Cadmus Peverell

Cadmus Peverell
Biographical information
Born	Prior to 12 July, 1214
Died	Prior to 18 May, 1291
Blood status	Pure-blood
Marital status	Single
Also known as	Second Brother
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Hair colour	Dark
Skin colour	White
Family information
Family members	Ignotus Peverell (brother) † Antioch Peverell (brother) † At least one son or daughter † Ignotus's son (nephew) † Peverell family Gaunt family (descendants) Tom Riddle (descendant) †
Affiliation
Loyalty	Peverell family The Deathly Hallows His fiancée

"Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death."

— The Tale of the Three Brothers by Beedle the Bard

Cadmus Peverell (fl. 1214) was the brother of Antioch and Ignotus Peverell. He was the initial owner, and perhaps creator, of the Resurrection Stone.

History

Early life

Sometime early in his life, Cadmus fell in love with a woman, and the two were engaged to be married. However, she died before this union could take place. Despite his fiancée dying, Cadmus was able to father an heir; whether it was with this woman - and she died in or after childbirth - or with another woman, is unknown.

Meeting with Death

Death grants Cadmus with the stone

According to The Tale of the Three Brothers, Cadmus was walking along a lonely, winding road one night with his two brothers. The trio reached a river too wide to cross under normal means, and conjured a bridge to cross it. At this, Death appeared before them, angry that they had so easily crossed a river that many usually die crossing. However, he pretended to be impressed, and offered each brother a gift. Cadmus, seeking to further humiliate Death, requested a stone that would have the power to bring the dead back to life, which Death provided for him.

An alternative and more logical version of this story proposed by Albus Dumbledore is that Cadmus was merely a very skilled wizard who had created the Resurrection Stone himself.

Using the Stone and death

His lost love and death

However the Stone was created, Cadmus returned to his home with it and used it to revive his dead lover. However, he soon found she had not been truly revived; she appeared sad and cold, and he felt as if a veil still separated them. Driven mad with longing, Cadmus committed suicide so as to truly be reunited with his lost love.

Post-mortem

Cadmus apparently fostered an heir before his death, as the Gaunt family were direct descendants of Cadmus.

Following his death, Cadmus was laid to rest in the churchyard by the Parish Church of St. Clementine, in Godric's Hollow, along with his brothers Antioch and Ignotus.

The Resurrection Stone would go on to be set into a ring, which would be passed down through the Gaunt family, and eventually be turned into a Horcrux by Tom Riddle, a distant descendant of Cadmus.

Personality and traits

According to Beedle the Bard, Cadmus was arrogant, as when offered a gift by Death, he chose an object that he believed would further humiliate Death. He was also incredibly devoted to his fiancée even after she died, as he tried to use the Resurrection Stone to bring her back to life, and eventually killed himself to be with her.

It is possible that Cadmus' true personality are nobler than his depiction in the tale. The spirits summoned by the Resurrection Stone capable of protecting its users from Dark creatures' influence such as Dementors. And, the living are able to draw comfort and strength from the spirits of their loved ones, in Harry's case when facing Voldemort. Furthermore, the symbols of his brothers' specific creation (the Elder Wand and the Cloak of Invisibility) along his own are etched into the stone, meaning that he has respects for his brothers and their work.

Magical abilities and skills

The ring containing the Resurrection Stone. Later became one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.

• Transfiguration: Cadmus, along with his two brothers, was capable of creating a long and stable bridge out of thin air. This is Conjuration and is a very difficult branch of magic.
• Owner of the Resurrection Stone: Cadmus was the first owner of the Resurrection Stone which would later become one of the famous Deathly Hallows. Cadmus used the stone effectively but was overly dependent of it, letting its powers bring about his own death.
• Magical manufacturer (possibly): It is uncertain if Cadmus actually obtained the Resurrection Stone from Death. Albus Dumbledore believed it was more likely that Cadmus and his brothers created the three Hallows themselves. This theory is supported by how in The Tale of the Three Brothers, Cadmus knew to turn the stone thrice in hand for it to work despite Death never telling him how to use it.

Behind the scenes

Concept art of Cadmus.

• The Gaunt family claimed to be descended from both the Peverell family and the Slytherin family; it is probable that the two bloodlines intermarried in a later generation.
• The House of Gaunt are direct descendants of Cadmus Peverell, so it is certain that Cadmus had at least one child in his lifetime. It is not specified if the woman he intended to marry was the mother, or if Cadmus had fathered children from a previous or later relationship. However, as Albus Dumbledore believed that, in reality, the Deathly Hallows had not been gifts from Death but rather inventions of the Peverells themselves, it is also possible that the circumstances of Cadmus' death were embellished somewhat with the passing down of the legend.
• The chapter art from The Tales of Beedle the Bard shows that Cadmus committed suicide by drinking poison, whereas the scene from the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 film shows that he hanged himself. In the video game, he kills himself via a Killing Curse.
• In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Cadmus is grabbed by Death along with his brothers taking place in his home but what happened to the Resurrection Stone before Tom Riddle is unknown.

Etymology

The name Cadmus may have been taken from the legendary ancient Greek Cadmus, founder of the city of Thebes. In the myth, he marries the minor goddess Harmonia, the daughter of Ares. Harmonia later comes into possession of a beautiful necklace, but this item in truth is cursed and causes great pain among Cadmus's descendants (a possible allegory for the Resurrection Stone, the cause of Cadmus Peverell's death as well as the object of a curse many years later) or to the opal necklace in Borgin and Burkes. For more on Harmonia, see [1].

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (First mentioned)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Appears in flashback(s))
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (Appears in flashback(s))
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard (real)