PUREBLOOD FAMILIES
1st Year - Option Three
Blood: it’s what keeps us alive, and unfortunately, it’s also what keep prejudice alive in the Wizarding World. Wizards have a long history of holding prejudices in regards to blood purity; that is, pure-bloods are treated as superior to half-bloods, and muggleborns, muggles, and squibs are treated as subhuman. Despite the horrific prejudice that has lived — and still lives — in Pureblood families, it is important in the study of the history of important wizards to be able to recognize significant magical names.
The Pureblood families still considered to be “pure” by the 1930s are referred to as the “Sacred Twenty-Eight,” a term created by Cantankerous Nott in his book, the Pure-Blood Directory. These families include: Abbott, Avery, Black, Bulstrode, Burke, Carrow, Crouch, Fawley, Flint, Gaunt, Greengrass, Lestrange, Longbottom, Macmillan, Malfoy, Nott, Ollivander, Parkinson, Prewett, Rosier, Rowle, Selwyn, Shacklebolt, Shafiq, Slughorn, Travers, Weasley, and Yaxley.
Image of the Malfoy Family
The Potters were another family who were still “pure” in the 1930s, however the name was excluded from the list because Henry Potter was outspoken on his pro-muggle views. Other pure-blood families, such as the Princes, Crabbes, and Goyles, may have been thought to have muggle ancestry, which would explain their exclusion from the list. Families who spoke out against the list were considered “blood traitors” by the families proud to be included.
In order to be classified as Pureblood, a family must have no Muggles, Squibs, Muggleborns, or Half-bloods in their lineage — a feat impossible without inbreeding. Therefore, some families who held the strictest views on blood purity, such as the Lestranges, Gaunts, and Blacks, adopted inbreeding, usually in the form of marrying cousins. However, inbreeding had its consequences; on the subject of the Gaunt family, Albus Dumbledore once noted, “[they were] a very ancient wizarding family noted for a vein of instability and violence that flourished through the generations due to their habit of marrying their own cousins.” More specifically, some of the effects resulting from inbreeding included infertility, congenital defects, fluctuating facial symmetry, small adult size, and high mental instability. Despite the consequences, however, some families still believed inbreeding was better than sacrificing the purity of their blood.
HOMEWORK:
1) Select a family from the Sacred Twenty-Eight and determine how many other families on the list they are related to.
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2) The Black, Gaunt, and Lestrange families are the Pureblood families most notorious for their inbreeding, as described above. Pick one of the families to research and describe how specific members can be an example of the side effects of inbreeding, be it physical or mental. Be sure to also note the instances of inbreeding in the family and the relationship between the two people.