Nagini: Character Analysis

[mexicant]

Originally Posted by chparadise

Was LV possessing Nagini from afar at the time? Perhaps that's how she could understand English.

Nagini is tough to figure out whether she was nasty by nature or nasty by Voldy, or both.

Do we know from what "age" was Nagini Voldy's pet?

As far as I know, we haven't been given that information. I still think it is hard to call any animal good or bad in the same sense we think of the word simply by the nature of many animals. Many animals, unlike humans, have no choice but to kill to eat, yet I don't feel that makes them bad or evil. It is simply in their instincts and nature. Snakes especially often seem to fall victim to the kill or be killed life, which is why I believe so many of them often turn to cannibalism to stay alive. If that is all they can get, then so be it. They shouldn't have to answer to the same rules we do, I think.

[Hes]

Originally Posted by snapegirl77

Yes, that's the part I meant. Nagini must have understood English or somehow know enough to fake it. I doubt Harry accidently spoke Parseltongue to her because Hermione was right there most of the time. Hermione would have known something was wrong if Harry wasn't talking to "Bathilda" in English.

I agree Hermione would have known straight away, so yes there was no parseltongue outside.

Originally Posted by chparadise

Do we know from what "age" was Nagini Voldy's pet?

I think that she wasn't his pet before Voldemort lost his body, don't know why though. I always imagined they met in Albania, where Voldemort possessed snakes, but he liked her better then others and thus she became his companion. But if she is a magical creation she could also have been his pet from before the attack on Harry and Voldemort looked her up when he came back to England in the company of Pettigrew.

[Tenshi]

Originally Posted by Hes

I think that she wasn't his pet before Voldemort lost his body, don't know why though. I always imagined they met in Albania, where Voldemort possessed snakes, but he liked her better then others and thus she became his companion. But if she is a magical creation she could also have been his pet from before the attack on Harry and Voldemort looked her up when he came back to England in the company of Pettigrew.

That's what I think as well. That would also fit in the "biggest snake of Europe lives on the Balkan" thing. A normal snake can get an age of around 15 years.

[Hes]

Originally Posted by Tenshi

That's what I think as well. That would also fit in the "biggest snake of Europe lives on the Balkan" thing. A normal snake can get an age of around 15 years.

A snake like a Cobra is known to get 28 years old . So it's certainly possible that Nagini was something like a baby when Voldemort met her for the first time and she grew and grew.

[Tenshi]

Originally Posted by Hes

A snake like a Cobra is known to get 28 years old . So it's certainly possible that Nagini was something like a baby when Voldemort met her for the first time and she grew and grew.

But a cobra has the characteristic look. I don't think that nobody would have recognised it. Furthermore, how could they have met?

To get to another topic:
What was her relationship to the other Death Eaters?
How did they reacted to her? Did they fear her? She was able to communicate with Voldy and could have told him things she secretly discovered.

[Hes]

Originally Posted by Tenshi

But a cobra has the characteristic look. I don't think that nobody would have recognised it. Furthermore, how could they have met?

I didn't say that Nagini was a Cobra, just that snakes can get really old, like you said in your post too

To get to another topic:
What was her relationship to the other Death Eaters?
How did they reacted to her? Did they fear her? She was able to communicate with Voldy and could have told him things she secretly discovered.

I think they must have feared her. Wormtail especially since Voldemort threatened to feed him to Nagini at least once or twice.

She could have been a spy on occasion, the DE must have know Voldemort and she could talk together, so they wouldn't have dared to say anything when she was around, but when they didn't see her...

[DeathlyH]

Originally Posted by chparadise

Was LV possessing Nagini from afar at the time? Perhaps that's how she could understand English.

Nagini is tough to figure out whether she was nasty by nature or nasty by Voldy, or both.

Do we know from what "age" was Nagini Voldy's pet?

well, it must have been some time after he started making Horcruxes. I forget, who's death did JKR say was used to make each Horcrux? The only way this doesn't work is if Nagini was Voldy's pet even before his quest for Hrcxs. began. I wonder....?

[Tenshi]

Originally Posted by Hes

I think they must have feared her. Wormtail especially since Voldemort threatened to feed him to Nagini at least once or twice.

And we saw that Voldemort had no scruple to actually feed her humans.

She could have been a spy on occasion, the DE must have know Voldemort and she could talk together, so they wouldn't have dared to say anything when she was around, but when they didn't see her...

Exactly, that's why I think that they hated her existence. First because she could tell Voldemort everything and second because Voldemort used her as weapon.

Originally Posted by deathly721

well, it must have been some time after he started making Horcruxes. I forget, who's death did JKR say was used to make each Horcrux? The only way this doesn't work is if Nagini was Voldy's pet even before his quest for Hrcxs. began. I wonder....?

Nagini made a Horcrux with the murder of Bertha Jorkins.

Lady Bella: Whose murders did voldemor use to create each of the horcruxes J.K. Rowling: The diary - Moaning Myrtle. The cup - Hepzibah Smith, the previous owner. The locket - a Muggle tramp. Nagini - Bertha Jorkins (Voldemort could use a wand once he regained a rudimentary body, as long as the victim was subdued).

[DeathlyH]

Originally Posted by Tenshi

And we saw that Voldemort had no scruple to actually feed her humans.


Exactly, that's why I think that they hated her existence. First because she could tell Voldemort everything and second because Voldemort used her as weapon.


Nagini made a Horcrux with the murder of Bertha Jorkins.

Thank you! I knew it was either Bertha or ol' Frank Bryce, just couldn't remember which.

[mexicant]

Oh yay, new questions!
I think Nagini's main role in regards to the Death Eaters was to instill a sense of fear. We saw Wormtail getting repeatedly "promised" to Nagini, and it is pretty evident that Voldemort was not above using this threat as a means to keep people in line and make sure they are busting their butts for him. I do believe that Nagini was used by Voldie to spy on the Death Eaters, and I think they knew this and it made them forever wary. I believe that Voldemort was able to keep her presence concealed if he wanted to, and I'm sure they knew this. It probably kept them all on their toes, especially at their new headquarters - Malfoy Manor. I couldn't help but think that Voldemort was partly referring to Nagini's presence when he made the jibe to the Malfoy's about their newest house guests.

[Chris]

I think that the DE's hated Nagini, but couldn't display it. She could spy on them and give LV information, so they had to worry about both Nagini and LV. And, they knew that he might feed them to her if they really messed up - which, in the end, was a lot like what Nagini did to Snape.

[mexicant]

Originally Posted by chparadise

I think that the DE's hated Nagini, but couldn't display it. She could spy on them and give LV information, so they had to worry about both Nagini and LV. And, they knew that he might feed them to her if they really messed up - which, in the end, was a lot like what Nagini did to Snape.

You know what, I think what happened with Nagini and Snape was even worse - she just killed him, then left. He was only disposed of, he wasn't even eaten. Killed just to be killed.

Do you think Nagini minded not being able to snack on him?

[Hes]

Originally Posted by mexicant

Do you think Nagini minded not being able to snack on him?

Snakes don't have to eat that often, so if she had eaten recently she probably wouldn't have minded. They don't have teeth, they swallow their preys whole (eeks an image of Snape swallowed whole ) and digest slowly...

I do wonder how much mind of her own Nagini still possessed. She was obviously influenced by Voldemort's soul, but was it a full possession or could she still respond on her natural instincts by herself?

[Chris]

Originally Posted by mexicant

You know what, I think what happened with Nagini and Snape was even worse - she just killed him, then left. He was only disposed of, he wasn't even eaten. Killed just to be killed.

Do you think Nagini minded not being able to snack on him?

Good point in Hes' post about not needing to eat very often...I do think that Nagini, if hungry, may have minded. But, as others have pointed out, her taste for humans was likely due to Voldemort's practice.

I think that, for large parts of DH, Nagini was just an extension of Voldemort or a tool for Voldemort. She didn't have too much "snake free will" left at that point.

[snapegirl]

Originally Posted by Hes

Snakes don't have to eat that often, so if she had eaten recently she probably wouldn't have minded. They don't have teeth, they swallow their preys whole (eeks an image of Snape swallowed whole ) and digest slowly...

Snakes do have teeth. They're very sharp and curved backwards to help them pull the prey into their mouth.

I wonder if Nagini was fed on a steady diet of humans after she met Voldemort or if she did eat normal snake food too. I can't remember if we ever see her eat anything else.

[Magi]

Originally Posted by snapegirl77

I wonder if Nagini was fed on a steady diet of humans after she met Voldemort or if she did eat normal snake food too. I can't remember if we ever see her eat anything else.

I have a horrid image of Nagini swallowing a human whole, although that would be physically impossible for her to do unless her jaws were incredibly large (like a small crocodile's).

[Hes]

Originally Posted by chparadise

I think that, for large parts of DH, Nagini was just an extension of Voldemort or a tool for Voldemort. She didn't have too much "snake free will" left at that point.

Yes I think you are right, the power of Voldemort's soul must have been excessive and made it impossible for her to do things she wanted.

We know what the bit of soul inside Harry did to him, Harry however contrary to Nagini could (to a certain extent) rid himself from it if he really wanted. Nagini being an animal with a different kind of working conscience probably reacted in another way then Harry. Nagini of course was almost constantly in Voldemort's presence. She couldn't escape from Voldemort and the influence of the soul like Harry could.

Originally Posted by snapegirl77

Snakes do have teeth. They're very sharp and curved backwards to help them pull the prey into their mouth.

Yeah I know, I guess I should have written: they don't munch on their food

I wonder if Nagini was fed on a steady diet of humans after she met Voldemort or if she did eat normal snake food too. I can't remember if we ever see her eat anything else.

Well I believe she might have had a preference for rats... if she met up with Voldemort in Albania they might have bonded over a dinner of rats (didn't Voldemort say he lived on rats while being Vapormort or is that my imagination?) but a straying muggle might have been her dinner once in a while too. Don't think I ever read what she really ate. Would she have eaten Arthur if she hadn't been disturbed in OotP?

Originally Posted by Magi

I have a horrid image of Nagini swallowing a human whole, although that would be physically impossible for her to do unless her jaws were incredibly large (like a small crocodile's).

It's awful but I think that an anaconda sized snake could do it, on occasion you see pictures pop up from big pythons or other big snakes that swallow crocodiles. Usually they don't survive that though.

[snapegirl]

Originally Posted by Magi

I have a horrid image of Nagini swallowing a human whole, although that would be physically impossible for her to do unless her jaws were incredibly large (like a small crocodile's).

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but we saw her eat the Muggle studies teacher.

Anyway, it's true normal snakes would have problems swallowing an adult human whole. I saw a show on TV where a python killed and tried to eat a full-grown man. It couldn't get past the shoulders. I'm unsure if normal snake rules apply here, though.
Assuming Nagini was just a normal snake before Voldemort, I always felt she could have been a very large python type snake that Voldemort used magic on to get even bigger and venomous (since large pythons are about the right size, can constrict humans to death and try to eat them, but they're not venomous). Again, that's just what I think might have happened and I could be wrong.

[Hes]

Originally Posted by snapegirl77

Assuming Nagini was just a normal snake before Voldemort, I always felt she could have been a very large python type snake that Voldemort used magic on to get even bigger and venomous (since large pythons are about the right size, can constrict humans to death and try to eat them, but they're not venomous). Again, that's just what I think might have happened and I could be wrong.

I agree, this is how it probably must have happened. A few enlargement spells and maybe some transfiguration and the job should be quite easily done. It's likely that Voldemort used some permanent spells that made her transformation from a relatively normal snake to what she was. Wonder if this needed dark magic or that anyone could make their own Nagini...

[mexicant]

I feel like I should mention here that Dumbledore had said it was dangerous to use animals as horcruxes because they can move and think for themselves. I think this points us toward Nagini still having had some of herself and some control over herself. I just think it meant she was more easily controlled than she would have been by Voldemort.