Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Topics: Harry Potter, TV And Film, Warner Bros
I, like many others, have both read the Harry Potter books and watched the film series.
In fact, I’ve watched the film series multiple times and yet despite all of this, I’ve never questioned the origins of the Dementors.
It’s odd because now I’ve realised that, it’s a question I cannot let go of.
As I’m sure Harry Potter fans are all aware, Dementors are wraith-like creatures that can incapacitate an enemy using a move known as the ‘Dementor’s Kiss’.
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That’s not a pleasant smooch, instead with the Dementor sucking out your soul, leaving you in a vegetative state.
Typically, these creatures are used as a method of defence at the infamous wizard prison Azkaban, but where did they come from?
Well, fans have unearthed a few answers.
ICYMI: Take a look at the teaser trailer for HBO’s upcoming TV adaptation.
It all links back to a fellow known as Ekrizdis, the first inhabitant of Azkaban.
According to JK Rowling, as per information posted to Pottermore, Azkaban was first inhabited by evil wizard Ekrizdis during the 15th century.
There, he would supposedly lure passing muggle sailors, using them for torturous and murderous magical experiments.
Eventually, Ekrizdis lost his mind and when death came for him, his concealment charms over the island faded.
It’s at this point that the Ministry of Magic stumbled upon the island’s location, finding a building bustling with Dementors.
Of course, they’d later go on to establish Azkaban as a prison, but no one ever spoke of the horrors unearthed about Ekrizdis.
I’m imagining you may be putting two and two together.
While that’s the extent of the official info we have, the going theory is that the Dementors are Ekrizdis’ victims.
As Reddit user themorallessdoctor theories, perhaps “after a Dementor performs the Kiss on a human being, that person becomes a shell, basically just a container, which can eventually be filled with dark magic, turning a person into a Dementor”.
I’m inclined to think this might be true.
It’s an interesting tidbit of wizarding lore which begs the question: Why is Warner Bros. so dead set on rebooting Harry Potter when there are so many other stories that could be explored?
I always thought of Dementor’s, like Lupin, as foul creatures but now they’ve taken on a tragic undertone.
I’ll likely never look at them the same way again.