Gellert Grindelwald

"For the Greater Good"

- Gellert Grindelwald's slogan

Gellert Grindelwald (pr. Grindelvald) (c. 1883-1998) was the most dangerous wizard of all time, except for Tom Riddle. He was schooled at Durmstrang Institute and later took up a friendship with Albus Dumbledore when he lived in Godric's Hollow for a summer. The two made plans to find the Deathly Hallows and create a world in which Muggles would be subservient to wizards and witches. This 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 England, and soon stole the Elder Wand and built an army, rising to power in continental Europe. In 1945, his former friend Dumbledore confronted him, and defeated him in what became a legendary duel. Grindelwald was subsequently imprisoned in Nurmengard for decades. He was slain there by Lord Voldemort in 1998 when Voldemort was in search of the Elder Wand, which Grindelwald refused to give him any information about.

Early Life
Gellert Grindelwald was born around 1883 somewhere in Europe. He was educated at the wizarding school of Durmstrang Institute, but was expelled at age sixteen when he stubbornly pursued experiments in Dark magic. He was particularly interested in learning about the Deathly Hallows, to the point of basing his mark on the Hallows' symbol, and engraving it on the walls of Durmstrang prior to his departure. His research led him to Godric's Hollow, England, where Ignotus Peverell, said to be the rightful keeper of Death's Invisibility Cloak, had been laid to rest. There, he stayed with his great-aunt, Bathilda Bagshot.

Friendship
It was in Godric's Hollow that Grindelwald met and befriended Albus Dumbledore, a young wizard as talented and brilliant as he. The two teenage boys became united by their ambitions for glory and "a new world order" in which wizards would rule over Muggles. The two became extremely close, even to the point of romantic attraction on Dumbledore's part. It is unknown whether or not Grindelwald ever returned his friend's deeper affections, although it seems likely that he at least cared for Dumbledore at one point, as he later gave his life to protect Dumbledore's tomb from Voldemort.

"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 to Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley

Aberforth Dumbledore became aware of the pair's research, and opposed them. He attempted to persuade them against their plans for the sake of taking care of his damaged sister, setting Grindelwald on the defensive. He inflicted the Cruciatus Curse on Aberforth, which resulted in a three-way duel in which Ariana Dumbledore, Albus and Aberforth's younger sister who had difficulty controlling her magic, was killed. The two Dumbledores were devastated. Albus ended his friendship with Grindelwald, who fled the country, not wanting to be associated with the death.

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."

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

Working on his own from that point forward, Grindelwald delved into his research of the Deathly Hallows, and uncovered the location of Death's Elder Wand. He broke into the workshop of the renowned wandsmith Gregorovitch and stole the wand from him, as is evidenced by Lord Voldemort using Legilimency to investigate Gregorovitch's mind decades later; he saw a memory of Grindelwald leaping merrily out of a window with his prize. This same image haunted Harry Potter as he was working on finding the identity of the youth. .

Over the years, Grindelwald raised an army and began a reign of terror that spread through several European countries. He never tried to become powerful in Britain because he feared Albus Dumbledore, who was "a shade more skilful" than him. During his reign of terror, Grindelwald murdered many people, including Viktor Krum's grandfather. He also built a prison to hold his opponents that was called Nurmengard. Throughout all this, he continued to claim that everything he was doing was being done "for the greater good."

"...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

Fall from Power and imprisonment
He was finally confronted, due to the cries of the public, by his old friend Albus Dumbledore, who bested him in a duel. Eye-witnesses have stated that it was the greatest duel ever fought between wizards. Dumbledore then became the master of the Elder Wand. Grindelwald was sent back to his homeland and put in the top most cell of Nurmengard.

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 Lord Voldemort, who was searching for the Elder Wand for himself. It was only during the confrontation in the jail cell that Voldemort learned it was Albus Dumbledore who 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 his 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". He was considered to be handsome.

Personality and Traits
Grindelwald was a charming and brilliant young wizard, but even as a teenager he was fascinated by the Dark Arts and dangerously powerful and ambitious. He was highly intelligent, magically talented, and ruthless, with a vicious temper; for example, when Aberforth Dumbledore challenged his plans and tried to convince his older brother to abandon them, Grindelwald "lost control" and used the Cruciatus Curse on Aberforth. Grindelwald is considered the most powerful Dark Wizard in history, aside from Lord Voldemort.

Grindelwald apparently did not know fear, or at least did not show it. Even face-to-face with the only Dark Wizard to ever be considered more dangerous than himself, wandless and helpless, Grindelwald was openly defiant and even mocking, goading Voldemort into killing him. He claimed during this moment that, unlike the Dark Lord, he had no fear of death.

It is unknown if Grindelwald ever felt remorse for all he had done, but it is implied and speculated that he did. He does seem to have shown some scruples, as he felt the need to justify his atrocities by claiming that they were "for the greater good", and seemed to genuinely care about Albus Dumbledore, though it is not known if he ever returned Dumbledore's romantic feelings, though this is again, somewhat implied. He valued their friendship when they were young and respected Dumbledore's abilities; like Voldemort, he seemed to be afraid of no one except Dumbledore. 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 pure remorse for his own crimes.

Etymology

 * Gellert is the Hungarian version of Gerard, which comes from the Germanic ger, "spear", and hard, "brave, hardy". Saint Gellert was an Italian-born missionary and martyr who worked in Hungary.
 * Grindel is old German for "bolt," and is also similar to the mythic monster Grendel who was defeated by Beowulf. 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, and the legend is popular in the area.

Behind the scenes

 * The date of Grindelwald's duel with Dumbledore incidentally coincided with the downfall of Nazi Germany. What's more, the prison Nurmengard coincidentally shares a similar name to the Bavarian city of Nuremberg, where war criminal trials of former Nazis were held. Grindelwald never gained power in Britain for he feared Dumbledore. Coincidentally Britain was one of the few countries in Europe not Axis controlled.There are, in fact, many parallels between Grindelwald and Hitler, from ideologies to timelines and locations.
 * It was revealed by J. K. Rowling during a tour in 2007 that Albus Dumbledore was homosexual, and harboured romantic feelings for Grindelwald . She did not, however, comment on Grindelwald's sexuality, and the true status of his relationship with Dumbledore remains to this date unknown.
 * It has been confirmed that Jamie Campbell Bower will play Grindelwald in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. 

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (film)

Notes and references
Gellert Grindelwald Геллерт Гриндевальд