Elladora Black

"... and dear Aunt Elladora ... she started the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old to carry tea trays ..."

- Sirius Black tells Harry Potter of the Black family.

Elladora Black (1850 – 1931) was a pure-blood witch, possibly the daughter of Cygnus Black I and Ella Max, and the sister of Sirius, Phineas Nigellus, and Isla. She never married or had children. Elladora instituted the policy of cutting off the heads of the family house-elves and mounting them on the wall once they became too old to carry a tea tray.

Behind the scenes

 * Based on a statement by Horace Slughorn, Elladora may have been a member of the Slytherin House. This is most likely true, since Sirius Black said all of his family was in the Slytherin House. However, she attended Hogwarts c. 1861 - 1868, when Slughorn wasn't Potions teacher.
 * Elladora and her siblings may have been children of Cygnus Black I and Ella Max. In which case, their uncle would have been Arcturus Black I, Cygnus' brother, and aunt Misapinoa Blishwick née Black.
 * Elladora's and Callidora's pictures on the Black family tree are the same. Either Callidora and Elladora have similar names.
 * Sirius once said to Harry, "dear Aunt Elladora", but on the Black family tree, Elladora is Sirius' great-great-great aunt. Sirius may not have wanted to bore Harry with great-great-great aunt, and just chosen to call her aunt, as it was easier.
 * Elladora was only three years old when her elder brother, Sirius, dies.

Etymology

 * The name Ella is a Norman form of the Germanic Alia, meaning "other" . It is also possibly related to Aella, a Greek name meaning "whirlwind". Aella of mythology was an Amazon killed by Hercules. The name Dora, often considered a diminutive of Theodora, is derived from the Greek word doron, meaning "gift".
 * Elladora was probably named after her mother Ella.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)

Notes and references
Elladora Black