Growing up, waiting impatiently for new Harry Potter books, queuing up in long, sluggish lines from twilight until dawn to buy them, and binge-reading them late at night was a magical experience for millions of die-hard fans.

Harry Potter has inspired eight high-budget Hollywood films since its initial release in 1997, seven books (not counting numerous spin-offs), a theme park, a dedicated website, and an endless supply of computer games, toys, and other merchandise.

All Harry Potter devotees are aware of how crucial the magical artifacts were to this fantastical tale, and the series came to a close with The Deathly Hallows.

JK Rowling explains how the Deathly Hallows symbol came to be.

The symbol had a deeper meaning, author J.K. Rowling explains in the BBC documentary Harry Potter: a History of Magic.

The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility are three fabled Harry Potter relics that are represented by the Deathly Hallows symbol, which is composed of a vertical line, a circle, and a triangle. Whoever held all three was thought to be immortal.

Rowling was observing the Rudyard Kipling adaptation The Man Who Would Be King, featuring Sean Connery and Michael Caine. She thinks the Deathly Hallows symbol may have been unconsciously influenced by a Masonic symbol that appeared in the film.

The Masonic symbol is a triangular shape made from a square, a pair of compasses, and the hand tools of stonemasons.

But how is it that she is so certain that the two are related?

She was drawing Professor Sprout, the Hogwarts herbology instructor, on the evening she was viewing the movie. Rowling learned of her mother’s passing via phone conversation the following day.

Rowling claimed that when she went to rewatch the movie, she was astounded to see how similar the Deathly Hallows and Masonic symbols were. She thinks the symbol from the movie was connected to her psyche.

The Deathly Hallows Symbol’s Significance

The magical object had a significant narrative significance in the Harry Potter world in addition to giving the wizard superhuman strength and immortality. Harry had to pass away for a portion of Voldemort’s soul inside of him to pass away as well in order to put an end to Voldemort’s terror-filled reign.

Rowling, however, had other ideas. She created the Deathly Hallows to let the principal character, Harry, die briefly.

The author did it so that the hero could complete his voyage of self-sacrifice without actually dying.

As the ruler of death, Harry overcame death, to the joy of his followers everywhere.