Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Hogwarts Legacy. Spoilers will be present within the article. |
Professor Eleazar Fig (d. 1891)[2][7] was a wizard who studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and later taught Magical Theory there in the late 19th century.[4][8] He and his wife Miriam's lives were entangled with the search for ancient magic, with Eleazar chosen to mentor a young witch or wizard who started Hogwarts late as a fifth-year and had the ability to detect and harness said ancient magic.[5] He accompanied them as far as he could as they followed the path set by the Keepers, uncovering the secrets of the ancient magic repositories and Ranrok's goblin rebellion, which earned him an uneasy scepticism from the Ministry.[9] He died during their final battle against Ranrok and was honoured as a hero.[2]
Biography[]
Early life[]
Born into a family of unknown wizarding descent in or before the 19th century, in his youth, Eleazar attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he was Sorted into Gryffindor House.[4]
Later life[]
At some point in his life, he met a witch named Miriam whom he eventually married, and ultimately abandoned his ambition of pursuing a career at the British Ministry of Magic in favour of accompanying her on her many travels around the world, and partook in the research that she did into what appeared to be the disappearance of ancient magic.[4] At some point, he and Miriam eventually also met the Ministry official George Osric, whom the couple was known to have been friendly for multiple decades.[6]
Teaching career[]
Having eventually grown weary of his wife's quest and ended up settling into a comfortable teaching career whilst she continued her work on her own, Eleazar eventually took the job of Magical Theory professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he proceeded to become known to be an accomplished yet enigmatic figure.[10] When Miriam was killed during her travels, however, he was guilt-ridden and felt responsible because he was not there to save her, and resolved to both uncover how and why she died, as well as finishing her work.[4]
1890–1891 school year[]
'Engorgio!'
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Journey to Hogwarts[]
Carriage attack[]
Before the start of the 1890–1891 school year,[7] Fig was tasked by Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black[11] to meet a new student who was accepted into Hogwarts five years later than normal and bring them up to speed. He gave them a second-hand wand to tutor them with, and accompanied them on their journey to Hogwarts. He also gave instructions to George Osric, who had sent him an owl, to meet in a secret alleyway where he and the student were preparing to leave in a carriage.[5]
While they were travelling, George showed Eleazar the Daily Prophet issue of the day, the front page of which was about Ranrok's goblin rebellion, and they discussed how big a threat he was. George revealed an item sent to him by Eleazar's late wife Miriam in desperation. He and Eleazar found it difficult to open, but the student saw it glowing and opened it by simply taking it in their hands, revealing a mysterious key.[5]
Their journey was disrupted when an evil-possessed dragon attacked the carriage, destroying the half that George was sitting in, forcing Fig and the student to fall out before the dragon burnt the other half. Fig urged the student to grab his hand, and summoned the key wandlessly, which turned out to be a Portkey that transported them to a mysterious cliffside place in the Scottish Highlands. There, they saw some ruins on an island, which Fig believed was where the Portkey was supposed to lead them.[5]
Vault 12[]
They ran towards the ruins, during which Fig had to use the Mending Charm to repair the broken bridge that led to the island, and found an entrance only initially seen by the student, which turned out to be a private entrance of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Fig woke up a sleeping Goblin Banker, who was surprised to see the visitors and asked for their key. The student reminded Fig to give the banker the Portkey, and the banker proceeded to bringing them to Vault 12 via Mine Cart, during which they passed the Thief's Downfall.[5]
On their way to the vault, they encountered another goblin, who the student noticed was wearing an armband that had the same glow as the dragon's collar. Upon learning they were heading towards Vault 12, the goblin showed dismay but allowed them to pass. They arrived outside the vault, and Fig learnt from the banker that no one had visited it for centuries until that day. The banker used the key to unlock the door, and when Fig and the student went in, the banker relocked the door per the instructions given to him. Fig then taught the Revelio Charm to the student and asked them to reveal more passages using it.[5]
They entered a vast space, where the student saw magical traces and activated the magic from a glowing area on the floor, causing the floor to change. The student then used the Revelio Charm to reveal a statue, which didn't match with its reflection on the floor. While Fig used the Wand-Lighting Charm and walked around, the student realised that the reflection rotated to line up with the source of the light. Fig then encouraged the student to use the Wand-Lighting Charm themself, and when they adjusted the reflection to the right direction, it started moving and was joined by multiple other statues, which Fig and the student had to defeat.[5]
Afterwards, Fig urged the student to stay close, but was suddenly transported away from the student, who had to deal with another wave of animated statues on their own. When he was able to rejoin the student, he found that they were in the presence of a Pensieve and a bottle of memories. He poured them into the Pensieve and, together with the student, viewed two wizards (Percival Rackham and Charles Rookwood) constructing the vault and talking about the path they had set up that was intended to lead only the right individual to the things they were protecting. Fig then realised that the student had the ability of sensing traces of ancient magic, the knowledge of which Miriam and George had died in pursuit of.[5]
Before they could finish their conversation, Ranrok, accompanied by the two goblins they'd seen earlier and others, entered and demanded that they gave him whatever they had found in the vault. They then witnessed Ranrok killing the banker who was trying to stick to the instructions he had received. When Fig refused to give Ranrok anything, Ranrok proceeded to redirect his attention onto the student, which angered Fig. They cast spells towards each other, and Ranrok blasted Fig and the student back. A Pensieve Guardian was then activated in the chamber and fought Ranrok, while Fig and the student went through a magical doorway and found themselves near the Hogwarts Castle.[5]
They arrived outside the Great Hall, and Fig listened and found that the Sorting Ceremony was still underway. He could not accompany them into the hall, and intended to head to the Ministry of Magic to report George's fate and his experiences. He opened the doors and gained the attention of Professor Black, and as Black walked towards them, he asked the student to prepare themself for the unpleasant presence of the Headmaster. Black informed them that the ceremony was over, and brusquely dismissed Fig when he tried to explain their late arrival. As the student was allowed to be sorted nonetheless and guided into the Great Hall, Fig said that he would stay in touch with them.[12]
The next day[]
On their first day, the new student was speaking to Professor Matilda Weasley when she started asking questions about what they and Fig had done on their way to Hogwarts. Fig interrupted their discussion before the student could say too much, and spoke briefly about the student's rare aptitude for magic. She questioned why he did not take a normal route to Hogwarts, but instead flew into the path of a dragon, and Fig pointed out he didn't fly into it, but rather it chose to find them. With that, Professor Weasley left Fig to explain the details of the Wizard's Field Guide map to the student.[12]
When she left, he asked the student if they talked about the ruins they explored. He reminded them it was right to keep the details secret. Given their rare ability, he thought it was important they were well-trained. He showed the student a clever thing they included in the Field Guide map which they enchanted to help the student find their way. He also encouraged the student to buy a wand from his good friend Gerbold Ollivander, and suggested they focus on their studies for now until he had more to share about the locket they had found.[12]
Following the clues[]
While the student was busy, Fig studied the locket and found an inscription, and when he read it aloud, a map of Hogwarts appeared. Though he couldn't discover anything special about it, he suspected the student would see something on it that he couldn't. He also heard about the student defending Hogsmeade from a troll attack. When Fig met the student again in his office, they told him about the trolls' armour which had the same dark glow as the dragon's collar, suggesting they were controlled by Ranrok, but Fig couldn't understand how.[13]
Fig was further surprised when he heard that Ranrok had been there in Hogsmeade with Victor Rookwood looking for the student by setting up the trolls as a distraction, which could mean that they were after the locket. He told the student what he had found and showed them the map, and the student saw traces of magic around the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library. Considering the apparent danger of the path they had embarked on, he asked the student to work more on their defensive magical skills with Professor Dinah Hecat before visiting the library, and went to let Hecat know when to expect them,[13] indicating to her a certain urgency to the student completing the tasks.[14]
After the student finished Hecat's assignments and learnt the Fire-Making Spell from her,[14] they reported back to Fig, who commended their efforts and prepared to head to the library at once. However, Professor Black came and informed Fig he had work to do. Fig tried to protest, but Black ignored him and asked him to come to the Headmaster's office shortly, believing Fig should be willing to make amends after the dragon incident. Seeing it unwise to provoke the Headmaster further, Fig intended to postpone their visit to the library until he was done with Black.[15]
When he went to see Black, the Headmaster insisted that Fig go to London and speak to the Minister for Magic about George Osric's death. On another day, he was talking to Professor Aesop Sharp about Ranrok working with Rookwood when the student came, having returned from a trip to the library on their own and acquired a book from below the Restricted Section. Fig was curious about their trip, but first opened the book to examine, and found some pages missing, meaning somebody had already accessed the book, though he still wanted to study the rest of it.[16]
He wondered why the book was stored below Hogwarts, and the student told him about the two more memories they had witnessed, the first being Percival Rackham and three other professors using ancient magic to save a hamlet (Feldcroft) from a draught, about which Miriam had also learnt something, and the second being the professors talking to another student (Isidora Morganach) who started Hogwarts as a fifth-year and could see traces of ancient magic. Fig thought he might discover from the book the reason why these particular memories had been chosen, and explained that he needed to take it to London to study along the way. He reminded the student to continue their studies and pay attention to Herbology and Potions while trying to look for the missing pages.[16]
In the Map Chamber[]
Fig's conversation with Minister Faris Spavin turned out to be difficult, as the Minister talked more than he listened and wouldn't hear a word about goblins. After Fig returned to Hogwarts, he was caught up by the student who had found the missing pages from Richard Jackdaw's remains and, following the map on the pages, located a room below Hogwarts. Fig found himself not surprised by this and prepared to go with them to the room, while the student suggested they needed the bring the book from the library.[17]
On their way, the student informed Fig that the room was called the Map Chamber and housed Percival Rackham's portrait, which Fig looked forward to meeting. He also asked them about how Jackdaw had gotten the pages, and learnt that he had stolen from Peeves. They entered the chamber, and Fig placed the book on a magical pedestal, which activated below the floor a three-dimensional map of regions of the Scottish Highlands, from which he recognised Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest and the Hogwarts Castle. He then looked towards the four huge empty portraits and lamented that Miriam was not able to see all of this.[17]
They walked towards Rackham's portrait while he came into view, and the student introduced Fig to him as their mentor. Rackham greeted both of them, and spoke about the abilities the student had proven to possess, and the four trials that they needed to complete on their own to unlock their full potential and gain invaluable knowledge, revealing that he, as well as Charles Rookwood the memories at Gringotts had shown, were members of the Keepers active centuries ago who had been keeping the secrets of ancient magic and making sure they would not fall into the wrong hands.[17]
While Rackham believed it would take time for the student to learn and make their decisions, Fig brought the threats posed by goblinkind to his attention, which prompted him to highlight the location of their first trial on the map, and explain that Fig could only help the student with locating the trial, but not completing it. Fig examined the map and found that the trial was at a tower north of Hogsmeade, one which he remembered to be seemingly abandoned but clearly concealed more, and asked the student if they could recognise it. He intended to go first to make sure it was safe before meeting the student there.[17]
Death and post-mortem[]
- "A famed adventurer and renowned seeker of knowledge, he built a reputation – charging into the unknown – brazenly disregarding both discretion and safety, providing perhaps a rather unfortunate lesson for us all. His devotion to adventure was rivalled only by his dedication to Hogwarts – and, of course, to his wife, Mari- MIRiam, whom we lost much too soon as well."
- — Phineas Nigellus Black's somewhat flippant eulogy[src]
During the battle in the Keepers' Caverns, Fig was killed by Ranrok. During a memorial ceremony held in the Great Hall shortly after his death, he was eulogised by his colleagues, Phineas Nigellus Black and Matilda Weasley, as a brave and adventurous professor. Although Phineas Nigellus' eulogy to Fig was somewhat brusque, Matilda stepped in with a much more gentle statement that "if not for him, many of us – let alone Hogwarts – would not be here today." The student body of Hogwarts appeared to be completely united in their reverence for Fig.[2]
Personality and traits[]
He was a kind and knowledgeable person.[4] He is one of the few people who take the threat of the rogue goblin Ranrok seriously, and even more so after his alleged connection with the death of his wife Miriam. He is also a fairly liberal and tolerant wizard, as he doesn't mind the student using ancient magic or Dark Arts to stop Ranrok.[18]
Magical abilities and skills[]
- Magical Theory: Fig taught the subject at Hogwarts, showing his knowledge of the theory of magic.[4]
- Wandless magic: Fig was able to use the Summoning Charm to retrieve a Portkey without using his wand.[5]
- Charms: Fig used the Mending Charm to repair a broken bridge, and also used several charms such as the Summoning Charm, Descendo, the Levitation Spell and the Banishing Charm to fight against animated Guardians during the skirmish within Vault 12 of Gringotts Wizarding Bank.[5]
- Magizoology: Fig was familiar with the traits of at least some magical beasts, as shown when he recognised that a dragon attacking a carriage mid-air was abnormal behaviour.[5]
- Duelling: Fig showed himself to be proficient in martial magic, being able to swiftly defeat multiple Guardians in defence of his charge in Vault 12.[5] In addition, with the aid of a student and fellow professor, Aesop Sharp, Fig was capable of subduing a mixture of Ranrok's Loyalists and trolls during the final battle against Ranrok in 1891.[2]
- Transfiguration: Fig transfigured the robes of the new fifth-year student into school robes before their sorting,[5] and also transfigured their attire to resemble the robes belonging to Phineas Nigellus Black when they needed to disguise as Black.[19]
- Potions: Fig brewed the Polyjuice Potion in case of emergency.[19] Notably, Polyjuice Potion was an extremely complex and time-consuming potion to make,[20] showing just how effective Fig's potions skills were.
Etymology[]
The name consists of the Hebrew phrase "El" and "Ezer" and means thanksgiving to God. In the Bible, Eleazar was one of the sons of Aaron, was in charge of the ark, and upon the death of his father was appointed high priest.[citation needed]
Behind the scenes[]
- "Professor Fig was one of the first characters the team developed and perhaps the one on whom they spent the most time. Fig began as a doddering old man, but as the story of Hogwarts Legacy evolved during the long time of working on and developing the game, so did the character. 'Gradually, he became more of a cool old guy who has been places,' says Lybbert. 'A bit more of an Indiana Jones type of character.' [...]
'Narratively, he is such a complex and fascinating character,' says Sébastien Gallego. 'A mix of grief, excitement, and mentor figure [...] He is not your typical Hogwarts professor, if there's such a thing as a typical professor at Hogwarts.'" - — The game's designers on Eleazar Fig's character[src]
- Professor Fig is voiced by Nicholas Guy Smith in Hogwarts Legacy.[21]
Appearances[]
- Hogwarts Legacy (First appearance)
- The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Assuming the adult age was also seventeen in the 19th century, as a member of Hogwarts staff in 1890, Professor Fig was over seventeen by then.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Hogwarts Legacy, Main Quest "The Final Repository" (see this video)
- ↑ "World Exclusive Interview with J K Rowling," South West News Service, 8 July 2000 - "Hogwarts just serves Britain and Ireland."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Hogwarts Legacy on X: "Professor Fig knows more about magic than a wizard or witch might think. #HogwartsLegacy"
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 Hogwarts Legacy, Main Quest "The Path to Hogwarts"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hogwarts Legacy on X: "How will this Ministry of Magic official play a part in your #HogwartsLegacy?"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hogwarts Legacy (see this image)
- ↑ The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy (see this image)
- ↑ Hogwarts Legacy (see this video)
- ↑ Hogwarts Legacy (see this video)
- ↑ Hogwarts Legacy - Phineas Nigellus Black's letter to Eleazar Fig
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Hogwarts Legacy, Main Quest "Welcome to Hogwarts"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Hogwarts Legacy, Main Quest "The Locket's Secret"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Hogwarts Legacy, Assignment Quest "Professor Hecat's Assignment 1"
- ↑ Hogwarts Legacy, Main Quest "Secrets of the Restricted Section"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Hogwarts Legacy, Main Quest "Tomes and Tribulations"
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Hogwarts Legacy, Main Quest "The Map Chamber"
- ↑ Hogwarts Legacy
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Hogwarts Legacy, Main Quest "The Polyjuice Plot"
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Polyjuice Potion" at Wizarding World
- ↑ Nicholas Guy Smith at the Internet Movie Database
The Keepers |
---|
The Keepers Charles Rookwood · Niamh Fitzgerald · Percival Rackham · San Bakar |
Allies Eleazar Fig · Unidentified Hogwarts student |
Locations Athenaeum · Keepers' Caverns · Map Chamber · San Bakar's Tower · Rookwood Castle · Ruins of Percival Rackham's house · Vault 12 |
Objects Final repository · Keepers' wand · Niamh Fitzgerald's book · Rookwood Castle repository · Vault 12 key |