Origins of the Founders (was: Lily Evans)

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 10768

Dai said:

> In which case Godrics Hollow is not necessarily in South Wales as has
> previously been supposed by some as Hagrid flew over Bristol on his
> way to Surrey. Wherever Harry was taken in the interim was in South
> Wales though.
>
> In GoF the Sorting Hat describes Godric Gryffindor as being
> from 'Wild moor.' it is unlikely he came from Wales (we don't have
> any moors). Hufflepuff seems to have Wales covered as she came
> from 'Valley Broad', somewhat stereotypically Welsh. Ravenclaw is
> said to come from 'glen', ie Scotland, and Slytherin from 'fen' ie
> the north of England. That leaves the South of England for Gryffindor
> to cover, Dartmoor in Devon perhaps?

Very good point, Dai.  We had pretty much decided that Godric's Hollow was
in Wales (and, therefore, that Godric was also from Wales), and dusted our
hands, but that didn't take into account the Sorting Hat evidence, from GoF.

I agree that 'valley broad' and 'glen' are strongly suggestive of Wales and
Scotland, respectively.  However, IMO, the other two could easily be the
other way round:   'The Fens' is a name given to flatland (originally
marshland) areas of eastern England (Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire et al),
while the "wild and windy" Yorkshire Moors are in northern England, and one
thinks immediately of two major literary references to those moors:
"Wuthering Heights" and "The Hound of The Baskervilles" [why do I suddenly
recall James and Lily Potter and then Sirius Black?].

An alternative, less likely theory, is that moor refers to moorish (i.e.
Islamic).  To me, it makes more sense for Slytherin to have been a Moor and
Gryffindor to have originated from the fenlands.   Salazaar doesn't sound
like an old English name; it sounds exotic enough to be of Islamic origin...
But then, 'Helga' isn't a common name in Wales, either, I guess.

An alternative, slightly more likely theory, is that 'fens' refers to the
Irish fens - i.e. the Irish peatlands (originally boglands - later drained,
rather like the English fens).  This, of course, fits in nicely with the
association of Slytherin with snakes, since legend has it that St Patrick
drove all the snakes from Ireland.

An alternative, even more likely theory, is that 'moor' rhymes with
'Gryffindor'.

Neil
_____________________________________
Flying-Ford-Anglia

"My wife used to sneer at my feeble charms but
one month into your fabulous Kwikspell course
I succeeded in turning her into a yak!
- Thank you Kwikspell!"

[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]