In the run up to the release of ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ on November 18th this year, JK Rowling has exclusively revealed on Pottermore.com that the North American school of Witchcraft and Wizardry is named Ilvermorny, and has its roots right here in Ireland.
The work of fiction begins in Ireland where an orphaned young girl named Isolt Sayre – a descendant of Hogwarts co-founder Salazar Slytherin – escapes her evil aunt and sets sail on the Mayflower. Landing in Massachusetts with little more than the clothes on her back and a stolen wand, she ventures out on her own, wandering in the wilderness until she encounters several mysterious creatures and discovers she is not the only magical person in the New World. But she will also have to overcome great challenges and face new dangers on her way to establishing what will become the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the peak of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts.
This new piece of writing, titled ‘Ilvermorny’, provides a vivid and captivating backstory of the great North American school of magic, founded in the 17th century. Pottermore.com has also released an exclusive video to accompany ‘Ilvermorny’. Click play to find out more…
As if all of this were not enough, fans can also be sorted into the new Ilvermorny houses; Horned Serpent – a ‘great horned river serpent with a jewel set into its forehead’, Pukwudgie – ‘a short, grey-faced, large-eared creature’, Thunderbird – a creature that ‘can create storms as it flies’ and Wampus – ‘a magical, panther-like creature that is fast, strong and almost impossible to kill’.
Head on over to Pottermore.com to find out which Ilvermorny house you belong in, and watch the trailer for ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ below…