Lethifolds
From UnknowableWiki
| Creature profile | |
|---|---|
| Lethifold | |
| Also known as | Living Shroud |
| Ministry of Magic Classification | XXXXX |
| Appearance | like a black cloak gliding along the ground |
| Origin | tropical climates, such as Papua New Guinea |
| First appearance in canon | An A-Z of Fantastic Beasts (FB) |
Lethifolds, also known as Living Shrouds, are rare magical creatures found in tropical climates. They resemble a black cloak about half an inch thick—thicker if they have recently fed—that glides along the ground at night. They creep up to sleeping humans and cover their victims until they suffocate. After devouring their prey, they leave without a trace of themselves or the victim. The only know defence against a Lethifold attack is the Patronus Charm. However, most victims never wake up until the Lethifold has overpowered them and die without a fight.
The first written account of a Lethifold comes from Flavius Belby, who survived an attack during his holiday in Papua New Guinea in 1782. He heard a faint rustle at one o'clock in the morning and turned to see the Lethifold creep into his bedroom underneath the door. Drowsily, he watched as the creature slipped onto the bed to smother him. He managed to grip his wand and cast a Stupefying Charm and an Impediment Hex, both to no avail, until at last he conjured a Patronus which repelled the creature (FBAZ). To this day, Belby is the only wizard known to have survived an attack (FW).
Several wizards have staged their own death by a Lethifold attack to disappear. The most recent example occured in 1973, when the famous wizard Janus Thickey abandoned his wife and children, leaving a note that read "oh no a Lethifold's got me I'm suffocating" on his bedside table. Thickey was later found living with the landlady of the Green Dragon just five miles off (FBAZ).
