A dementor as described from the popular Harry Potter series of books and film franchise was reportedly seen in Zambia. However, the image allegedly showing a gliding, wraith-like dark creature in the skies over Zambia shopping center was a digitally manipulated one. Indeed, there was no sighting of a dementor as they do not exist. However, this fake image was circulated on social media in March 2017 to appear as real despite its falseness.
Where did these images originate? The photographs were published by the web site Zambian Observer in an article reporting that this strange figure had been spotted in the skies above a shopping mall in Zambia. The article asserted that some locals ran away in fear, believing the figure was a manifestation of God, while others stayed to worship it. An alleged eye-witness was even quoted in the account account:
“There was drama today in Kitwe at mukuba mall when a strange image that look like a human appeared in the clouds.
According to eye witnesses say the strange image that looked like a human was in the sky for over 30 minutes while looking down at the mall.
This forced people who were shopping scampering in different directions thinking that God had finally come.
“we were shocked to see images that looked like a human in the clouds for close to 30 minutes, others started worshiping but others ran away. It was so strange” said an eye witness.”
Then this article began to gain traction as tabloid publications such as the UK’s Sun and Daily Mail aggregated the story, adding some appeal by stating that the figure resembled a Dementor from the Harry Potter literary franchise. You can see an image from the film below of what a Dementor looks like in the book and film series.
In the series, a Dementor is a gliding, wraith-like dark creature (considered one of the foulest to inhabit the world) employed by the British Ministry of Magic as the guard of Azkaban Prison. The Dementors feed upon human happiness, and thus cause depression and despair to anyone near them. They can also consume a person’s soul, leaving their victims in a permanent vegetative state, and thus are often referred to as “soul-sucking fiends”. They are known to leave a person as an ’empty-shell’.
Here are some examples of people sharing the image on social media.
ITS A DEMENTOR RT @AndrewSammange: Strange image appeared in the sky…Zambia mall pic.twitter.com/SLeiSGpE2y
— Makeup Fairy ✨ (@Glamazon1026) March 5, 2017
Creepy ‘Dementor’ Like Figure Seen Floating In The Sky In Zambia, Is It Real? https://t.co/G3fa38x0lE pic.twitter.com/GFwvqaAdln
— Wereblog (@Wereblog) March 7, 2017
Despite an “eye witness” account and two photographs, there was no truth to this story, according to research from Snopes. The “Dementor” figure in the images appears to be a kite that digitally was added into an otherwise uneventful photograph of a cloudy day at a shopping mall. An photograph of this kite has been circulating online since at least Feb. 8, 2017, nearly a month before it was “spotted” over a mall in Zambia. Although difficult to see, kite strings are visible in the original photograph as noted in the image below.
The photo appears to be a “Spirit Man” kite designed by Martin Lester:
“Floating like a friendly ghost, the Spirit’s legs swim as if it’s propelling itself aloft. A soft kite with nothing to assemble or break, it stuffs into a 8″ x 10″ sack. Crafted of nylon sailcloth by Martin Lester himself this 20-ft long figure soars gracefully in surprisingly light winds. Great for night flying when its spookiness really comes alive. 2-ft. spinning drogue tail included. Wind range 4 to 24 mph. Use 100-lb. Dacron line.”
What did you think about the digitally manipulated photo? Did you see people sharing it as if there was a real threat from Dementors? Let us know in the comments section.