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Saturday, July 21, 2007

MeaNings...



Albus - In Latin, it means "white" (maybe for white beard). Wisdom. Albinus was Governor of Britain at the death of the Emperor Pertinax. Decimus Clodius Albinus attempted to seize the throne but ended up in alliance with another imperial contender, Septimius Severus. After Severus defeated two other rivals (Voldemort and... maybe Slytherin?), the now expendable Albinus was forced into another attempt at usurpation, an attempt that came to an end at the bloody battle of Lyon.



Animagus - Combination of the Latin words "animal" and "magus," meaning "animal wizard."



Avada Kedavra (Killing Curse) - Aramaic phrase that means "I will destroy as I speak." Also similar to "Abra-cadabra", which is an ancient spell (dates from the 2nd Century) used by conjurors to invoke spirits or supernatural powers for protection against disease or aid. "Kedavra" sounds like "cadaver," which means "corpse."



Bellatrix - "Bella" is a construct of the word "bellum" meaning "war" and "trix" refers to "a woman in power." Bellatrix is therefore known as the "Female Warrior" and is also the pale yellow star indicating the left shoulder of the constellation Orion, the Great Hunter.



Cho Chang - Cho is Japanese for "butterfly" and in Chinese means "autumn." Chang is Chinese for "free" or "unhindered." In Chinese, "chou chang" means "melancholy."



Crucio (Cruciatus Curse) - "Crucio" is Latin for "I torture."



Dobby - A fatuous or foolish person. Also, a weave of cloth that is durable and natural-looking. Finer stores still sell shirts made of "dobby" weave.



Dumbledore - Means "Bumblebee" in Old English. J.K. Rowling has said that she chose this name because she imagined Dumbledore walking around the castle, humming to himself.



Expecto Patronum (Spell used to conjure a Patronus) - In Latin, "expecto" is to "await, desire, or hope for" and "patronus" is "protector." Hence, "to hope for a protector." A Patronus is used to protect against a Dementor.



Expelliarmus (Disarming Spell) - Latin combination of "expellere" meaning "to expel" and "arma" meaning "weapon or upper arm."



Ginny - "Ginevra," an Italian female and woman of the people, her name means "Juniper" as in evergreen tree. There is an old myth about a bride named Ginevra, who playfully hid in a trunk on her wedding day. The lid fell, burying her alive; and eventually her skeleton was discovered. This could relate to Ginny being taken into the Chamber of Secrets where her "skeleton would lie forever." However, J.K. Rowling has also said that she picked the name because she wanted something different and special for the only Weasley girl!



Gryffindor - A "griffin" was "a creature in mythology with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle." Also known in Greek Mythology as the "gryphon," it was the protector of a god's gold from mortal men. In Greek, "gryphon" means "protector of wealth." In French "d'or" means "of gold," one of the Gryffindor House colors. The gryffin is fitting, considering lions are characterized as brave and courageous and eagles are desrcibed as being noble birds, all traits of the Gryffindor House.



Hagrid - J.K. Rowling said: "Hagrid is also another old English word meaning if you were Hagrid, it’s a dialect word meaning you’d had a bad night. Hagrid’s a big drinker. He has a lot of bad nights." Grid was a Norse giantess known for having a terrible temper. "Ha" is a variant of the Old West Norse name element "half." So, "Ha-Grid" may just mean "Half-Grid" or more notably "Half-Giant." " Haggard" can also mean "appearing worn and exhausted, gaunt; wild or distraught in appearance; a disheveled individual." From the Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy, the Old English term "hag-rid" means "indigestion" (not surprising considering all the weird things Hagrid eats). Found in the exact same paragraph as "Dumbledore." Coincidence?



Harry - J.K. Rowling's favorite boy's name. The name Harry is of Anglo-Saxon origin and means "power." There was also a magician named Harry Houdini in the 1900s.



Hermione - Means "well-born," "earthy," or "stone." Refers to peony-type flowers. The feminine version of Hermes. In Greek mythology, was often known as the patron saint of high magic (no surprise our Hermione is so gifted). She was the daughter of Helen of Troy and King Menelaus of Sparta. In the Aeneid, Hermione was kidnapped by Pyrrhus, but her loving Orestes came and murdered Pyrrhus while he was praying. Hermione is also a character in Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale. The character is accused of adultery and dies before the intermission. At the end of the play she is brought out as a statue, and finally returns to life at the very end of the play. A possible connection to her petrification in Chamber of Secrets?



Imperio (Imperius Curse) - "Imperio" is Latin for "I control" and "imperium" is Latin for "absolute control."



Longbottom - The name itself is considered quite humorous, but "bottom" is an old word for "staying power." This seems to accurately fit Neville's personality and overall devotion to Harry



Lupin - "Lupus" is the Latin derivative for "wolf." Canis Lupus is the scientific name for wolf. To be described as "lupine" means to "resemble a wolf."



Malfoy - In Latin, "malus" means "bad" and "mal" means "pale." "Mal foi" means "bad faith, an act with bad intentions, or a malicious act" in French. "Mal de foi" means a "loss of faith." The similar French phrase "Mal fait" can be interpeted as "badly made" or "evil deeds." In Portuguese, (J.K. Rowling taught English in Portugal for a few years) "Mal foi" means "was bad" or "is bad." In Arthurian legends, Lancelot (King Arthur's greatest knight and his betrayor) is sometimes called "Le Chevallier Mal Fait" (the "mal fait" knight). "Foy" means "a farewell feast, drink, or gift, as at a wedding."



McDonald, Natalie - In Goblet of Fire (American hardcover edition, pg. 180), a girl named Natalie McDonald was sorted into Gryffindor House. She was a real girl who was suffering from a terminal illness. She wrote J.K. Rowling a letter. J.K. Rowling wrote back to Natalie and her letter included an outline of Goblet of Fire so if Natalie died, she would know how the book went. Unfortunately, the letter was too late. In memory of Natalie McDonald, J.K. Rowling included her name in Goblet of Fire.



Muggle - Comes from English slang. A "mug" is somebody who is easily fooled.



Potter - A name J.K. Rowling has always been fond of since childhood. "Potter's Field" is often the name given to a cemetery where a city or town buries those who have gone unclaimed or unwanted (a community's orphans). "Potter's Field" is also considered a cursed land because Judas hung himself in one.



Quidditch - J.K. Rowling has stated that the origin of this name is entirely made up (she wrote five pages of "Q" words until she found one that she liked), but it is still interesting to the note that the word "quiddity" means "the essence or real nature of a thing."



Ron - Interesting when taken in conjunction with Arthur. He is the advisor to the King. Comparisons can be made here between Ron being an advisor to Harry on all of his choices and adventures. Both Ron and Hermione listen to Harry's plan and then either agree with or tell them why they think his idea is not a good one.

Severus - Sever means "to cut off." Snape appears to have "cut off" his ties with the Dark Lord through the first five books, and then with Dumbledore and the Order in Half-Blood Prince. "Severe" means "cruel, strict" - two characteristics that accurately describe the Potions Professor. Sounds very similiar to the Latin word "servus," meaning "servant." Is he still a servant of Voldemort's? In ancient history, Lucius Septimius Severus restored stability to the Roman Empire after the tumultuous reign of Emperor Commodus (See Albus) and the civil wars that erupted in the wake of Commodus' murder. To read more on this story, go here. The name Severus is also mentioned in Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, a favorite book of J.K. Rowling. Additionally, a Saint Severus of Alexandria (Egypt) was martyred along with a Saint Peter and a Saint Leucius for publicly proclaiming the faith around 309 C.E. Severus, Peter, and Lucius - quite a coincidence!



Tom Marvolo Riddle - If you rearrange the letters, it spells: "I am Lord Voldemort." The name "Tom" means "twin."



Voldemort, Lord - There was a dark wizard in medieval times named Voldermortist. In another language, Voldermortist means "Lord of Evil" or "Dark Lord." Legend has it that Voldermortist once tried to destroy Merlin before the time of King Arthur (Mr. Weasley?) by bewitching good people and simply bribing those who already were evil. Legend has it that Merlin destroyed Voldermortist by using a simple Paralyzing Charm (full body bind?), fed him to the many-headed-beast (Fluffy?) of the lake, the Lady of the Lake's pet (Giant Squid?), freed the bewitched people, and destroyed the evil men. That was maybe twelve, thirteen years before Arthur (how long it was from Voldemort's destruction until Harry started Hogwarts). In many European languages, "mort" or "mord" refer to "death or evil." In French, "vol-de-mort" means "flight from death" (meaning escaping death). Also in French, "vol" translates as "the act of stealing," giving Voldemort's name the alternate meaning to "steal from death." In Norwegian and Danish, "vold" means "violence." In Danish, "volde" means "to cause" and could be derived from the Latin "valde," meaning "great, exceedingly, strongly, powerfully." Using these defintions Lord Voldemort's name would then mean "excessive, great, or extreme death."



Wingardium Leviosa (Levitation Charm) - "Wingardium" is a combination of the English word "wing" and the Latin word "arduus" meaning "steep." "Leviosa" contains the Latin word "levare" meaning "ease, lift, or pick up".







Taken from http://www.mugglenet.com/books/name_origins.shtml
'Harry Potter Name Origins'


(2:17 PM)