J.K. Rowling has released more tantalizing information about the North American school of witchcraft and wizardry--Ilvermorny!! The only thing I'm going to complain about is that the I and the lowercase L look too similar in this weird font, but whatever. These new develepments are awesome news for muggles, or shall we say, no-majs, on the American continent!
First of all, there is an awesome backstory for Ilvermorny on Pottermore, where you can read all about how this school came into being, with some juicy details that connect this school to some characters from the original Harry Potter series. Isolt Sayre, founder of the school, lived her whole life dreaming of what it would be like to go to Hogwarts. Does this sound like anyone you know? She finally founded Ilvermorny with her no-maj husband (points for a cute love story), and modeled it around what she imagined the experience to be like. If nothing else, most Harry Potter fans can identify with Isolt's desire to recreate the Hogwarts experience!
New information about the magical world of another continent means new magical creatures, such as the terrifying hidebehind and the complicated Pukwudgie. Both of these creatures can be read about in the history of Ilvermorny, and play a key role in the story of this school.
The best part? No more lamenting that you didn't get your letter from Hogwarts because you lived on the wrong continent. No, now you know that there WAS a school you were eligible for, and you for sure are simply a no-maj (it's ok to be sad). Although we don't know how North American children are invited to the school, I'm sure the process is just as cool as at Hogwarts.
And if this isn't enough for you, yes, there is a sorting ceremony available on Pottermore. There are four houses: Horned Serpent, Pukwudgie, Thunderbird, and Wampus. The Horned Serpent represents the mind, and is said to favor scholars. Pukwudgie is said to represent the heart, and favors healers. Thunderbird represents the soul and favors adventurers. Finally, Wampus represents the body and favors warriors.
And get this: sometimes you are offered a place in more than one house, and must choose! Very rarely a witch or wizard is even offered a place in all four of the houses, and gets to have their pick. Luckily, J.K. Rowling has done a good job giving us a fun and easy quiz to find out where we belong.
It's time to geek out about Ilvermorny! Finally a school we can call our own, kinda. Check it out, show your friends, and get sorted!
