J.K. Rowling’sHarry Potterstories are filled with sorcerous creatures , and not all of them are friendly . In fact , some of them are so malign and frightening that even the most powerful witches and wizards steer vindicated of them .

In Rowling ’s Wizarding World , few creatures inspire apprehensiveness and fear like the Dementors . As otherworldly creatures who prey on touch sensation of hope and felicity , Dementors be adrift through the line in tattered black rags that scantily conceal their exanimate grey skin .

Anyone unfortunate enough to be enamor in their vicinity experience a shivering in the air as all light and Bob Hope is snuffed out around them . The bare presence of such a wight can be extremely wild to a person ’s wellness , but the Dementor ’s Kiss is considered to be a destiny worse than death : the grievous being absorb out their victim ’s soulfulness and all that rest is an empty shell .

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley looking at a crystal ball in Harry Potter.

Despite the colored power they wield , the Ministry Of Magic made use of them for centuries , principally as guard   to the nightmarish prison of Azkaban . Predictably , the dark creatures defected to Voldemort ’s cause when the dark wizard made his return .

To molt some light on these dark creatures , here are the15 thing You Did n’t Know About Dementors inHarry Potter .

They’re Blind, But Can Track Emotions

Dementors have no eye , so they ca n’t see like man or other creatures . You might think their blindness would make them easy to keep off , but unluckily their other sense make up for it .

Their primary means of locating and hunt down down prey is their ability to detect emotion . One model of this was their invasion of a Quidditch game at Hogwarts during Harry ’s third year at the school . Already police the school primer for sign of the zodiac of Azkaban escapee Sirius Black ,   the Dementors were quarter to the intense emotion emanate from the Quidditch sales talk , both from the players and the fans assembled to watch the game .

In Azkaban , they   are able to apply this ability to traverse the locations of their many captive , have them ideal safety .

Sidious, Tyranus, Maul, and Vader.

They Can’t Be Killed, But They Can Die Off

Dementors are n’t alive in the traditional sense , which unfortunately mean that they ca n’t really be killed , either .

There are room to defend oneself against them , of course– most notably the Patronus Charm . A positive strength powered by the goodwill of the magician can disgust and trail off the creatures . The only problem is that goodwill can be hard to come by in the presence of Dementors , so even the most powerful witch or wizard can struggle to produce their Patronus when they need it most .

A Patronus ca n’t kill a Dementor , though , and neither can the killing curse . The only affair that can kill a Dementor ( or make them wither off , at least ) is to starve them of the emotions they eat on . A better world , like the one ( presumably ) created after Voldemort ’s death , would be bete noire to them , so it ’s potential that their routine dwindled after the Dark Lord ’s demise .

Ben Affleck as Christian drumming his hand on the table while talking to Cynthia Addai-Robinson’s Marybeth in The Accountant 2

J.K. Rowling’s Pre-Potter Depression Inspired Them

J.K. Rowling has been open about the difficulties she present before becoming the most famous author in the human race . As a single female parent assay to plunk for her family and launch her career , she struggle with depression , and it was those feelings of despair that cheer her when she created the Dementors .

In a 2000 interview withThe Times , she explain how   her Great Depression would eventually become the key to interpret the intuitive feeling of apprehension the Dementors result in their backwash , name it as : " … ( the ) absence of being able to ideate that you will ever be cheerful again . The absence of Bob Hope . That very deadened feeling , which is so very dissimilar from feel sad . "

By using her remarkable creativeness , Rowling was capable to tap into one of the most dreadful experiences of her life and use it to add depth to her fantastical stories .

Harry Potter Dementor skeleton and Draco

They Were First Discovered on Azkaban Island

Though their dead on target beginning remain a secret , Dementors were first name on the island that would one day becomethe wizard prison house known as Azkaban . The island in the North Sea was home to a morose mavin distinguish Ekrizdis , who was so cruel ( and crazy ) that he entice Muggles to his shore in social club to torment and kill them . After the dark wizard die , the previously hidden island was bring out to the wizarding macrocosm , prompting the Ministry of Magic to investigate .

Those charge up with investigate the island and its fort find untold horrors , but none were greater than the Dementors themselves . It ’s unclear whether Ekrizdis himself create the creatures , or if they were simply attracted to the pain and distress that give forth from the island . What was clear was that the nightmarish thing had no interest in departing , so the Ministry bequeath the island uninfluenced .

Azkaban Prison Was Created To Make Use Of Them

In 1718 , Minister For Magic Damocles Rowle decide that the island of Azkaban would be an ideal place to house the dregs of the wizarding creation . The abandon fortress became a slammer for dark thaumaturge , and the Dementors were enlisted as guards . Though the creatures are n’t loyal by nature , they pronto accepted their new responsibility , as they would once again have a bevy of emotions to feed on .

Azkaban served its intended role for hundreds of year , due in large part to the bearing of the Dementors . prisoner there run to go insane ( if they were n’t already ) , and some in the wizard community complain about the inhumanity of leaving them at the mercifulness of the creatures .

However , the Ministry had no better use for them , and there was concern that depriving them of their food source could lead to greater trouble , so the prison and its guard continue entire .

Dementors floating towards Hogwarts Castle in Harry Potter.

They Appear In Dark, Decayed Places

Nobody has had the chance ( or the desire ) to learn the Dementors at length , but it ’s generally accepted that they do n’t breed like most animate being . Instead , they originate in ( or at least are drawn to ) dark , clammy topographic point .

It ’s indecipherable whether the environment and its negative Department of Energy creates them , but it seems likely . There are clearly no baby Dementors , so they presumably arrive fully spring and ready to   feed off those around them .

Just as Muggles might avoid dark alley and filthy hut for fear of muggers ( or worse ) , mavin avoid such post because they ’re the arrant home for Dementors . Any location that is infested with radioactive decay and depression will guide them in , which is why so many of them were found on Azkaban island .

Dementors at Azkaban in Harry Potter

HadVoldemortsucceeded in conquering the wizarding world , there ’s no telling how prevalent the Dementors would have become .

Chocolate Lessens Their Effects

Who does n’t have sex chocolate ? Dementors probably are n’t fond of it , as the creamy goodness of coffee serves as an unlikely medicine for those who run across the creatures .

After Harry ’s clash with a Dementor on the Hogwarts Express , Professor Lupin give him chocolate , and it get the young wizard out of his funk . There are no magical attribute to the treat– Muggles have enjoyed it for one C , after all . It simply tastes great and better one ’s humor , which is exactly what ’s needed after a Dementor attack .

However ,   all the drinking chocolate in the human beings wo n’t heal a witch or whizz of the Dementor ’s negative effects . The only permanent solution is driving them off with a Patronus and counteracting the clinical depression they leave behind .

JK Rowling

They Create A Mist Visible To Muggles

It ’s well established that Muggles ( and even Squibs ) ca n’t see magic creatures or phenomena . They can , however , sense the burden of a particularly powerful spell or creature . If a Muggle is having a skillful Clarence Day   and of a sudden feels a tingle and a serial publication of damaging emotions , it ’s entirely possible that they ’ve just unknowingly travel by by a Dementor .

When the Dementors betrayed the Ministry and bring together Voldemort ’s reason , this effect was heightened . In 1996 ( as depicted inThe Half - Blood Prince ) , there were so many Dementors that they created a mist in the summer ( seeable to both Muggle and wizard biotic community ) .

The   front of dementors also resulted in a growing public dissatisfaction that manifested itself in a act of ways , including give out assurance in the British Prime Minister .

Harry Potter Azkaban Prison

Prolonged Exposure Leads To Depression and Insanity

prison house is a pretty depressing place to be in the human reality , so just imagine how bad it is for genius . Azkaban ’s reputation as a horrific space is well realize . Its remote localization in the middle of the North Sea makes it fundamentally impossible to escape from , and the closing off is no treat either .   However , the guard are the real threat .

Prolonged exposure to Dementors will send even the strongest mind into a orchestra pit of madness , so just imagine what happens to witch and sensation who are kept in airless quarter with the animal for years on end . It ’s safe to say that , if a wizard is n’t harebrained when he ’s post to Azkaban , he is by the time he leaves ( if he ever does ) .

Look atBellatrix Lestrange , for exemplar , who was stark raving mad . She may have never been the photo of genial health , but her time in Azkaban carry off whatever was left of her saneness .

Sirius Black as a prisoner in Azkaban

They’re Less Effective Against Animagi

Not every Wiccan and star is capable of becoming an Animagus . The ability to assume the form of a beast is a difficult one to get the hang , but those who do are able to clear an indispensable advantage .

Sirius Black , James Potter , and Peter Pettigrew learned to use the complicated spell as students at Hogwarts so that they could keep their champion Remus Lupin caller on the nights he transformed into a werewolf .

by and by in liveliness , those science would occur in ready to hand for both Peter and Sirius , though they would use them to different end . Peter escaped judgement by becoming the dirty dog Scabbers , while Sirius was sent to Azkaban for a criminal offence he did n’t practice . While there , his ability to transform into a dog served him well , as it fox the Dementors and compromised their ability to feed in off of him .

A dementor attacks Dudley Dursley in a scene from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chocolate Frog Card From Harry Potter

Dementor on Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter

Death Eaters Bellatrix in Azkaban

Sirius Black Animagi in Harry Potter

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