The drivjng antagonistic force in Harry Potter was, of course, the Death Eaters. Followers of Lord Voldemort, they were very prejudiced witches and wizards who prided themselves on their pure blood. Introduced to them in Goblet of Fire, we slowly got to know them and exactly what they wanted, and learned that they were very unpleasant and violent people for the most part.
But even after the series has ended and J.K. Rowling has answered every question readers and movie viewers can dream up, we’re left wondering a lot of things about these awful people.
Did None Ever Question Voldemort’s Identity?
The family names in the series that were of pure blood are rather limited. There was a list known as the Sacred Twenty-Eight which had the limited registry of pure blood names, and Voldemort was clearly not on it despite claiming to be pure blood — they would have known him if he was an Avery, or a Black, or a Lestrange.
So how exactly did he pass off pretending to be a pure blood to those who didn’t know him in his youth? He hid his identity from his followers, for the most part, and we have to wonder how none realized he was a hypocrite.
How Many Half-Bloods Were Among Their Ranks?
Did he take half-bloods among his ranks? Presumably so, since Severus Snape is a prime example, but was he choosier about inducting half-bloods, or was it secretly all the same to him?
When he was given the choice of murdering Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom, he chose the half-blood. This suggests that for all his blustering about the value of magical blood, he actually valued half-bloods more and thought them more powerful. Did he secretly have more respect for the half-bloods in his ranks and only kept wizards such as the Lestranges and Malfoy around because it gave him more status?
How Did They Conceal Their Dark Marks?
The Dark Mark was a large tattoo on the forearm of Death Eaters and back in the ’70s, during the first wizarding war, it’s hard to imagine how they kept those hidden. Surely someone was once spotted with a serpent and skull on their forearm and the Ministry of Magic slowly worked out exactly what they were for and what they meant?
Perhaps there were concealment spells, or perhaps everyone was just very hot in summer.
What Was The Criteria For Joining?
How exactly did Voldemort pick his Death Eaters? Did he listen for people seeking him out, or did he approach those who were useful and not really give them a choice in the matter? It stands to reason he’d pick wizards and witches of pure blood, but then again, there were half-bloods in his ranks…
It also seems he was a tad sexist, since Bellatrix Lestrange was the only female Death Eater in his inner circle. But Voldemort’s terrible, so who’s surprised, really? Or perhaps women simply didn’t want to join up.
Was There An Outer Circle?
Voldemort summons his Death Eaters to him in the graveyard with Harry watching him, and the number is… unimpressively small. Was this just his inner circle? Did he have an outer circle with more followers that he just didn’t trust as much? Were the people in the graveyard the only ones still alive with a Dark Mark?
For such a terrifying army, it just seems like a small number.
How Much Did Voldemort Tell Them?
It’s curious to wonder how much Voldemort actually told them, because it doesn’t seem like too much. When he went after Harry as a baby, it’s safe to assume he didn’t tell him about the prophecy, but did he make up any excuse at all? Or were the Death Eaters fine with him killing random babies who weren’t even of Muggle blood and therefore, not relevant to their cause at all? It seems like to keep his followers loyal, he might have made some excuse…
How Many Joined Because Of Blackmail?
It’s mentioned to Harry that many Death Eaters were blackmailed into joining, but how many? Were people standing in that circle actually initially blackmailed and therefore forced into the cause? Since they’re all such unpleasant people, it’s hard to imagine they weren’t there by choice, and a number on this one would be interesting to know.
Was There A Hierarchy?
It’d also be worth knowing if there was a hierarchy, other than the loose idea of Voldemort and then everyone else below him. Did anyone in the Death Eaters command the others? Were they organized? Or did Voldemort simply lord it over the rest and no one else was allowed to give any orders?
It seems as if Bellatrix would have made a good second in command, but Voldemort was planning on becoming immortal and didn’t really need a back up…
Where Did They Get The Name?
Voldemort wanted to conquer death, but Death Eaters seems like an odd name to choose even so. And who came up with the name — was it Voldemort himself, or did one of his followers decide on it and then it stuck? It sounds like a silly name initially, but it definitely struck fear in the hearts of many by the time the series was over.
Who Came Up With The Dark Mark?
And then there was the Dark Mark itself. Although burned into the forearm of every Death Eater, the symbol was a skull with a serpent protruding from the mouth and hovered over buildings to mark that the Death Eaters had come for the people inside. The incantation to cast it was Morsmorde.
Who designed the Dark Mark, came up with the spell? Did Voldemort have someone else do that work or did he? It’s hard to imagine him hunched over a table, doodling ideas for his logo.
