Antioch Peverell

Antioch Peverell was the oldest of the Peverell brothers. Antioch, like his brothers, was learned in the magical arts, but personally was described as being a "combative man". Antioch and his brothers were the original masters of the Deathly Hallows, Antioch possessing the Elder Wand, though the exact circumstances of this are unknown.

Biography
In the The Tale of the Three Brothers, the Peverell brothers are described as having received the Hallows from Death himself, after using their magical talents to cross a treacherous river that would have assuredly killed them otherwise, and Antioch, for his prize, asked for "a wand more powerful than any other in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death!" and so Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, made a wand from a branch, and gave it to Antioch.

Later, the three brothers separated. Antioch travelled towards a distant village, and met a wizard with whom he had a quarrel. With the Elder Wand as his weapon, Antioch easily won the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead, Antioch lodged in an inn to celebrate, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched "from Death himself", and of how it made him invincible. That night, as Antioch slept, another wizard crept upon him, stole the wand, and killed its owner.

Antioch was a distant relative of Tom Marvolo Riddle and Harry Potter, as each was descended from one of his brothers, Cadmus Peverell and Ignotus Peverell respectively.

Etymology
His name may be a reference to the city of Antioch, a chief centre of early Christianity.

Behind the scenes

 * Antioch_art.jpg Dumbledore believed it was more likely that the Deathly Hallows were invented by the Peverell brothers themselves, which would make Antioch the creator of the Elder Wand. Whether the account of his death from The Tales of Beedle the Bard is accurate is unknown.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Notes and references
Antioche Peverell Антиох Певерелл