Are the Anagrams Indicative of Poor Writing?

[Gilderoy Lockhart]

I was reflecting upon the unfortunate events in CoS (Why did it have to happen to me?) and I ran across the Tom Riddle anagram. Is this poor writing on JKR's part? Why would a the great villain that is Lord V. use an anagram for his name? Is that silly?

I'm not trying to be critical, rather to understand. I figure that one of you has a better idea of why things occur than I...I can't remember why they do sometimes...

[alpha_hazard]

If you look in the names section of mugglenet, you will notice that the name Voldemort is derived from the name Voldemortist, a dark wizard defeated by Merlin, according to legend.

And Riddle explains in the chamber of secrets that he took his father's name and made it his own. That is the other significance of the Anagram.

[MagicMuggle]

Personally, I thought the anagram to be rather creative! :)

[hpfan_08]

I thought it was rather ingenious for her to make Tom Marvolo Riddle spell out I am Lord Voldemort.
It must have taken here quite awhile to come up with a name that would work in the story and was pronounceable.

[swishandflick]

I think the anagram is brilliant. Its just the sort of detail that makes the Harry Potter books the Harry Potter books. Aside from that, just having an anagram doesn't automatically make one a bad writer.

[winter snow]

I found the anagram to be rather clever myself. Anagrams are not easy to work with. I wonder how long Jo played around with it to come up with a solution?

[dragonfan]

Remember the context of the anagram. It was created by a schoolboy who was full of hate for his muggle father and bitter about being raised in an orphanage. Playing with the letters of his name to become something he wasn't is exactly the kind of thing you might expect under the circumstances. Since it fits the character, it can't be considered poor writing. It is good characterization.

[ravenfeather]

i'm sorry for the originator of this half-baked plagiarization. if i remembered where i saw this post, i'd credit the 'author'. if you're out there and reading this, let me know. somewhen, somewhere in the CoS forums, someone said something like, 'here's tom marvolo riddle, soon to be lord voldemort, the dark lord, he-who-must-not-be-named and he's fiddling around with this anagram like some silly school girl... how terrifying is that?' (heavily paraphrased!!)
unfortunately, i couldn't agree more! :D

[teo]

I think the anagram was a great idea... very clever and gets us wondering about whether there may be more hidden in there somewhere! I'm assuming she picked the name Lord Voldemort first and then tried to get his "real" name out of it. Tom Riddle was easy to pick out then she throws together the rest to get the strange middle name "Marvolo". Very good writing in my opinion, better than just giving him the name Lord Voldemort with no back story as to why he chose the name.

[Picko]

I thought the anagram was a good idea I just wish that fans hadn't decided that JK might have made anagrams of every other characters name :D

[grrliz]

i'm sorry for the originator of this half-baked plagiarization. if i remembered where i saw this post, i'd credit the 'author'. if you're out there and reading this, let me know. somewhen, somewhere in the CoS forums, someone said something like, 'here's tom marvolo riddle, soon to be lord voldemort, the dark lord, he-who-must-not-be-named and he's fiddling around with this anagram like some silly school girl... how terrifying is that?' (heavily paraphrased!!)
unfortunately, i couldn't agree more! :DHeh, I wholeheartedly agree! (Maybe I said it? :) )

I loved the anagram, I thought it was a nice clever touch for Riddle to take something of his father's and make it his own. And yet when you sit down and think about it, some geeky 5th year kid running around with the alias "Lord" Voldemort? It's sort of silly, really. I know that most people don't know Tom Riddle grew up to be Lord Voldemort (is there any particular reason why this information is being kept hidden?), so it's not like he was handing in essays under the name Lord Voldemort or making his friends call him that, but it seems kind of funny that he was sitting around plotting world domination but at the same time thinking "Right, first I need a really clever alias!"

[SGosling]

i'm sorry for the originator of this half-baked plagiarization. if i remembered where i saw this post, i'd credit the 'author'. if you're out there and reading this, let me know. somewhen, somewhere in the CoS forums, someone said something like, 'here's tom marvolo riddle, soon to be lord voldemort, the dark lord, he-who-must-not-be-named and he's fiddling around with this anagram like some silly school girl... how terrifying is that?' (heavily paraphrased!!)
unfortunately, i couldn't agree more! :D


this might not be it but it is pretty close

http://www.cosforums.com/showpost.php?p=932151&postcount=11

[Marcy]

No, I think it seems just about right that Tom Riddle would come up with an alias. Think of our own Mauraders who used nicknames for each other, don't you think it must have seemed silly to those around them that they called each other such ODD nicknames..I mean really...Moony? Padfoot? Wormtail? Prongs? To an outsider, it would seem ridiculous, but to them, because of their shared secret, it was cool and special.

Think of our own little group of hero's who debated about what to call their "secret group"

Now think of Tom Riddle...desperate to leave his past behind. He hated his past, hated his muggle name...he wanted a "secret name" one that he felt truly depicted who he was, and would become. Remember in COS it said that very few people knew the name he had created for himself....but that means that someone did...and it, like that of our hero's, was a shared secret.

So I guess the question is, what really is in a name? In this case, it just may be everything.

[Alastor D]

Kindly remember, friends, that we are supposed to treat our fellow members with kindness and respect. It's of course good to give credit when credit is due, but we can't blame people for not reading through the whole forums to check if someone has said something before.

Anyway, as dragonfan said it's not bad writing to have a character do something which may be considered silly. I seem to remember that dear Tom Riddle has done sillier things than that. Devoted criminals do have a screw loose in their heads. Not to show that would be bad writing.

[silver ink pot]

What is great about Tom Riddle changing his name is the magical significance of the act. In many societies, there are magical "naming" ceremonies, especially when people come of age. It is sort of fitting that an orphan who is mad at his father and the world "names himself" by literally changing his name around to something he believes is more terrifying and powerful.

I love anagrams. If you think about how a writer has to do this, it is very complicated. Anagrams don't just "appear" in stories. JKR had to work backwards from a meaningful word to the anagram of the word. And it all had to make sense in the story.

What is great is that the word "Riddle" is included in the "riddle" of his name! That is brilliant, simply brilliant, and something special for generations of future readers to enjoy.

I don't know why some people don't like anagrams. They are fun! And even if they are unintentional, they are still exciting to discover.

The best one I have ever found on my own is in Goblet of Fire. I have no idea if this was intentionally put there - I suspect it was. But when Harry gets his dress robes, they are "bottle green." One anagram of that is "Enter Goblet," which he does, of course, a few chapters later. :evil:

I don't care if JKR put that there or not - it is still cool.

[thrushcross]

What is great about Tom Riddle changing his name is the magical significance of the act. In many societies, there are magical "naming" ceremonies, especially when people come of age. It is sort of fitting that an orphan who is mad at his father and the world "names himself" by literally changing his name around to something he believes is more terrifying and powerful.

I agree. The significance of his act of name-changing seems especially intriguing now, since JKR has recently encouraged us to focus on what precautions Voldemort might have taken to ensure that he would escape death. I wonder if name alteration could have anything to do with it... (Of course, this is pretty off-topic as far as anagrams are concerned, and most likely a red herring as well... alas. :))

[willi]

The "anagram" with witches is not the first in recent literature.

Remember the classic "Rosemary's Baby"?

Where Roman Castevet was an anagram of Adrian Marcato?

THAT was a classic scene!

[ravenfeather]

Kindly remember, friends, that we are supposed to treat our fellow members with kindness and respect. It's of course good to give credit when credit is due, but we can't blame people for not reading through the whole forums to check if someone has said something before.
Alastor D, i wasn't saying that everyone should have seen that quote. i just meant that i saw someone post that and thought it was funny and true: lord voldemort sitting around his dorm room making word games.
it's not that i don't like anagrams. i have a lot of fun with them. it's just such an amusing mental image. i don't think it's bad writing at all. if you don't think about it too much, it seems pretty cool. it's just that, once i got that scene playing in my head, it was hard to take LV's anagram seriously. ("let's see... change the 't' to an 'l'... move that here and that there...hey! "LORD"... that's really neat!" :does evil dance:"

[grrliz]

No, I think it seems just about right that Tom Riddle would come up with an alias. Think of our own Mauraders who used nicknames for each other, don't you think it must have seemed silly to those around them that they called each other such ODD nicknames..I mean really...Moony? Padfoot? Wormtail? Prongs? To an outsider, it would seem ridiculous, but to them, because of their shared secret, it was cool and special.There's a slight shade of difference between the Marauders' and Riddle's naming conventions. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are obviously nicknames and are obviously based on the animals they transfigure into, but they're simply nicknames. It's not like they even use them for "stealth" reasons to disguise their antics, because they openly use them in the presence of other students. An outsider might think their names are weird, but then again, the majority of nicknames are weird by default.

The thing about Tom Riddle's anagram sensation is that he a) gave it to himself (who gives themself a nickname? :huh:) but also b) it extends past the realm of the nickname because of the "I AM LORD" in front of "Voldemort". I could accept "Voldemort" as a nickname in the same way I accept Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs; it's just a name, after all. But it's the "I AM LORD" part that gets me every time. I know it's a clever way to use up the extraneous letters left over in "Tom Marvolo Riddle", but it becomes more of a declaration than the establishment of an alias. Calling yourself "Lord" with complete seriousness at the tender age of fifteen is just plain weird; it's his sly way of indicating his future intentions (even if they weren't fully formed at that point), starting with the shedding of his father's Muggle name.

MWPP weren't shedding their identities with the adoption of their respective nicknames; Tom Riddle was.

What is great about Tom Riddle changing his name is the magical significance of the act. In many societies, there are magical "naming" ceremonies, especially when people come of age. It is sort of fitting that an orphan who is mad at his father and the world "names himself" by literally changing his name around to something he believes is more terrifying and powerful.Oh, I like this point! It makes it more relevant that Voldemort gave himself a new name (rescuing it from the territory of just being a totally lame action on his part), plus has a nice connection to the world of ritual and ceremony, so important in magical societies.

[Marcy]

I wasn't implying that the nicknames were similar in any way, just that some level of imagination went into them as well...otherwise they would have simply been "wolf" "stag" "rat" and "dog" :rotfl: The nicknames that they chose reflected their abundant characteristic of mischieviousness.

Riddles "nickname" that he gave himself also reflected his abundant characteristic, pretentiousness. He has always believed himself to be someone way above the rest...and he would absolutely want to leave his half blood lines behind with as few people as possible connecting Tom's Half Blood Roots to the thing that he was to become. I think the "I am Lord" part of the anagram is an important insight into just how pretentious and yes, overly ambitious Tom was right from the beginning.

[Machiavelli]

This anagram has layers too (whoops... sorry, that's another thread altogether). Look at it this way:

Tom (Thomas) - Could derive from the Greek Te-oma which means twin (Tom is indeed two people) referents include Doubting Thomas, Thomas Aquinas and Thomas Hobbes (the last two philosophers)
Marvolo - shares stem with marvel, marvelous = supernatural power, miraculous, amazing etc.
Riddle - conundrum, enigma (seems pretty applicable)

becomes Lord Voldemort = fleeing death

To come up with relevent names that can anagram into eachother, even with the slight fudging of "I am" is pretty darn clever. Further, it seems like just the sort of thing a 16 yr old would come up with.

Finally, although Riddle is repudiating himself by changing his name, he is also holding on to himself by using the anagram. It is not a total rejection of his past is it? It's as though while Voldemort was hiding behind Riddle, Riddle could still be hiding behind Voldemort.

Now, if she kept using anagrams as major plot points that could be a sign of poor writing; but in this case it's just another great little... well, riddle!

[ninakix]

The thing about Tom Riddle's anagram sensation is that he a) gave it to himself (who gives themself a nickname? :huh:) but also b) it extends past the realm of the nickname because of the "I AM LORD" in front of "Voldemort". I could accept "Voldemort" as a nickname in the same way I accept Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs; it's just a name, after all. But it's the "I AM LORD" part that gets me every time. I know it's a clever way to use up the extraneous letters left over in "Tom Marvolo Riddle", but it becomes more of a declaration than the establishment of an alias. Calling yourself "Lord" with complete seriousness at the tender age of fifteen is just plain weird; it's his sly way of indicating his future intentions (even if they weren't fully formed at that point), starting with the shedding of his father's Muggle name.

MWPP weren't shedding their identities with the adoption of their respective nicknames; Tom Riddle was.

Oh, I like this point! It makes it more relevant that Voldemort gave himself a new name (rescuing it from the territory of just being a totally lame action on his part), plus has a nice connection to the world of ritual and ceremony, so important in magical societies.
At fifteen? I was thinking that...
WHEN LV gave himself this nick name could tie in to Silver Ink's name-giving-coming-of-age ceremonies.
What if the name had been given at an important time - like 13, the age of the Jewish Bar Mitzvah, or an age of 16 - "Sweet Sixteen" - or the age of 18, or even when He'd just finished his O.W.L.s or finished school or something like that? A time of change, or a time that could be considered "Coming of Age"?
I wonder if Harry will have any similar "Coming of Age" rituals?

[Machiavelli]

At fifteen? I was thinking that...
WHEN LV gave himself this nick name could tie in to Silver Ink's name-giving-coming-of-age ceremonies.
What if the name had been given at an important time - like 13, the age of the Jewish Bar Mitzvah, or an age of 16 - "Sweet Sixteen" - or the age of 18, or even when He'd just finished his O.W.L.s or finished school or something like that? A time of change, or a time that could be considered "Coming of Age"?
I wonder if Harry will have any similar "Coming of Age" rituals?
Actually, I think Riddle's true "coming of age" moment was the quite horrid one when he killed his father and grandparents. Now, there's an act of repudiation!

[grrliz]

At fifteen? I was thinking that...
WHEN LV gave himself this nick name could tie in to Silver Ink's name-giving-coming-of-age ceremonies.
What if the name had been given at an important time - like 13, the age of the Jewish Bar Mitzvah, or an age of 16 - "Sweet Sixteen" - or the age of 18, or even when He'd just finished his O.W.L.s or finished school or something like that? A time of change, or a time that could be considered "Coming of Age"?
I wonder if Harry will have any similar "Coming of Age" rituals?Well, we know he was already calling himself Lord Voldemort by the time he was fifteen in CoS, so it would definitely had to have been an earlier age-based ceremony. In the Did the Sorting Hat suggest putting Tom Riddle in Gryffindor? (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=34378) thread Elf suggested that since JKR says no one is born evil there must have been a point at which Riddle made a choice to become the greatest Dark Wizard of the age, if not of all time. I assume this choice would have coincided with him renaming himself; either he was thinking heavily about the Dark Arts, came up with an appropriate alias and took the plunge into the world of evil, or he took the plunge into the world of evil and decided he needed an equally evil moniker.

I think it would be neat if it tied into some sort of coming-of-age ceremony; my only hesitation is that beyond Harry's own birthday there aren't any examples of individual age-based celebrations.

[HarryPotter]

I think anagrams are indicative of poor writing if they are "overused" throughout the books... I think the Tom Marvolo Riddle/I'm Lord Voldemort was a very clever anagram...
The "coincidental" anagrams are simply amusing and fun to read, but honestly I don't think they are written on purpose...

[SquibOnline]

Think about the surname, riddle. That tells us that he probably likes to do things like that.

[dink]

The "anagram" with witches is not the first in recent literature.

Remember the classic "Rosemary's Baby"?

Where Roman Castevet was an anagram of Adrian Marcato?
:lol: "Roman Castevet" is NOT an anagram of "Adrian Marcato". Could you be thinking of Steven Marcato? :D

If you look in the names section of mugglenet, you will notice that the name Voldemort is derived from the name Voldemortist, a dark wizard defeated by Merlin, according to legend.
That's bobbins, I'm afraid. Merlin never defeated any dark wizard called Voldemortist - in any legend whatsoever. This is just one of those 'facts' that have sprung up around the Harry Potter series. Once it's appeared on one internet site, other sites seem to treat the statement as verbatim - which is presumably why it's listed on mugglenet. :)

Back on-topic for a moment... The very worst thing about Tom Riddle's choice of pseudonym is that his new first name is "I". ;)

[ravenfeather]

okay, well i still think li'l voldy making mash notes of his own name could be a future script for potter puppet pals.
and i agree that a peck of anagrams would be bad style, but i'm guessing that less than 1% of readers picked up on tom marvolo riddle/i am lord thingy before tom, himself revealed it.
Machiavelli, you know how much i enjoy your work, but i think in the case of the first name 'tom', while the etymologies and meanings work in this case, you might be digging a bit deep for 'layers'. did you ever see the thread that proposed tom the barman was somehow related to tom riddle because they were both named 'tom'? or the one where ted tonks is actually the muggle news reporter whose name is also 'ted'? (every wizard's dream: to be on the muggle evening news. nightly) oh right, and that mark evans kid. ;)

[sirpsycho85]

i think he did that because he was just a bitter kid when he made that up, and it seemed right to him, kind of like taking the name he hated and twisting it.

[rotsiepots]

I don't think JKR's inclusion of an anagram is indicative of poor writing. I'm not really sure why this would be the case; anagrams, at the time, weren't a cliche in writing, nor were they simplistic, childish things.

If there's something "poor" about Voldemort's name choice, I think we can attribute it to his immaturity at the time he chose it. I'm sure Tom was never one for fads, or caring what was "cool", but I'm sure he got quite a thrill when he realised he could pronounce himself to be a Lord!

[Machiavelli]

Machiavelli, you know how much i enjoy your work, but i think in the case of the first name 'tom', while the etymologies and meanings work in this case, you might be digging a bit deep for 'layers'. Darlin' - I totally agree. I suppose my generous nature was making me throw it out there for the folks who like that stuff. I think my main point was that Riddle in particular is a name that implies questions and puzzles, and Voldemort is a name that definitely has a meaning so it's pretty darn cool that JKR managed to make a reasonable anagram that incorporates both. Riddle was the real clue in the book of course - we were supposed to figure out that there was something to figure out about him.
did you ever see the thread that proposed tom the barman was somehow related to tom riddle because they were both named 'tom'? or the one where ted tonks is actually the muggle news reporter whose name is also 'ted'? (every wizard's dream: to be on the muggle evening news. nightly) oh right, and that mark evans kid. ;)
Nope -missed that one! I try not to dig too much into someone-is-someone-else threads because the idea simply doesn't appeal to me. I'm not saying I'll bin my books if Dumbledore really is Ron, but I honestly don't see how it gets the plot further along really.

[Tane]

I don't think JKR's inclusion of an anagram is indicative of poor writing. I'm not really sure why this would be the case; anagrams, at the time, weren't a cliche in writing, nor were they simplistic, childish things.

If there's something "poor" about Voldemort's name choice, I think we can attribute it to his immaturity at the time he chose it. I'm sure Tom was never one for fads, or caring what was "cool", but I'm sure he got quite a thrill when he realised he could pronounce himself to be a Lord!Exactly I don't see it as poor but more creative than anything else and requires planning and organisation from the author, it also means the reader has to do some work for themselves too. So a book with anagrams to me is a sign of effort and good thought provoking writing by an author.

[endilwen_09]

Personally, I thought the anagram to be rather creative! :)

Ditto, I thought it was fantastic.

[Puffskein]

Indicative of poor writing on JK's part? No, it was very clever. It would only be poor if she used anagrams for every significant thing.

Indicative of poor judgement on Voldemort's part? It would be, if the anagram he chose didn't happen to tie in with his wish for immortality by meaning "theft or flight of death" in French.

[Looney]

What is great about Tom Riddle changing his name is the magical significance of the act. In many societies, there are magical "naming" ceremonies, especially when people come of age. It is sort of fitting that an orphan who is mad at his father and the world "names himself" by literally changing his name around to something he believes is more terrifying and powerful.

I love anagrams. If you think about how a writer has to do this, it is very complicated. Anagrams don't just "appear" in stories. JKR had to work backwards from a meaningful word to the anagram of the word. And it all had to make sense in the story.

What is great is that the word "Riddle" is included in the "riddle" of his name! That is brilliant, simply brilliant, and something special for generations of future readers to enjoy.

I don't know why some people don't like anagrams. They are fun! And even if they are unintentional, they are still exciting to discover.

The best one I have ever found on my own is in Goblet of Fire. I have no idea if this was intentionally put there - I suspect it was. But when Harry gets his dress robes, they are "bottle green." One anagram of that is "Enter Goblet," which he does, of course, a few chapters later. :evil:

I don't care if JKR put that there or not - it is still cool.

I completely agree! They're cool.. and I think they are creative rather than silly...
I hadn't noticed the "enter goblet" anagram before... it's great :tu:
PS: I LOVE YOUR SNAPE AVATAR!!

[sneff]

i also agree that it was a very clever thing to do. none of saw that tom was LV when we saw his anme on the diary did we? it was another one of JK's little clues that you don't notice untill you re-read it and then you kick yourself and say that you realy should have seen that. well thats what i do any way :blush:

[silver ink pot]

Before I read "I am Lord Voldemort," the most famous anagram I knew was in Stephen King's The Shining, when the words "red rum" keep appearing to the little boy. "Red Rum" is "Murder" backwards. I always loved that little detail.

Here is some background on the history of anagrams:

http://log24.com/log/puzzle-notes.html

One of the most famous anagrams of all time was constructed in the Middle Ages. The unknown author contrived it as a Latin dialogue between Pilate and Jesus. Jesus' answer to Pilate's question "What is truth?" is phrased as an ingenious anagram of the letters of that very question: Pilate: Quid est veritas? ("What is truth?") Jesus: Est virqui adest. ("It is the man before you.")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagram

An anagram (Greek ana-, "back", and graphein, "to write") is the result of transposing the letters of a word or words in such a manner as to produce other words that possess meaning. The meaning of the new word so created is seen in the context of or in contrast to that of the old word so as to create humorous or interesting associations between the two. Anagrams are a type of word play.

The construction of anagrams is an amusement of great antiquity. Jews are often credited with the invention of anagrams, probably because later Hebrew writers, particularly Kabbalists, were fond of it, asserting that "secret mysteries are woven in the numbers of letters." Anagrams were known to the Greeks and also to the Romans, although the known Latin examples of words of more than one syllable are nearly all imperfect.

They were popular throughout Europe during the Middle Ages and later, particularly in France, where a certain Thomas Billon was appointed "anagrammatist to the king" by Louis XIII. . . . . Dryden disdainfully called the pastime the "torturing of one poor word ten thousand ways" but many men and women of note have found amusement in it.

A well-known anagram is the change of "Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum" into "Virgo serena, pia, munda et immaculata." Among others are the anagrammatic answer to Pilate's question, "Quid est veritas"—namely, "Est vir qui adest"; and the transposition of "Horatio Nelson" into "Honor est a Nilo"; and of "Florence Nightingale" into "Flit on, cheering angel." James I's courtiers discovered in "James Stuart" "a just master," and converted "Charles James Stuart" into "Claimes Arthur's seat."

"Eleanor Audeley," wife of Sir John Davies, is said to have been brought before the High Commission in 1634 for extravagances, stimulated by the discovery that her name could be transposed to "Reveale, O Daniel," and to have been laughed out of court by another anagram submitted by the dean of the Arches, "Dame Eleanor Davies," "Never soe mad a ladie."

The pseudonyms adopted by authors are often transposed forms, more or less exact, of their names; thus "Calvinus" becomes "Alcuinus" (V = U); "Francois Rabelais," "Alcofribas Nasier"; "Edward Gorey," "Ogdred Weary"; "Vladimir Nabokov", "Vivian Darkbloom" or "Vivian Bloodmark" or "Dorian Vivalcomb", "Bryan Waller Proctor," "Barry Cornwall, poet"; "Henry Rogers," "R. E. H. Greyson," and so on. It is to be noted that several of these are "imperfect anagrams", letters having been left out in some cases for the sake of easy pronunciation.

Perhaps the only practical use to which anagrams have been turned is to be found in the transpositions in which some of the astronomers of the 17th century embodied their discoveries with the design apparently of avoiding the risk that, while they were engaged in further verification, the credit of what they had found out might be claimed by others. Thus Galileo announced his discovery that Venus had phases like the Moon in the form, "Haec immatura a me iam frustra leguntur--oy," that is, "Cynthiae figuras aemulatur Mater Amorum." Similarly, when Robert Hooke discovered Hooke's law in 1660, he first published it in anagram form. One might think of this as a primitive example of a cryptographic hash function.

There are also a few "natural" anagrams, English words unconsciously created by switching letters around. The French chaise longue ("long chair") became the English "chaise lounge" by metathesis (transposition of letters and/or sounds). This is an example of folk etymology. It has also been speculated that the English "curd" comes from the Latin crudus ("raw").

http://www.fun-with-words.com/anag_history.html

Anagrams are not quite such a modern idea as you might imagine. According to some historians, anagrams originated in the 4th century BC with the Greek poet Lycophron who use them to flatter the rich and mighty. Other sources suggest that Pythagoras, in the 6th century BC, used anagrams to discover deep philosophical meanings.

In Roman and early Christian times, anagrams were often believed to have mystical or prophetic meaning . After this, anagrams appear to have been little used until the 13th century AD, when the Jewish Cabalists also attributed a mystical significance to them.

Anagrams started to become popular in Europe in the Middle Ages. In the days of French royalty, Louis XIII actually appointed a Royal Anagrammatist, Thomas Billon, to entertain the Court with amusing anagrams of people's names.

However, the principal activity of anagrammatists in the Middle Ages was in forming anagrams on religious texts.

In the past authors have anagrammed their names to create pseudonyms. For example, Francios Rabelais became Alcofribas Nasier and Calvinus became Alcuinus.

[Marcy]

They are absolutely not indicitive of poor writing. Now, if every character and event was an anagram, it would be a little preposterous...but this one is excellent!

[BloodyBlackRose]

Anagrams are really awesome because it's really creative. I don't think that's poor writing. I think that it's brilliant.

[RELASHIO Rachel]

I don't really see how it is poor writing, on the contrary, I thought it rather clever.

And as Marcy said, if every character, place, building, event, etc was an anagram from something 'relevant' I might think it over the top, but the Voldemort thing was just perfect. :cool:

[nano]

I also think, that this anagram was rather clever ...

... and has it ever occured to you, that Harry James Potter consists of exactly the same amount of letters as Tom Marvolo Riddle / I am Lord Voldemort.

Maybe - I am not saying, that I do believe this theory 100% - but maybe if the letters are derived from each other in the right way, one name becomes the komplement of the other as in 2 halves make a whole - Yin & Yang - Good & Evil

Isn't there also an ancient thing about not being able to kill something if you don't know it's real name??? Maybe that was part of Tom's plan - first of all hiding his name in the anagram - and then secondly making everyone be afraid of saying his new name, just to be on the safe side ...

Go on - you can stone me now if you like! :rolleyes:
nano

[crumseekerlynch]

That's a very good point nano. I had noticed the letter thing but didn't think about it like that.

[amy_gamgee]

<snip>
What is great is that the word "Riddle" is included in the "riddle" of his name! That is brilliant, simply brilliant, and something special for generations of future readers to enjoy.

I don't know why some people don't like anagrams. They are fun! And even if they are unintentional, they are still exciting to discover.

The best one I have ever found on my own is in Goblet of Fire. I have no idea if this was intentionally put there - I suspect it was. But when Harry gets his dress robes, they are "bottle green." One anagram of that is "Enter Goblet," which he does, of course, a few chapters later. :evil:

I don't care if JKR put that there or not - it is still cool.

Silver ink pot - I agree! It must have been very difficult to come up with the Voldemort anagram, especially using the last name Riddle. I think it was brilliant of JKR. I am a little confused how an anagram can be indicitive of poor writing. I guess it's a little lame if they are used over and over again, but I don't think they are in JKR's case. By the way, great catch with the "bottle green" anagram!! I don't think it was intentional, but it's still pretty cool! :)

[MagicMuggle]

best one I have ever found on my own is in Goblet of Fire. I have no idea if this was intentionally put there - I suspect it was. But when Harry gets his dress robes, they are "bottle green." One anagram of that is "Enter Goblet," which he does, of course, a few chapters later. :evil:

Wow! I never noticed that before! Well spotted! :) I don't really seek anagrams much myself, but it's pretty cool when they decide to pop up throughout the books.

[Elf]

I don't think it's ever poor writing when an author can cleverly hide a clue right under our noses and we miss it completely. JKR was playing fair by dropping the clue and yet she did it in a way that made it unlikely for us to figure it out--an anagram. I think that's briliant.

It may initially seem silly for one of the darkest wizards of all time to be messing around with anagrams, but it gives us an idea of just how obsessed young Tom was. His lust for power consumed his mind at a very young age. I'm sure he never thought about anything else. I can even picture him doodling this on a scrap of parchment in class, while tuning out the teacher and mulling over images of his own greatness in his imagination. Young boys often go through a phase of feeling invincible. In Tom's case he never grew out of this, rather this feeling of invincibility grew into an obsession with immortality as well. The act of constructing a seemingly foolish anagram, a self-given fanciful title, is the beginning indication of a warping mind.

The very fact that young Tom gave himself a title seems like an absurd and childish act, but this is the irony of it. Someday nearly everyone in the wizard world would fear the name Voldemort enough to avoid ever saying it, even though the name itself originally seemed to be nothing more than the ridiculous creation of a disturbed boy.

[lilbittv]

I think the anagram is cool. It does seem to fit the persona of a very angry teen, who was betrayed by his wealthy father who had abandoned him and his mother. The books never actually say at what age he fashioned his new name, I would guess sometime after he killed his father and grandparents (using the basilisk?), it probably made him feel pretty powerful. If he was that twisted, I can see him using his father's name and changing it as a symbol of his demise and to kind of show his new found power over him and those he hated. Pronouncing himself as Lord with the left over letters also would have fed into his superiority complex.
I can see a teenage kid trying to come up with a nickname and fiddling with their own name, in fact I remember a few people I went to high school with who did just that and went on using their new names among a small circle of friends only. One of the guys just decided to spell his name differently and Josh became Jausche, then there was this one guy who always signed everything "Another Creation by..." and that was just some of the guys.

I wonder what Tom's life was like at Hogwarts, did he have friends? Was he a loner? Was he popular in his house? Or did most people cringe when they saw the evil kid coming? I think I'l go do a thread search now. Bye.

[ravenfeather]

It may initially seem silly for one of the darkest wizards of all time to be messing around with anagrams, but it gives us an idea of just how obsessed young Tom was. His lust for power consumed his mind at a very young age. I'm sure he never thought about anything else. I can even picture him doodling this on a scrap of parchment in class, while tuning out the teacher and mulling over images of his own greatness in his imagination. Young boys often go through a phase of feeling invincible. In Tom's case he never grew out of this, rather this feeling of invincibility grew into an obsession with immortality as well. The act of constructing a seemingly foolish anagram, a self-given fanciful title, is the beginning indication of a warping mind.

The very fact that young Tom gave himself a title seems like an absurd and childish act, but this is the irony of it. Someday nearly everyone in the wizard world would fear the name Voldemort enough to avoid ever saying it, even though the name itself originally seemed to be nothing more than the ridiculous creation of a disturbed boy.

great response, Elf. i think you hit the nail on the head.

but can't you just see the monty python cast doing a reenactment of this? ;)

[Elf]

original post by ravenfeather
but can't you just see the monty python cast doing a reenactment of this?
Speaking of humourous perspectives on the anagram of Tom's name, someone on the internet took a shot of the scene where Tom writes his name in the air and changes the green lettering to say "I am Lord Mouldy Shorts" instead! :lol:

[RemusLupinFan]

I don't think it's ever poor writing when an author can cleverly hide a clue right under our noses and we miss it completely. JKR was playing fair by dropping the clue and yet she did it in a way that made it unlikely for us to figure it out--an anagram. I think that's briliant.Definitely. That is the beauty of anagrams because they are such subtle little clues that we are likely not to pick up on them unless they are pointed out to us. This is the same kind of thing that occurs with the inscription on the Mirror of Erised- having the inscription read "I show not your face but your heart's desire" backward is an ingenious way of introducing another layer of meaning into a seeminly innocent or unimportant set of words.

I agree that in fashioning a new name for himself, Tom Riddle shed his muggle father's name, and essentially everything he hated about his father. The process of Riddle actually coming up with his alias name seems to reflect the physical and inner transformations he underwent to finally become Voldemort. Riddle must have sat there and experimented with his name to see what kinds of things he could generate, indicating that this was very much a conscious process, as were the choices that eventually led him down the path to becoming Voldemort. Really what Riddle did was to take the letters in his name and scramble them, so that his name was no longer recognizable in the new name he came up with. This again mirrors Riddle's transformation into Lord Voldemort, because once Tom Riddle started down that path of choices, Voldemort emerged unrecognizable from the schoolboy he used to be.

The name itself, as grrliz points out, is not just a name, but a self-proclamation of lordship. The fact that the statement "I am Lord" is actually part of Riddle's anagram (ie it wasn't tacked on after all the letters in Riddle's full name were used up) reinforces Voldemort's megalomania and the superiority that Riddle likely advirtised to his friends, and to his enemies. It is a testament to his desires of being the greatest sorcerer ever and being feared by everyone.

[Machiavelli]

I agree that in fashioning a new name for himself, Tom Riddle shed his muggle father's name, and essentially everything he hated about his father. Actually, I would argue that he didn't shed his father's name: he kept it but distorted it just as he distorted himself in is effort to become immortal. He could have chosen an entirely new name - he didn't need to even mess about with the anagram. Instead he his his old identity within his new one. You say nearly the same thing:

Really what Riddle did was to take the letters in his name and scramble them, so that his name was no longer recognizable in the new name he came up with. This again mirrors Riddle's transformation into Lord Voldemort, because once Tom Riddle started down that path of choices, Voldemort emerged unrecognizable from the schoolboy he used to be. I just think it's essential to remember that he held on to that tie to a name and a past he despised.

[LuvHP_001]

Oh gosh no! JK is an absolutely amazing writer and I personally think that anagrams are cool and just enhance her writing abilities and talents. I mean,how many of you could have figured out that Tom Marvallo Riddle is I am Lord Voldemort? Honestly? I think none.

[AurorSlayer]

I only think using anagrams would be associated with bad writings if JKR used them too much to try and trick her readers, which is something she rarely, if ever, does. It would seem too gimmicky if you asked me.

[MadMagic]

I agree that overloading us with anagrams might make me wonder about JK, but the I AM LORD VOLDERMORT anagram, in my opinion, was very clever and well done. It made so much sense when revealed, and yet the common reader had no idea it was coming. When Tom Riddle emerges in the chamber you know something is up, but until he rearranges the letters in his name you don't know what exactly is going on. I thought it was really well done.
I do think it is funny that the I AM is a part of the anagram, for some reason I never thought about that until I read this thread.

[Elf]

Original post by RemusLupinFan
Definitely. That is the beauty of anagrams because they are such subtle little clues that we are likely not to pick up on them unless they are pointed out to us. This is the same kind of thing that occurs with the inscription on the Mirror of Erised- having the inscription read "I show not your face but your heart's desire" backward is an ingenious way of introducing another layer of meaning into a seeminly innocent or unimportant set of words.
Okay, feel absolutely free to mock me mercilessly, but I had no idea that the Mirror of Erised's inscription was: "I show not your face but your heart's desire" spelled backwards!!! I feel like a huge moron for not figuring that out or at least picking up on it from someone until now! :lol:

original post by Machiavelli
Actually, I would argue that he didn't shed his father's name: he kept it but distorted it just as he distorted himself in is effort to become immortal. He could have chosen an entirely new name - he didn't need to even mess about with the anagram. Instead he his his old identity within his new one. You say nearly the same thing
I find this perspective very interesting in light of Voldemort's speech about his past in the Little Hangleton graveyard:

You see that house upon the hillside, Potter? My father lived there. My mother, a witch who lived here in this village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him what she was...he didn't like magic, my father...

He left her and returned to his Muggle parents before I was even born, Potter and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage...but I vowed to find him...I revenged myself upon him, that fool who gave me his name...Tom Riddle..."

Still he paced, his red eyes darting from grave to grave.

"Listen to me, reliving family history..." he said quietly. "Why, I am growing quite sentimental...But look, Harry! My true family returns..."

This is a brilliant little piece of writing. In the middle of the dark and evil events that night in the graveyard, Voldemort explains a piece of his past to Harry and in doing this exposes the hurt that drove him to become what he is.

Notice that he still refers to Tom Riddle Sr. as "my father", not as "that man" or some other such generic term that severs the connection between them. Calling him "my father" still maintains a sense of ownership and relationship even though he never knew the man. I think we see in this part that Tom wanted to be loved as a child. He wanted the life that could have been--the life that Harry would have had, if Voldemort had not deprived him of it.

Voldemort's mannerisms are worth noting in this scene. He is pacing back and forth while he recounts this tale. His eyes are darting around and his voice gets quiet when he speaks of being sentimental. Now, I have no doubt that his voice, though quiet, is laced with bittterness and sarcasm, however the fact remains that he is dwelling on his past in this scene--a past that still evokes pain and resentment. His physical movements in this scene speak to the power his father's betrayal still has over him.

I think this supports the idea that Tom purposely made an anagram of his name for a title, rather than choosing a completely new name. He preserved the memory of the father he wished he had in the anagram. I think perhaps there are two reasons for this. Firstly, as a boy Tom may not have been able to completely let go of the longing for that life that was lost to him. Secondly, the bitterness spawned by his father's abandonment is preserved in the anagram, meaning that it continues to fuel his evil.

Now, lest anyone mistake me, I am not suggesting that we feel sorry for Voldemort, rather I am pointing out that the anagram was a clever way to show that Voldemort never really did forget the hurtful events that triggered his descent into evil.

[Machiavelli]

I find this perspective very interesting in light of Voldemort's speech abouthis past in the Little Hangleton graveyard:

You see that house upon the hillside, Potter? My father lived there. My mother, a witch who lived here in this village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him what she was...he didn't like magic, my father...

He left her and returned to his Muggle parents before I was even born, Potter and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage...but I vowed to find him...I revenged myself upon him, that fool who gave me his name...Tom Riddle..."

Still he paced, his red eyes darting from grave to grave.

"Listen to me, reliving family history..." he said quietly. "Why, I am growing quite sentimental...But look, Harry! My true family returns..."

This is a brilliant little piece of writing. In the middle of the dark and evil events that night in the graveyard, Voldemort explains a piece of his past to Harry and in doing this exposes the hurt that drove him to become what he is.

Notice that he still refers to Tom Riddle Sr.as "my father", not as "that man" or some other such generic term that severes the connection between them. Calling him "my father" still maintains a sense of ownership and relationship even though he never knew the man. I think we see in this part that Tom wanted to be loved as a child. He wanted the life that could have been--the life that Harry would have had, if Voldemort had not deprived him of it.

Voldemort's mannerisms are worth noting in this scene. He is pacing back and forth while he recounts this tale. His eyes are darting around and his voice gets quiet when he speaks of being sentimental. Now, I have no doubt that his voice, though quiet, is laced with bittterness and sarcasm, however the fact remains that he is dwelling on his past in this scene.

I think this supports the idea that Tom purposely made an anagram of his name for a title, rather than choosing a completely new name. He preserved the memory of the father he wished he had in the anagram. I think perhaps there are two reasons for this. Firstly, as a boy Tom may not have been able to completely let go of the longing for that life that was lost to him. Secondly, the bitterness spawned by his father's abandonment is preserved in the anagram, meaning that it continues to fuel his evil.

Now, lest anyone mistake me, I am not suggesting that we feel sorry for Voldemort, rather I am pointing out that the anagram was a clever way to show that Voldemort never really did forget the hurtful events that triggered his descent into evil.Yes - exactly. He can't leave his past behind, and this moment is so essential to understanding who he was, and who he is. And notice that he calls the DE his true family - but what kind of family is it? It's quite dysfunctional isn't it! He's the pater familias I assume, but a nasty one at that. Don't disappoint Daddy or bad things will happen. He uses the words - father, family - but he has no idea what they mean.

And of course there is Harry, who has so many things in common with Voldemort but who has also the one thing that V - or Tom Riddle - never experienced: true love. He might not remember it, but he knows his parents loved him, and he loves his friends, and Lupin, Sirius and the others. Riddle has created a twisted mockery of a family for himself, just as he twisted his name in mockery of his father.

[RemusLupinFan]

Excellent points Elf, as always. Now that you point out this scene, I can see that you and Machaivelli are correct in saying that Riddle never actually shed his previous name, but "distorted" it, as Machiavelli said. It is true that Voldemort never fully cut ties with his past, and that the feels extremely resentful of it. It is mainly due to this resentment and hatred of his father that he holds on to his past, as Voldemort certainly isn't one to forgive and forget.Riddle has created a twisted mockery of a family for himself, just as he twisted his name in mockery of his father.Another excellent point! This kind of reminds me of the villians in LOTR creating Orcs in twisted mockery of the Elves and the Trolls in mockery of the Ents.

[Machiavelli]

Excellent points Elf, as always. Now that you point out this scene, I can see that you and Machaivelli are correct in saying that Riddle never actually shed his previous name, but "distorted" it, as Machiavelli said. It is true that Voldemort never fully cut ties with his past, and that the feels extremely resentful of it. It is mainly due to this resentment and hatred of his father that he holds on to his past, as Voldemort certainly isn't one to forgive and forget.Another excellent point! This kind of reminds me of the villians in LOTR creating Orcs in twisted mockery of the Elves and the Trolls in mockery of the Ents.What was it JRRT said about that? That evil cannot create, it can only corrupt. Maybe that's one of Voldemort's weaknesses too.

[winter snow]

Yes - exactly. He can't leave his past behind, and this moment is so essential to understanding who he was, and who he is. And notice that he calls the DE his true family - but what kind of family is it? It's quite dysfunctional isn't it! He's the pater familias I assume, but a nasty one at that. Don't disappoint Daddy or bad things will happen. He uses the words - father, family - but he has no idea what they mean.

And of course there is Harry, who has so many things in common with Voldemort but who has also the one thing that V - or Tom Riddle - never experienced: true love. He might not remember it, but he knows his parents loved him, and he loves his friends, and Lupin, Sirius and the others. Riddle has created a twisted mockery of a family for himself, just as he twisted his name in mockery of his father.

Very insightful post! If Voldermort looked into the Mirror of Erised what would he see? His father showing him love and affection? His mother alive and with his father? The three of them happy together? Or would he see himself as immortal? I quess it would be the last one since immortality at this point would be the deepest desire of his heart.

You made a valid point about Voldermort and his Death Eaters being a dysfunctional family. Voldermort doesn't know how to love, he doesn't understand the concept. I doubt he ever will. Your post made me think about Voldermort on a deeper level. He is a complex multi-dimensional character with even more layers than you see at first glance.

[Machiavelli]

Very insightful post! If Voldermort looked into the Mirror of Erised what would he see? His father showing him love and affection? His mother alive and with his father? The three of them happy together? Or would he see himself as immortal? I quess it would be the last one since immortality at this point would be the deepest desire of his heart. Oooooh - good question! I think you're right about the immortality, but I wonder what would come second - why exactly is Voldemort trying to take power? What does he want to accomplish? A total purge of wizard kind (and what does he do when he's down to the five guys who pass his purity test?). It seems that there's a second use for the mirror of Erised - you could perhaps use it to find out what your, or someone else's, deepest desire truly is.

And thanks for the kind words! I love that JKR's characters often (not always) are so complex. Snape is obvious, Voldemort is becoming more intriguing!

[winter snow]

Oooooh - good question! I think you're right about the immortality, but I wonder what would come second - why exactly is Voldemort trying to take power? What does he want to accomplish? A total purge of wizard kind (and what does he do when he's down to the five guys who pass his purity test?). It seems that there's a second use for the mirror of Erised - you could perhaps use it to find out what your, or someone else's, deepest desire truly is.

And thanks for the kind words! I love that JKR's characters often (not always) are so complex. Snape is obvious, Voldemort is becoming more intriguing!

No problem, I like when other people give me something to think about. That was a point I wouldn't have made on my own. I loved the HP books before I came here, but reading the posts on these forums has given me a broader understanding of the books, mythology, background information on the meaning of names and many other subjects I can't think of at the moment! This site has broadened my horizons and I feel all the more richer for it.

There's another good question. What exactly is Voldermort up to? It's interesting that he expects his Death Eaters to be pureblood when he isn't. I wonder, do his minions even know this? I remember Harry saying something about that in OotP, but the Death Eaters didn't seem to believe him.

What if Harry could use the Mirror of Erised against Voldermort, I mean in a way to vanquish him somehow? I'm not sure how that could pulled off, I'm not a writer! Your post gave me the idea that perhaps Harry could turn the tables on Voldermort with the Mirror somehow.

I love how some of Jo's characters have many dimensions to their personalities. Vernon and Dudley though are pretty one-dimensional. Petunia however is becoming very interesting and I can't wait to see if I'm right that she's the one "who comes into magic late in life". That would add another layer to her already complex personality. There are characters in every book that remain one-dimensional for one reason or another, but Jo's multi-dimensional characters are so true to life that I almost feel like I know them personally. I hope she keeps writing after this series is done, I'd like to see what else she has to say!