Everything about Death Eaters totally explained
In the
fictional world of the
Harry Potter series, the
Death Eaters constitute a group of wizards and witches, led by the dark wizard
Lord Voldemort – the chief antagonist of the series, who seeks to purify the Wizarding community by eliminating the
Muggle-borns. They also try to create a new order through the
Ministry of Magic and cause fear among the Wizarding community by terrorising and killing important officials and their enemies, chiefly the members of the
Order of the Phoenix.
Death Eaters recognise one another by the
Dark Mark on their left forearm, a
sign created by Voldemort to instantly summon them. Their typical work attire include black, hooded robes and masks, as seen in the film version of
Goblet of Fire (skull masks and black robes with pointed hats) and
Order of the Phoenix (metal masks and more elaborate robes).
According to author
J.K. Rowling, the original working title for the Death Eaters was
"The Knights of Walpurgis".
Synopsis
Pre-Harry Potter
The Death Eaters existed some 20 years before the events of the series proper, carrying out their activities. Ten years after that, two boys who fit the prophecy of
Sybill Trelawney were born in July. The prophecy predicted that "The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal" and "neither can live while the other survives," so Voldemort and his Death Eaters went hunting for the boy who was proclaimed to be Voldemort's eventual downfall,
Harry Potter, son of
James and Lily Potter of
Godric's Hollow. The Death Eaters tortured and murdered hundreds of innocent people for information. Anyone who was a Muggle, opposed them, or were believed to have information, were likely to be tortured or murdered. Acting on information from the Potters' Secret-Keeper
Peter Pettigrew, Voldemort attempted to complete the prophecy and kill his infant rival. Due to Harry's mother's sacrifice to save her son (James having been killed just beforehand), Voldemort's deadly curse rebounded off Harry and disembodied Voldemort.
With Voldemort vanquished after failing to kill Harry, the Death Eaters largely disbanded. The Ministry rounded many of them up and imprisoned them in
Azkaban, the Wizarding prison, but some eluded justice by claiming they were bewitched by the
Imperius Curse or by turning in other Death Eaters, as
Igor Karkaroff did; Harry witnesses Karkaroff's testimony against former Death Eaters in
Albus Dumbledore's
Pensieve during the course of the series.
Re-emergence
Lord Voldemort, having regained his full strength at the end of
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, summoned his followers to him by touching
Peter Pettigrew's Dark Mark. Except for those dead, imprisoned, or afraid to return, the majority returned to his service as Lord Voldemort began his second attempt to claim power.
The Minister for Magic (
Cornelius Fudge) deluded himself into believing that Voldemort couldn't have come back and that it was all a lie cooked up by Dumbledore, whom Fudge believed had designs on his political office. Fudge then set about discrediting Harry, Dumbledore and anybody else who stated that Voldemort had returned. Though Harry and Dumbledore were dissenting voices, the majority of the public believed the Ministry's position. The Death Eaters use this tactical advantage throughout
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, to maintain their secrecy. Because of the Ministry's refusal to remove the
Dementors from Azkaban, which Dumbledore advised immediately following Voldemort's return, the Death Eaters recruited the Dementors to their cause and made similar progress with the giants; the Dementors' revolt also allowed the Death Eaters to bolster their ranks with the mass breakout of several imprisoned Death Eaters.
Voldemort sent a group of twelve Death Eaters, led by
Lucius Malfoy, into the Department of Mysteries, where he expected them to secure a Prophecy of vital importance to him: having originally attacked Harry Potter based upon a partial recounting of it, he now wanted to hear the full version in order to better, or even fully, understand the connection between Harry and himself. The raid on the Department fails, however; Harry and his friends delay the Death Eaters and keep the Prophecy out of their hands, finally destroying it, and are eventually aided by Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore captured eleven of the twelve Death Eaters, sending Voldemort and
Bellatrix Lestrange fleeing after a fierce duel with the former, and ending the Death Eaters' enjoyed secrecy. Lucius Malfoy, who had been important both to the Death Eaters and within the Ministry, was captured and imprisoned. However, the Death Eaters regrouped, assassinating and kidnapping important wizards, killed
Muggles, and in general spread terror and chaos through the wizarding world.
Towards the end of
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Death Eaters attacked Hogwarts for the first time, murdering Albus Dumbledore and injuring several people who were defending the school. A second, more deadly attack near the conclusion of
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows caused the death of over 50 people including Voldemort, who was killed after his own killing curse, directed at Harry, rebounded because the Elder Wand truly belonged to Harry. Voldemort's death signalled the end of the Death Eaters.
Ideology
The Death Eaters seek the total destruction of
wizarding families of Muggle lineage, and complete power and control over the entire wizarding world, restoring leadership in the magical community to the
pure-bloods. The Death Eaters not only seek the restoration of pure-blood rule over the wizarding community, but also the eventual subjugation of the Muggle community under wizarding rule.
The Death Eaters are supporters of pure-blood heritage, or wizards who have no Muggle ancestors. Claims that Voldemort himself is a
half-blood are dismissed because he's also
Heir of Slytherin and in any case exercised complete control over the minds of his followers. It was also unlikely within the context of the series that all of them could be pure-bloods, as very few pure-blood wizards still exist; J.K. Rowling has stated on her website that there are no true pure-blood families left, but that those who call themselves such simply strike Muggles,
Squibs and Half-bloods from their family records.
The Death Eaters have also attacked pure-bloods who oppose them. An example of this are pure-blooded members of the
Order of the Phoenix like
Sirius Black or the Prewett brothers that were murdered because of their loyalties. On the other hand, Rowling has said that a Muggle-born wizard can become a Death Eater "in rare circumstances".
Death Eaters and their crimes
The following
fictional characters are known Death Eaters identified by name during the series, and the crimes they committed.
| Character |
Known Crimes |
| Avery |
Claimed to have been under the Imperius curse to avoid prison. Voldemort tortured him during his rebirth ritual. Participated in the break-in at the Department of Mysteries, and later escaped Azkaban after the latter crime.
|
| Regulus Black |
Aided Voldemort with the hiding of a Horcrux. Later turned against Voldemort.
|
| Alecto and Amycus Carrow |
Assaulted persons within Hogwarts. Tortured students while teaching at Hogwarts.
|
| Crabbe Sr |
Vincent Crabbe's father. Present at Voldemort's rebirth. Participated in the break in at the Department of Mysteries, and later escaped Azkaban after the latter crime.
|
| Barty Crouch Jr |
Participated in the torture and the permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom using the Cruciatus Curse. Escaped Azkaban after the latter crime. Delivered Harry Potter to Lord Voldemort. Impersonated Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody using Polyjuice Potion. Murdered his father, Barty Crouch Senior. Performed the Imperius Curse on Viktor Krum, and, through him, performed the Cruciatus Curse on Cedric Diggory and attacked Fleur Delacour.
|
| Antonin Dolohov |
Helped murder Gideon and Fabian Prewett. Igor Karkaroff states he also "tortured countless Muggles and non-supporters of Voldemort". Escaped prison fourteen years later to rejoin Voldemort. Participated in the break in at the Department of Mysteries, where he seriously injured Hermione and Alastor Moody with unknown curses, and later escaped Azkaban after the latter crime. Attacked Harry, Ron and Hermione in Tottenham Court Road, but failed. Murdered Remus Lupin during the Battle of Hogwarts.
|
| Gibbon |
Assaulted persons within Hogwarts. Accidentally killed by fellow Death Eater Thorfinn Rowle.
|
| Goyle Sr |
Gregory Goyle's father. Present at Voldemort's rebirth.
|
| Fenrir Greyback |
Allowed to wear the robes of a Death Eater but wasn't given the Dark Mark. Known werewolf, favoured attacking young children. Bit child Remus Lupin and attacked Bill Weasley. Captured Hermione, Ron, and Harry (Harry being under disguise). Participated in the Battle of Hogwarts.
|
| Jugson |
Participated at the battle in the Department of Mysteries, during which he was subjected to a full Body-Bind Curse by Harry Potter. Later escaped Azkaban after the latter crime.
|
| Igor Karkaroff |
Tortured Muggles.
|
| Bellatrix Lestrange |
Participated in the torture and the permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom using the Cruciatus Curse. Escaped prison fourteen years later to rejoin Voldemort. Participated in the break-in at the Department of Mysteries. Caused the death of her cousin Sirius Black at the Chamber of Death. Tortured Hermione Granger and Griphook, and murdered Dobby at Malfoy Manor. Murdered Tonks during the Battle of Hogwarts. Participated in the break-in at the Department of Mysteries (where he's Stunned by Hermione Granger), and later escaped Azkaban after the latter crime.
|
| Peter Pettigrew |
Framed Sirius Black for the betrayal of James and Lily Potter, murdering twelve Muggles in the process and faking his own death; betrayed the Potters as their Secret-Keeper; murdered Cedric Diggory, led Bertha Jorkins to her death at the hands of Lord Voldemort; assisted Voldemort in procuring a new body.
|
| Augustus Rookwood |
A former Unspeakable that acted as though he was aiding the anti-Voldemort cause, but was revealed as a double agent, gaining information from Ludo Bagman and other unwitting agents throughout the Ministry. Escaped prison fourteen years later to rejoin Voldemort. Informed his master that Avery's information about Bode being able to steal the prophecy is incorrect. Participated in the break-in at the Department of Mysteries, and later escaped Azkaban after the latter crime. Also participated at the Battle of Hogwarts.
|
| Evan Rosier |
Destroyed part of Alastor Moody's nose during a fight with Aurors. Killed in the fight.
|
| Thorfinn Rowle |
Assaulted persons within Hogwarts and accidentally murdered the Death Eater Gibbon. Attacked Harry, Ron and Hermione in Tottenham Court Road, but failed and was punished by Voldemort. Also participated at the Battle of Hogwarts.
|
| Selwyn |
Attacked Rubeus Hagrid and Harry Potter over the Dursleys' house. Tortured Xenophilius Lovegood.
|
| Severus Snape |
Gave Voldemort information about Sybill Trelawney's prophecy.
|
| Travers |
Helped murder the McKinnons. Escaped prison fourteen years later to rejoin Voldemort. Tortured Xenophilius Lovegood. He accompanied Hermione, disguised as Bellatrix, to Gringotts. Also participated at the Battle of Hogwarts.
|
| Wilkes |
Killed by Aurors during the first Wizarding war.
|
| Yaxley |
Assaulted persons within Hogwarts. Placed Imperius curse on Pius Thicknesse. Also participated at the Battle of Hogwarts.
|
Notable Death Eaters
Regulus Black
Regulus Arcturus Black was the younger brother of
Sirius Black. According to the
Black family tree, Regulus was born to Orion and Walburga Black in 1961 and died in 1979.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix indicates that he died "some fifteen years previously" as seen from the perspective of August 1995. As it's common in the Black family, Regulus is named after the brightest star in the constellation
Leo; it's also the Latin name for the
basilisk, a creature which appears in
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, although this may be a coincidence. His middle name, Arcturus, is a reference to another star, the
third brightest star in the nighttime sky.
Before publication of the final volume of the series, Rowling stated that Regulus was dead, but didn't comment on the nature of his demise. She also remarked in an interview:
"Regulus got in a little too deep. Like Draco. He was attracted to it, but the reality of what it meant was way too much to handle." Some information on Regulus's life was provided by his brother Sirius in
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius described him as his parents' favourite son because he accepted their ideas about
blood purity. Regulus was sorted into the Slytherin House and played Seeker on its
Quidditch team. He joined the Death Eaters at the age of sixteen but later had a change of heart.
The Blacks' house-elf,
Kreacher, relates to
Harry and his friends in
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that he was ordered by Regulus to assist Voldemort in hiding a locket. Kreacher was forced to drink the potion to test its effectiveness, and was saved only by the fact that house-elf
Apparition works differently from wizard Apparition. When Kreacher relates to Regulus what has transpired, Regulus forces him to bring him to the cave where Regulus himself drinks the entire potion and switches the locket for a fake one and, while being dragged underwater by
Inferi, orders Kreacher to destroy the original locket. Regulus left a note in the fake one, signed R.A.B. and addressed to Voldemort:
Regulus deduces that the locket is a Horcrux due to Voldemort dropping various hints about having made them, in his arrogance believing that nobody will hunt them down and destroy them.
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