Hello students! Professor Ottress here, handing out the first assignment of the winter semester!
The Assignment:
Student Lectures
The Directions:
1. Pick out your favorite subject, or a subject in which you have a great deal to learn. Example Subjects:
Potions
Magizoology
History of Magic
Charms
Magical Literature
Transfiguration
Astrology
Herbology
2. Choose a topic within that subject to research and give a lecture on. Example:
The Shockingly Rapid Growth in the Mahauata Population and What It Could Mean to the Population of the Northwest
3. Research: Contact professors throughout the school with questions, “google” it, go to the library, read the news, any kind of data you can find.
4. Present- Submit as an assignment with the Title and Author in the heading, and then dazzle us with knowledge! We will share them on the main page for your fellow classmates to read, review, and learn.
*Ideally Report will be 100 + words. This should be presented as a class lecture, not as a quick note. Points will be given for presentation, research, and ability to follow instructions*
We will take Applications until the Ides of March. We want to stay away from that day and responsibility. You remember what happened with the broomstick and the wild Wampus two years ago? We are not repeating that.
It’s officially Christmas season, and I want to talk to you about some of our more prominent Christmas characters. All of this is extremely well *researched* and completely *factual*.
First, we have Grimmauld the Third. You may have heard of this name when you learned about the Order of the Pheonix in the UK, during that whole Harry Potter fiasco. That street was named after this guy’s great-grandfather. Totally different story, mind you, but it helps to make connections:
When Grimmauld the Third was a boy, he went along with his family on vacation in ancient Rome. They saw that during the shortest days and weeks of the year, they would bring pines inside to symbolize the eternity of life even through the cold months. Little Grimmy was so enchanted with the idea that when they came home, it became a tradition in their family, and quickly spread throughout what is now the Netherlands.
Somehow, for the next four hundred years, the tradition of the tree started to include candles atop the frail branches. That was leading to an alarming uptick in house fires among muggle houses, because it never occurred to them that the trees were made of wood and very dry.
Next, Pippin the Fretful:
Pippin was a muggleborn wizard who, in his youth, had suffered through one such house fire. His father went crazy and insisted they live in caves for the rest of his life. His mother was badly burned and spent most of her life hiding from the outside world. As such, it fell to Pippin to take care of his family and parents. He was a worrysome soul, and when he learned of his power, he immediately sought out someone to teach him to use it to help his family.
In his later years, he discovered a way to produce the same light as a candle without any flame. He called it one of his baubles, but it is better known today as an ornament.
Blonkus the Niffler Nabber:
The year was 1687, which, as many of you history buffs will remember is the year that the Nifflers took over Gringotts. Blonkus was a goblin apprentice to the Keyholder at the bank. He wasn’t great with handling money, as were all of his cohorts, but he was very good at catching thieves. He had a talent that was legend.
To understand the origins of this situation, you should know that in that year, Hogwarts had just gotten its most notoriously mad Headmaster Edmond Flonk. He wanted to make Hogwarts a “blastedly fun place to, you know, do the learning” and so he introduced an adorable little platypus looking thing, and he matter of factly announced that it was called a Niffler. He had come back from a holiday abroad and found the buggers in his luggage. So, he kept a family of them, and eventually the family grew large enough that they escaped the chambers and found themselves in the luggage of students going home for the summer. All across the UK, families found their jewels and money and watches missing. Fearing thievery, they would head to Gringotts to take out more money. By November of 1687, Nifflers had set up a hive in Gringotts and the Goblins could do very little about it.
Enter Blonkus.
He had been charged with removing all the shiny objects from around the bank, lest the Nifflers become stronger and rip them from the walls. To do this, he was given a tool called a Tinsler, that had long silver protruding slivers to get in and behind fixtures to undo them. Goblin fingers were much too fat for that kind of delicate work. Blonkus had quite a collection built up, when he found he was exhausted. He hid himself away in an alcove and tucked his trinkets under his coat, along with the Tinsler. He awoke to a poking on his chest a short time later, and opened his eyes to a Niffler rifling through his coat. He was trying to gain his bearings when he realized that the Niffler was caught on something. He moved his coat aside and realized that the Tinsler had wrapped around the hands and feet. In no time, the infestation was under control, belongings were returned to their owners, and tinsel is still hung on Christmas trees to this day to trap any rifling Nifflers looking to steal ornaments from the trees.
Your assignment is to do one of the following and send it back to me:
1. Tell a story about another Christmas tradition and the character who founded it,
2. Draw a character from one of these stories/make up a new story and draw the character, or
3. Answer this question in 200 + words: who traditionalized Mistletoe and why is it popular in the Wizarding world?
We at Ilvermorny are so excited about all the information we are getting about our students and their houses, patronuses, and what they think about it. We at Ilvermorny are also part of a movement/idea that our followers should learn how to do work for themselves. For this reason, we will no longer be explaining what Patronuses mean or stand for. We made an effort to curb that in making an assignment where you all would research your own animal and tell us what that meant. The submissions we got were overwhelmingly amazing. We LOVED seeing what information you got and how you related that to your own life. We will continue to encourage students to do that on their own, to submit if they feel that they would like to share the information. The greatest gift we have all been given is our minds and the ability to use them. We also have wonderful gifts called the Internet and the library. We would encourage all our students to use those resources to attempt to answer the questions you are asking us. We have many more assignments here at the school; turn in those submissions so we can read and grade those! We love you all!
I don't seem to be getting much traffic on the assignments I create, and while that makes me sad because I think it's awesome work, it doesn't answer the question of why. So I need your help: What kinds of assignments do you want to see on the topic of magical history and literature? Do you want lecture/assignment relationships? Do you want lectures to be disassociated with homework assignment? Would you rather submit artwork? I would love to know. Please reblog or inbox me with your suggestions. I want to make this blog the best.
Hey guys!! Reblog this with your moon sign and your Ilvermorny house. Ends on the 28th, results on the 29th Thank you for participating 😊 - Professor O'Dare
Hello students!! Professor O'Dare here again! I’m super glad to be back after my time abroad from studying abroad in Greece among the great wizarding astrologers!! I’m really excited to share my knowledge with all of you, so without further ado, here is lesson #2:
MOON SIGNS 🌙
Some say the the reason our moon sign effects us so deeply is that it is the closest “planet” to us. This proximity causes the moon sign to change through the natal chart about every 2 and ½ days. Each planet rules a different zodiac sign. (we will discuss other planets and their signs in later lessons) The moon rules Cancer.
The moon has power over how we deal with our emotions. Different zodiac signs provide different ways of processing emotions. As well as our instincts upon these feelings.
Your relationship with our mother is reflected by the sign and house placement in your natal chart. Pregnancy and fertility are ruled by the moon.
As a rule of thumb remember this: “if the sun gives us our moon gives us our soul”
Now here’s my experiment: since the houses here Ilvermorny are a lot more abstract than other schools, I want to see if they have any connection to our moon signs and our emotions. For your homework I will post a separate text and ask you all to reblog it with your moon sign and your Ilvermorny house. THE POLL WILL END ON FRIDAY OCTOBER 28th and the RESULTS WILL BE POSTED ON THE 29th.
I’m very excited to see your results. Your participation in the last assignment was so great!! Keep up the awesome work. Thank you students,
- Professor O'Dare 😊🔮
If you don't know your moon sign you can calculate it at alabe.com
As a fellow Gryffindor-Horned Serpent, I found it quite surprising to find my patronus takes the form of an otter. Fluid and playful, I match their high energy and social patterns quite well. When I’m in an environment I feel comfortable in, I shine with a bright and child-like light. At my happiest, like the otter, I am playful, intuitive, engaging, independent, and confident.
As a child I was fiercely independent, but the water was territory I was most assured in myself. At 9 months old, I jumped in a 6ft deep pool all by myself. When my mom jumped in to save me, I swam up beside her, gleefully smiled, then swam to the edge of the pool without any assistance. My parents signed me up for swimming lessons soon after, but like sea otters, I decided I’d rather play and do my own thing rather than be taught something I intuitively knew how to do. After the second time of fighting with the teacher, I stopped going, and they just let me do my thing. They urged me to try to swim competitively, but I always saw the water as a place to be free. Competing in the water seemed as absurd to me as saving a fish from drowning.
Otters like to collect rocks, and I share this because I too collect strange objects I find intriguing. My room has become a unique treasure trove of once-in-a-life time collectibles– and I am very possessive about my collection. That is another trait I share with otters– I am fiercely possessive of my things, and somewhat greedy because I don’t like other people to have my things or the same value of my things. I’ve grown a lot as a person, but I still feel the urge.
The finally trait that otters and I share are their dedication and almost need for social interaction. Although I enjoy my time alone, I prefer to interact and socialize. Learning peoples’ stories has always been my favorite hobby, and considering I am extremely observant and in-tune with the people I’m around, I feed off the energy. I get more excited with excited people; I get more anxious with people who are stressed. But if I’m just alone, I become an anxious ball of depression. I am an incredibly intense and energetic person; when that energy is not directed, it festers. Like a radioisotope, I break myself down, experiencing subterranean mood swings. Interacting with people daily keeps me from having this psychological breakdown habitually.
This is fantastic, truly. I too am an otter (not in patronus form but just as a person, I could swim before I could walk literally.) and I appreciate the detail with which you have researched this! ) O for you, and 50 points for your incredible research and giving other students and us teachers some insight into you as a person.
My houses are Slytherin & Thunderbird, and my patronus is a Heron. Herons are often portrayed in folklore as restless wanderers, as they tend to be solitary animals, but can also be depicted as very proud and fair animals that don’t take kindly to insult. They are often symbols of patience and wisdom, which comes from their hunting patterns, as herons are very persistent and methodical fishers who will let their prey come to them instead of the other way around. Some consider their sightings to be good luck.
I was very excited when my patronus was revealed to be a heron, as I have always identified with them. Some versions of my clan’s crest (Stewarts of Galloway) have a heron cutting open her own breast to feed her young on her blood. Granted, its a very morbid image, but its one that I’ve always resonated with, especially given the fierce loyalty to family that makes me a Slytherin. After learning more about them from my research, the traits listed above have also convinced me that the heron is indeed my patronus - I’m a bit of a loner by nature, and I do have a tendency to be proud and not forgive other’s insults to me or my friends/family. I am a fairly patient person with others, although I also see my patronus as being a bit of reminder to allow me to be patient with myself and be a bit more forgiving. I feel that the heron’s solitary, wandering nature also lends itself to my yearning for adventure and change that places me in Thunderbird.
I have a bit of a personal history with herons as well - the muggle/no-maj university I attended had a lake, which I would often visit during finals to destress myself. Occasionally, and I think when I really needed him most, there would be a heron stalking the pond at night; watching him always helped to assuage my anxiety. They are very peaceful, gracious creatures, ones that inspire that grace in others too. It’s comforting to know that if I ever need that happiness again, I can call on my patronus for help.
This was wonderful. Well researched, well written, and grammatically correct. 50 points and an O
