The Four Founders of the Hogwarts Houses
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The Four Founders of the Hogwarts Houses |
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Professor Theodore Cyrus (1683-1766), founder of Cantica House, was the first wizard of African descent to sit on the faculty at Hogwarts. A specialist in chants and incantations born to a wizard father and a Muggle mother, Professor Cyrus gained recognition after one of his chants pacified the famous Werewolf of Wakefield; his later discoveries included the 6-tone Charm for Snakes, the Somnalis Spell, and the ghost-raising Chant of Ages. Prof. Cyrus sat on the Governing Board of Hogwarts from 1710 through 1763 and also served two terms in the Colonial Council of Magic, where he was responsible for achieving the 1738 abolition of slavery in American wizard settlements. The heraldic snake on the Cantica House crest was assigned to honor Prof. Cyrus' extensive work in ophidian charming.
Professor Anna Ashwand (1696-1781), Lady of Ashton and founder of Christopher House, was not, as some historians claim, a descendant of Lord Christopher. A spirited Muggle-born witch from the same Ashwand family, Lady Anna was educated in England, and moved to America after hearing that the colony had been founded by one of her distant kinsmen. A specialist in Charms and Curse Breaking, Lady Anna was Headmistress of Hogwarts from 1732 through 1767 and during her tenure expanded the area of the Hidden Cove. Another one of her academic achievements was the design of the current house sorting system in 1728. The heraldic lion of Christopher House was assigned in reference to the lion on the Ashwand family crest, borne both by Anna and Christopher.
Professor Anthonius Josephus (b. 1685, last seen 1755), founder of Carmena House, came to New Hogsmeade with his mother in 1692 as a refugee from Salem. A somewhat eccentric wizard with a flair for the dramatic, he became the first Divination Master of Hogwarts, foretelling several important events for the townspeople, including the Great Flood of 1718. An avid patron of the arts, Professor Josephus is also known in history for his repeated attempts to establish a troop of actors and improvisational comedians at Hogwarts. Improvisational comedic magic being such a hazardous practice, none of Josephus's groups ever lasted very long, though it is rumored that the peculiar shape of the Northwest tower results from one of their more spectacular accidents. Prof. Josephus chose the beaver for his house's beast out of homage to Carmena Mercatorus, whose first monograph on the wildlife of North America was characterized by a large beaver on the cover.
Professor Nava Sophronia (1675-1757), founder of Sylvia House, distinguished herself at Hogwarts despite coming relatively late to magic. Born in to Muggle merchants of Dutch background, she came to New York in 1683, missing both of Christopher Ashwand's searches for magical talent. Sophronia, an extraordinarily well-educated woman, was teaching Muggle grammar school at the age of 17 when she was approached by Cantica Carpiscis and Sylvia Black during their 1692 attempt to collect and protect all the true witches of New England. Being somewhat different from the other students in age and education, Sophronia soon began receiving private instruction at Hogwarts, earning her keep by instructing the younger pupils in reading, writing, Latin, and arithmetic. The catalyst for the Muggle Education act of 1693, Maegistra Sophronia did much to ease tensions betweens Muggles and wizards in New Salem; in her later years as a professor, she became heavily involved with the Colonial Council of Magic and was instrumental in passing the first set of American Muggle Protection Laws. One of a few few known Avimouths, Sophronia was able to converse with birds and cultivated a large following of blackbirds of sorts, in honor of which she deisgnated the raven as the heraldic beast of Sylvia House.