Cygnus Black (1929-1979) was a pure-blood wizard, the youngest son of Pollux Black and Irma Crabbe and brother of Walburga and Alphard, who was later blasted off the family tapestry. He married Druella Rosier, and the couple had three daughters: Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa Black.[3] Andromeda was disowned for marrying a Muggle-born wizard, Ted Tonks. All the family but Sirius subsequently shunned her.[4] Through his disowned daughter and his youngest daughter, Cygnus is the grandfather of Nymphadora Tonks and Draco Malfoy, respectively, and is also the great-grandfather of Teddy Lupin and Scorpius Malfoy, respectively.
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".
Behind the scenes
- Cygnus and his wife were likely in Slytherin house like the rest of the family.
- Cygnus was named after his paternal grandfather. There was also Cygnus I, an early member of the House of Black.
- If James Potter was the son of Dorea and Charlus Potter, Cygnus would be the first cousin of James.
- One version of the Black family tree lists Cygnus's lifespan as 1938-1992, while another lists it as 1929-1979. If Cygnus were born in 1938, he would have been only 13 years old at the time of his daughter Bellatrix's birth. If born in 1929, he would have been a more plausible 22 years old.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Appears on Black family tapestry)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game) (Seen on Black family tree tapestry)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (Seen on Black family tree tapestry)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 Black family tree
- ↑ In Chapter 4 of Half-Blood Prince, Horace Slughorn states: "The whole Black family had been in my house, but Sirius ended up in Gryffindor!" This implies that all Blacks except Sirius were Sorted into Slytherin while Slughorn was Head of House. Cygnus, born in 1929, presumably attended Hogwarts c. 1940 to 1947, and thus would have been a student of Slughorn, who was stated to have begun teaching at Hogwarts around the same time as Albus Dumbledore in Chapter 5 of Half-Blood Prince, in 1938 or earlier. Sirius Black also states "My whole family have been in Slytherin" and in Chapter 23 of Deathly Hallows, confirming that at least those Blacks closely related to Sirius were in Slytherin.
- ↑ Black Family tree
- ↑ Bellatrix says in Deathly Hallows: "We – Narcissa and I – have never set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood." This suggests that the family as a whole refused to see Andromeda after her marriage and disownment.