Lethifold

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery & Hogwarts Legacy. As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

The Lethifold (also known as the Living Shroud) was a carnivorous and extremely dangerous magical beast. It was also considered a Dark creature because of its extremely aggressive and violent nature.^[1]

Physical description[]

The Lethifold resembled a black cloak roughly half an inch thick, and appeared slightly thicker if the creature had recently digested a victim.

It glided along surfaces in an unknown form of locomotion in search of its prey, humans. It attacked at night, when the target was asleep, by suffocating and then digesting them.^[1]

Protection from a Lethifold[]

The only known effective method of protection against a Lethifold was by using the Patronus Charm, similar to that of a Dementor. This was discovered by Flavius Belby, the only known survivor of a Lethifold attack. Other spells, such as the Stunning Spell, or the Impediment Jinx would not work.^[1]

History[]

The Lethifold was a very rare species and was found only in tropical climates. The only known survivor of a Lethifold attack was a wizard named Flavius Belby. In 1782, Belby was on holiday in Papua New Guinea, and he managed to repel the attack because he was not fully asleep at the time. After unsuccessful repelling attempts with various spells, Belby managed to conjure a Patronus at the last second, causing the Lethifold to release him and slink away. Previous victims had apparently been unable to do this because they were either asleep, were Muggles, or unable or did not think to cast a Patronus Charm.^[1]

It was virtually impossible to determine the number of Lethifold victims, as the creatures left no clues to its presence. Much easier to calculate however, was how many people had faked a Lethifold attack, for their own reasons. One known case of an individual attempting to fake a Lethifold attack was Janus Thickey, who disappeared in 1973, leaving behind a note reading "Oh no, a Lethifold's got me, I'm suffocating". Because of this and his empty bed, Thickey's wife and children began mourning him. However, he was soon discovered living five miles away with the landlady of the Green Dragon pub.^[1]

Celestina Warbeck's parents met when the man who would become her father saved his future wife from a Lethifold that had disguised itself as a stage curtain during one of her performances.^[2]

Etymology[]

J. K. Rowling has background in Classics from Exeter, so it seems reasonable to presume that any use of the Greek root "Leth-" will carry some of the mythopoetic baggage of "The River Lethe." The river Lethe is a meme of Ancient Greek mythology, known as the "river of forgetfulness." It is one of the five rivers of the Greek underworld, alongside Acheron, Cocytus, Phlegethon, and Styx. Lethe is specifically associated with the process of forgetting one's earthly life, as souls are required to drink from its waters to erase their memories before they can be reincarnated or enter the afterlife peacefully. It also features in Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy," in the Purgatorio and briefly in the Inferno.^{[citation needed]}

The River Lethe in Greek mythology has a two-fold etymology. The term "lethe" (λήθη) in Classical Greek means "oblivion," "forgetfulness," or "concealment." It is etymologically related to the Greek word for "truth," "aletheia" (ἀλήθεια), which, through the privative alpha, means "un-forgetfulness" or "un-concealment." In Ancient Greek, the nature of oblivion was a darkness, opposite of the light of knowing, the domain of Apollo. ^{[citation needed]}

The more obvious pun is the Latin derivate, Letum, "death" (esp. violent death), "ruin", "undoing," and from this Latin etymology English receives the words "lethal" and "delete." Lethi- is also a linguistic cousin of Levi- (through a process known as "th-fronting"), from which derives levitation (possibly an ability of the Lethifold) and levis, a Latin adjective meaning "weightless" (a quality that Lethifold may possess with magical caveats).^{[citation needed]}

The -fold aspect likely pertains to the creature's cloak-like appearance, but may carry mythopoetic subtext in the context of many-ness, eg. twofold, threefold, etc. The etymology of -fold is Old Saxon, from Old Germanic (fold < feald < felthan), and denotes flatness--a felthan was an unsown field.^{[citation needed]}

Behind the scenes[]

• It is possible that the Lethifold is related to the Dementor, as they share similar forms of movement, inhumane behaviours, and vulnerability to the Patronus Charm. However, Lethifolds have been classified as beasts, whilst Dementors are considered non-beings. Additionally, Lethifolds are known to eat their victims, while Dementors eat their souls.
• According to W.O.M.B.A.T., Dementors may be unknown in tropical regions, while Lethifold are found only in the tropics.
• Ezra Miller, the actor who portrayed Aurelius Dumbledore, states that the Lethifold is his favourite beast.^[3]

Appearances[]

The Harry Potter Wiki has 6 images related to Lethifold.

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (First appearance)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) (Bonus DVD)
• Pottermore (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter (website) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Mentioned only) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Cut from final release)
• Hogwarts Legacy (Mentioned only)

Notes and references[]