silvahistory1

Silvanavem began as the dream of two boys; Sarl Aedifer and Matthieu Pario. They were wizards in the far north of Europe, and they wanted to build a school where the strongest and best wizards would be trained.
As they grew up, their dream seemed like it could truly become a reality, as they discovered an ancient castle hidden in the dense woodlands. An extract from the journal of Matthieu Pario tells us what they were thinking when they came across it; 'At that moment we looked at each other, and we knew. This would be the place that our school would be built. Though the castle was extremely old and neglected, we knew that we could build it again. It seemed like a gift from the Gods.'
And after many years of labour and toil, they managed to renovate the castle. The well-fated dream was set to grow, for within a decade of the wonderful discovery of the castle, they started taking students from local Wizard villages. Five years later, Silvanavem was an established, well known school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and it's two founders and joint headmasters were world renowned.
Silvanavem was built within a mile of a great winding river flowing out to sea, and the founders went on to build the great enchanted ship that became the symbol and name of Silvanavem.
However, nobody said that things were going to be easy from then on; the school was set so far north that much of the year was spent in darkness, and the freezing conditions also limited the number of students that the school held at any time. Silvanavem grew, and Aedifer and Pario began to construct a second part of the castle on the other side of the new quidditch pitch. It was to be known as the Twin Castles of Silvanavem. Pario sadly did not live to see the second castle completed. He died aged fifty-three in a tragic accident.
After Pario's death, things changed around Silvanavem. Aedifer was not an evil wizard, but he practised the Dark Arts regularly and eventually taught his students black magic and instructed his staff to teach them this school of magic as well. From then on, Silvanavem got a reputation for teaching its students black magic, and things went from bad to worse as these studies were increased. Silvanavem was well known for its mortality rate, and its tough wizards.
A year before Aedifer died, aged seventy-eight, he named the four houses after the Elements; Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Aedifer had no children, and his title of Headmaster was passed to the deputy.
The next headmaster was far more involved in the dark arts than Aedifer. Everyone agreed that Aedifer was not a bad man, but they could not deny that the new Headmaster, Luthur Atrox was certainly as evil as they came. Soon all his lessons incorporated the dark arts, and he encouraged students to learn and to practise curses. Consequentially, the death toll was even higher than before. SIlvanavem had to deal with misitry complaints on a regular basis, and eventually became known as the first school to break away from the ministry.
From then on, Silvanavem retained its reputation as a Dark School, albeit a fairly respected one. It's students made excellent witches and wizards - although have been known to join with strong Dark Wizards and Warlocks fairly willingly. Apart from the Dark Arts, Silvanavem has retained excellent astronomy and astrology facilities, as it is possible to see the Northern Lights from the school. The students are also known for being the toughest, hardiest students worldwide.
Over the years, Silvanavem has been developed under russian and germanic influence, introducing new lessons and lore. Its pupils are known for being extremely hardy and tough, and it is often believed to be a result of this cultural influence.
Lately, Silvanavem has benefitted from a new Headmistress who is gently weaning the students off of the dark arts to return to Aedifer and Pario's original dream. She spoke to us on some of her ideas for the school; 'I hope that one day the school shall lose its reputation for the dark arts and become a regular school alongside Pigzits and Bellebadines. Silvanavem will always be individual, and a school in a league of its own. It will always be remembered for teaching the students to think and teach themselves; anarchy is also a strong part of the school.'
Silvanavem has amazingly large grounds, as a result of lack of muggle interest in the area. It is surrounded by vast forests where many rare beasts, such as Thestral horses, roam in abundance. It is said that the Thestral horses are common in this part as they are attracted to the Northern Lights. The nearest wizarding town is Svalbard, the enchanted town to the north of the Silvanavem area.
Quidditch is hard to practise in this area because much of year is spent in darkness. The quidditch pitch lies between the Twin Castles, and is floodlit when in darkness. The forest beyond the school is commonly known amongst the students as the Enchanted Forest for the strange happenings that occur there. However, the origins of the name are in debate. Some say that its name was developed in the first years of the school, coming from the Northern Lights that seemed to dance over the forest.