- "Famously abducted by pixies while on holiday on Cornwall and lived in mortal dread of them thereafter. Failed to persuade the Ministry of Magic to have all pixies humanely destroyed."
- — Chocolate Frog Card[src]
Dymphna Furmage (1612—1698) was a British witch who famously campaigned for the destruction of Pixies after being abducted by them while holidaying in Cornwall.[1][2][3]
Biography[]
A younger Dymphna
Early life[]
Ms. Furmage was born in 1612, somewhere in the British Isles.[1][2][3] If she enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she likely attended the school from around 1623 to 1630.
Adulthood[]
Sometime in the mid to late seventeenth century, Furmage went on holiday to Cornwall, in southwest England. There, she was the victim of an abduction by Pixies, a species of pesky beast endemic to the region. As a result Ms. Furmage developed a mortal dread of them for the rest of her life.[1][2][3]
Ms Furmage is abducted by Pixies
Later, and most assuredly fuelled by her fear of the Pixies, she strongly campaigned for the British Ministry of Magic to "humanely [destroy]" all of the members of the species. She failed, however, and ended up dying in 1698, still in mortal dread of the mischievous creatures. For her efforts, she was included on a Famous Witch Card, as part of the Chocolate Frog Card series.[1][2][3]
Etymology[]
- The name "Dymphna" is the anglicised form of Damhnait. Saint Dymphna was a seventh-century Irish saint who was martyred by her father. She is the patron saint of the mentally ill.
- "Furmage" is an alternate form of the Old French word "fromage," meaning cheese. It is descended from the Latin "formare," meaning "to shape" or "to fashion."
Behind the scenes[]
- The British Ministry of Magic was founded in 1707, nearly ten years after her death, thus it is likely that she actually tried to convince the Wizard's Council, or that she returned as a ghost.
- It is unknown how Ms. Furmage's hair was purple in her younger days and later was shown to be red when she was an adult.
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Pottermore (Appears on a Chocolate Frog card)
Notes and references[]
