Death Eaters

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 120349


severelysigune earlier: 
<snip> 
headhunters - er- headhunt. They kill in order to absorb their rivals'
power into themselves. <snip> the Celts reasoned similarly, even 
though, as far as I know, they didn't literally eat the brains - they 
> > > kept the skulls, or in Ireland (at least in the story of Cormac 
> > > McArt) they prepared the brains and kept them stored somehow.

<snipped Potioncat's response--sorry!>

> Sigune again:
<snip> 
> I really want to find out more about why the Death Eaters are 
> called Death Eaters, apart from the name sounding morbid. The death 
> part certainly could have some relevance to Voldie's quest for 
> immortality; but even if I have found myself a FEATHERBOA sometime 
> ago, somehow I doubt that JKR is going to show us, say, Lucius
Malfoy eating someone's brain. In any case I will be disappointed if
we never hear anything more about the name.

Carol responds:
I agree that the Death Eaters are probably connected with the Celtic
practice of retaining their enemies' heads to have power over them.
(There's also the Dark Mark emblem, but that skull seems to be Salazar
Slytherin's given the snake for a tongue.) At any rate, the WW seems
to have connections with Druidism as reflected for example in the
wandwood symbolism (yew and holly especially)--and JKR has stated that
Hogwarts is built on a old Celtic ruin. (I've speculated elsewhere
that the Veil was connected with Druid ritual sacrifices.)

I also think you're right that Death Eater doesn't imply eating the
brains (or any other part) of their dead enemies. At least I hope not!
How horrible if the rite of passage includes cannibalism. (Shiver!) I
think more likely they're trying to eat Death itself in some ritural
form, possibly in the hope of sharing in their master's immortality?
Maybe they've tasted poison--Snape's bottled Death--or a bit of snake
venom to prove their devotion to Voldemort? Clearly it *hasn't* made
them immortal--at least three DES (Wilkes, Rosier, and one other) are
"dead in [Voldemort's] service}. But I would venture the few knuts in
my possession (actually, I don't have even one) that they've "eaten
Death" in some ritual form and that it ties in somehow with Druidism.

Carol