SOURCE: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (1998) and sequels.

DESCRIPTION: "And from the middle of the misty domed web, a spider the size of a small elephant emerged, very slowly. There was grey in the black of his body and legs, and each of the eyes on his ugly, pincered head was milky white. He was blind." (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling)

NOTES: Aragog came to England as an egg from a distant land. A young Hagrid raised the creature on table scraps, keeping it in a box. When the Chamber of Secrets was opened, Hagrid was blamed as was Aragog. Hagrid found Aragog a mate, named Mosag. They had many children, all giant spiders living in the Forbidden Forest. The spiders are forbidden to attack Hagrid but will eat his friends. One of Aragog's children is placed in the maze in the Third Task of the Triwizard Tourniment. It attacks Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter. They defeat it by casting their spells simulanteously.Horace Slughorn calls Aragog an acromantula and he and Harry Potter engineer it so Slughorn can take the dead spider's venom when Hagrid buries him. The venom is used for magical potions and is very expensive.

HISTORY: The inspiration for Aragog and his family is not hard to see: J. R. R. Tolkien. Aragog resembles Shelob and his kin the spiders of Mirkwood Forest. Unlike Bilbo, Harry Potter can not use invisibility to avoid them, but is rescued by Ron's enchanted car.

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