As the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is almost upon us, The Arcade run through the beasts, confirmed and unconfirmed we’re looking forward to. The trailers and featurettes gave us a taste of what to expect in film one, and we’re very happy with those featured. There’s a few we’d love to see in the following 4 films aswell so these are also included. Newt does love his beasts and has come bearing a suitcase chockablock with them so we’ll not be short of magical creatures.
1.Niffler
The Niffler was always destined to be adorable, and it figures it features many times in the trailers. Nifflers were mentioned in the original Potter series as similar to magpies, attracted to shiny bits and bobs. Newt in later years describes them as “gentle and even affectionate [but] it can be destructive to belongings and should never be kept in a house”. The trailer shows it as an almost mole like creature that meets the description of black, fluffy and long-snouted.
2. Unicorn/winged horse
Fantasy, at least that aimed at younger generations, is littered with unicorns, as is school stationary. But one still wishes to see them portrayed in film. The want is especially there for unicorns and winged horses to be portrayed as two different species. It is unknown if either will feature, particularly since as Professor Grubby-Plank noted, it “is more likely to allow a witch to approach it than a wizard”, so Newt may have some trouble spotting one.
3. Bowtruckles
This is a cute “tree-guardian” that is “apparently made of bark and twigs with two small brown eyes”. In the film clips it appears more green and leaf-like but lives up to Newt’s later notes of being peaceful and shy. Thankfully they do not try to gouge Newt’s eyes out like it would anyone attacking it’s tree home.
4. Augurey
This is a creature that is yet to feature in any film adaptation of the universe but is mentioned in the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. According to ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ by Newt Scamander, it is also known as the Irish Phoenix and is like a “small and unfed vulture in appearance”. It’s myth is similar to a banshee in that it’s wail is said to foretell death. It is a greenish black bird who sounds like a real emo as it is said to only fly in heavy rain and wails in bad weather. We can assume the bird has nice plummage as the costume in the play was beautiful.
5. Thunderbird
The Thunderbird, not only for puppets, is a majestic winged form that’s very present in the movie’s trailers. It is seen as volatile but is it simply scared of no-maj and wizard alike? This creature does not appear in the original book by Newt so I had to google it to find any info. All the information, according to the fan wiki is from the film:
“The thunderbird is a large, avian creature native to the arid Arizona climate in the United States.[2][3] It is closely related to the phoenix.[3] An Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry house was named after this creature. It can create storms as it flies, and can sense danger.”
Newt freed the one in the film from Egypt and named him Frank.
6. Fwooper
There is no sign of this vivid African bird in the film, but the hope is that if the plot of one of the five movies visits on the African school, Ugadou, this bird will be seen. It has very fancy plumage of either orange, pink, lime green or yellow (good for a rave?) and it’s song is beautiful, if only for a time. It said that “fwooper song will eventually drive the listener to insanity” and they need the utmost care, so owners need both a silencing charm and a licence to own it.
7. Occamy
This creature is far east and Indian in origin and is a mixture of bird and serpent. It also goes by the name “choranaptyxic” and can shrink at will. It is often hunted for its eggs which are made of “the softest silver” but it is an aggressive and relatively dangerous beast given a 4 out of 5 ‘X’ rating by The Ministry of Magic.
Also known as a choranaptyxic, the Occamy will grow or shrink to fit certain spaces. #Occamy #FantasticBeasts
Posted by Fantastic Beasts on Thursday, September 29, 2016
8. Snidget
As a quidditch player, this rare bird is of particular curiosity. It was the original goal of a seeker to catch this bird and the snitch as we know it today originated from it. As one might guess its an incredibly round golden bird with a long beak. After the early years of Quidditch and a lot of hunting of the bird for its valuable “jewel-like red eyes” and feathers, it is a endangered species. It is no wonder that the snitch is based on this creature as it is extremely fast and can “change direction with uncanny speed and skill”. Perhaps ‘Quidditch Through the Ages’ will also be adapted and we will see this guy?
9. swooping evil
Another brand new creature for the movie, according to Pottermore this is “a large butterfly-like creature that emerges from a small object, possible a cocoon”. It’s wings are a beautiful blue and green and it cuts a swooping form in the film’s trailer. That’s all we know about the creature so here’s hoping we’ll learn more in the movie. My guess it that the name is a misnomer and its discoverer was just afraid of it.
10. Sphinx
Many fans were disappointed this creature didn’t appear where it should in Goblet of Fire, but will this be reconciled in Fantastic Beasts? Sphinxes come from Egyptian mythology and has pride of place among the Valley of the Kings. Wizards and Witches also use this creature to guard their valuables and it takes the form of a lion with a human head. Much like a true Ravenclaw, this smart creature enjoys riddles and becomes dangerous if what it’s guarding is threatened.
We couldn’t include every wonderful creature in this list of ten, and the movie features many more. These include the less than traditionally beautiful but awesome Graphorns and Erumpents we already featured. There are also some suitably spunky goblins and graceful Nundus and Demiguises. But we’ll leave a few creatures for you to explore on your own. When in doubt, consult you Scamander textbook from first year!
