Monday, "Harry Potter" news site Pottermore announced J.K. Rowling is releasing a new series called "Magic in North America." The teaser video indicated fans would soon learn about Native American "skinwalkers" and the magical school of Ilvermorny (America's version of Hogwarts).
The first installment was published on March 8, and focuses on fourteenth through seventeenth century North America. According to Rowling's fictionalized history, witches and wizards around the world were aware of North America long before muggle — or "no maj"— explorers landed on its shores by mistake.
Rowling writes about the indigenous populations and how magic manifested within their communities. "In the Native American community, some witches and wizards were accepted and even lauded within their tribes, gaining reputations for healing as medicine men, or outstanding hunters," she explains. "However, others were stigmatized for their beliefs, often on the basis that they were possessed by malevolent spirits."
This echoes sentiments of muggles shown in "Harry Potter" series — the Dursleys viewed magic as abhorrent and something to be ashamed of. Clearly, the history of magic in North America was just as fraught with tension between magic and non-magic folk.
Rowling also mentions Animagi — witches and wizards who can turn into an animal at will. "The legend of the Native American ‘skin walker’ – an evil witch or wizard that can transform into an animal at will – has its basis in fact," she writes. Rowling takes this legend of "skinwalkers" straight from real Navajo myth.
Another interesting tidbit revealed is the fact that Native American witches and wizards did not have wands. "As the Native American Animagi and potion-makers demonstrated, wandless magic can attain great complexity, but Charms and Transfiguration are very difficult without one," Rowling explained. According to her writings, the magical wand originated in Europe.
You can read the entire post on Pottermore, and stay tuned for new releases at 9 a.m. each day this week.
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