Burdock is a witch and character in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. She is the Chief of the Wizards' Council in the fourteenth century after Burdock Muldoon.[1]
Biography[]
Elfrida was Chief of the Wizards' Council in the fourteenth century. A previous Chief, Burdock Muldoon had tried to classify magical creatures into a beast or being based on their ability to walk on two legs. His efforts to integrate non-wizards into the Council failed spectacularly when less intelligent two-legged creatures couldn't understand wizarding law. Even though he forsworn that he wouldn't retry, Elfrida hoped to create closer ties with other magical creatures and tried to redefine a being.[1]
Elfrida's criteria for a being was a creature that could speak human languages. She invited every creature that could be understood to a Council meeting. Her definition did not have the success she thought it would. Goblins taught trolls a few simple sentences and when they arrived, they proceeded to destroy the hall. Jarveys ran under the tables and tore at ankles. A delegation of ghosts left in protest because she prioritised the needs of the living over the wishes of the dead, and Centaurs refused to attend because they were upset that merpeople did not reach the classification because they can only speak Mermish above water.[1]
By the middle of the fourteenth century, Snidget numbers had dropped significantly after centuries of Snidget-hunting and their later use in Quidditch. Elfrida was "enlightened" and made the bird a protected species to prevent its extinction.[2]
Notes and sources[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Introduction (What is a Beast?)
- ↑ Quidditch Through the Ages, Chapter Four: The Arrival of the Golden Snitch