Albus Dumbledore
Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a major character and one of the protagonists of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school, Hogwarts. As part of his backstory, it is revealed that he is the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization dedicated to fighting the main antagonist of the series, Lord Voldemort.
Considered the most powerful wizard in the world, Dumbledore is
benevolent and wise, a good wizard in the style of Merlin. He almost
constantly gives off an aura of serenity and composure, rarely
displaying intense emotions of anger or fear. Yet despite his benign
nature, it is said that Dumbledore was the only wizard Lord Voldemort
ever truly feared. Dumbledore is very eccentric and even slightly
effeminate; he is very fond of knitting patterns and frequently wears
flamboyant clothing (at one point, he is seen wearing a flowered
bonnet). He is also known for his odd displays of whimsicality; he often
uses humor to make people feel comfortable in his presence. As a
supremely talented wizard, Dumbledore displays numerous examples of
extraordinary powers. His abilities as a wizard are combined with a kind
of cunning and subtlety of mind that allowed him to comprehend human
nature and turn the better aspects of humanity (trust, love, and
friendship) to Voldemort's disadvantage in particular. Yet despite his
many talents and accomplishments, Dumbledore is never arrogant,
self-important or pompous and in this he stands above the other great
wizards of his day.
As a mentor to the central character Harry Potter,
"Dumbledore is a very wise man who knows that Harry is going to have to
learn a few hard lessons to prepare him for what may be coming in his
life. He allows Harry to get into what he wouldn't allow another pupil
to do, and he also unwillingly permits Harry to confront things he’d
rather protect him from." In a 1999 interview, Rowling stated that she
imagined Dumbledore "more as a John Gielgud type, you know, quite
elderly and – and quite stately." During his time as a student,
Dumbledore was in Gryffindor House. Rowling claimed in an interview that
Dumbledore was about 150 years old. However, on her website, she states
that Dumbledore was born in 1881, making him either 115 or 116 when he
died.
The author has stated that she enjoys writing Dumbledore because he "is the epitome of goodness." Rowling said that Dumbledore speaks for her, as he "knows pretty much everything" about the Harry Potter universe. Rowling mentioned that Dumbledore regrets "that he has always had to be the one who knew, and who had the burden of knowing. And he would rather not know."
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| Albus Dumbledore (portrayed by Michael Gambon) |
October 11th is "National Coming Out Day",
and to honor the holiday I present this little fun fact...
On October 19, 2007, JK Rowling was asked by a young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love." Rowling said that she always thought of Dumbledore as being homosexual and that he had fallen in love with Gellert Grindelwald, which was Dumbledore's "great tragedy"; Rowling did not explicitly state whether Grindelwald returned his affections, however. Rowling explains this further by elaborating on the motivations behind Dumbledore's flirtation with the idea of wizard domination of Muggles: "He lost his moral compass completely when he fell in love and I think subsequently became very mistrustful of his own judgement in those matters so became quite asexual. He led a celibate and a bookish life."
Dumbledore is portrayed by Richard Harris in the film adaptions of
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets. After Harris' death, Michael Gambon portrayed
Dumbledore for all of the remaining films.
Let the witchery begin! Celebrate Halloween all October long
with a new witch post every day! Who's your favorite?
