Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing the history of the undead, zombie-like creatures known as Inferi.

Although most widely referred to by us Muggles as Inferi, this description is actually a plural indication of the singular "Inferius". Both the singular and plural names of these creatures are of Latin origin, with "Inferi" translating to "underworld", and "Inferius" being a derivative of "Inferus", which means "below". J.K. Rowling has confirmed that the etymology for the Inferi was meant to be a reference the idea that they are lesser beings than humans and that they are not part of the world of the living.

Although similar to zombies, the Inferi were created by Rowling for the wizarding world of Harry Potter with the intention of being distinctly different from their rather infamous undead counterparts. They are the cursed corpses of previously living people of either Muggle or magical background who have been brought back from the dead by a dark witch or wizard using rather complex magic. The intention of the curse is to create a warrior or guardian out of the dead person. An Inferius can be created by killing someone and then using their dead body or by using a corpse that is already without life. For example, in order to create the Inferi that Voldemort used to protect his Horcrux that he hid in the remote dark cave that Harry and Dumbledore visited in 1997, it's believed that the Dark Lord went out and murdered a bunch of homeless Muggles, as well as an unlucky wizard or two. After killing these people, he then cursed their dead bodies to become his mindless servants, tasked with protecting the Horcrux from intruders. It would seem that Inferi can also be created by dark magic without the actual presence of a witch or wizard, as Harry indicated that if he were to be drowned in the lake alongside the other Inferi, he too would become one of the dead guardians of Voldemort's Horcrux, cursed with the same eternal responsibility of guarding the cursed locket. Although, I suppose that may be just an assumption made by Harry, as there's no real proof to support this belief.

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