Cassandra Vablatsky

Cassandra Vablatsky
Biographical information
Born	1894
Died	1997 (aged 103)
Title(s)	Seer
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Hair colour	Brown
Skin colour	Light
Affiliation
Occupation	Author

Cassandra Vablatsky (1894 - 1997) was a celebrated Seer, and author of Unfogging the Future, a Divination textbook required at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Etymology

Cassandra means "oracle". In Greek mythology, Cassandra means "she who entangles men" and she was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. Apollo, god of archery and poetry, as well as oracles, fell in love for her beauty and gave her the gift of prophecy. However, when she did not return his love, Apollo placed a curse on her so that no one would ever believe her predictions and her visions would only be of tragic events yet to come.

Vablatsky is a nod to Madam Helena Blavatsky, who was founder of the Theosophy movement and early proponent of New Age philosophy. She is known for fusing ideas of modern science with esoteric tenets of Eastern spirituality.

Behind the scenes

• Vablatsky’s death date was given on a Famous Wizard Card in the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which takes place in 1991-1992. Vablatsky’s death date is given as 6 years later.

This could be a reference to the Seer's skills, given that she could have predicted her own death.

• She was likely named after Madame Helena Blavatsky, a 19th century psychic and founder of Theosophy, but who was declared a fraud in 1885 by the Society of Psychical Research.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)