"If we turn our heads and look away and hope that it will all disappear then they will - all of them, an entire generation of people. And we will have only history left to judge us."
Most good HP Sleuths are familiar with the Lethifold/Dementor connection. However, I would like to explore this theory further and pose some possible answers to the many questions surrounding this topic. I think this subject is important, as it is a mystery that JKR has obviously left out for us, and has left until the last two books in order to reveal the truth. So, first, let us examine the similarities between the dementors and the lethifolds.
The following is told about the lethifolds in Fantastic Beasts:
- mercifully rare
- found solely in tropical climates
- also called the living shroud
- resembles a black cloak
- is usually about half an inch thick and thicker after digesting a victim
- glides along the ground at night
- is described in the only first hand account as clammy and cold
- repelled only by the Patronus Charm
We see from this entry various similarities between the Lethifolds and the Dementors. The dementors look like some sort of skeleton wearing a shroud. Both are associated with clamminess and cold. Both creatures also beat a hasty retreat after being hit with the patronus. Both glide on the ground. Both are not fond of daylight (this is only true if you believe that the lethifolds come out at night for another reason other than simply because of the sleeping prey).
The two also share differences. We have been tipped off in the book by Harry that the Dementors cannot take heat, while the Lethifold lives exclusively in exotic climates. Lethifolds have no abilities other than their physical smothering attack while the Dementors have their Kiss. Despite the differences however, it is futile to deny that Dementors probably originate from Lethifolds.
Miscellaneous Facts
- Dementors seem to be ashamed of their appearance. When Harry looks at the dementor's exposed arm, the dementor covers it up quickly.
- Lethifold seems to be composed of two words: Lethal and Folds ' Lethal Folds
- Another name for the lethifold is "living shroud" (for those unfamiliar with the word shroud it is cloth a dead person is wrapped in e.g. Shroud of Turin - supposedly the cloth Jesus was wrapped in post-mortem.
- Dementors fingers are focused on more than once - they are long and bony
- Dementors are described as looking like they have been in water for a long time
- JKR seems to make a point of saying that the lethifold devours successfully suffocated prey
So, how do we resolve the origin of the Dementors? There are several possibilities. Crossbreeding of species involving Lethifolds, Dementors turning wizards into Dementors w/ the Kiss (doesn't explain however the origin of the Dementors) and Lethifolds turning into Dementors when they have devoured a certain amount of people.
The following are possibilities I have come up with which I have also rated and attached questions:
Crossbreeding: After being reminded about the comment about the dementors hands and the water and the rotting, I began to search Fantastic Beasts for some kind of water creature that could have some human like qualities, especially fingers. I found such a creature. The Grindylow (remeniscent of Grendel from Beowulf) is a water demon which is aggressive to Muggles and Wizards alike though Merpeople have been able to domesticate it. It has long powerful fingers.
Rating (1-5): 2 --> All this accounts for are the water references and not much else. Also, where would a grindylow and I lethifold ever come into contact (grindylow found only in lakes in Ireland and Britain) Why is it repelled by the Patronus? Why the Kiss?
Lethifold eats wizard: As I noted above, JKR makes a point of mentioning that a Lethifold eats a successfully suffocated prey. What if the Lethifold accidentally devoured a yet alive Wizard. This could have some weird effect. Maybe in this state the wizard would remain alive and the Lethifold and the wizard would combine or rather engage in some sort of battle in which it assumes Dementor form, where the Wizard, now reduced to a living skeleton, can only keep battling the Lethifold with what repels it, the Happiness of the Patronus Charm. This could be what drives the Dementor to suck happiness from people so that it can fight the Lethifold. What about the Kiss? I theorize that these two powers are simply an effect of the bewildering and amazing combination of the two creatures. The Kiss in particular seems fitting as the Dementor is repelled by the Patronus, an outwards burst of good and happy energy, while the Kiss is a sucking in, a stealing of that good energy. This theory would also explain why the Dementors are not placed in the Beast classification. Another support for this theory is the shroud thing. However, this suggests that the devoured wizard is dead (bangs head against the wall).
Rating: 4 --> This theory accounts for everything except the references to heat and water regarding the Dementors. Otherwise I don't mind saying that this is a good theory. It could definitely be improved upon or added on to.
This is the end of my reply (sigh of relief) ,but I've put so much energy into this because this is a clear mystery that JKR has left until the last two books, the peak of the series, to explain. The subject of the Dementors is very important and we cannot answer other questions about the Dementors until we come up with a sufficient answer about their origins. Please, if u can't add, just pose questions and I can try to answer. Thanx a lot guys!!!
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