Well, my fellow Americans, hopefully you've gotten used to calling yourself a No-Maj by now, because you're about to get another magical curveball: a man is claiming he found four houses for the Ilvermorny, the American Hogwarts that J.K. Rowling announced the existence of a few months ago. Software engineer Federico Ian Cervantez was rooting through javascript and allegedly found plans for an as of yet unfinished quiz on Pottermore, titled "Where do you belong? Horned Serpent, Wampus, Thunderbird or Pukwudgie". Not exactly as, er, elegant as the British houses, but I'm inclined to believe it only because nothing in this world is more aggressively American sounding than "Thunderbird".
There's an alleged screenshot of the javascript on Hypable, where author Andrew Sims also looked into each of these names and found that they are, in fact, creatures in Native American folklore — which does (however problematically) make sense, given J.K. Rowling's decision to focus on Native American origins for the explanation of magic in the American wizarding world, despite concerns that it was cultural appropriation. The questions of the quiz nor the results were in the screenshot of the javascript, so there's no word yet on what each of these "Houses" (if that's even what they're called at Ilvermorny) will mean about their occupants. Still, when you examine the creatures, you can come up with a few reasonable guesses — especially because, when you take the rudimentary research a step further, you find that the creatures correspond to the four core elements of earth, fire, water, and air.
Horned Serpent (Water)
In Native American mythology, the horned serpent is mystical figure often associated with rain, thunder and lightning, and water. Unlike snakes as we associate them in the modern day or with their Slytherin mascot counterpart, in some folklore their scales were used for divination and their horns for healing. Since water is the element most closely aligned with compassion, love, healing, and psychism, this might be a house for the more empathic students — i.e., the Hufflepuffs.
Wampus (Earth)
The Wampus cat, in Cherokee mythology, is a "fearsome variation of a cougar". In East Tennessee, legend associates the Wampus cat as a spirit of death and earth, and J.K. Rowling mentioned in a Pottermore post that its hair is used in wand cores. As the element of earth is associated with prosperity, wealth, strength, and death, it may turn out that this is the house most akin to Slytherin, where ambition is prized most.
The Thunderbird (Air)
The thunderbird appears in a lot of Native American mythology, as a large bird with supernatural abilities of power and strength. While it has many different names in mythology, it is thought that its name originates from the beat of its wings causing thunder in the air. The element of air is most aligned with communication, travel, and intellect, so it might be safe to say that J.K. Rowling plans to have the Thunderbird house equivalent to Ravenclaw (especially seeing as their mascots are very similar).
Pukwudgie (Fire)
Pukwudgies originate from Wampanoag folklore, and are said to be two to three feet tall and have features that resemble humans, except larger and more exaggerated. Among its many powers is the ability to create fire at will. Seeing as fire is associated with passion, desire, energy, and strength, this might be the Gryffindor equivalent in Ilvermorny.
Of course, this might all be nonsense, because there's no way to truly verify any of this before it hits Pottermore. That being said, it certainly seems to be in line with J.K. Rowling's plans for magic in North America (even if people have reservations about the cultural appropriation of Native American mythology). No word yet on when or if the quiz will go live, but I'm sure all will be revealed in time — or at the very least, hacked by a No-Maj with No-Patience.
Images: Giphy; Warner Bros
