When Wizards DIE: Exploring the Wizarding Afterlife - Harry Potter Explained

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re discussing the Wizarding Afterlife- taking a closer look at what exactly happens to witches and wizards when they die. The line between the living and the dead is unquestionably a blurry one in Harry Potter. This is reinforced by the prevalence of beings that skirt these two planes of existence- Ghosts and Dementors are some of the first that come to mind. And with these blurred lines, the topic of death (which is also a key thematic element in Harry Potter) becomes even more alluring. In fact, one of the main messages of the Harry Potter books is that death is NOT absolute. It’s also reinforced that it’s not anything we should be worrying about. We’re continually reminded that death is simply a part of LIFE, and that rather than obsessing over it we should instead shift our focus on seeking love and friendship- enjoying the time that we do have. Voldemort infamously tried to evade death - which is why his name is aptly derived from the french ‘vol-de-mort’ meaning ‘flight of death’. But the lesson the books teach surrounding the inevitability of death is one that never quite resonated with our immortality-obsessed antagonist. Rather than embrace life at it’s own pace, Voldemort devised all sorts of plans to achieve the ever-elusive goal of immortality.  On a side note- there are actually FIVE methods of achieving immortality in Harry Potter. If you’re curious about them, check out my video ‘all 5 methods of immortality in Harry Potter’. So life and death have blurred lines- but what exactly does that mean? What happens to a witch or wizard when they die? Why do some become ghosts? Is there an AFTERLIFE? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices