Godelot

Godelot was a powerful medieval dark wizard known for his unpleasant disposition and mastery of Dark Magic. He is historically significant as one of the early owners of the Elder Wand, a fact he documented in his own sinister grimoire, Magick Moste Evile. His life and subsequent murder by his own son, Hereward, form part of the bloody history of the Deathly Hallows, illustrating the violent path the wand carved through Wizarding history.

Living in the Middle Ages, Godelot established himself as a formidable practitioner of the dark arts. At some point, he became the master of the Elder Wand, although the exact circumstances of its acquisition are unknown. Given the wand's nature, it is highly probable he took it by force. Godelot's ownership is primarily known because he wrote about the wand in his book, Magick Moste Evile. In this text, he explored advanced concepts of Dark Magic and referred to the wand with a chilling familiarity, calling it “my most wicked and subtle friend, with the body of eldertree, that knowes witches' ways of magick moste evile”. This passage served as a crucial piece of evidence for Albus Dumbledore in his research on the Deathly Hallows. Godelot's reign as master of the Elder Wand ended violently. He was eventually defeated and killed by his own son, Hereward, who locked him in a cellar to die and claimed the wand for himself.

Little is known of Godelot's personality, other than Albus Dumbledore's description of him as having an “unpleasant disposition”. His authorship of Magick Moste Evile and his reference to the Elder Wand as a “wicked… friend” suggest a deep obsession with and scholarly devotion to Dark Magic. As a master of the Elder Wand, Godelot was undoubtedly an exceptionally powerful wizard. His primary skill lay in the field of Dark Magic, which he not only practiced but also studied and documented extensively.

• The Elder Wand: Godelot possessed the legendary wand for an unknown period during the Middle Ages, using it to further his study of Dark Magic.
• Magick Moste Evile: A grimoire authored by Godelot himself. The book contained his research and philosophies on the dark arts. A copy was later found in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library.

Godelot's only known relative is his son, Hereward. The relationship was clearly hostile, culminating in Hereward murdering his father to steal the Elder Wand. This patricide is a grim testament to the corrupting influence of the wand and the likely nature of the household in which Hereward was raised.

The name Godelot is of Germanic origin. It may be a combination of “Gode” (meaning “good” or “God”) and “lot” (meaning “fate” or “share”). This creates a deeply ironic name—“Good Fate” or “God's Fate”—for a dark wizard who met a violent end at the hands of his son.

All canonical information about Godelot comes from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, specifically from Albus Dumbledore's notes on The Tale of the Three Brothers. Hermione Granger reads these notes aloud from Dumbledore's copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which directly links Godelot to the history of the Elder Wand. The book The Tales of Beedle the Bard, later published for Muggles, corroborates these details.