Before Voldemort ever became a threat…
It was Gellert Grindelwald that stood in his place.
An intelligent Dark Wizard with plans to rule the world.
And while his time of being evil might be in the past now…
His life and impact on the wizarding world were like no other.
Continue reading to discover:
- Why Gellert Grindelwald turned evil.
- Gellert’s passionate love that never came to be.
- Top 3 most iconic quotes from Gellert Grindelwald.
- What happened to Grindelwald after the Global Wizarding War.
- And so much more…
About Gellert Grindelwald
| Born | Between 1882 and 1883 |
| Purity | Pure-blood or Half-blood |
| Institution | Durmstrang Institute |
| Character Traits | Intelligent, Charismatic, Relentless, Ruthless, Sadistic |
| Patronus | Non-corporeal |
| Wand | Unknown (1st Wand), 38.1 cm (15 in.) long Elder Wood, Thestral tail hair core (Elder Wand) Unknown (3rd Wand – as Percival Graves) |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries (Likely, but not proven) |
Gellert Grindelwald background
Gellert Grindelwald was born sometime between the summer of 1882 and 1883.
Unfortunately, we don’t know much about his childhood.
The books never explored it.
And the movies did very little as well.
On the bright side, we know that Gellert went to Durmstrang Institute.
1 of the most famous wizarding schools in Europe.
But what made it different from Hogwarts, you ask?
Well, Durmstrang loved training strong wizards.
And when it came to Dark magic…
The school was a bit more tolerant of curses.
Because they believed mastering it would help students become stronger.
As a result, Gellert Grindelwald adopted the same mindset.
And since he was already a genius…
It further fueled his ambition.
A dream of ruling the world.
1 that would put wizards and witches on top…
With Muggles and every other non-magical person beneath them.
Meeting Albus Dumbledore
After Gellert’s time at Durmstrang…
He left to live with his great-aunt, Bathilda Bagshot, in Godric’s Hollow.
A small village in the Western Country of England.
Grindelwald didn’t think much of it at first.
Other than being a nice place to study.
Because his great-aunt had plenty of books and documents to learn from.
Plus, it was also convenient for learning more about the Cloak of Invisibility.
A powerful artifact that would turn the user invisible.
Because its previous owner had lived there as well.
But little did Gellert know that it would become an important place to him.
Since it’s where he would meet his equal: Albus Dumbledore.
You see, both of them were geniuses.
And these talented wizards would quickly become close friends too.
Plus, Gellert even convinced Albus to join him.
The wisest and most powerful wizard in history fell to Grindelwald’s words.
And several years later…
This was what Dumbledore told Harry Potter:
“Grindelwald. You cannot imagine how his ideas caught me, Harry, inflamed me. Muggles forced into subservience. We wizards triumphant. Grindelwald and I, the glorious young leaders of the revolution…”
Gellert Grindelwald occupation
Gellert Grindelwald was the leader of The Alliance.
An organization of dark wizards and witches with only 1 goal: wizarding supremacy.
And their plan was to expose the wizards to the rest of the world.
Provoking a war between the Muggles.
But what were Gellert’s reasons?
Well, he believed his actions to be:
“For the Greater Good.”
Gellert Grindelwald character
Gellert Grindelwald was a handsome man.
He had flowing blonde hair.
Not to mention striking blue eyes.
However, don’t let his looks deceive you.
Gellert Grindelwald was a dangerous and sadistic man.
For example, he even used a torture curse on Aberforth Dumbledore.
But despite Grindelwald’s evil traits…
He was also very charismatic.
And his speeches could convince thousands of people to stand by his side:
3 most famous Gellert Grindelwald quotes
#1: “That is what we are fighting! That is the enemy: their arrogance, their power lust, their barbarity. How long will it take before they turn their weapons on us?”
When Grindelwald showed his visions of war to the crowd…
Everyone became speechless.
But he put all those emotions into words.
Short but meaningful lines that convinced many people to join his side.
#2: “With or without you, I’ll burn down their world. There is nothing you can do to stop me.”
Gellert Grindelwald confronted Albus Dumbledore 1 last time…
Offering to join his cause.
But Albus refused.
#3: “Who will love you now, Dumbledore?”
This was when Grindelwald and Dumbledore fought.
It ended with their blood pact breaking. A bond that kept them from hurting each other.
So Grindelwald turned to Dumbledore.
Gellert asked if anyone would ever love Albus again…
Now that he’s chosen to stand against him.
More facts about Gellert Grindelwald
#1: A relationship that never had a chance
There’s no denying that Gellert Grindelwald had dashing good looks.
But did this handsome dark wizard ever find a lucky girl?
Well, it’s actually a lucky boy.
And that’s because Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore were once a couple.
You see, when the 2 of them met in Godric’s Hollow…
They weren’t just friends.
Gellert and Albus loved each other.
Unfortunately, these 2 never got their happy ending.
Gellert wanted to rule the world with an iron fist.
But what about Albus?
Well, he only wanted to protect wizards.
Like what had happened to his sister, Ariana Dumbledore.
A witch who was bullied and abused for her magic.
Soon enough, their perspectives clashed.
As a result, it was a love that never had a chance.
And neither of the 2 will ever know how life could’ve been in each other’s arms.
In fact, even research agrees this was a painful moment for Gellert and Albus.
Because romantic relationships play a role in your well-being too.
But at least we can put the sexuality question to rest…
Since this proved that Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore were gay.
#2: He saw himself ruling over the wizarding world
The evil Lord Voldemort had a troubled past.
As a result, he chose the path of becoming a Dark wizard…
It led him to cause so much pain and destruction in the world.
But what about Gellert Grindelwald?
What made him turn evil?
Well, Gellert Grindelwald was a natural-born Seer.
A wizard gifted with a strange power to look into the future.
“What did his visions show him then?”
Well, it was the farthest thing from pretty.
Gellert saw himself ruling over the world.
A terrifying ambition that made him relentless…
Stopping at nothing to make those visions come true.
For example, when he learned about the Deathly Hallows…
Gellert became obsessed.
He wanted to have these powerful artifacts for himself.
You see, legend has it that having all 3 of them would make you immortal.
And Gellert believed they would be necessary in his quest to rule over the world.
So say what you will about Gellert Grindelwald…
That’s still an awesome backstory.
And that’s why I love Harry Potter so much.
Because flawed characters like Grindelwald added depth to the wizarding world.
#3: Kicked out of school
Durmstrang Institute was nothing like Hogwarts.
Sure, they both taught magic.
But the former was a lot less strict…
Especially with curses and dangerous magic.
Yet did they let Gellert get away with everything?
Not by a long shot.
You see, even the professors couldn’t turn a blind eye.
Because Gellert Grindelwald had a knack for twisted experiments…
Ones that would put everyone else in danger.
So what did the school do then?
Well, they had no choice but to kick out Gellert Grindelwald.
And that was right before he could graduate too.
Plus, a study shows this can have long-lasting consequences too.
Because dropping out doesn’t just affect employment opportunities.
But also your physical health.
So in Gellert’s case…
It’s no surprise why he ended up turning evil.
He had nowhere else to go.
And he’s known nothing other than Dark Magic his whole life.
As a result, turning into a Dark Wizard seemed like the only option.
#4: Stole the Elder Wand
I know it sounds impossible.
The Elder Wand isn’t something you can just steal.
It’s a powerful magical artifact.
Plus, anyone who uses it will never lose a duel.
So how exactly did Gellert Grindelwald pull it off then?
Well, the wand’s current owner at the time was Mykew Gregorovitch.
And while he was a talented wandmaker…
Mykew could also be pretty careless.
You see, Mr. Gregorovitch didn’t try to keep the wand a secret.
He told everyone that he had a powerful artifact…
In an effort to attract more customers.
As a result, Gellert caught wind of the news.
So he broke into the workshop.
Then patiently waited for Mykew to return.
And when the wandmaker showed up…
Gellert stunned him, took the wand, and went on his way.
A pretty anticlimactic set of events…
Especially for something so important.
But I guess Geller Grindelwald was just that cunning too.
#5: Launched several attacks across Europe
Some people might think that Grindelwald wasn’t such a bad guy.
But he was as evil as any Dark Lord.
The only difference?
He kept believing in his words that these were:
“For the greater good.”
Take for example all the attacks he launched across Europe.
And these weren’t only to gain publicity.
These attacks were mass slaughters.
In fact, when Grindelwald got the Elder Wand…
It only made things worse.
As a result, his plans were responsible for the deaths of thousands.
And if that doesn’t convince you…
Let research speak for itself then.
Because it says having extreme lack of empathy is the making of a psychopath.
#6: Had the strength to destroy all of Paris
While Grindelwald’s plans were dangerous…
He wasn’t a slouch himself.
In fact, Gellert Grindelwald’s 1 of the most powerful wizards in Harry Potter.
And in his prime…
Gellert would even give Voldemort a run for his money.
For example, we can just look at the attack on Paris.
Grindelwald let out a flame so strong…
It could devour the entire city.
And what about right before that happened?
Well, Gellert fought off plenty of wizards by himself…
Without even breaking a sweat.
Plus, only Albus Dumbledore could ever match his strength too.
On the bright side, the city of Paris didn’t fall to Gellert’s flames.
How so, you ask?
Well, Nicolas Flamel arrived just in the nick of time.
And the famous wizard knew just the perfect counter spell…
Proving that age doesn’t hold back your magical powers.
#7: Played by different actors
Characters are typically played by the same actors.
So if there’s ever a sequel…
You won’t have any trouble naming who’s who.
But in Gellert Grindelwald’s case…
He went through some changes.
In the first 2 movies, Johnny Depp played his character.
Unfortunately, he had to step down…
Because Johnny Depp had to go to court.
In exchange, that’s how we got Mads Mikkelsen to play Gellert instead.
And if you’ve watched the movies while scratching your head…
Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Gellert Grindelwald was played by 2 different actors.
#8: A mysterious legendary duel
Gellert Grindelwald became too powerful.
In fact, even the authorities couldn’t handle him anymore.
Because Grindelwald was too big of a threat…
Not to mention, extremely dangerous to face even with help.
As a result, Albus Dumbledore had no choice.
He had to face his lover.
And no matter how much it hurt him to do so…
It wasn’t something he could avoid.
Because letting Gellert have his way would lead to more destruction.
So Albus Dumbledore made his way to Gellert’s fortress.
And confronted him in a legendary duel.
In fact, witnesses claimed that it was the greatest battle in wizarding history.
But the catch?
How it happened remained a mystery.
Because the books never told us what the battle looked like.
And it hasn’t been shown on the silver screen too.
As a result, fans can’t help but wait for the Fantastic Beasts franchise to release more movies…
Because it’s the closest we’ll ever get to seeing the legendary duel.
#9: Regretted his actions later in life
In an ironic conclusion…
Gellert Grindelwald’s fortress became his prison.
And he spent the rest of his life there.
But did he hold onto his evil ways?
Shockingly, Grindelwald regretted his actions.
And as he reflected on everything he did…
Grindelwald couldn’t believe the horrors he had caused.
Of course, there’s no way of redeeming what he did.
Not to mention all the lives that were lost because of him.
But it’s just sad that it took imprisonment for Grindelwald to realize.
Because if he were on the good side…
Who knows what good he could’ve done?
Plus, Albus Dumbledore wouldn’t have been alone too.
In fact, Grindelwald could’ve been a big help fighting Voldemort as well.
#10: Murdered in his own fortress
Although being locked up for life was already a fate worse than death…
Gellert Grindelwald would face an even scarier foe: Lord Voldemort.
You see, the Dark Lord came looking for the Elder Wand.
But Gellert resisted.
He said he didn’t have it…
And he would never give it to the likes of Voldemort too.
So after Grindelwald mocked the Dark Lord…
Voldemort had enough.
And he killed Gellert Grindelwald in his own fortress-turned-prison.
#11: Loved Dumbledore until his dying breath
Sure, Gellert Grindelwald may have died.
But he did love Dumbledore until his last moments.
You see, Gellert knew that the Elder Wand was with Dumbledore.
Yet he didn’t want to give up that fact…
Because he couldn’t imagine Voldemort destroying his lover’s grave.
As a result, Gellert Grindelwald held strong.
And no matter what the Dark Lord threw at him…
Gellert didn’t budge.
He kept throwing insult after insult…
And even saying:
“Kill me, then. Voldemort, I welcome death! But my death will not bring you what you seek… that wand will never, ever be yours!”
So say what you will about Grindelwald.
He always loved Dumbledore.
Even to his bitter end.