It has been ten years since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling came into bookstores. The series finished with the book being named after the three most powerful magical objects in the Harry Potter universe.
The symbol, a triangle with a struck-through circle in it has become one of the most recognisable motifs from the franchise.
In the films, the symbol has been explained as representing the three objects which make up the Hallows: the invisibility cloak, resurrection stone and the Elder Wand.
However, the inspiration for this iconic insignia came from a place far darker, and far more real, than anyone would imagine.
According to author JK Rowling, the symbol is connected to a Masonic emblem in a film that appeared over 40 years ago. She made the revelation in a BBC documentary.
According to her, an eerily similar icon appears in 1975 flick The Man Who Would be King, and was used to represent the Freemasons.
Rowlings explained that she was watching the film and drawing the character of Professor Sprout when she received a call that her mother had died and right then something must have sunk in on a “subconscious level.”
The Harry Potter creator explained that she was watching the film and drawing the character Professor Sprout when she received the call that her mother had died, and that something must have sunk in on a "subconscious level."
The author went on to reveal in Harry Potter and the History of Magic that the Masonic symbol is very important in that movie.
"The reason I can be incredibly precise about when I drew this is that at some point when I was drawing the picture and watching the movie, my mother died."
She said that she went on to re-watch the film, starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine, years later, and was stunned when she saw the Masonic symbol again.
Rowling adds: "I looked at the sign of the Deathly Hallows and realised how similar they are.
"I've got a feeling that on some deep subconscious level, they are connected.
The author further added that the Potter series is hugely about loss. She went on to say, “If my mother hadn't died, I think the stories would be utterly different and not what they are.”
