Self-Proclaimed “Dobby’s Freedom Keeper” Regularly Replaces House-Elf’s Headstone

by · August 15, 2019

For Harry Potter fans, Dobby the house-elf has long been a symbol of freedom and friendship. Since 2009, Dobby’s gravesite, located on Pembrokeshire’s Freshwater West beach, has become an important destination for avid fans of the Harry Potter series, with many travelers having visited to leave their own messages to the world’s favorite house-elf.

In early 2019, reports emerged revealing the disappearance of Dobby’s headstone, devastating fans. Fortunately, Kaiye Nazer, a 49-year-old Pembroke local, stepped in.

Deciding that it was important for Dobby’s symbolism to live on for Harry Potter fans young and old, Nazer created a replacement headstone, inscribing it with Harry’s words – “Here lies Dobby, a free elf” – and leaving it at Dobby’s gravesite for fans to visit. But again the stone vanished.

 

A stone is inscribed with the words "Here lies Dobby, a free elf - H.P".

One of the headstones made by Kaiye Nazer

 

Nazer made four replacement headstone for Dobby, all of which mysteriously disappeared not long after she placed them. Nazer explained her persistence.

We’ve not long moved here, and I took my kids to Freshwater. My daughter is a big fan of Harry Potter, as is my mother-in-law, and they were excited when we found it. But we went back a couple of weeks later and it was gone. I decided to create another headstone and put it back there for people to discover and enjoy. A month later, it had gone again. I thought, ‘OK, I will do another one’ but then that disappeared after two days! I created a third one, and that one lasted a bit longer, but it has gone again. I’ve put a fourth one there now and have not been down to see if it’s still there since. I’ve added another message on another stone [that] reads ‘Do not steal Dobby’s headstone’.

Now, believing that the headstone thieves are likely holidaymakers without any real love for the Harry Potter series, Nazer has begun to add her own initials, as opposed to Harry’s, at the bottom of her handmade headstones. She hopes that this will deter people from taking the stones.

 

A large pile of inscribed stones is shown.

Many “Harry Potter” fans have left inscribed stones at the site in tribute to Dobby.

 

For now, Nazer plans to continue her headstone making and replacing.

It only takes me 10 minutes to do, but it makes me feel happy, as I know Harry Potter fans young and old will take happiness from finding it. It brings people to the beach, and it’s harmless if it makes people happy. It is important to a lot of people. I have been given the name ‘Dobby’s freedom keeper’ by the people who know I do it!