Dementors (was: mythical creatures

[catlady_de_los_angeles]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C4373
From: catlady_de_los_angeles
Subject: Re: Dementors (was: mythical creatures
Reply To: [Yahoo! #4363] Re: mythical creatures
Date: 7/15/00 10:12 pm  (ET)

>>>Anyone know if the Kiss of Death turns up elsewhere?>>>
>>Sounds like something to do with vampires!>>

The unique characteristic of Dementors is not the Kiss that consumes
their victim's soul, but that just being present they drain all the
happiness from a people. They are, as JKR stated, a personification of
clinical depression.

The only real life (tm) creature I can think of who drains the happiness
from other people is a Psychic Vampire. (You were close, Simon!) However,
1) a Psychic Vampire is a living human being who may not be conscious
of his/her vampirism, rather than an other-species monster, and 2)
Psychic Vampires are found in real life (tm) but not in folklore that
I've ever noticed.