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Forums: Index > The Wizengamot > Durmstrang's Location


This has been bothering me for quite a while... Could someone tell me why the harrypotter.wikia is referring to Durmstrang's location as being in northern Sweden or Norway? This information seems highly unsubstantial, and I’m confused to why it’s being treated as a fact instead of pure speculation (which it is).

I researched this rumor years ago when it first emerged, and the only source I could find was one single blog/article where one random person had written a very rough transcript of what was said during one of JK Rowling’s readings. That’s it. All the rumors of Durmstrang having anything to do with Scandinavia whatsoever comes from this single person.

This “fact” seems hardly solid enough to base Durmstrang’s whereabouts on. Not to mention that it’s 16 years old and (according to the one who wrote the article) even Jo herself says that she’s not certain of where Durmstrang’s is located.

So let’s take a look at the facts we DO know about Durmstrang:

  • On the map of the eleven main magic schools shared on Pottermore, Durmstrang is placed in Eastern Europe, covering the countries Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, maybe Poland, and possibly bordering to Finland. The majority of it appears to be in Russia.
  • Pottermore also states that it’s “believed to be located in the far north of Europe”. This could constitute Norway and Sweden as well as Finland and Russia.
  • The name “Durmstrang” is derived from “Sturm und drang”, which is a German expression.
  • It was founded by a Bulgarian witch by the name of Nerida Vulchanova.
  • All the names of the students and headmasters of the school have so far been Eastern European (with the exception of Harfang Munter).
  • In the movies, the Durmstrang crest has the name written in Cyrillic letters. Cyrillic script are used in Eastern Europe and north/central Asia. Not in Scandinavia.
  • This is more of a personal note, but it seems extremely awkward to me to mix Scandinavian wizards and witches with Eastern European ones. These areas have little to nothing in common (they don’t even share the same language family), so this choice just seems odd to me…

I’m not saying that it’s IMPOSSIBLE for Durmstrang to be located in Sweden or Norway. But considering the things we DO know versus that one article, the latter seems less and less valid. Even if everything in it is true, it was written over 16 years ago, before the release of the Order of the Phoenix (which Jo in the article says will be shorter than Goblet of fire…!), it’s highly possible that she might have changed her mind about Durmstrang’s location. Especially since she said that she’s not certain where it is. Possibly meaning that she hadn’t quite decided it yet at the time of the reading. And since all other (far more updated) facts are pointing towards Russia or at least Eastern Europe, can’t we just agree once and for all that THAT’S the more likely location of this school?

I just want these pages to be as accurate as possible and not misleading in any way. But if you have any arguments to why harrypotter.wikia should keep stating that Durmstrang is a “Scandinavian wizarding school” located in Sweden or Norway, then please tell share them with me. I’m open for any intellectual inputs on this subject. Lokrume (talk) 21:00, March 26, 2016 (UTC) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Lokrume (talkcontribs).

JKR herself has said Durmstrang is located in Scandinavia (Sweden or Norway). The link to the interview can be found on the Durmstrang article.--Rodolphus (talk) 13:31, March 26, 2016 (UTC)
That's not an interview. The link on the Durmstrang page is an article/rough transcript of a short QA written by a random person (with no stated affiliation with JKR) who claims to have attended one of JKR's readings in Glasgow (in 2000 I believe). And that's not enough to make it trustworthy. For all we know, this person could have misheard or misinterpreted what was said, and in the worst case scenario they could be straight out lying. Especially considering all the recent REAL facts that are speaking against that article. At the very LEAST, the "information" provided by that person should be treated as speculations. Not as "facts". I know that JK Rowling's word is law here, but that article isn't her word now, is it? That article isn't written by JKR. It's written by one person who claims that this is what she said. And they have nothing else to back it up with. If there were at least one more source of this statement, it wouldn't be so bad, but I haven't found any source anywhere else where JKR says that Durmstrang is located in Sweden or Norway. So either the article is wrong, or JKR changed her mind, because Pottermore and other sources only state the whereabouts to be "in the far north of Europe". Are you telling me that ONE highly unofficial statement from a fan 16 years ago is worth more than SEVERAL official statements from this very year that claims something different? That seems incredible unprofessional to me... If you want this wikia to be as accurate as possible, you probably should revice the pages where Durmstrang's location is mentioned. It's very misleading to use that single article as an absolute fact when it's obviously not. You need at least one other good source that clearly states that Durmstrang is located in Sweden or Norway if you're gonna keep stating that that's the case. Lokrume (talk) 22:10, March 26, 2016 (UTC)
Okay, I've changed it now. Durmstrang's page is now as accurate as it can be with the new, verified information from Pottermore prioritized. The supposed statement from that QA is mentioned as speculations, not facts. If anyone disagrees with this, I'd be happy to discuss it. As long as you can back up your claims with something more verified and substantional than the previous mentioned QA from accio-quote.Lokrume (talk) 10:19, March 31, 2016 (UTC)
Please remember to sign your posts on talkpages and these forum discussion areas in future (using either ~~~~ or the signature button in the toolbar). --Sajuuk 14:09, March 26, 2016 (UTC)
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