For those of you who have been arguing with your friends about whether you’re a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor for a million years, get ready to add a new wrinkle to the discussion. Some industrious hacker has discovered what the names of the American analogues to Hogwarts’ houses will be in J.K. Rowling‘s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and true to form, they’re a mixture of cool-as-hell and weird and goofy. Federico Ian Cervantez, a software engineer, “accidentally” came across the names after digging through the Pottermore website. The four houses of Ilvermorny are Horned Serpent, Wampus, Thunderbird, and Pukwudgie.
Dude, are you a Pukwudgie? I’m totally a Thunderbird. Thunderbirds are go. British news organization The Daily Mail (yes, I know), is reporting the hack. The weird thing about this is, unlike the British houses which have animal mascots but are named after specific people, the American houses are just named after the animals themselves.
The animals are also apparently based on real American mythical creatures and legends. The Harry Potter Wikia lists the animals as follows: The Horned Serpent is a “dragon-like serpent with horns and long teeth. They are often associated with or said to control the weather, particularly rain, lightning, and thunder. Magical abilities ascribed to them include shape-shifting, invisibility, and hypnotic powers.”
The Wampus is a cat-like creature “described as some kind of fearsome variation of a cougar,” while the Thunderbird is definitely reminiscent of a phoenix, “often described as a very large bird, capable of generating storms and thunder as it flies.” The one I’m most confused about is the Pukwudgie: “two-to-three-feet tall and human-shaped, but with a larger nose, ears, and fingers and smooth, grey skin that sometimes glows. Its magical abilities include disappearing and reappearing, partial or complete transformation into a porcupine or cougar, and creating fire.’ So, it’s a nightmare. Cool.
Cervantes posted his findings on Reddit, so the viability of the find is certainly in question. Still, if true, it’s interesting to ponder.
Are you a Pukwudgie or a Wampus? Talk about stuff in the comments below!
We talk more about Fantastic Beasts right here!
Image: Warner Bros
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He’s Team Cap…does that factor into this at all?Follow him on Twitter!
