Why Did Sirius Black Turn Into A Dog & How Harry Potter’s Black Dog Die?

Why did Sirius Black turn into a Dog? Why Sirius’s animagus form was a Block Dog? How Harry Potter’s Black Dog Die? Let’s discover more about Sirius black dog in this post.

Sirius Black, Harry’s godfather, everyone knows is a fugitive from the Ministry of Magic, which mistakenly believes him to be a death eater.

He was able to escape Azkaban because he is an Animagus. He changed into his black dog form, squeezed through the bars of his cell, and swam to his freedom.

Let’s try to understand why Why Did Sirius Black Choose A Black Dog As His Animagus Form?

Why Did Sirius Black Choose a Black Dog as His Animagus Form?

His journey in the Harry Potter series was short-lived. The cool Godfather, friend, and rebel – Sirius won the hearts of many.

Sirius Black
Sirius Black

He was arrogant, but he had the right amount of arrogance. He could kill his friends and die for them too.

Also, he was revengeful, and passionately so. And that was probably why he could transform into his Animagus form even without having a wand in Azkaban.

Why Does Sirius Black turn into a Dog?

Why Did Sirius Black Choose A Black Dog As His Animagus Form
Why Did Sirius Black Choose a Black Dog as His Animagus Form

Almost every Harry Potter fan is aware of the story of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.

In the book, Rowling talks about how Lupin, Pettigrew, and James became werewolf, rat, and stag respectively, but the same explanation is missing about Sirius Black’s form of a dog.

Sirius Black’s animagus form was a black dog and here is why Sirius can turn into a dog:

The Dog Star

As an Animagus form, a black dog suits Sirius Black perfectly.

The name ‘Sirius’ comes from the name of a star often referred to as the Dog Star. It has that nickname because it is in the constellation known as the Great Dog. 

The star was given the name ‘Sirius’ because it is the brightest star in the sky. The Greek word seirios means ‘burning’.

The star has great significance in the magical world. As the symbol of the goddess Isis, it was central to the religion and philosophy of Egypt, where most magic originated.

The Egyptians used Sirius to set their calendars because its movements are linked to the seasons.

On the first day of summer, it rises just before the Sun. That was New Year’s day in ancient Egypt.

It forecasts the annual flooding of the Nile river, which gave vital nourishment to the growing fields. We refer to the long, hot days of summer now as ‘dog days’ because Sirius marks their arrival.

In fact, Sirius is so bright that it can be seen in daylight. The black dog has been used for thousands of years as a sign of the rising dog days of summer.

The Romans also associated Sirius with the goddess Diana. They called her Diana Seiria.

The Greek version of the name was Selene, but they didn’t know what the word Selene meant.

They assumed it was the name of the Moon goddess, Selene. They thought that Sirius was the Moon. So, they called Sirius Diana Seiria. The Romans also called Sirius Orion.

Padfoot

Why Sirius Black Dog Is Named Padfoot
Why Sirius black dog is named Padfoot

The Animagus form of a black dog is appropriate to Sirius Black in more than name alone. Magical dogs appear mysteriously throughout Europe and North America.

There have been many sightings in Britain, where they are known by names like Black Shuck, Old Shuck, Shucky Dog, the Shug Monster, and Shag Dog.

The residents of Staffordshire gave it the name Sirius uses: Padfoot.

That’s why Sirius black dog is named Padfoot.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Rowling reveals that names taken from astronomy are a Black family tradition. 

Sirius’s cousin, Andromeda is named for a galaxy, her sister Bellatrix is named for a bright star in the constellation Orion and Sirius’s third sister Narcissa is named for the brightest star in the constellation Leo.

Scholars were once convinced that the black dog was the preferred form of the Devil.

Even among people with less anxious minds, black dogs are widely feared.

Many consider them an omen of death. This is precisely what Professor Trelawney tells Harry his early sightings of Sirius mean.

Every animagus has a story. Sirius black dog form had one too.

And now you know why was Sirius black a dog as animagus.

What kind of Dog was Sirius Black?

Sirius Black’s Animagus form was a Scottish Deerhound dog named “Cleod”. Sirius Black turned into Cleod in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

How did Sirius Black Die in Harry Potter?

How Sirius Black Died
How Sirius Black Died

Harry Potter movie series has created a huge impact on the lives of people around the world.

Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) was one of the most adorable and popular characters of the Harry Potter series. His death in the film definitely upset the fans. 

Fans even have pages discussing the death of the fictional character Sirius Black, suggesting ways that his death could be prevented. They also discuss how his death matters to the plot and filmmakers’ ideas about doing so.

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) shared in an interview once that he considered himself fortunate to have worked with a versatile actor like Gary Oldman (Sirius Black). He said he didn’t want him to die soon in the film and it came as a shocker to him too.

The first time Sirius Black was mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was when Rubeus Hagrid borrowed a flying motorbike from him shortly after Lord Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter.

His character becomes prominent in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, in which he is the titular prisoner, and is also revealed to be the godfather of the central character Harry Potter. He, who appeared to be an insane killer of Harry, turned out to be his close ally, his godfather.

He made his final big appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Unfortunately, that was the last time we saw him in the series. 

Sirius Black lost his life due to his own cousin Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. 

Sirius died when Bellatrix casted a curse that sent him falling through the veil. Years later, Harry paid tribute to Sirius by naming his first son James Sirius Potter.

It was so sad to let him go.

Did this article answer “Why Sirius Black turned into a dog?”

How did you feel when Sirius Black died?

Why can Sirius Black turn into a Dog?

Sirius Black can turn into a Dog because he was an “Animagus”. An Animagus is a witch or wizard who could transform themselves into an animal and back again as per their choice.

What is Sirius Black’s Animagus?

Sirius Black’s Animagus form was a black dog. He transformed into his Animagus form to escape from the Azkaban.

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Editorial Team at TerraTale is a group of individuals and experts, who write about their experiences and learnings on a variety of subjects that anyone can connect with and reflect upon.

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