Within the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there are some locations that become so iconic thanks in part to their fearsome nature, but as the world continues to expand in the Fantastic Beasts series, other places have been introduced that are somehow scarier. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore formally introduces audiences to a German equivalent of Azkaban with the Erkstag. In fact, the German location might actually be more frightening than Azkaban.
After Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner) is captured by Grindelwald’s followers in Berlin, his brother, Newt (Eddie Redmayne), scrambles to locate him. With the help of Dumbledore (Jude Law), Newt discovers Theseus has been placed within Erkstag — a prison that the German Ministry of Magic utilizes to hold important prisoners. Arriving at the jail, Newt is forced to make his way through the prison without his wand or his magical creatures. Discovering a massive stone pit, Newt is surprised to see there are no bars on the cells of the prisoners. Instead, they are tied up and held upside down, with a single magical source to provide any semblance of light.
However, the lights serve a secondary purpose — they ward off the massive manticore that’s hidden in the heart of the pit. Whenever the light gives out on a cell, the manticore uses its massive and lethal pincer to stab or wrap around a prisoner, and then it drags them into the darkness, where it consumes part of them and leaves the rest of the body for the baby manticores to consume. It’s only Newt’s experience as a zoologist that gives the pair an opening to escape, and even then they only do so thanks to a portkey provided by Dumbledore that teleports them back to Hogwarts.
At first glance, it’s clear that Erkstag serves a similar purpose for the German Ministry of Magic that Azkaban does for the British equivalent. Azkaban is considered one of the most secure prisons in the Wizarding World, largely thanks to the Dementors who haunt the prison, consuming the emotions of the prisoners. This keeps them docile and incapable of escaping of their own volition; although, there are some workarounds, such as when Sirius used his Animagus form to escape, thanks to Dementors being less effective against animals. Both prisons serve as handy ways for their respective Ministries to hide enemies of the state, but there are some clear differences.
Azkaban is terrifying because of the effect it has on its prisoners. While there are no true bars to their cells, victims of the Dementor’s effect are left emotionally and spiritually drained, and if they are given a Dementor’s Kiss, they lose any semblance of their soul and become akin to a husk of a person. It’s a cruel punishment, but one that victims can ultimately escape and overcome, such as when Hagrid and Sirius Black were both imprisoned there; however, after they escape or are released, it doesn’t take long for them to regain their sense of self.
Azkaban at least allows for the chance of a future life. Prisoners of the Erkstag don’t have such a luxury, and there’s no way to know how many people have been killed over the years by the Manticore — though, given its size, it’s clear it’s had time to kill plenty and grow massive. In this way, Erkstag might be more frightening than Azkaban and its Dementors, as at least you can potentially survive that.
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