There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight when they came to a river too deep to ford and too treacherous to swim. Learned in the magical arts, the brothers conjured a bridge and proceed to cross. Feeling cheated of his due, Death appeared and cunningly pretended to congratulate them and award them with gifts of their own choosing. The eldest brother, a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence, and so Death took a branch from a nearby tree and fashioned the Elder Wand. The second brother, an arrogant man, choose to further humiliate death, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death took a stone from the riverbank and crafted the Resurrection Stone. The third and youngest brother, who was the most humble and wise, did not trust Death and asked for something to enable him to go forth without Death being able to follow. So Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Invisibility Cloak.The three brothers took their prizes and soon went their separate ways. The eldest brother sought out a duel with a wizard with whom he had quarreled. Handily defeating and killing him with the power of the Elder wand, the eldest brother boasted of this wand taken from Death and his own invincibility. That night another wizard crept upon the eldest brother while he slept, stole the wand, and slit his throat for good measure. And so Death took the first brother.