 |
 Characters - The Harry Potter Characters Page gives you access to biographies, pictures and links to all the Harry Potter Characters from the series. Including: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and more!
|
|
|
|
|
The Madame Maxime Page contains information on the Harry Potter character who first makes an appearance in the Goblet of Fire. There is a biography, links and Madame Maxime pictures.
|
Olympe Maxime is the headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy, the French equivalent of Hogwarts wizarding school. Madame Maxime is first seen in the fourth book (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) when she and some French students arrive at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. Her huge size leads to the assumption that she is a half-giant, though she denies her ancestry publicly, insisting that she is just "big-boned". But in view of her great height, and resemblance to Hagrid, the conclusion is inescapable. Hagrid flirted with her briefly, but she was repulsed when he admitted to being a half-giant himself; she may have been in denial, or may have disliked Hagrid's bluntness on the issue.
However, Madame Maxime's principles overrode her desire to protect herself from anti-giant prejudice when she agreed to accompany Hagrid as an envoy to the giants. Hagrid, already attracted to her by fellow feeling (she's the first half-giant he's ever met other than himself) was impressed by her cool head for spellwork under fire, and by her uncomplaining acceptance of the rigors of travel. On Hagrid's part, at least, a romantic attachment seems to have formed, but Madame Maxime's feelings for Hagrid are open to interpretation.
She seems to have simply been using him early in their acquaintance to acquire more information about the Triwizard tasks on her champion's behalf. She felt threatened when Hagrid tried to talk about their shared half-giant background at the Yule Ball, but seemed sombre after leaving him in an outburst of temper. After Rita Skeeter published an expose of Hagrid's family history, Hagrid, (not knowing of Skeeter's methods of gathering information) thought that Maxime must have betrayed him. He treated her attempts to make up with him as further attempts to gather information on the Triwizard, but judging from signs of genuine distress exhibited by Maxime, by that point she genuinely cared what he thought of her.
Olympe is the French word for Olympus, the mountain home of the Greek gods; it presumably refers to her size and imposing looks. Maxime comes from the Latin word, maxima, meaning greatest or largest. It is also French for "principle", a play on her being the "principal" of her school. She runs counter to the popular stereotype of giants as violent, crude barbarians; she dresses elegantly in silk and jewels, and according to Dumbledore is an excellent dancer. Madame Maxime's preferred mode of transportation is a great powder-blue carriage drawn by twelve winged palominos, and she breeds Abraxan winged horses.
|
|
|
|
Pictures
Links
 Film Focus - This page features a photograph of Madame Maxime in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. www.filmfocus.co.uk
Large And In Charge - A shrine dedicated to the Harry Potter character Madame Maxime, contains links and fan art. http://mmaxime.tripod.com/
|
|
Back
