Presented By
  • Newsfeed
  • movies

J.K. Rowling Reveals a Key Detail About a New Fantastic Beasts Character

2 minute read

J.K. Rowling just revealed another bit of Fantastic Beasts insight, and it totally involves Satan.

Seraphine (Caremn Ejogo) will be stalking Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in the movie, which will delve into fictional wizard history in North America for a change. And Ejogo chose to play Seraphine left-handed for magical reasons, according to a recent Pottermore updates.

“I’m left-handed actually, naturally, but I know that that’s a very magical trait. I’d be thought of as a witch years ago,” Ejogo explains. “So I wanted to really emphasize my left hand and I thought we could put rings on it. Colleen [Atwood, the costume designer] was really into that idea. Pottermore added, “Seraphina, pays tribute to the victims of witch hunts across the centuries with every movement of her hand.”

Yes, do continue, Pottermore: “Most depictions of the devil show him using his left hand to anoint his followers, and he sits on your left shoulder with his angel companion on your right. Witches were said to use their left hands to cast curses, to pass ceremonial wine and to salute the leader of the Black Mass, the Queen of the Sabbath. In the witch trials of the past, being left-handed alone could be enough to get you accused of witchery. In the world of Fantastic Beasts, the legacy of the Salem Witch Trials is still keenly felt.”

A 1969 TIME article reported that “in the Middle Ages, for instance, the left-hander lived in danger of being accused of practicing witchcraft. The Devil himself was considered a southpaw, and he and other evil spirits were always conjured up by left-handed gestures.” Leftie suspicions have since evolved.

Pottermore also peppered in that in Fantastic Beasts, Mary-Lou (Samantha Morton) will lead a mob of fired up protesters, chanting “We want second Salem! We want second Salem!” The movie hits theaters Nov. 18, 2016.

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com