Art Repatriation and Cultural Emperialism
Pottermore contains an account of the creation of the Goblin Sword of Ragnuk, commonly (but erroneously) known as the "Sword of Gryffindor".
As you can see below, even though the (human) author has attempted to conceal the true ownership behind a skein of lies and mistruths, it should be immediately apparent that Godric Gryffindor used illegal magic and threats of genocide to prevent its true owner, the Goblin King Ragnuk from regaining possession of it, in full accordance with Goblin law.
The sword was made to Godric Gryffindor's specifications by Ragnuk the
First, finest of the goblin silversmiths, and therefore King (in
goblin culture, the ruler does not work less than the others, but more
skilfully). When it was finished, Ragnuk coveted it so much that he
pretended that Gryffindor had stolen it from him, and sent minions to
steal it back. Gryffindor defended himself with his wand, but did not
kill his attackers. Instead he sent them back to their king bewitched,
to deliver the threat that if he ever tried to steal from Gryffindor
again, Gryffindor would unsheathe the sword against them all.
The goblin king took the threat seriously and left Gryffindor in
possession of his rightful property, but remained resentful until he
died. This was the foundation for the false legend of Gryffindor's
theft that persists, in some sections of the goblin community, to this
day. - Pottermore
One of the modern representatives of the noble Goblin race; a hero named Griphook attempted to convince a group of bigoted young human wizards of the true ownership of the Sword. Their first instinct was to deny this claim, then to make an attempt to cheat the Goblins out of their rightful inheritance;
‘No!’ cried the goblin, bristling with anger as he pointed a long
finger at Ron. ‘Wizarding arrogance again! That sword was Ragnuk the
First’s, taken from him by Godric Gryffindor! It is a lost treasure, a
masterpiece of goblinwork! It belongs with the goblins! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
We later learn that Goblin law is extremely clear, all goblin-made objects are considered to be sold under lease and should return to the possession of the Goblin maker after the death of their lessor;
‘You don’t understand, Harry, nobody could understand unless they have
lived with goblins. To a goblin, the rightful and true master of any
object is the maker, not the purchaser. All goblin-made objects are,
in goblin eyes, rightfully theirs.’
‘But if it was bought –’
‘– then they would consider it rented by the one who had paid the
money. They have, however, great difficulty with the idea of
goblin-made objects passing from wizard to wizard. You saw Griphook’s
face when the tiara passed under his eyes. He disapproves. I believe
he thinks, as do the fiercest of his kind, that it ought to have been
returned to the goblins once the original purchaser died. They
consider our habit of keeping goblin-made objects, passing them from
wizard to wizard without further payment, little more than theft.’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The principle of the repatriation of looted artworks and objects of cultural significance is well known and widely accepted across the civilised world. Many consider it undeniable that the Goblin Sword of Ragnuk is one of those items. As such, the sword is the lawful and righful possession of the Goblin people both morally and legally.
