Cygnus Black was born into the prestigious Pure-blooded Black family known for its strong opinions on Blood purity. He was a Pure-blood wizard and was related to several members of the Black family including Phineas Nigellus Black. He married Ella Max at a very early age but died soon after his marriage. Very little is known about Cygnus Black’s life except that he died at a very early age. The reason for his untimely death is not known and remains a mystery.
Introduction To Cygnus Black
Cygnus Black was one of the important members of the Black family. He was born in the early Nineteenth century and attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when he was eleven. He was sorted into Slytherin House. Since he was from the house of Black, most of his friends from school were likely Pure-blooded and Blood supremacists as well. He was likely friends with at least one Malfoy since the two families were close.
Family Background And Social Status
Cygnus Black’s family, known as the Black family was one of the most powerful wizarding families in London. Their family was known to be supportive of Blood purity and Blood superiority. They did not tolerate unions between their family and Muggles or Muggle-born witches and wizards.
They almost always opted to get their children married to Pure-blooded wizards and witches. Several members of the Black family would be ostracized in later years for marrying a Muggle-born wizard or witch and for supporting Muggles or Muggle-borns. Some of them include Harry Potter’s godfather Sirius Black, Alphard Black, Cedrella Black, and Andromeda Black.
Andromeda Black married a Muggle-born wizard named Ted Tonks and Cedrella Black married Septimus Weasley, who was considered a blood traitor. Both Sirius Black and Alphard Black were removed from the Black tapestry for trivial reasons to their opposition to Blood purity.
Cygnus’s name meant “swan”. However, since most members of the Black family were named after celestial bodies like stars or constellations, Cygnus may have gotten his name from the constellation near Lacerta and Lyra of the same name. It is a constellation in the Northern Hemisphere and contains the star Deneb.
Marriage To Ella Max
Cygnus graduated from Hogwarts after he completed his studies there. He soon married Ella Max, who was likely a Pure-blooded witch from the Max family. Cygnus and Ella had a very short marriage as Cygnus would die at a very young age soon after marriage. It is not known if the duo had any children, but if they did, it is possible that Sirius Black was a director ancestor of them or had relatives who were ancestors of Cygnus Black and Ella Black.
Death And Legacy
Very little information exists concerning the mysterious death of Cygnus. Cygnus died very early at the age of 21 or 22. Since no known wizarding wars were going on at the time of his death, he may have died of a disease or an accident. His wife Ella Black may have lived till her old age and the two may have had children, or at least a child. One of Cygnus Black’s possible grandsons was named after him. The last son of Phineas Nigellus Black and Ursula Black was named Cygnus Black II.
References To Cygnus Black In The Harry Potter Series
The only known appearance of Cygnus Black’s name in the Harry Potter series occurs during the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Sirius Black shows Harry Potter the Black family tapestry. However, it is revealed from this family tree that Cygnus’s grandson was also named after him.
Cygnus Black II is likely the grandson of Cygnus Black and the son of Phineas Nigellus Black and Ursula Black. He had four siblings who were all older than him. Phineas Black, Sirius Black II, and Arcturus Black were his elder brothers and Belvina Burke was his elder sister. Cygnus Black II married Violetta Black and had four children. Pollux Black, Cassiopeia Black, Marius Black, and Dorea Potter. Interestingly, Dorea Potter was an ancestor of Harry Potter.
Cygnus Black III was another famous descendant of Cygnus who was named after him, or probably his possible grandson, Cygnus Black II. Cygnus Black III was the father of Andromeda Tonks, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Narcissa Malfoy.
Early Deaths in the Olden Days – A Commentary
Cygnus Black died at a very young age. He had just married Ella Max and had probably had a child or a few but he died before he was 23. However, like the Muggle world, even in the magical world, death at a very early age was not considered strange or unusual. This is because, despite several magical cures being present for most diseases, there were also magical diseases and complications like curses, hexes, and dark magic designed to kill or harm wizards and witches.
This is an interesting commentary on how progress can be a wonderful addition to society but it inevitably causes new problems. While Muggles would probably falter at the sheer dangers of diseases in the olden days, they were not threatened by magical dangers frequently. Similarly, despite having magical abilities to cure most diseases and solve problems that Muggles normally face, magic causes a lot of problems.
FAQs
How many Cygnus Blacks were in Harry Potter?
There were three people named Cygnus Black mentioned in the Harry Potter series. All three were from the Black wizarding family and were related to each other. The first Cygnus Black was born in the Early Nineteenth century. He lived a short life and married Ella Max before he died at 22. The next Cygnus Black, known as Cygnus Black II was likely the grandson of the former. He was the son of the famous Hogwarts headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black. The last Cygnus was named Cygnus Black III. He married Druella Rosier and had three daughters who were named Andromeda, Bellatrix, and Narcissa.
How old is Cygnus Black?
Cygnus Black died at a young age. He was only 22 years old when he died. He likely married early and may have had children or at least one child. He married Ella Max, who was from the Pure-blooded Max family.
