FIGURES IN HISTORICAL LEGENDS
4th Year - Option Three
With the least factual evidence of our three wizards today, Raczidian earned his reputation as a Dark Wizard by living with a colony of Dementors in a castle in the middle of a forest that bordered a wizarding mountain village. According to legend, Raczidian fell in love with a girl from the village and asked her parents for permission to marry her. When they refused, he sent his colony of Dementors to destroy the village in an attempt to force the girl to be with him. Though eventually defeated by his inability to cast a patronus charm, Raczidian’s ability to control an entire horde of Dementors demonstrated his incredible abilities in the Dark Arts.
Ekrizdis is a Dark Wizard from the fifteenth century and was the first wizard to inhabit Azkaban. As the first known inhabitant, it can be assumed that Ekrizdis was responsible for the construction of the dark fortress, as the island had never before appeared on any map. He utilized the Dark Arts to allow Dementors to infest the fortress, and there are rumors that other magical creatures and “horrors” lived in the fortress as well.
​
Image of Azkaban
After the construction of Azkaban, Ekrizdis used Dark magic to lure muggles to the island, where he would then torture and murder them. After his death, Azkaban was discovered by the Ministry of Magic as Ekrizdis’s concealment charms had worn off. Afraid of consequences by the Dark beings living on the island, the Ministry decided to not destroy the fortress and allowed the colony of Dementors to remain. If you are interested in learning more about Azkaban and Ekrizdis, you should take Defense Against the Dark Arts!
Image of a Hedge Maze
Last but not least, Eunon Blackwood has the reputation of being both the first Muggle-born and Hufflepuff Dark wizard. He lived during the fifteenth century and was an accomplished herbologist. While attending Hogwarts, Eunon met Artemisia Black, who he not only fell in love with and eventually married, but who negatively influenced his opinion of Muggles. For their wedding, Eunon created a great hedge maze, which he said contained riches hidden within. The magicfolk at the wedding instinctively knew not to enter the maze, but the Muggles did; all who entered the maze never returned. Throughout the next few years, thousands of Scottish Muggles entered the maze and were never seen again.
HOMEWORK:
1) Although this lesson only contained dark wizards as examples, “villains” throughout wizarding history have also shown up as women, not simply men. Pick one currently-deceased dark witch to research and tell me about what she did to earn a notorious reputation. Some examples you may choose from include Gormlaith Gaunt, Morgan le Fay, and Delphini.
2) Eunon Blackwood is considered to be the first Hufflepuff to become a Dark wizard. Why do you think Hufflepuffs tend to have the reputation of being “good” while Slytherins tend to have the reputation of being “evil”? Think of the traits that define the Hufflepuff house, and describe how they may contribute to a witch or wizard turning to the Dark Arts.