The True History of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
With the new wizard game recently released, I wanted to share a re-write of the history I created for Ilvermorny before JRK got her mitts into it. My version has been re-done to conform more with what canon I could use (Houses, location) but attempts to make it better. FYI I am not First Peoples so hopefully my representations of them were respectful. And as always, much love to @americanwizarding for inspiring me to make my own American canon (and letting me use some of their own creations for my canon too).
Born in 1603 Elias Sayre was the youngest child of William and Rionach Sayre, an Irish Pure-Blood Family. The Sayre’s traced their history back centuries and counted among their ranks the legendary witch Morrigan on William’s side and Salazar Slytherin on Rionach’s. While they did not share the same level of rabid blood supremacy as other members of their extended family did, the Sayre’s were not the type to mingle with Muggles and Muggle-Borns.
Elias’ first disappointed his family when attending Hogwarts as he was sorted into Hufflepuff, breaking the long tradition of Sayres being proud Gryffindors. His time at Hogwarts was unremarkable as he did not try out for Quidditch and excelled at charms and transfiguration over battle magic and curses. Most of his family wrote Elias off as a black sheep and expected nothing much from him except to not embarrass the family name. Unfortunately Elias failed at this too.
Graduating from Hogwarts in 1619 he traveled to London and took up with the Muggle-Born community there. Elias became a strong advocate for Muggle rights including votes for Muggle and Magical women, abolition, and general equality. While his parents were able to overlook his bleeding heart approach, his extended family could not bear to extend him the same courtesy. His great aunt, Gormlaith Gaunt, especially hated Elias viewing him as a blight on the family tree. It was when Elias made a public proposal of marriage to a Muggle woman that Aunt Gormlaith took matters into her own hands.
The Sayres and the Gaunts had a substantial fortune between them and Gormlaith used some of the money to hire mercenary wizards to murder her nephew Elias. What Gormlaith (and Elias’ parents) did not know was that Elias was a Seer, a mage with the power to see the future. Elias had witnessed his Aunt’s betrayal and so forewarned withdrew a large amount of money from his family’s Gringotts account and fled England for the new world on the easiest ship to board: the Mayflower. Giving the fake name of Elias Story, Elias traveled across the Atlantic to hopefully find a new life in the New World.
During the long journey Elias realized that he would find no friends or allies among the Puritans and so the 18 year old fled Plymouth Colony for the western wilds of Massachusetts. He had heard about the various native tribes that lived in the Americas, but seeing how they were treated by the colonists led Elias to be fearful of them and so for three years he avoided all contact with anyone, hiding himself with his magic. Elias made his home atop the tallest point in Massachusetts, Mount Greylock, in a stone cottage well protected from detection both magical and mundane. He christened his new home Ilvermorny after his own childhood home, and was determined to make it a place of hope and love like he had never known.
During his isolation Elias learned about and even befriended several magical creatures of the region. He had a few polite conversations with Pukwudgies, had pet and ridden a Snallygaster, and beheld the magnificent migration patterns of the Thunderbird. The Thunderbirds held a special place in Elias’ heart as they used Mount Greylock as a roost during their travels across the continent. While at first weary of him, the Thunderbirds grew to trust Elias and he was able to harvest some of their tail feathers for study.
It was during one of his foraging expeditions that Elias came upon a group of No-Maj Mohican hunters (No-Maj is the American term for Muggle, short for No-Magic) who were being set upon by a Hidebehind. This beast had already killed several of the party as its pelt and natural invisibility made it almost impossible for No-Majs to fight it. Elias however made short work of the monster and dispatched it with his magic. The hunters, while obviously and rightly suspicious of a European with magic, thanked Elias and asked him to accompany them to speak with their chief Etow Oh Koam. It was with great trepidation that Elias agreed.
Elias found that he had little to worry as he was warmly welcomed by the Mohican tribe of western Massachusetts. Etow Oh Koam had three children who were all No-Maj-Born and was delighted to learn that there were other practitioners of magic from other parts of the world. This moment would be life-changing and some would argue world-changing as Elias’ eyes set upon the chief’s daughter Tahawus. It was love at first sight for both and Elias would make a point of meeting with the tribe as often as possible to have a chance of meeting Tahawus. The perfect opportunity provided itself for Elias to visit often, for Etow Oh Koam suggested a trade of magical knowledge and Elias was all too glad to accept.
While Elias had never before made a wand he knew of the process and already possessed a wide range of magical supplies. North America was full of new magical creatures from the dragon-like Snallygaster to the noble Horned Serpent. Elias had collected a sizable amount of suitable cores and so for a whole month made five wands for the Mohican’s magical members. Widely accepted as the first American made wand, the wand of Red Maple and Horned Serpent Horn that Elias presented to Tahawus was said to be as powerful as it was beautiful. Elias had poured his heart into it and offered it as a token of his love, which was happily accepted. When Elias asked Etow Oh Koam for his daughter’s hand in marriage the chief was confused for Tahawus was in fact two-spirit, they were one of few who though born of one gender preferred the social customs and responsibilities of the other. Elias was unfazed and history records his reply as simply “my heart has never led me astray”. Tahawus, who had been frightened that Elias would respond with revulsion and horror, was said to have produced magic of such beauty and joy with their wand that those who witnessed it believed that the spirits themselves were blessing the happy couple. They were soon married and Tahawus moved in with their husband Elias into their cottage.
Their marriage was a joyous one and as they could not have children of their own they adopted two young Mohican mages whose parents had died due to a magical disease. Elias and Tahawus took care of Alawa (girl) and Ahanu (boy) as if they were their own, and Elias taught them the ways of wandwork and European magic. It was here Elias found his calling and began offering his knowledge to all magical members of the tribe as well as those from neighboring tribes that had pacts with the Mohican. For all of them Elias made wands and taught them spells of protection and concealment so that they might preserve their own tribes from No-Majs coming to steal their lands. Elias found a use for the stolen money he had brought with him and purchased land on Mount Greylock for himself.
Alawa and Ahanu had always been enchanted by their father’s stories of Hogwarts far across the ocean and so desired to have their own version here. Elias agreed and so Tahawus suggested they each found their own house, not named after themselves but after their favorite magical creatures. Fierce and fiesty Alawa chose the Wampus, calm and thoughtful Ahanu chose the Horned Serpent, kind and gentle Tahawus chose the Pukwudgie, and adventurous and wise Elias chose for himself the Thunderbird. For a while the school flourished among the native tribes of the region until a magical explorer stumbled upon the cottage after fleeing a Hidebehind. Amazed by what he saw he traveled back to the Colonies and shared his information. Not long after this tales of a school of magic hidden in western Massachusetts reached the ears of magical colonists up and down the coast and soon Elias found European families petitioning him to educate their children too. Realizing what was happening Elias and Tahawus used their magic to grow their home from a humble cottage into a large castle atop a mountain. While it would undergo numerous renovations in the coming centuries Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would open its doors officially in 1630, becoming the first European styled school of magic in North America.
Unfortunately, word of the school passed beyond the Colonies and back to the old world. When Gormlaith Gaunt heard the tale of a young man Elias who was married to a two-spirit (a Native American and a No-Maj-Born at that!) she became apoplectic with rage. Horrified that this indignity would destroy the name of her family she herself set off to the New World with the intention of hunting down her nephew, destroying him and his “unnatural” family, and ensuring that his legacy never be tied to the Sayre or Gaunt names. She disguised herself as William Sayre and traveled to the new world upon the Bonaventure, after which she stole into the American wilderness and headed north to Massachusetts.
It was on a late summer night in 1634 when Gormlaith Gaunt reached Mount Greylock and Ilvermorny. Traveling up she called out to her nephew, lying that she had come to seek forgiveness for her earlier transgressions. In his kindness Elias stepped out to see her and then she struck. It is said that the battle lasted for almost an hour. As soon as Gormlaith attacked Elias, Tahawus burst from their home roaring with rage and joined the battle, along with their adopted children. While they fought four against one, Gormlaith proved herself stronger and more dangerous. Elias and Tahawus fought to not only stop her but to protect their children, and Gormlaith used that against them. Targeting the children with a dark curse Elias threw himself in front of them taking the full brunt of the blast which almost killed him. One down Gormlaith moved forward for the kill, and that is when the Thunderbirds arrived. Witnesses to the battle from afar noted that the early stages looked like a thunderstorm atop the mountain, and that its finale was like a storm of fury and rage. Called by their supernatural sense for magical danger the Thunderbirds swarmed Mount Greylock and with a mighty and collective flap released a bolt of lightning so powerful and so concentrated that it reduced Gormlaith Gaunt to dust in a moment. All that remained of the wicked Aunt was a charred stick that had been her wand and a few twisted bits of jewelry.
Elias made a quick recovery tended by Tahawus and his children and the winds scattered Gormlaith’s ashes to the four corners of the world. Elias felt such a strong dedication to the Thunderbirds that saved his family that after his recovery he built permanent nesting grounds for them and to this day a flock of Thunderbirds still call Ilvermorny their part-time home.
News of the battle quickly spread and made its way back to England. Elias’ parents were shocked by the brutal actions of Gormlaith, but they were also proud of how their son defended his home and his family. While they didn’t openly approve of his marriage or his views, a letter to Elias arrived a few months after the battle. His parents had written to him an apology for never believing in him and for driving him away. Though they knew they would most likely never see each other again, they wanted their son to know that they were proud of him, proud of the family he loved and protected, and proud of the school he built. Elias would never speak of the letter but it still hangs preserved and framed in the Headmaster’s office to this day.
Elias and Tahawus lived well into their hundreds, staving off Arcane Governor William Stoughton and his Scourers during the American Wizarding Revolution and witnessing the founding of the Magical Confederation of the United States of America. When they passed away together in 1718 President Charity Wilkinson (Wampus) declared a national day of mourning and remembrance for the two beloved educators. Alawa and Ahanu both went on to form their own families who produced children of magical power. Today, the current Headmistress Isabella Ingersoll is a direct descendant of Ahanu and the Sayre line.
Hello, but I was wondering if you had any thoughts on tulip populars?
Indeed I do. One of my first posts was comparing poplars. In brief, if you are an American and you walk into your local Lowe’s/Home Depot, this is what you will find labeled as poplar. It’s not a true poplar, but the wood is marked similar to true poplars.
Personally, I think it’s a bit underrated. It’s a nice lightweight wood that carves well, takes stains, dyes, and paints easily, and burns well too. The grain is subtle, but can be interesting. It is just so common and mostly thought of as a utility wood. And the colors you sometimes see are mineral stains so the do fade pretty quickly. Still a great wood.
Its been quite a while and on behalf of the Mods of this page we wanted to reach out to everyone who has followed, reblogged, written in, and generally supported this blog even in the years since we’ve provided...well, any updates at all. It had honestly been over a year since I last logged onto this blog to check updates, and I did so today because A) everything going on right now made me desperately miss this head canon and B) I saw a new submission on a project I assumed people had long since lost an interest in...
This blog was and still is very much a project of love and devotion during a time when all three mods found themselves with both the time and the need for this sort of outlet. Some of you may have noted that this blog began to flag a bit during the rise of Donald Trump and the inevitable aftermath of his election. Some of you have also probably noted our blog started going quiet when J.K. Rowling started claiming the canon for the USA. Neither of these reasons were entirely the whole purpose, but they did contribute to our lack of posting.
You see I started this page back when I was in law school, and invited two of my oldest and closest friends, both in life and in fandom, to join me in growing the head canon. Since then, all three of us have been through a lot. I’ve graduated (of course) and gone on to be a full time attorney, which is extremely time consuming. I’ve married my husband/partner, adopted two beautiful cats (re-homed from owners who couldn’t care for them anyone), and spend a lot of my time with them. My other mods have also moved on with their lives as they’ve gotten busier (if you haven’t checked out “From Unseen Fire” by Cass Morris one of my fellow mods’ authorial debut, I highly suggest it - and yes that is my shameless plug on her behalf).
So...with growing responsibilities and outside commitments it became a lot harder to maintain this blog, especially against some of the backlash we were starting to receive from supporters of JK’s canon, the general toxicity all too common in most fandom from every side of the aisle, and frankly a desire to leave the digital space to try and contribute more to the fight out in the real world, where our privilege, backgrounds, training, and education might make a difference.
And now, once again (and perhaps as always) the US is at a cross roads. History is happening outside. A lot of our followers and friends are already on the front line of it, and if you are a member of the protests or working to try and make a positive change out there, we here at American Wizarding salute you and we hope you are keeping safe.
This Blog is Not Dead. I very much want to come back here one day and keep creating. We will still accept submissions and I promise I will try to be better about sharing those. I hope that our commitment to diversity and celebrating the best in America while addressing some of the worst through the lens of fiction has given some of you enjoyment. I hope this has been a safe place for those of you who didn’t always feel like you had one, even in a fiction as comforting as Harry Potter has been for many of us. I hope you are all safe, and well, and happy, and doing whatever part you can, no matter how small you think it is (and I assure you, no part is too small), to make the US into the country we know it can be, with or without magic.
Sincerely,
John, Laveau Academy, Class of 2006, “From Many Streams a River Flows “
Dame Erinma A. MacDougal recipient of the Order of Merlin (First Class)
" I will teach my children and descendants that we must look beyond the surface to dig into a sometimes painful history. Only by doing this will we be able to move forward in understanding."
The robes and gowns created by the MacDougal family are known for embroidered scenes and stories that serve not as a badge of honor but as a show of respect to those whose suffering paved the way.
Some of the most famous MacDougal robes were designed for Tulia Le Loup a founder of the Allegiance Academy in America.
What Wizard House are you? WRONG ANSWER! The whole think smacks of Anti-American-ism. There is an American school right? I bet they had their own houses. The founding fathers made it so you don't have to swear an oath to English wizard school houses! Wake up people! We have our own sorting hat here in America! It’s cooler than Hogwarts’s because it holds two beer cans and has straws so you can drink it while watching Quidditch! I stand with house Harkonnen! I didn't read the books, so I made up my own.
I don’t know much about Native American culture, but I do know that those feathers in their hair are signs of accomplishment, usually in battle. I propose that modern American wix use them to show mastery in a subject. That is, a Charms Master or Runes Mistress would wear a feather in their hair. The rare double master would have two feathers.
I also remember reading somewhere that feathers standing straight up are signs of aggression, while having them lay back against the hair was a sign of peace. What if the feathers are enchanted to display emotion, specifically anger. If the wix is angry, the feather(s) would go vertical. If they calmed down, they’d go limp again. If you saw a wix with vertical feathers, you’d best back off or try to calm them down, because a master in just about any subject is a badass, and you don’t want to piss off a badass.
The Marchmont School of Magic is not the oldest of magical schools, dating back to only the late 1880s, but its location, so close to the magical heart of the city, the Sixth Borough, nonetheless makes it a fine choice for the education of magical children. Its founding too, can be said to raise a few eyebrows. A young pureblood of an old family bought the grounds and built the sprawling mansion for the express purpose of impressing a girl, Genevieve Marchmont. When she rebuffed him to marry another, he persevered, opened the school with the help of his friend, and her sister, Jessamine Marchmont, for whom the school is named.
The beautiful Victorian building stands alone on the unplotted Siren’s Island, an island in the Sound between the Bronx and Queens. The grounds are not quite as sprawling as many other magical institutions, but it still supports a sizable quidditch pitch and gardens. A train station is situated on the north side of the island, connected to the Wizarding Rail out of Grand Central, allowing for a few day students to commute from their city homes.
Majority of the students, however, dorm in the school. There are no houses at the school, students are separated only by grade. The first year of education begins with sixth grade. Independence and exploration of the city are highly encouraged. The sixth and seventh grade students are watched more closely, but at eighth grade all students receive a metropolitan rail card and are loosed upon the streets of the Sixth Borough, along with the other muggle five. Siren’s Station has a train that goes direct to the Borough.
Subjects include Magical History, Arithmancy, Magical Theory, Herbology, American Magical History, Charms, Practical Defense, Theoretical Defense, Transfiguration, Muggle Studies and Potions. Elective courses such as Magical Arts, Photography, Astronomy (practicals conducted only at March Light off the coast of Montauk) and Divination are also offered for a well rounded magical education.
*The Sixth Borough is inspired by the great blog, American Wizarding, specifically this post.
