[HPforGrownups] Question about Death Eaters

[GulPlum]

No: HPFGUIDX 52542

FlamingStar Chows wrote:


>From: GulPlum
>
>Chicken or egg time: the Dark Mark incantation is "Morsmordre" (Old French:
>"eat death"). Was this incantation designed by Death Eaters, or did they
>take their name from the incantation?
>
>ME:
>
>At one point it was stated in GoF that only the Death Eaters knew how to
>conjour the mark.  That would imply to me that they had designed it.  If it
>was an incantation that already existed, surely *someone* else would know
>how to do it.

Well, it's Arthur who says "only the Death Eaters knew how to conjure it" 
during the mini-exposition about the Reign of Terror in the tent for the 
readers' benefit, but all the experienced wizards in the woods seem to know 
how it was invoked, so I'm not quite so sure. From the conversation in the 
woods, only a Death Eater would *want* to invoke it (and perhaps be *able* 
to), but it was implied that how it was invoked was no mystery.

Even so, the incantation could be an ancient one that only a few people 
with a "dark" predisposition were ever able to use successfully, and those 
people grouped together, calling themselves Death Eaters as a result.

As I said in my previous message, I think we need to know a lot more about 
the history of the Death Eaters before we can be sure.