Phineas Fletcher was a trader in banned artefacts and creatures.
Biography[]
He brought a trafficked Demiguise along with him on a ship to North America, with the aim of manufacturing Invisibility Cloaks. The Demiguise escaped on board and bred with a stowaway ghoul, which resulted in the creation of the Hidebehind. He was known for his cruel treatment of the creatures in his care.[2]
Etymology[]
- Phineas was the Biblical grandson of Aaron and was a controversial high priest who murdered two lovers after they had intercourse on the steps of the Tabernacle. Another reason for the murder was that one was Hebrew and the other was not. His example has been used to justify attacks on interracial couples over the centuries. The Hebrew name Phinehas may also be derived from the Egyptian name Pa-Nehasy, which means "Nubian" or "black man." It may also reference the Greek legend of the Phineus,who angered Zeus by telling mortals the secrets of the deities. He was made blind and sentenced to an island where there would be a lot of food, but when he tried to eat some, the harpies would come and snatch it out of his hands.
- A fletcher is an arrow-maker.
Appearances[]
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2017 edition) (First appearance)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" at Wizarding World - Isolt Sayre runs across a hidebehind in the New World at this time so Phineas must have already been born previously to have accidentally released this new species there.
- ↑ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2017 edition)