| "Is this all real? Or has this been happening inside my head?"
The topic of this article is of a real-life subject that has been mentioned "in-universe" in a canon source. The Harry Potter Wiki is written from the perspective that all information presented in canon is true (e.g., Hogwarts really exists), and, as such, details contained in this article may differ from real world facts. |
- "And out of the end of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silver animal. He screwed up his eyes, trying to see what it was. It looked like a horse."
- —Harry Potter's corporeal stag Patronus[src]
Deer is the common name for a family of ruminant animals grouped by the fact that the males grow antlers in adulthood. Male deer are called stags, whereas females are called does. One particular species of deer is the Scottish stag. Deer is the preferred food of the Hebridean Black breed of dragon.[1]
It is a possible corporeal form of the Patronus Charm.[2][3][4] Deer have become synonymous with the Potter family, as Harry Potter's stag Patronus is widely known.
History
The deer was a reoccurring Patronus within the Potter family: James Potter, his wife Lily, and his son Harry all had deer for Patronuses. James Potter was also an Animagus who could take the form of a large stag. Professor Severus Snape, as a sign of his undying affection for Lily, also had a doe for a Patronus, which persisted long after her death.[5]
The doe that led Harry Potter to the Sword of Gryffindor
In 1998, Snape cast this Patronus as a guide to lead Harry Potter to the Sword of Gryffindor hidden within a frozen lake of the Forest of Dean. Harry felt an instinctual familiarity with the doe Patronus.[6]
Deer live in the Forbidden Forest — in May of 1996, when Rubeus Hagrid was discussing Grawp with Harry and Hermione, he said that he was able to get his own food; "birds an' deer an' stuff."[7]
Deer Patronuses
Add a photo to this galleryAppearances
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game) (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game) (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Appears as a Patronus)
- Pottermore (Appears as a Patronus)
- Wizarding World (Appears as a Patronus)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Mentioned only)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Appears as a Patronus)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter for Kinect (Appears as a Patronus)
- Harry Potter Trading Card Game (First appearance)
- Harry Potter: The Character Vault (Mentioned only)
Notes and references
- ↑ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- ↑ (see this image)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 12 (The Patronus)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 21 (Hermione's Secret)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 33 (The Prince's Tale)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 19 (The Silver Doe)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 30 (Grawp)
