SOURCE: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling (1999).

DESCRIPTION: "...In the corner stood a very large tank of water. A sickly green creature with sharp little horns had its face pressed against the glass, pulling faces and flexing its, long, spindly fingers...The Grindylow bared its green teeth and then buried itself in a tangle of weed in a corner." (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling)

NOTES: Like the Kappa, the Grindylow is a water demon that preys upon the unsuspecting, pulling them to their deaths. The fingers of the Grindylow are exceptionally long and powerful. They are also brittle, and students like Harry Potter learn how to break them to escape the creature. Professor Lupin shows Harry the creature in his office. In The Goblet of Fire, during the Second Task, three grindylows attack Harry from the weddy lake bottom. In the fourth movie you get to see them, though they look squid-like. The Merfolk who live in the lake keep grindylows as pets.

HISTORY: Water monsters are part of folklore. Rowling is certainly not the first to use them in a Fantasy story. Manly Wade Wellman used them for a Weird Tales story called "The Kelpie" many decades earlier. Unfortunately the creature was never shown in the film version of The Prisoner of Azkaban.

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