Aragog: Beast or Beauty?

by Bloke44

Abstract: I am writing to support Aragog: the misunderstood Acromantula. I know that sometimes Hagrid can have an unhealthy obsession with magical creatures, but I’m totally with him on the Aragog front.

Hagrid: Rash or Not?

Hagrid is accused of being rash for owning Aragog, but I must comment that he was not aware of the danger Aragog posed. Tom Riddle accuses Aragog of being vicious when we all know he was the vicious one! Hagrid was not acting thoughtlessly and rashly, because he thought Aragog would make a harmless pet and was unaware of the developments Aragog would make – leading people to believe that he was monstrous. Also, at the time Hagrid owned him, he was small and really was harmless – as Hagrid had pointed out.

Untrue Accusations.

Aragog never killed anyone (contradicting the accusations suggesting that he had an appetite for wizards and witches). At this point I must admit that in the Dark Forest he did say to Ron and Harry: “My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat when it wanders so willingly into our midst” (COS, p.207). People must realize that he did not make a habit of eating wizards and witches himself, but his children were starving. and when baby acromantulas are starving, they usually resort to eating the parent – so Aragog was desperate and was left with little choice but to oblige his children’s hunger. In a different situation, with Ron and Harry being friends of Hagrid, he would probably not have let his children attempt to eat them.

Everyone accuses Acromantulas of being merciless, cold-hearted, unforgiving, and fearless, but they have their own fears themselves: the Basilisk. I can empathize with them on this topic, because the Basilisk really is a king of darkness, and with the Acromantulas being ancient enemies of the Basilisk, the hatred between them runs deep, which really is a problem for the Acromantulas! They can also be friendly towards wizards and witches and can become loyal and protective over them: like the relationship between Hagrid and Aragog.

I can understand people disliking Acromantulas because of Arachnophobia, but it is pretty biased to then judge an Acromantula that has a strong bond with someone from the wizarding world of being flesh-eating and dangerous!

Aragog’s point of view.

When you look at the overall picture from Aragog’s point of view, you realize he had a pretty tough time. He loved Hagrid for adopting him, but he was scared because he was locked in a box in the school, with the Basilisk on the loose. To make matters worse, he was then accused of being the monster that lurked on the school grounds, and that killed Moaning Myrtle and petrified many others. He knew that this was the Basilisk, so he would have been scared that it would find him, and being ancient enemies, the Basilisk would have dealt him a merciless death. So by the time Tom Riddle confronted Hagrid about the danger he supposedly posed, and the opportunity came to escape, despite his devoted love to Hagrid, driven crazy by the general misunderstanding of him, Aragog ran. He then had to, from a young age, rear himself in the Dark Forest, where especially dark creatures dwelt. So by the time he had fully grown, despite his majestic size and razor-like fangs, the scars of his juvenile days still left him shaken, and of course, his love for Hagrid never waned.

So: Beast Or Beauty?

Based on my points I think it is clear that he is neither beast nor beauty. This is because he is clearly more innocent than portrayed, and although he looks ugly and evil, looks aren’t everything! He has done some things that are quite evil, but only when he was practically forced to. I don’t think that any creature who has such a bond with a witch or wizard, such as Hagrid’s and Aragog’s, should ever be accused of being flesh-eating and dangerous. Also, the fact that he never personally harmed any wizard or witch makes the accusations completely intangible and baseless! When you actually think about it, he is a friendly creature. So all of those Arachnophobic Harry Potter fans need to lighten up, and go Aragog!