All About Dementors

[Kendra]

The Lethifold is just a black cloak. And the depression thing is in a special topic about the use of chocolate lol.

[firebolt2000]

Ah, thanks for clarifying that. I always thought that the Lethifold was pretty much the same thing as the Dementor.

[Isin Dule]

This thread seems to have died...but I was just wondering how Dementors communicate.

The dementors told Fudge that Black's been talking in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: 'He's at Hogwarts...he's at Hogwarts.'

So...can they talk? Use telepathy? Er...

[Hammi]

There does seem to be a relationshiop there, I dont deny that, but its hard for us to assume that there is going to be an appearence of every creature listed in there. Isin, great point with the communication thing there. O, now you got me thinking, it's really annoying me, I hope thats explained eventually.

[Freezair]

Perhaps the reason that Lethifolds are rare is because dementors hunt them and make their cloaks out of them. And... and maybe the dementors themselves aren't weak to Patronus, but their cloaks are, but dementors can't survive without their Lethifols cloaks. I mean, they're the same color... you really never know..

[Arunananth]

Good theory Freezair only problem is that a cloak would not get affected by a patronus after it is dead.

[Nurika]

Wow Helhorns, I wish I would have seen this earlier! I'm really impressed! Great sluething work! =)

Well, it seems there's an interconnection between Lethifolds and Dementors. Perhaps Helhorns is right again, and a Dementor is a Lethifold that has eaten a certain number of victims. I'd have to agree, once they become more 'hungry' for victims, they grow more sinister and gain more powers- it becomes a Dementor. It makes a lot of sense. Perhaps Hagrid'll teach the trio how to get rid of a Lethifold in class, which will lead to them discovering how to control Dementors and possibly kill them as well? I hope so! It'd be one less thing on Voldemort's side!

[phoenixsong]

Once again, I agree with you all that there is a lethifold - dementor connection. On further thought, it seems to me that what distinguishes the dementor from the lethifold (besides its upright bearing) is its ability to project outward the chilling, depressing sensations it creates. I don't have my copy of Fantastic Beasts, but doesn't the lethifold actually smother its victims, as beneath a cloak, whereas the dementor can make people mad just from being near to them. Is there any other sort of creature we know of which has those abilities of projection?

Or maybe they are just crossed with crumple-horned snorkacks.

[WeasleyIsOurKing]

I've always wondered about dementors.... I did read that section in Fantastic Beasts but dementors don't swallow their victims whole, so they can't be Lethifolds. Maybe they're part Lethifold? Maybe they're a cross breed of some sort? They're not considered a beast, but they're not human... so what are they?

I've read somewhere on the web (don't remember where) that dementors could have been created by Death Eaters back in Voldemort's first reign of power... I don't know how liable that information is, but it could be true. We really don't know much about dementors except that they used to guard Azkaban and that they suck the happiness out of you.

[FredRocksMySocks]

I noticed that about the Lethifolds as well a few weeks back during a re-read. I think that the difference in the names is that Dementors are ministry controlled creatures, and lethifolds are just the free ones found in nature. Perhaps the dementors retain a different name because they are ministry employed for a specific job. Surely not all of these creatures can be controlled by the ministry, some of them have to be free, thus the beasts actual name is different when it is uncontrolled.

Weasley also makes an excellent point about cross breeding. Perhaps the ministry created a new creature to help them, derived from the Lethifold.

Do you think JKR will point this out?

Oh, and the DE's controlled them, but didn't create them, Weasley. it just said that they were the DE's natural allies or something.

And one more thing: the lethifold is described as eating it's victims, right? Well...didn't Lupin say in PoA that the dementors came to the Quidditch match because they were *hungry*? So they do both prey off of humans.

Very interesting thread, Hellhorns!

[Micky P]

My own little theory about The Demetors (before I read this topic) was that a person who was the victim of The Kiss turned into a dementor. To me that would be worse than death and we have never hered what happens to someone after thay are kissed. Then all thay have the power to do is serch for there soul by sucking the souls out of others!
Thats how I thought the demetors came about, I didn't think thay reproduced like us! (that turns my gut just thinking about it :-) )

[Freezair]

You don't know that a dead Lethifold wouldn't be affected by Patronus...

[FredRocksMySocks]

On further thought, it seems to me that what distinguishes the dementor from the lethifold (besides its upright bearing) is its ability to project outward the chilling, depressing sensations it creates. I don't have my copy of Fantastic Beasts, but doesn't the lethifold actually smother its victims, as beneath a cloak, whereas the dementor can make people mad just from being near to them.

Phoenix, didn't it say in Beasts that the victim felt a sort of chilling as well? Nothing compared to the dementor, true, but still the same sort of dealie.

[coopman06]

Maybe, a dementor is a Lethifold that happened to eat a really nasty person like a Death Eater or something. Instead of spitting it back out, the two are forever bound together thus becoming a Dementor.

[mr.berts'n'botts]

the dementors from harry potter are a lot like black riders from lord of the rings... and in lort the black riders used to be men but then turned into the riders, mayb sum wizards turned into the dementors, its kinda a possiblity

[FredRocksMySocks]

Ah! No more LotR parallels!!

It's a theory...but I don't see how, really. Would they just become so evil and heartless that they turn into one? If so, then why did Voldie not become one a LONG time ago?

[Isin Dule]

Lupin says in Prisoner of Azkaban that if you are around dementors long enough, they will reduce you to something like themselves. I don't know if he meant that you will become a dementor, or you'll just become soulless and evil, almost identical to a dementor.

[jasper]

I don't think the ministry created dementors. I always got the idea that the ministry contracted with them or hired them. They always seemed to me to be a magical being like a goblin, troll, house elf, centaur or whatever. One of the lesser loved Magical Brethern. And hiring them to guard Azkaban was one of the questionable measures the ministry took out of their fear of Voldemort and his supporters.

There are hundreds of them, because Harry has to fend off a hundred in PoA. If they sent a hundred to "guard" Hogwarts against one guy, then hundreds more would be back at Azkaban with the dozen dangerous death eaters who remained there.

Now, why does a patronus repell dementors? It is made out of exactly what they want to feed on- happy thoughts. Seems like they should take off after a patronus (to feed on it) instead of getting chased by it.

And why does everyone in the wizard world call them the Azkaban Guards for the first few chapters of PoA and then switch over to using the word dementors after Harry meets them?

[FredRocksMySocks]

Jasper: than what's with the different names? Do you think that when they are employed by the ministry, they get a new name, but are the same?

There are several differences between the Lethifolds and the Dementors, one being that the Lethifolds eat their victims, and dementors simply feed off of their emotions. So how does that get explained if so?

[Isin Dule]

Originally Posted by jasper

And why does everyone in the wizard world call them the Azkaban Guards for the first few chapters of PoA and then switch over to using the word dementors after Harry meets them?

Because it made the book a lot better to read. I thought Azkaban guards were just really powerful, ruthless wizards until Harry met the dementor--I never thought that Azkaban would be guarded by such foul creatures.