The Tale of the Three Brothers
According to the "Tale of the
Three Brothers" (as compiled in The Tales of Beedle the Bard) three brothers — suspected to be
Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus Peverell — were out travelling when they came to a treacherous river
that had been known to claim the lives of many that had attempted to cross it.[2] Taking no chances,
the three brothers pulled out their wands and conjured a bridge out of thin air. However, as they
began to cross it, they found a hooded figure blocking their path. It was Death himself, dressed in
a simple long black cloak. Death felt cheated that the three brothers had outsmarted him and had not
drowned in the river, as many others had.
The Elder Wand
While pretending to congratulate them for their triumph, Death schemed against them. He offered each brother their choice of gift as a reward for outsmarting him. The eldest went first, and being a belligerent man he asked for a wand that would defeat all others. Death went to a nearby elder tree and created a wand from its wood, which he handed to the eldest brother.
The Resurrection Stone
The second brother, who wanted to humiliate Death even further, asked for an object that would recall the dead and was given the Resurrection Stone.
The Invisibility Cloak
The youngest was wiser than his brothers and was sceptical of Death's intentions. He asked for an object that would allow him to live his life without the fear of Death following him. Reluctantly, Death handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.
