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Alexia Walkin Black[2] was a pure-blood witch and an early member of the noble House of Black, predating Arcturus Black I and Cygnus Black I, but her precise relationship to other known members of the Black family is unknown. According to the Black family tree tapestry, she never married nor had any children.[1]

Etymology[]

Alexia is the feminine form of Alexis. The Greek name Αλεξις (Alexis), which meant "helper" or "defender", is derived from Greek αλεξω (alexo) "to defend, to help". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek comic poet, and also of several saints. It is used somewhat interchangeably with the related name Αλεξιος or Alexius, borne by five Byzantine emperors.[3]

Black can be considered a colour, and is the result of the absence of, or complete absorption of, light. In Western culture, the colour black has typically been associated with evil, darkness, and witchcraft, but also with prestige and sophistication — appropriate for the House of Black. Black has also been associated with life and prosperity by other cultures. In ancient China, black was the symbol of the element of water, which also corresponds to Slytherin, the Hogwarts house of almost all members of the Black family. In English heraldry, black represents darkness and ignorance; a possible allusion to the prejudice common to members of the House of Black.

However, the English word black is derived from either the Old English blœc, meaning "black", or blac, meaning "pale". Pallor is associated with sickness and the colour white, which is usually held to symbolise purity in Western and Indian culture, and death in East Asian cultures. This mirrors the typical colouring of members of the House of Black — dark hair and pale skin.

Behind the scenes[]

  • This character appears only on the version of the Black family tree shown in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She was not included on the version of the tree which J. K. Rowling gave to a charity auction in 2006.[4] She was presumably created by the production team of the films, with her name being selected in honour of Alexandra Walker, an art director on Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, and Order of the Phoenix.
  • Based on a statement of Horace Slughorn, Alexia Walkin probably graduated at Hogwarts and was sorted into Slytherin house. However, she attended Hogwarts in the 1820s, long before Slughorn was Potions teacher.
  • On the scroll beneath Alexia's image on the family tree, there are no dates.
  • It is possible that Walkin was a maiden name of Alexia’s mother.[5]
  • Based on Black Family Tree Tapestry, Alexia’s and Andromeda Black’s pictures are the same.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
  2. On the Black family tapestry in the Order of the Phoenix film, only Blacks by birth have portraits, and only their given names are listed on the scrolls beneath the portraits. This indicates that this character was a Black and that Alexia Walkin was her given name.
  3. Alexis on Behind the Name.
  4. "Black Family Tree" on The Harry Potter Lexicon
  5. See Talk:Eduardus Limette Black. The maiden name is sometimes given as a middle name or even as a first name on occasion. Examples include Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Richard Milhous Nixon, Ronald Wilson Reagan.
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