History:

The Thestral is a breed of winged horse with a skeletal body, face with reptile-like features, and wide wings that resemble a bat's. They are native to the British Isles and Ireland. They have also been spotted in parts of France and the Iberian Peninsula. Thestral's are very rare and were considered dangerous by the British Ministry of Magic. They were known as "omens of misfortune and aggression" by many wizards because they were visible only to those who had witnessed death at least once.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had an extremely loyal flock of Thestrals and they were used mainly to pull the carriages that lead the older students from Hogsmeade station to the gates of the Castle. To people who couldn't see Thestrals, it appeared that the carriages were pulled by nothing.

 

 

 

 

Appearance:

Thestrals have quite a scary appearance and wizards who were capable of seeing them often only described them as the creatures being spooky. This is because they were seen as having big, bony figures and their dragon-like faces with white, glittering eyes that lacked both expression and pupils.

Being a type of winged horse, they were pretty identical to the different winged horse breeds, excluding their large wings that sprouted from their back. Unlike the Abraxan, another breed of winged horses, Thestral's wings did not possess any feathers at all; they had black and leathery wings that were similar to that of a bat.

Their bodies were covered with a translucent and glossy coat. This smooth and dark skin was a bit slippery and so thin that Thestral's bones were clearly defined. These dark creatures had long black manes, as well as a large tail, either with flowing black hair, like horses or ending in a tuft, like zebras. Another big distinction was their sharp fangs.

Their Magical of Magic Classification is: Beast and XXXX

 

 

 

Fun Facts:

• Traveling by Thestral is technically illegal, as it was a breach of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.

•Thestral's were lured by the scent of blood.

• The name thestral comes from the archaic English word thester, meaning "dark" or "gloomy", and the suffix -al, meaning "of or pertaining to". Together, the name means "of/pertaining to the dark" or "to gloom."

 

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Question: What is your opinion of Thestral's? Are they scary or intriguing creatures?  

~ Let me know in the comments what you think! ~

 

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Thank you so much for reading this fifth volume of the Amazing Creatures of Magic! If you would ever like for me to feature a certain magical creature, please feel free to owl me; and I will be sure to feature them! The creatures that can be mentioned in these blogs can be from those known within the wizarding world to creatures from myths/legends/lore around the world.
 

Until next time!