If You Want to Scare Me This Halloween, Make Griphook, Not Voldemort, Your Costume

In the world of “Harry Potter,” Voldemort, or rather “He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named,” that freaky, creepy, evil wizard who wants eternal dominance, hides horcruxes in an attempt to prolong his wicked life (forever), and desires to rid the world of muggles, is certainly a scary figure, indeed. But we know he’s bad. The worst. He’s The Dark Lord. It’s almost like he’s so bad he’s sort of unbelievable. I mean, there’s probably a short list of people you know who are that evil, right? Do you know anyone who fits that bill? I’d probably be hard pressed to name someone.

On the other hand, the goblins are more realistic and pose a greater chance of frightening me. What would really scare me would be to run into Griphook or one of the other goblins in a dark alley. Just the sound of the word goblin conjures up images in my head that I’d rather not have at all.

Goblins mistrust muggles, wizards, and wizardry. They believe wizards have a sense of arrogance to them, which is why they try to keep their distance. Additionally, they man the Gringotts Wizarding Bank in Diagon Alley, apparently the only bank in town. They get a charge out of harming lesser creatures and jump at the chance to bring down a wizard.

They can’t be trusted, these goblins. There’s something sneaky and wretched about them. They seem to always be up to no good, or at least they make us wonder if they’re up to no good; they appear to be conniving and secretive.  Have you ever seen a happy Goblin? Probably only when they get what they want, right? And they do want things, including things they can’t have or shouldn’t have, like Godric Gryffindor’s Sword. Now, do you know anybody like this? I bet you could name someone if you had to.

Just take a look at this dialogue between Griphook and Ron Weasley where Griphook discusses his opinion on how wizards and witches have treated the goblins in “Harry Potter”:

Griphook: “The right to carry a wand has long been contested between wizards and goblins.”

Ron Weasley: “Well, goblins can do magic without wands.”

Griphook: “That’s immaterial! Wizards refuse to share the secrets of wand-lore with other magical beings, they deny us the possibility of extending our powers.”

There is nothing worse than a person—uh, I mean goblin—who thinks the world is out to get him, owes him something, and has a pervasive mistrust of others that taints everything he says or does. His desire to finagle his way by different sketchy means gives us pause. I find this type of behavior baffling and unnerving. Imagine a goblin saying or doing anything just to get what he wants. Unthinkable.

Perhaps you personally know a goblin or two…

So, if you want to really scare me this Halloween, grab your goblin ears and dress as Griphook or another goblin whose skepticism and potential for harm rules his life and leaves muggles like me feeling a bit scared and unbalanced.