Author J.K. Rowling continues to shed new light on Harry Potter.
In a new post on Pottermore.com, Rowling has revealed that the origins of wizarding in the Potter family date all the way back to the 12th century.
In the Muggle world ‘Potter’ is an occupational surname, meaning a man who creates pottery. The wizarding family of Potters descends from the twelfth-century wizard Linfred of Stinchcombe, a locally well-beloved and eccentric man, whose nickname, ‘the Potterer’, became corrupted in time to ‘Potter’. Linfred was a vague and absent-minded fellow whose Muggle neighbours often called upon his medicinal services. None of them realised that Linfred’s wonderful cures for pox and ague were magical; they all thought him a harmless and lovable old chap, pottering about in his garden with all his funny plants.
Pottermore.com has also been completely redesigned and now includes news, features articles and commentary.