three were young, defeated and killed many powerful witches and wizards in duels during his reign of terror in Europe, won every single one-on-one duel while in his Percival Graves disguise, even fending off several Aurors, themselves extremely skilled duelists, simultaneously. Ultimately, Grindelwald was even able to fight against Albus Dumbledore when the latter was at the height of his power: indeed their legendary duel has entered history as the greatest duel ever fought between two wizards. However, despite wielding the Elder Wand, Grindelwald was ultimately unable to defeat Dumbledore, who later remarked that it was because he had been "a shade more skillful" than Grindelwald, though it should be noted that Dumbledore was only able to win after dueling Grindelwald for 3 hours straight, a testament to the latter's incredible dueling skill.
 * Charms: Grindelwald was extremely skilled in charms. Albus Dumbledore claimed that Grindelwald could render himself invisible without the use of an invisibility cloak. To achieve such a state, Grindelwald would have used an extremely powerful Disillusionment Charm, which is a tremendous feat, especially considering that Grindelwald was able to achieve it when he was only seventeen. As such, the Cloak of Invisibility would be the Hallow that Grindelwald was least interested in, and continued his search for it only because the Cloak completed the trio of legendary artifacts.
 * Apparition: Grindelwald apparated under the guise of Percival Graves. He used this ability to transport himself around New York City, becoming incorporeal and seeming to fly through the air to his destination before appearing there.
 * Transfiguration: Grindelwald was highly proficient in the highly complex field of Transfiguration, even being able to take on the likeness of Percival Graves without the use of Polyjuice Potion.
 * Occlumency: Grindelwald was an extremely accomplished Occlumens, as even Voldemort himself, who was reputed to be the most accomplished Legilimens alive, was unable to penetrate Grindelwald's mind to gain information in his search of the Elder Wand.
 * History of Magic: Grindelwald had good knowledge of magical history and lore, especially the portions of it that pertained to the Deathly Hallows and wandlore. For example, he knew that Ignotus Peverell, owner of the Cloak of Invisibility, had been laid to rest in Godric's Hollow.
 * Divination: Grindelwald had some aptitude for divination, as he had a vision about the existence of a powerful Obscurial linked to Credence Barebone. However, he is not an expert in this magical field, as Grindelwald initially misinterpreted the vision, believing that Barebone would lead him to a child. (Obscurials were believed to always die before reaching puberty.) In fact,Barebone was the Obscurial Grindelwald was looking for.
 * Knowledge of Wandlore: Grindelwald was well-versed in wandlore, having a superior understanding of the Elder Wand to Lord Voldemort. Unlike Voldemort, Grindelwald succeeded in attaining its mastery, as he was aware that to take control of the Elder Wand, he needed to not just steal the wand, but also to defeat the previous owner.
 * Magical Dexterity: Grindelwald was good at recognizing and imitating the magical prowess of witches and wizards less skillful than himself. While infiltrating the MACUSA in the guise of Percival Graves, Grindelwald suppressed his own tremendous abilities to ensure that he did not arouse suspicion by using magic that strayed beyond the capabilities of the wizard whose identity he had stolen.
 * Wand Versatility: Grindelwald could use wands other than his own with little or no handicap: he wielded Percival Graves' wand while infiltrating the MACUSA in the guise of Graves.
 * Wandless magic: Grindelwald was extremely skilled in wandless magic. He generated forceful shockwaves to move and otherwise exert force on people and objects using only hand gestures. He was able to break apart the ground near him to send the pieces of it flying at an opponent or even send an automobile flying across a street. He summoned Newt Scamander's suitcase to him without using his wand, causing it to fly across a room and land next to him with a wave of his hand. In the same instance, he also lifted Newt Scamander from the ground from across the room and restrained him, Porpentina Goldstein and Jacob Kowalski magically before putting Newt back down on the floor. When interrogating Newt, he summoned the protective orb containing an Obscurus to his side by gesturing it forth. Aside from manipulating objects from a distance, he also caused the cuts on  Credence Barebone 's hands to vanish by putting his hand over them. These feats, however impressive, were performed while Grindelwald was suppressing his magical abilities to avoid suspicion.
 * Leadership skills: Under Grindelwald's leadership, his army terrorised much of wizarding Europe in the Global Wizarding War for years, in their attempt to overthrow the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.
 * Charisma: As a young man, Grindelwald displayed a talent for the manipulation of others, being able to charm and manipulate his best friend Albus Dumbledore into accompanying him on his intended grand wizarding revolution and quest for the Deathly Hallows, with only the timely intervention of Aberforth stopping Albus, much to Grindelwald's fury. Years later, Grindelwald displayed his manipulation skills again, this time with Credence Barebone, while himself being disguised as Percival Graves, in order to exploit the young wizard's Obscurus.
 * Acting: Besides his formidable magical skills and extensive knowledge of magic, Grindelwald proved to be a superb actor, being able to hide his true nature from even his friend Albus Dumbledore for months, and even successfully convincing the latter to participate in a grandiose quest for the Deathly Hallows and a revolution against the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, claiming that it would be "for the greater good". It should be noted, however, that Dumbledore's judgement was at the time hampered because Dumbledore was in love with Grindelwald, and he would eventually come to see the error of his former friend's reasoning. Years later, Grindelwald again showed his immense acting skills by infiltrating the MACUSA in the guise of Percival Graves, perfectly both imitating an American accent and suppressing his abilities just enough to not arouse suspicion.

Possessions

 * Gellert Grindelwald's wand: Grindelwald's original wand, notably used by him to permanently carve the Deathly Hallows symbol into the wall of Durmstrang Institute, and later used in the three-way duel between himself, Albus and Aberforth. Grindelwald's last known use of his wand was to stun Gregorovitch and attain mastery over the legendary Elder Wand.
 * Percival Graves's wand: While infiltrating the MACUSA in the guise of Percival Graves, Grindelwald wielded Graves' wand, which, while as yet unconfirmed, is likely to have been made by the American wand-maker Johannes Jonker, who was renowned for his instantly-recognisable signature of having his wands inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Such a signature can be seen in all depictions of Graves' wand.
 * Elder Wand: Gindelwald wielded this wand, the most powerful wand in existence, known also as the "Wand of Destiny" or the "Deathstick", and one of the Deathly Hallows. He attained mastery of it after stunning Gregorovitch, but Grindelwald ultimately lost it at the end of his legendary duel with Albus Dumbledore.

Albus Dumbledore
"Did I know, in my heart of hearts, what Gellert Grindelwald was? I think I did, but I closed my eyes."

- Albus Dumbledore to Harry Potter, about his friendship with Gellert Grindelwald



Albus Dumbledore first met Grindelwald when he was seventeen. They were introduced by Grindelwald's great aunt, Bathilda Bagshot. They got along almost instantly, according to Bagshot. They had much in common, including the quest for the Deathly Hallows and edgy ideals about the structure of a wizard-led society. Dumbledore's romantic feelings towards Grindelwald went unrequited and indeed probably unrevealed, given the culture of the late 19th century, but their friendship was very close. But Grindelwald was a sociopath, and may have sensed that the depth of his friend's affection for him could be used to monopolise his attention and push his moral envelope. They were very close for two months, making plans to find the Deathly Hallows and lead a wizarding revolution, but Albus neglected his younger siblings, Aberforth and Ariana, as a result. When Aberforth confronted the pair over this, Grindelwald lost his temper and attacked Aberforth. Albus rushed forward to defend his brother, and during the duel Ariana was killed. Grindelwald fled, his friendship with Albus over.

Over the next few decades, Grindelwald caused considerable havoc on behalf of his revolution and Dumbledore refused to face him out of fear that Grindelwald knew who had really killed Ariana. Grindelwald himself also seemed to fear the idea of facing Dumbledore. Eventually, however, Dumbledore could no longer stand idle with his former friend becoming an increasing source of terror on the continent. In 1945, Grindelwald combated Dumbledore for a second time in a legendary duel, said by eyewitnesses to be the greatest duel ever fought between wizards. Dumbledore won in the end, took possession of the Elder Wand, and imprisoned Grindelwald in his own prison, Nurmengard.

Many years later, in 1998, Grindelwald refused to give any information to Lord Voldemort about the Elder Wand despite the fact that he was imprisoned, wandless, and face-to-face with the only Dark Wizard ever considered more powerful than himself. This seems to indicate that Grindelwald no longer held with the views of those who practised the Dark Arts. It was speculated by Harry Potter that Grindelwald had given his life to prevent Voldemort from desecrating Dumbledore's tomb, perhaps indicating that Grindelwald retained some respect and affection for his old friend.

Aberforth Dumbledore
Aberforth disliked Grindelwald immensely, as he was Albus's friend after Hogwarts. While Aberforth was taking care of Ariana, Albus and Grindelwald were planning to enslave the Muggles. As the two boys were planning to travel around the world, they also planned to take Ariana with them. Aberforth opposed them, telling them that he would be able to take care of Ariana once more. Grindelwald became very angry and used the Cruciatus Curse on Aberforth; Albus then defended his brother and the three boys had a duel, in which Ariana was accidentally killed. Grindelwald escaped and left the country. Aberforth retained bitter memories towards Grindelwald for many years after their fateful encounter, and when he recounted the events that led to his sister's death Harry noted the "positively dangerous" look that came over his face when Grindelwald's name was mentioned.

Lord Voldemort
It's unknown if the two met before 1998. By the time Voldemort visited Grindelwald in his Nurmengard prison in 1998, Grindelwald seemed to know all about him and claimed that he knew that Voldemort would one day visit him to seek out the Elder Wand. Despite Grindelwald's smugness and status as a once great Dark Wizard, Voldemort treated him as merely another person to interrogate in his search for the wand. Grindelwald likewise showed no fear toward the dark lord and laughed scornfully, challenging Voldemort to kill him, much to the latter's fury. Grindelwald told Voldemort that he would never be able to master the Elder Wand. Voldemort killed Grindelwald, furious at his inability to gain information from the former master of the Elder Wand.

Etymology

 * Gellert is the Hungarian version of Gerard, which comes from the Germanic ger, "spear", as well as hard, "brave, hardy". Saint Gellert was an Italian-born missionary and martyr who worked in Hungary.
 * Gellért Hill is a high hill overlooking the Danube in Budapest, Hungary. Gellért Hill was named after Saint Gerard who was thrown to death from the hill. The famous Hotel Gellért and the Gellért Baths can be found in Gellért Square at the foot of the hill. The Gellért Hill Cave is located within the hill, facing toward Hotel Gellért and the Danube River.
 * Grindel is old German for "bolt," and is also similar to the mythic monster Grendel who was defeated by Beowulf. This forms a parallel with Albus Dumbledore, whose middle name is "Wulfric". Wald is German for "forest". Grindelwald is also the name of a ski resort in Switzerland.
 * It is of interesting but purely speculative note that the name Gellert is very close to the name Gelert, the name of a legendary dog of cultural, but little historical, significance to Northern Wales. According to local mythology, Gelert was the most faithful companion of Prince Llewelyn, mistaken for the assailant of the prince's infant heir. His "grave" is a site in Beddgelert (literally Gelert's Grave), Gwynedd, as well as the legend is popular in the area.
 * In German, wald is "forest." Grind is a scab, as in the hardened covering over a scar, could also be grinsen, a grin or big smile. The words grindel or grendel appeared in early versions of several Germanic languages, including English. Grindan in Old English meant "to grind," and further "destroyer," someone who grinds up others. In Middle English, grindel meant "angry." In Old Norse, grindill was taken from "storm," and also meant "to bellow," or produce a loud, frightening yell. In Danish legend, the Grendel was a fearsome, murderous monster of humanoid form. He was later defeated by the Scandinavian hero Beowulf in the medieval story of the same name.

Behind the scenes

 * Grindelwald is portrayed by Johnny Depp in the first and second instalment of the upcoming Fantastic Beasts film series. Since Grindelwald spends most of the first film disguised as Percival Graves, Colin Farrell portrays him in those scenes.
 * British actor Jamie Campbell Bower portrays the young Gellert Grindelwald in the film adaptations of, whereas Michael Byrne portrays the character as an old man.
 * In a 2005 interview around the same time was published, Rowling stated that it was not a coincidence that he was defeated in 1945, hinting at a connection with  and at least the European front of  . Grindelwald seems to be the wizarding version of Adolf Hitler. As referenced by Rowling, the date of Grindelwald's duel with Dumbledore coincides with the downfall of Nazi Germany. There are other similarities as well. Grindelwald adopted an ancient symbol as his sigil (the symbol of the Deathly Hallows) just as the Nazis adopted the manji, switching its facing to create the swastika, itself an ancient symbol. Furthermore, the prison Nurmengard shares a similar name to the Franconian city of, where war criminal trials of former Nazis were held. Nurmengard's dual role as prison to both the victims and later the perpetrator may be a reference to Nuremberg's dual significance in World War II, which, aside from being the site of the Nuremberg Trials, was also the site of the proposal and adoption of the Nuremberg Laws, infamous discriminatory laws against Jewish people. Nurmengard also bears a sign that reads "For the Greater Good", which may correspond to the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign (German for "Work Makes [One] Free") which hung above the entrance to Auschwitz. Grindelwald's eventual sole imprisonment in his own prison is possibly a reference to the fate of Rudolf Hess, who from 1966 until his death in 1987 was the sole prisoner of Spandau prison. But the reader should beware imagining too close of a connection, as J.K Rowling probably used Muggle history as a jumping off point for her imagined Wizarding history but didn't intend to create a deep, multi-layered metaphor and instead chose to go in her own direction.
 * It was revealed by J. K. Rowling during a tour in 2007 that Albus Dumbledore was homosexual, as well as harboured romantic feelings for Grindelwald . Although she did not initially comment on Grindelwald's sexuality, Rowling later clarified that although Grindelwald was aware of Dumbledore's feelings, he merely used them to manipulate the other boy and did not reciprocate romantically.
 * Grindelwald may be the first owner of the Elder Wand who did not kill to gain it.
 * Despite being expelled from school, Grindelwald never had his wand confiscated and destroyed, as he had it with him when planning for the revolution and attacking Gregorovitch for the Elder Wand, although he might have simply found another wand as replacement. It is possible that the wizarding law of Grindelwald's home country allowed him to keep his wand after expulsion.
 * In a 2005 interview around the same time was published, Rowling stated that Grindelwald was dead . However, it was revealed in  that he was still alive and imprisoned in Nurmengard. This would indicate that Grindelwald's inclusion in the novel was a late decision.
 * In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Grindelwald's historical significance is not explained in the slightest. Also, it appears that Voldemort doesn't kill Grindelwald, but simply leaves the prison room. It isn't made crystal clear whether he killed him or not in the film.
 * It is unknown as to why Grindelwald is considered less of a Dark Lord than Voldemort as Voldemort himself is only known to terrorise Britain while Grindelwald terrorised all of Europe (One possibility is that his lower position is strictly in Britain's viewpoint, or simply because Voldemort's campaign of darkness is more recent and so is more heavily etched in the public memory). It could also be due to their differing goals: Grindelwald merely wanted to dominate and rule Muggles, whereas Voldemort wished to kill them outright, along with anyone he considered not of pure blood. Grindelwald's power was certainly equal to, if not greater than, Voldemort, and even Dumbeldore considered Grindelwald his equal in skill, while Voldemort was always considered slightly below Dumbeldore. Voldemort is, at least in Britain, considered more dangerous, evil and perhaps more powerful than Grindelwald, so perhaps Voldemort is truly more powerful, although Grindelwald was likely wiser and more knowledgable, at least on certain areas of magic, such as love.

Appearances

 * PS undefined
 * PS F
 * PS G

Notes and references
Геллерт Грин-де-Вальд

Gellert Grindelwald Gellert Grindelwald Gellert Grindelwald Gellert Grindelwald Gellert Grindelwald Gellert Grindelwald Ґелерт Ґріндельвальд Gellert Grindelwald Gellert Grindelwald 盖勒特·格林德沃 Gerardo Grindelwald Gellert Grindelwald Gellert Grindelwald ゲラート・グリンデルバルド