Waching daily Feb 2 2018

Hello Fantastic Beasts fans.

Some recent cast news may shed some light on Credence Barebone's biological family.

But could it also link him to a certain school known for its dark magic?

I'm Susan Şipal with Fantastic Secrets Behind Fantastic Beasts to bring you the clues.

Join me and other Fantastic Beasts fans here on the BeastChaser Forum as we uncover the

secrets, discover what's coming first, and play along with Rowling's newest game.

Suvi Holm of Finland is my partner in developing this theory, which continues the discussion

from some ideas she presented on her channel in an excellent video – "Runes, Nordic

Mythology, and Durmstrang in the Upcoming Fantastic Beasts Movies."

I highly recommend that you check her video out first and have linked to it above and

in the description below.

It was recently mentioned on IMDb that an actress was cast to play the role of Credence's

aunt.

The fact that we will possibly be diving into Credence's biological family is fascinating

enough, but what is even more compelling is the heritage the actress who was cast hints

at.

Linda Santiago is a Swedish actress, as shown by her bio at CommercialActors.com.

Does that mean Credence's birth family is from northern Europe?

And how does this relate to the other Scandinavian actors we've seen cast so far for the next

film?

We already have two Icelandic actors with Ólafur Ólafsson as Skender and Ingvar Sigurðsson

as Grimmson Now, with Linda from Sweden, that makes three

Nordic actors.

Suvi and I think that these Scandinavian actors are a strong hint that we will be meeting

many of Grindelwald's fellow Durmstrang alumni.

Might Credence's family be some of them?

But which side of Credence's biological family will we be exploring?

Is the aunt from his father's side or mother's?

Mary Lou talked about Credence's wicked mother, but that doesn't mean his father was

not also magical.

Also, if his mother was American, that might leave his father to have been from a Nordic

country.

Early casting news released a young character named Sebastian, which Suvi says is a common

Swedish name as well.

Could he be Credence's father?

Will we see him in a flashback?

However, Suvi and I have an even more intriguing thought – could the family have sent young

Credence as far away from his homeland as possible for his own protection?

Or, to protect others against him?

After all, he possesses a power stronger than any other known Obscurial.

Why?

Could his power be linked to his biological family?

Could the power he gained from the parasitic Obscurus have been strengthened by latent

biological magic he already possessed?

Credence has been shown to possess powerful abilities, magic that we now think might be

partially hereditary.

As we've seen in the Wizarding World with Tonks and Teddy, as well as Trelawny and her

ancient kin Cassandra, some unusual magical powers can be hereditary.

Could Credence's aunt serve to reconnect him not only to his biological family but

also any hereditary powers that he unknowingly channeled to help combat the Obscurus longer

than any previously known Obscurial?

Might Jo be exploring a side of magic that was definitely a part of Potter, but not fully

developed, one that is informed from her work with her Lumos Foundation?

How is magic affected when a child is separated from their biological family?

When he has in a sense been raised in an orphanage?

This would play on a theme that we know is extremely important to Jo: the detrimental

affect that institutionalizing children and separating them from their family has on their

welfare.

If we're going to explore more of Credence's blood line, what will it reveal?

Fans have long theorized that Credence may be descended from Isolt Sayer, which links

him to Slytherin.

But might his family in some way be connected to Grindelwald's?

When Grindelwald said he smelled Squib off Credence, could he have been confused and

actually sensed his unusual power or his family connection?

If Credence indeed has a distant family connection to Grindelwald, would this set him up as a

foil, a character in contrast?

We know Fantastic Beasts is going to show us different nooks of the magical world than

what we saw in Potter.

Through Credence, we may explore a different side of the mysterious Durmstrang.

His family could expose us to its teachers, students, and magic that are not all dark.

In Suvi's video, she did a fantastic job covering the type of magic which might be

taught at Durmstrang, and why it could be unfairly considered dark.

Runic magic was considered dark and mysterious.

Runes could be used to cast spells, counteract harmful forces, and predict the future (which

may be the source of Grindelwald's abilities).

According to Suvi: "Runic magic could be dangerous if the user was not knowledgeable

about its secrets."

Could this be why Durmstrang had a bad reputation as a dark arts school?

Could a hereditary power based on runic magic be buried in Credence's family heritage

and have survived even Mary Lou's determination to suppress it?

Maybe this is why she considered his mother so evil.

We know how Rowling loves to play with memories.

Wouldn't you love to see a flicker of memory from Credence when he was very young?

We've already seen one strong link between Credence and what could be a runic symbol.

What if the Deathly Hallows pendant, which Grindelwald left in Credence's possession,

awakens something in the troubled young man?

Perhaps even activating his latent magical powers?

Powers that were there before the Obscurus, that helped him fight it off for years, and

could ultimately help him overcome the parasite?

We know from the Potter series that one of Rowling's key themes is discovering the

power that lies within.

Eddie Redmayne teased that there will be more links to Harry Potter in this upcoming film.

Credence's possible familial links to Durmstrang could shed new light on characters we'll

later meet in Potter, like Igor Karkaroff or Viktor Krum.

Might we meet Krum's grandfather who was killed by Grindelwald?

We're seeing in Credence a different form of magic than what we encountered in Harry

Potter.

Might his magical abilities not only derive from the destructive powers of a parasitic

Obscurus, but also from a positive force drawn from his family's magical heritage?

And through his personal journey, Credence may lift the mysterious veil that cloaks the

magic of Durmstrang and reveal it in a more glowing light.

Suvi and I both believe that Rowling may be channeling her experience with Lumos to show

that orphans often have living family, and the damage it does to be sent away from them.

As such, I believe that Credence's recovery may be dependent on reuniting with his family,

both with the adopted sister he loved and protected, and possibly his new-found biological

aunt.

Could his family help him tame his inner storm and decide his own fate against those who

would use him for destruction?

Before we go, I'd like to remind you about my newest release: Fantastic Secrets Behind

Fantastic Beasts: The Video Book.

Like Newt's trunk, it's a living, expanding assembly of theories and videos that I will

update monthly until Crimes of Grindelwald releases in November.

I've linked to it in the description below.

If you've read the book or follow the videos that make it up, I hope you'll consider

posting a review on Amazon on your favorite review site.

Reviews make it possible for authors like myself to continue publishing.

Who do you think Credence's family might be?

And, what role do you think Durmstrang and its alumni will play in future films?

Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Many thanks to Suvi Holm for her wonderful video on Durmstrang and for partnering on

this one.

Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss my next video!