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What is special about the Gryffindor ghost Nearly Headless Nick?
Nearly Headless Nick is the Gryffindor house ghost. Though he prefers to be called by his real name – Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington – everyone refers to him by his nickname, which he received due to not being beheaded properly. His ghostly head swings to the side as though on a hinge.
What happened to Nearly Headless Nick when he saw the basilisk?
On December 18, 1992, Nick was Petrified by the gaze of a basilisk, the creature from the Chamber of Secrets. He remained Petrified, which for a ghost means that he was the color of smoke and completely immobilized, for several months until May 30, 1993.
Does Nearly Headless Nick join the Headless Hunt?
The Headless Hunt participated in head-intensive events such as Horseback Head-Juggling, Headless Bowling, and Head Polo. The Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick was annually denied admission to the Headless Hunt despite only a half inch of skin holding his head to his neck.
What is the story behind Nearly Headless Nick?
Nearly Headless Nick is the nickname of the ghost of Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, a wizard who died in a botched execution on October 31, 1492. He was hit forty-five times in the neck with a blunt axe, but a half-inch of skin and sinew remained connecting his head to the rest of his body ( CS8 ).
Why did Sir Nicholas choose to stay as a ghost?
Sir Nicholas chose to linger as a ghost rather than “go on”, because, by his own admission, he feared death. He became the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and would spend his life after death there.
What does Sir Nicholas mean in Harry Potter?
—Sir Nicholas greets Gryffindor first years [src] Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, known after his death as Nearly Headless Nick, (d. 31 October, 1492) was a wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. He was a wizard of the royal court as an adult.
Who played Nearly Headless Nick in the Harry Potter movies?
In the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Nearly Headless Nick is played by John Cleese. In the Welsh translation, Nicholas is called “Syr Goronwy ap Gwallter”, which literally translated as “Sir Goronwy son of Gwallter”, commonly Anglicised as “Walter”.