Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re going
to be discussing death. However, we’re not going to be discussing death in the traditional
sense- i.e, moving on to the afterlife, we’re going to be discussing death personified.
Now, if you’re aware of the tale of the Deathly Hallows- which, you certainly should
be- then you’ll remember a figure that was representative of death. He was the concept
of death in one figure- a personification of that which represents an end; finality.
Death is an interesting topic in Harry Potter not only because of the figure from the tale
of three brothers- but also because of how it’s depicted. Where in our own world death
can sometimes be much more ‘permanent’ and traditional, the derivation of death which
exists in Harry Potter is much more open-ended. Before we get in to that too deeply- I want
to say that everyone has a different perspective of death- whether it’s rooted to your religion
or just your level of spirituality. Harry potter portrays death quite uniquely- as it
makes a clear distinction between the body and the soul- with the body purely being a
vessel that carries your vital life force- the soul within. The soul is a common theme
within the Harry Potter story- and time and time again we’re brought to its significance
and its relationship to death. When someone’s soul is sucked out of them by a Dementor-
they’re not considered ‘dead’ but- almost, and this notion of being ‘almost dead’
or in some kind of limbo state is repeated across Harry Potter in varying ways- whether
it’s in the form of ‘ghosts’, ‘shades’ or the dead reincarnated. In Harry Potter,
death is much less finite- and there are many ways that your soul can continue to live on-
not necessarily always travelling all the way to the afterlife. But perhaps the most
unique representation of death in Harry Potter is its personification- the figure from the
tale of the three brothers which tells of the story of the deathly hallows. Who is this
figure? Did he really exist- or is it an old wives tale?
The original story of the deathly hallows comes from the tales of beedle the bard- fictional
stories written for young witches and wizards meant to contain lessons or morals.
However, we clearly see in the Harry Potter books that the Hallows mentioned from his
story actually exist- the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak.
So- my question is, just how far from fiction was Beedle’s tale? Clearly there’s some
truth to it- but, how much? More importantly, is DEATH a real figure?
From the tales of beedle the bard:
"There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight.
In time, the brothers reached a river, too deep to wade through, and too dangerous to
swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply
waved their wands, and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway
across it, when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure, and it was Death. He was
angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned
in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their
magic, and said that each had earned a prize for being clever enough to evade him.”
"So, the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any
in existence. A wand that must always win battles for its owner. A wand worthy of a
wizard who had conquered Death. So, Death crossed to an Elder Tree on the banks of the
river, fashioned a wand from a branch that had hung there, and gave it to the oldest
brother.”
"Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death
still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So, Death picked
up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the
stone would have the power to bring back the dead.”
"Finally, Death turned to the third brother. A humble man, he asked for something that
would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And so it
was, that Death reluctantly handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.”
In essence, Death gave all three brothers one of the fabled Deathly Hallows- and they
all had their own unique fate. No brother wanted to ever see death again- but that wouldn’t
have ever been possible.The first brother was killed in his sleep and Death took him
for his own. The second brother tragically ended his own life- which meant that, you
guessed, he met death once again. The last brother, who claimed the invisibility cloak-
was a wiser, better man- and he used his cloak to escape death for most of his life. However,
when the third brother finally reached an age where he was happy with what he had accomplished-
he took the cloak off and graciously met death once again- effectively choosing to depart
the world of the living. Regardless of the decision that the brothers made, or the actions
that they took, they ultimately all faced death once again- and the way that it’s
depicted in the story shows them physically encountering this same personification of
death from earlier.
If the tale is real- how did Beedle know about what had happened-or of the relationship between
death and the brothers? Did Beedle write fact or fiction? One thing to consider is that
the Tales of Beedle The Bard continually reinforce that the stories are in fact the authors original
creations. However- that certainly doesn’t mean that Beedle did not draw inspiration
from his life experiences- the things that he had done- or the people that he had met.
JK Rowling supplies the following foreword to the book:
“If his stories accurately reflect his opinions, he rather liked Muggles, whom he regarded
as ignorant rather than malevolent; he mistrusted Dark Magic, and he believed that the worst
excesses of wizardkind sprang from the all-too-human traits of cruelty, apathy, or arrogant misapplication
of their own talents. The heroes and heroines who triumph in his stories are not those with
the most powerful magic, but rather those who demonstrate the most kindness, common
sense, and ingenuity.”
There’s little evidence to support either argument- that the stories were fabricated
entirely or that Beedle drew inspiration from something that he had witnessed in his life.
However, given that the Hallows actually exist- I’m willing to bet that it was the latter.
We know the 3 hallows genuinely exist, and that can be confirmed- but was the ‘personification’
just Beedle adding his own spin to the story? How can we be sure that death wasn’t just
a powerful dark wizard? Could it be possible that the three brothers were talented wizards
that just created the hallows themselves?
As it stands, there is no proof that suggests that death personified is indeed real. His
existence is only mentioned in ONE work- and it’s a fictional one. To say that Death
exists because of this one book for children is a stretch- particularly as the existence
of the hallows is the only real argument one could make for his existence- and there could
be many ways that the hallows themselves were created. Albus Dumbledore- a respected wise
old wizard- doesn’t seem to have much faith in the validity of death’s existence:
“So it’s true?” asked Harry. “All of it? The Peverell brothers—”
“—were the three brothers of the tale,” said Dumbledore, nodding.
“Oh yes, I think so. Whether they met Death on a lonely road . . . I think it more likely
that the Peverell brothers were simply gifted, dangerous wizards who succeeded in creating
those powerful objects. The story of them being Death’s own Hallows seems to me the
sort of legend that might have sprung up around such creations.”
And I’m with Dumbledore on that one- there are many powerful artefacts in the Harry Potter
universe-and the Hallows, though powerful, don’t seem outside the realm of possibility.
I don’t think that Death existed, but, am I certain? Certainly not.
What do you guys think?
Let me know in the comment section below
Until next time
Remember
To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure