Spider

Warning!

At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite & Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.
As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

"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 existed), and, as such, details contained in this article may differ from real world facts.

"If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my - my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick... You wouldn't like it either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and... "

— Ron Weasley on the origin of his Arachnophobia^[src]

Spiders are eight-legged and eight-eyed arachnids.

Description

They are very common and come in many species, varying from region to region; all are carnivorous and some are venomous, but for the most part they are relatively harmless and can sometimes be used as a potion ingredient.

The largest species of spider is the Acromantula, a wizard bred-species which also has the ability to speak, along with being extremely dangerous carnivores with a taste for human flesh.^[1] Spiders are known for spinning webs. The webs of the Acromantula are large and dome-shaped.^[2] Spiders of all sizes fear the Basilisk above all other things, which caused those at Hogwarts to flee into the Forbidden Forest in the 1992–1993 school year.^[2]^[3]

The Spider repelling spell can be used to repel and blast spiders away from an individual; indeed, this spell is particularly useful when repelling Acromantulas.^[4]^[5] Spiders often inhabit dark environments, like the cupboard under the stairs,^[6] Broomsheds, and even the Forbidden Forest.^[2]

History

Boggart morph — A Boggart taking the form of a giant spider, to represent Ronald Weasley's greatest fear

Ronald Weasley was well-known for his Arachnophobia, the irrational fear of spiders and arachnids. However, he was fine if they were dead and he simply had to cut them up during potions.^[3] During the 1993-1994 school year, Ron's boggart manifested in the form of a giant spider during a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson with Professor Lupin.^[7]

The Cupboard under the stairs was said to have a large amount of spiders living in it alongside Harry Potter, who did not mind them in the least. When Vernon Dursley bellowed "Silence!" at Harry when the boy interrupted him, a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling in response, likely startled by the noise.^[6]

In 1992, spiders fled Hogwarts when a Basilisk was unleashed from the Chamber of Secrets. Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione Granger notched their strange behaviour^[3] and Hermione used it to piece together what was petrifying people in the school.^[8]

The Tarantula is a family of spiders, examples of which can be found for sale in Knockturn Alley.^[9] In Borgin and Burkes, there was a cage that had living, huge black spiders in it.^[10]

Barty Crouch Jr, disguised as Alastor Moody, taught his fourth year Defence Against the Dark Arts class the use of the Unforgivable Curses, performing one of each of the three curses on one of each of three spiders.^[11] In 1995, the trio found spiders as big as saucers in a dresser in the dining room of 12 Grimmauld Place, with Ron leaving the room to make a cup of tea and did not return until they were gone, due to his aforementioned Arachnophobia.^[12]

Spindle's Lick'O'Rish Spiders were a wizarding confection shaped like spiders.^[13]

Types of Spiders

Behind the scenes

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the three Unforgivable Curses are demonstrated in the Defence Against the Dark Arts class on an Amblypygid (tailless whip scorpion), which is in fact not a true spider but is a member of the same class.
Alastair was a spider found the first draft of the film of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. He lived in the Cupboard under the stairs and Harry had befriended him, not having any other friends.^[14]
The spider that Ron faced off in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban resembles closely to a Black widow, with the exception of its size.
At one point of the film adaptation, Ron wakes up from a nightmare in which spiders presumably tried to make him tap dance. Harry, who was pouring over the Marauders Map at the time, told Ron to, "tell those spiders," that he didn't want to dance, and he promptly fell back asleep.

Appearances

The Harry Potter Wiki has 71 images related to Spider.

Notes and references

↑ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 15 (Aragog)
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 12 (The Polyjuice Potion)
↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
↑ Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 2 (The Vanishing Glass)
↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 7 (The Boggart in the Wardrobe)
↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 16 (The Chamber of Secrets)
↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 6 (The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters)
↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 4 (At Flourish and Blotts)
↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 14 (The Unforgivable Curses)
↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 6 (The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black)
↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
↑ The Lost Harry Potter Character You Never Got to Meet, io9

[FBR-1] Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

[COS15-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 15 (Aragog)

[COS12-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 12 (The Polyjuice Potion)

[COSF-4] Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)

[HM-5] Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

[PS2-6] 6.0 ^6.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 2 (The Vanishing Glass)

[POA7-7] Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 7 (The Boggart in the Wardrobe)

[COS16-8] Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 16 (The Chamber of Secrets)

[PS6-9] Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 6 (The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters)

[COS4-10] Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 4 (At Flourish and Blotts)

[GOF14-11] Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 14 (The Unforgivable Curses)

[OOTP6-12] Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 6 (The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black)

[POAF-13] Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)

[14] The Lost Harry Potter Character You Never Got to Meet, io9

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