Summary
- Fenrir Greyback, a savage and sadistic werewolf, sought to infect as many people as possible with lycanthropy to build an army and take over the Ministry of Magic.
- Greyback's appearance matches his animalistic nature, with matted hair, yellow nails, and uncomfortable robes, though he was not a Death Eater despite serving Voldemort.
- Greyback's lycanthropy stemmed from a hatred of the wizarding community's prejudice against werewolves, and even Voldemort found him repulsive due to his condition.
Fenrir Greyback, a supporting antagonist in the Harry Potter saga, renounced his humanity much before the events of the series. He aspired to infect as many people as possible with lycanthropy, so he could build a strong army and eventually take over the Ministry of Magic. His resentment towards the wizarding community mostly stemmed from the stigma and prejudice that existed against werewolves.
Even Greyback’s appearance is described as being animal-like in the Harry Potter books; he is a “big, rangy man with matted gray hair and whiskers”, with “uncomfortably tight” robes and “long yellowish nails”. What is conspicuous though is the absence of the Dark Mark on his left arm — despite doing Voldemort’s bidding, he was not actually a Death Eater.
Who Was Fenrir Greyback?
It is unknown when exactly Greyback was bitten by a werewolf, but he fully embraced his new life. As the “most savage werewolf alive”, he became a leader in his community. He intentionally stationed himself in his victims’ proximity before a full moon, so he could maul them after he transformed. He especially had a sadistic interest in attacking children: “Bite them young […] raise them away from their parents, raise them to hate normal wizards.” Eventually, he started biting his targets even in human form as he had developed “a taste for human flesh”.
Greyback also infected Remus Lupin, when he was barely five years old, to take revenge from his father. Greyback had been brought in for questioning before the Ministry when two Muggle children were found dead. As the Ministry was unaware that he was a werewolf, he pretended to be a Muggle tramp and denied having any knowledge about the incident. Lyall Lupin believed otherwise, and suggested keeping him in detention until the next full moon. When the rest of the committee members disagreed, Lupin lost his temper and declared that all werewolves were “soulless, evil, deserving nothing but death”. Just before Greyback’s release, a Memory Charm was about to be placed on him, but he broke free with the help of two other werewolves. He sought out Lyall’s son, and attacked him during the full moon.
In the mid-1960s, Greyback became an ally of Voldemort, who promised him a better life (along with fresh prey) in return for his services. Voldemort threatened to unleash the werewolf whenever anyone defied him. Greyback also joined the Death Eaters in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower (“I wouldn’t want to miss a trip to Hogwarts […] when there are throats to be ripped out”). He badly scarred Bill Weasley, and was even about to kill Albus Dumbledore himself when Draco Malfoy was hesitant to do so.
After the fall of the Ministry, Greyback led a group of Snatchers to prowl around the country and hunt for blood traitors and Muggle-borns. He captured the Golden Trio when they accidentally triggered the Taboo on Voldemort’s name, and brought them to Malfoy Manor in hopes for a reward — only for the captives to be saved by the house-elf Dobby.
During the Battle of Hogwarts, Greyback attacked Lavender Brown at one point, before Hermione cast a spell at him and Professor Trelawney knocked him out with a crystal ball. It is unknown whether he survived the battle, but Ron and Neville Longbottom were seen “bringing down” Greyback towards the end. If he survived, it is likely that he was sent away to Azkaban for his crimes.
Was Fenrir Greyback a Death Eater?
When the Snatchers were debating whether to summon Voldemort as they had captured Harry, it was revealed that Greyback has not been granted the “highest honor” of having the Dark Mark. After arriving at the Malfoy Manor, he was also, for once, wary of retaliating even though the Malfoys planned to steal his glory, and Bellatrix Lestrange actually forced him to kneel. Even Corban Yaxley did not refrain from blasting him out of the way in the Astronomy Tower. When Snape arrived to kill Dumbledore, Greyback actually seemed “cowed”, although he was enraged mere moments before. Despite his savagery, Greyback only mildly protested when he would be mistreated or regarded with disgust by the Death Eaters, possibly due to fear. He seemed to accept the fact that he was regarded as a “filthy” inferior, despite being one of the most fearful among Voldemort's followers.
Even Voldemort was repulsed by him because of his lycanthropy. Although Greyback was permitted to wear similar robes to the Death Eaters, his master did not brand him with the Dark Mark because of his bigotry against werewolves. Considering Voldemort’s discrimination against anyone who was not a pure-blood wizard or witch, it is hardly surprising that he was disgusted by Greyback and the rest of the werewolves. His indifference also extended to other Dark creatures like Dementors and giants. In fact, it is likely that Voldemort would have simply cast Greyback and the rest aside if he had won the Second Wizarding War, as they would have not served him any purpose anymore.
Harry Potter
- Where to watch
- HBO Max
- Created by
- J.K. Rowling
When Harry Potter learns that he is a wizard, he enters a world beyond belief. Aside from continuing his studies at Hogwarts with best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry must also face Voldemort and his dark wizarding forces. The Harry Potter franchise is a worldwide phenomenon, spanning seven books, eight movies, three spinoff movies, a stage play, and numerous video games.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info