Terms and Aims
The first thing that should be discussed in this work is the terms that I plan on using. First, of course, is the Doylist term “Pureblood Culture”, also referred to – within the bounds of this work – as “Pureblood Traditions” or “Wizarding Religion”. Pureblood culture is here defined not as the traditional fandom concept of Lords and Ladies of Houses (akin to the more researched and cohesive system within A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin) but is, instead, defined here as the collection of magical rites, festivals, and disparate religious beliefs found within fanworks, and commonly used alongside the prior definition. A secondary, Watsonian term is “The Olde Ways”, the in-world term used to refer to the Wizarding Religion.
Following the delineation of the two primary terms to be used, the aim of this work is not to dissuade people from choosing to write using such tropes, nor is it to denigrate the trope itself, or those who have already written using said trope. Instead, the aim of this work is to examine the trope itself, the root of the details of the trope (notably, I will not be attempting to discover the oldest fanwork that holds this trope, as the cultural ubiquity of the trope within fandom has obscured my efforts) and the context of religion as presented within the original saga.
Using the context within the canon, historical context, and the roots of the Pureblood Traditions trope, I will also be aiming to construct a form of religion that would hold to the context of the original works.
Lastly, though I aim to be as neutral as possible, I will, naturally, have biases. Though I will attempt to avoid presenting them, they will, undoubtedly, leak through, if only due to being fortunate enough to have gained formal education on the specific subjects that will be discussed. I will also be using works and examples I have personally encountered, thus becoming a degree or two removed from indisputability, given the anecdotal nature of my evidence.