School-locations, mostly Durmstrang

[Haggridd]

No: HPFGUIDX 20315

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., koinonia02 at y... wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., Christian Stubø <rhodhry at y...> wrote:
> 
> > 
> > One could also look at this linguistically.  While
> > Durmstrang is a name derived from German (from Sturm
> > und Drang, a literary movement advocating the
> > abandonment of sense), and seems to indicate a German
> > relation, both Karkaroff and Viktor Krum are Slavic. 
> > This suggests a closer connection to Russia and
> > Eastern Europe than Germany, though that may be a
> > later development.  To me, it doesn't not seem
> > immediately logical that Slavic students would accept
> > learning in German, rather than Russian, for instance,
> > when Slavic-speakers certainly are numerous enough to
> > justify one or more schools on their own –
> 
> Thanks for leading me here! I like the above thought.  
> 
> I think JKR doesn't always give us a direct answer.  It would 
> probably give away something important.  However, if she said it
was 
> by Norway I will take her word for it. It's just that it would be
so 
> much better for my own theories if Durmstrang was located by areas 
> full of vampire folklore ^_~
> 
> Koinonia

There are some considerations that allow for all of the Nordic, 
Teutonic, and Slavic influences to be present in Durmstrang.  The 
origins of the Great Russian peoples (not a value-judgment, that's 
what they are called) derives from a migrating Scaninavian tribe 
called the "Rus".  Also, prior to Stalin's forced relocations of 
entire ethnic minorities before WWII, there were extensive settlements 
of Germanic peoples in European Russia that had existed for hundreds 
od years. 

Haggridd (whose favorite Quidditch team is Lithuania's Gorodok 
Gargoyles)