I did not recognise the term “lich phylactery”, so did a quick Google. It is basically exactly the same as a horcrux, as defined in Dungeons and Dragons. Did JK Rowling pinch the idea from D+D, or did they both get it from a common source?
In some sources the method of becoming a lich is referred to as the Ritual of Becoming or Ceremony of Endless Night. The process is often described as requiring the creation and consumption of a deadly potion, the Elixir of Defilation, which is to be drunk on a full moon;
Hmm… The mysterious ritual at the start of Chapter 1 takes place by moonlight...
a Lich has unnatural powers owing to its state. For example, it can put mortals in a paralyzed state of hibernation with their minds, making them seem dead to others
Very interesting… but can it fool the Hogwarts wards as well?
I did not recognise the term “lich phylactery”, so did a quick Google. It is basically exactly the same as a horcrux, as defined in Dungeons and Dragons. Did JK Rowling pinch the idea from D+D, or did they both get it from a common source?
The idea of a creature which can preserve its soul or life in an object is very old, and has appeared both in mythological sources and fantasy for a long time. For example, the Chronicles of Prydain were published in the 1960s and had at one point a villain with a similar situation. To a lesser extent, Sauron’s relationship to his Ring has aspects of the same idea.
A much older example is the myth of Koschei who kept his soul hidden in a needle, inside an egg, inside a duck, inside an iron chest on a specific island. (Some versions of the story modify the exact details of the nesting and protection.) The oldest documented version of the Koschei story we have is from 1890, but it is likely that the story is much older. So it is hard to say where Rowling got the idea from since so many old versions of this have been floating around.
Looks like this has been corrected to “the Dark Lord is supposed to have made his lich-phylactery-thingy”.
Somewhere in between, it was called his lich-prophylactery-thingy.
There’s a thought. Has anyone written about the lich equivalent of a Dhampir?
Too bad that got edited out, it was a hilarious bit of humor in an otherwise pretty dark section.
I did not recognise the term “lich phylactery”, so did a quick Google. It is basically exactly the same as a horcrux, as defined in Dungeons and Dragons. Did JK Rowling pinch the idea from D+D, or did they both get it from a common source?
This wikipedia article) contains some rather interesting quotes:
Hmm… The mysterious ritual at the start of Chapter 1 takes place by moonlight...
Very interesting… but can it fool the Hogwarts wards as well?
The idea of a creature which can preserve its soul or life in an object is very old, and has appeared both in mythological sources and fantasy for a long time. For example, the Chronicles of Prydain were published in the 1960s and had at one point a villain with a similar situation. To a lesser extent, Sauron’s relationship to his Ring has aspects of the same idea.
A much older example is the myth of Koschei who kept his soul hidden in a needle, inside an egg, inside a duck, inside an iron chest on a specific island. (Some versions of the story modify the exact details of the nesting and protection.) The oldest documented version of the Koschei story we have is from 1890, but it is likely that the story is much older. So it is hard to say where Rowling got the idea from since so many old versions of this have been floating around.
Thanks for this… I thought somebody would know of previous examples. Now that you mention it, Lord of the Rings is quite an obvious one.