Cygnus Black (1889 - 1943) was the third son of Phineas Nigellus Black and Ursula Flint. He married Violetta Bulstrode and the couple had four children: Pollux, Cassiopeia, Marius, and Dorea Black. Marius was disowned for being a Squib. Through Pollux, Cygnus is the grandfather of Cygnus Black III and Walburga Black, making him the great-grandfather of Bellatrix Lestrange, Andromeda Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy, and Sirius and Regulus Black II. Through Dorea, Cygnus is related to the Potter family.[1]
Behind the scenes
- Based on a statement by Horace Slughorn, Cygnus may have been a member of the Slytherin House.
- If Cygnus' daughter Dorea is Harry Potter's grandmother, Cygnus is his paternal grand-grandfather.
- 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 version 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.
Etymology
Like many other members of the House of Black, Cygnus is named after a constellation. Cygnus is a northern constellation 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".