Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins of the world rejoice, J.K. Rowling has once again, added to the ever expanding Harry Potter Universe. In a new story, released on Pottermore last week, the author offered the background of American school of witchcraft and wizardry, Ilvermorny.
Much like the school's British counterpart,Ilvermorny divides students into four separate houses, each with its own animal sigil. At the same time, a new feature was added to the website allowing fans to determine which house suited them best, much like the site's original sorting hat feature.
The literary sorting ceremony remains quite different from the sorting practice at Hogwarts, however.
"While the rest of the school watches from the circular balcony overhead, new students file into the round entrance hall," Explains Rowling. "They stand around the walls and, one by one, are called to stand on the symbol of the Gordian Knot set into the middle of the stone floor. In silence the school then waits for the enchanted carvings to react."
Students are then accordingly as either Thunderbird, an avian creature that "can create storms as it flies," Horned Serpent, "a great horned river serpent with a jewel set into its forehead," Wampus, "a magical, panther-like creature that is fast, strong and almost impossible to kill," and Pukwudgie, "a short, grey-faced, large-eared creature."
Unfortunately, until we get our letters inviting us to study at Ilvermorny, fans of the book series have to settle for taking an online quiz instead.
Ilvermorny sorting gauge individuals according to particular identities, likening each house to a part of a person's essence. The story states that Thunderbird represents and the soul and that the house tends to favor Adventurers, Horned Serpent evokes the mind and favors scholars, Wampus reflects the body and favors warriors, while, Pukwudgie represents the heart and favors healers.
Although Rowling's short story provided little information about the personality types of each house, it has confirmed that these new sorting have little to no connection to a person's Hogwarts house sorting by both Rowling and outside research. Either way, our interest has been piqued, and in a world where someones' Hogwarts house has come to say so much about a person, it's safe to assume, this certainly won't be the last we hear of the new Harry Potter houses.
