Burke is the surname of a pure-blood[1] wizarding family. They are related to the Black and Flint families.[2] They may be the co-owners of the Knockturn Alley shop Borgin and Burkes, which specializes in Dark artefacts.
Family Members
- Belvina Burke née Black — the only daughter of Phineas Nigellus Black and Ursula Flint
- Caractacus Burke — one of the original founders of Borgin and Burkes
- Elizabeth Burke — a witch with a portrait in the Slytherin Dungeon of Hogwarts Castle who encourages Slytherin students to be "mean to Mudbloods"
- Herbert Burke — husband of Belvina Black
Etymology
Burke is an old English term meaning "to murder by suffocation...for the purpose of obtaining a body to be sold for dissection". It can also be a variant of the British slang term berk, meaning "idiot".[3] Burke is also a real surname common in Britain and Ireland. It comes from the Norman de Burgo which was Anglicised in Irish as de Búrca.
In the real world, Edmund Burke, generally known only by his surname, was a British political philosopher who argued in favor of traditional monarchism. Thus perhaps the Burke family having many members as pureblood supremacists is meant as an allusion to this historical figure.
Notes and references
- ↑ Given that Herbert Burke married Belvina Black and that she was not disowned or removed from the Black tapestry for the marriage, it can be assumed that Herbert was pure-blood.
- ↑ Black family tree
- ↑ Wiktionary Definition: Burke