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"Merlin help me, Cygnus is now crawling and follows Arcturus about like an unwelcome shadow. Arcturus is begging for an Invisibility Potion and frankly I can't blame him. I'd be tempted to brew one if it weren't for the eternal snivelling that Cygnus would regale me with."
— A letter by Ursula Flint to her husband, Phineas Nigellus Black[src]

Cygnus Black II (18891943) was a pure-blood wizard and a member of the House of Black. He was the fourth son and youngest child of Phineas Nigellus Black and Ursula Flint, the youngest brother of Sirius, Phineas, Arcturus and Belvina, the husband of Violetta Black (née Bulstrode) and the father of Pollux, Cassiopeia, Marius, and Dorea.

Biography[]

By the 1890s, Cygnus was crawling and following his older brother, Arcturus about like an unwelcome shadow.[2]

Etymology[]

Like many other members of the House of Black, Cygnus is named after a constellation. Cygnus is a northern constellation also known as the Swan or the Northern Cross. It was named for several swans which appear in Greek mythology, including the one Zeus transformed into to seduce Leda, the form Orpheus took after his death, and a son of the god Apollo who was turned into a swan after his murder. The name is derived from the Greek κύκνος, kyknos, meaning "swan".

Behind the scenes[]

  • Based on a statement by Horace Slughorn, Cygnus may have been a member of the Slytherin House. However, he attended Hogwarts c. 19001907, when Slughorn wasn't Potions teacher.
  • On the film version of the Black family tree, there was no picture of Cygnus, only his and his wife's names. This is corrected on the family tree visible on the DVD2 of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
  • Cygnus was possibly named after Cygnus Black I, an early member of the House of Black, who was his possible grandfather. His grandson was also named Cygnus.
  • It is worth noting that Phineas Nigellus Black (Cygnus's father) was forty-two years old when he had Cygnus. Most House of Black members have their children at considerably young ages, e.g. Pollux Black was thirteen when he had his daughter. It is likely that both of these issues are mathematical errors by J. K. Rowling, for there are many errors in the family tree and Rowling has also admitted that "math is not her strong suit".
  • Both Cygnus and his grandson Alphard have the exact same face in the tapestry, only mirrored.
  • The Black Family Tree article for Orion claims that his grandfather is brother of Cygnus, who is said to be Walburga's uncle; J.K. Rowling's hand written tree, however, reveals that Cygnus is her grandfather.
  • Before the reveal that Fleamont and Euphemia Potter were the parents of James, it was speculated that Cygnus' daughter Dorea and her husband Charlus were his parents and thus the grandparents of Harry Potter. Therefore, Cygnus was the presumed grandfather and great-grandfather of James and Harry, respectively.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

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