The three objects that make up the Hallows are graphically represented by the individual components of this symbol:

THE ELDER WAND: represented by the upright line, this magic wand fashioned from an elder tree is reputed to be the most powerful ever created, capable of performing spells and overcoming obstacles that no other wand could easily do.

THE RESURECTION STONE: represented by the circle, this Hallow does exactly what its name implies; it possesses the ability to bring the dead back to life.

THE CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY: represented by the triangle, this Hallow is in a way the most unusual of the three. Invisibility cloaks exist throughout the wizarding world (woven from the hair of a creature known as the demiguise), but this one is virtually indestructible and its magic doesn’t fade with time like most cloaks made in the traditional manner.

Although not specifically mentioned by name, the Deathly Hallows first appear in “The Tale of Three Brothers”, a popular wizarding folktale. In this story, all three Hallows were created by Death himself and given to a trio of brothers as a reward for having outwitted Him. These gifts, however, were a cunning trick by Death and each brother was eventually done in through his interaction with one of the Hallows (for full details on this story read “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” or “The Tales of Beadle the Bard”). The Hallows are a central plot point in the final volume of the Harry Potter series, and they strongly reinforce a theme present throughout all the novels; that death is a natural process and must be accepted as a part of life. Trying to make it otherwise (i.e. cheating death) will ultimately end up causing nothing but pain and despair, regardless of how long the person may live.