[HPforGrownups] re: Famous Wizards that even Muggle history knows about

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 40964

Catlady wrote:

 > Does anyone know anything about any Hengist of Woodcroft or Alberic 
 > Grunnion? 

Are there no chocaholics out there? Are you all too virtuous to give 
chocolate to your kids?
Look, apparently you guys on the other side of the Atlantic get Chocolate 
Frogs with famous witch/wizard cards in the packets ('Oh, wicked', said my 
son). We don't. We get really boring pictures of characters and objects from 
the books. And very few of them.

Now, apparently the Hengist of Woodcroft card (I don't think there is an 
Alberic Grunnion one) says that he was a wizard who was driven from his home 
by non-wizarding bullies and reputedly settled in Scotland where he founded 
the village of Hogsmeade. The Three Broomsticks is said by some to have been 
his home.

Now, obviously as I don't have access to any US Chocolate Frog Cards at 
present, I can't say where this information comes from. JKR? Warner? The 
chocolate manufacturer?
I wonder what the copyright is?
It's obviously not exactly canon, but presumably it is authorised.
I think it's also fairly clear that Hengist of Woodcroft is an invention.

Could I suggest you guys get eating (or get your kids eating) and share the 
information with the rest of us? (Or, for the diet conscious, there's at 
least one website where you can buy the cards without the chocolate!)
I shall do some first hand research when I'm over in a couple of weeks (with 
a little help from the children, I dare say).

Oh, and another snippet. Woodcroft is next to Tutshill (Chepstow), where JKR 
lived as a child.


Catlady again:

>One of the arguments that Saxon leaders Hengist and Horsa were 
>legendary is because Hengist means 'stallion' and Horsa mean 'mare' 
>and the White Horse was the Saxon logo (altho' not the ancient white 
>horses carved into the chalk earth by ancient people; those are 
>pre-Saxon; I don't recall if they are pre-Celtic).

Hengist is generally held to be a real person, with at least some historical 
basis, although the name itself may well be legendary. (Possibly an analogous 
situation to Arthur). I *think* Horsa just means horse (I'm not sure that a 
Tough mercenary would like to be called a mare).

Horses were strongly associated with ancient celtic peoples. The horse was a 
frequent motif on British pre-Roman coinage. 
IIRC, the wild boar is more important as a Saxon symbolic animal (decorating 
helmets, etc.).
The dating of white horses (like other chalk carvings) is difficult and they 
seem to belong to many periods, prehistoric onwards.

Eloise


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