Wizarding In North America | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Wizarding In North America

Author J. K. Rowling discusses Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and wizardry in the U.S.

22
Wizarding In North America
Pottermore

It's a big season for "Harry Potter" fans! For those who don't know, author J. K. Rowling has a website, Pottermore, where she regularly posts short stories and information about the world of "Harry Potter." Lately, she has taken to talking about the wizarding schools all over the world. Last week, Rowling posted a new story, her longest yet, about the North American school Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which stands "at the highest peak of Mount Greylock," located in Massachusetts.

The story discusses how the school was founded by Islot Sayre. It describes her trials and tribulations as well as how her family was brought together. Sayre is considered the founder of modern magic. After being orphaned as a child, she was taken in by her aunt, who taught her a little magic. Sayre stole her aunts wand, the wand of Salazar Slytherin (#TeamSlytherin) and came to America on the Mayflower. The story goes into more details and is a wonderful read, but anymore would spoil the story for readers.

Like Hogwarts, Ilvermorny has four houses. The houses were all named by Islot Sayre's family, each naming their house after their favorite magical beast. The houses are as follows.

Horned Serpent

"A great horned river serpent with a jewel set into its forehead." This house represents the mind and favors scholars.

Pukwudgie

"A short, grey-faced, large-eared creature." This is the house of the heart and favors healers.

Thunderbird

"A creature that can create storms as it flies." The house of Thunderbird is the soul and favors adventurers.

Wampus

"A magical, panther-like creature that is fast, strong and almost impossible to kill." The Wampus represents the body and favors warriors.

The sorting ceremony for Ilvermorny is different from Hogwarts, and sometimes students get to pick their own houses.

Along with the short story of the history of Ilvermorny, Rowling also posted a small video, which plays out some of the scenes of the story and a sorting quiz. By taking the quiz, you can learn what house you would be in if you attended Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (I was placed in Horned Serpent). Sadly, you must create an account or log into Pottermore to be sorted.

All of this, as well as a few other short stories and information, is to prepare for the release of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," a film based on one of Harry Potter's text books. The movie will be released on November 16. "Fantastic Beasts" will follow the story magizoologist Newt Scamander and his adventures in North America. In order to prepare us, Rowling has been releasing information on the magic world in North America.

If this doesn't excite you enough, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" will be released on July 31, which is Harry's birthday! The book is essentially the script for the play written by Rowling, which premieres this month in England.

As someone who grew up with "Harry Potter," and as a die hard fan, all I can say is I'm excited!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

239
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

1803
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition

10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

3111
How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

It’s that time of year again when college students live at the library all week, cramming for tests that they should have started studying for last month. Preparing to spend all day at the library takes much consideration and planning. Use these tips to help get you through the week while spending an excessive amount of time in a building that no one wants to be in.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments