The Significance of Names in the HP Series

[medboy76]

Tom Marvolo Riddle
Harry James Potter

There have been discussions about the similarities in their backgrounds, but there are also some similarites in their names.

- Each has 16 letters.
- Letter 4/5 and 13/14 are both doubles in each name.
- Each last name has 6 letters.
- If you count Harry's Y as a vowel, then each has 6 vowels.

This may all be coincidence, but JKR doesn't seem to do things like this by accident. I'm betting there are hidden clues within the names. Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin also each have 16 lettes in their names.

We all know that Tom rearranged the letters in his name from Tom Marvolo Riddle to I Am Lord Voldemort. Has anyone tried to rearrange Harry's name to come up with any messages or words? How about messages within the names of Gryffindor or Slytherin?

From the little time I've spent with this, all I've come up with is that you can get the word "evil" from Riddle's name and the word "hope" from Potter's name. I'll have to spend more time examining them later. It would be nice if I had a computer program that would give all the possible words/phrases that can be formed from a group of letters and then plug in their names.

[Chiharu]

<I'm new here, I don't think I've posted yet, but oh well...>

Hmmm... I really never noticed that...Good job finding it medboy76! Well, I haven't tried the messaging in the names yet, but I'll probably do that sometime... Hmmm..... If I come up with anything of the names, I'll reply back!

[Chocolate Frogs]

I think those are called anagrams... I know of a site that does it automatically, but I forget the address. I'll try it.

[jodiekins]

I got mother.... or you can get ray and hope

[jodiekins]

Oh yeah, theres a bunch of anagram genrators, but it doesn't help that much... they give you lots of sentences, but none really make sense....

[harryton]

hmm never thought of this before, maybe there is someting going on here with hidden messages. on their names.

[hpangel102]

Maybe there is something going on to it... I'm just to lazy to notice anything!

[Cat]

I was typing up names into an anagram generator to find rude words (alright, I'm a bit sad) and one of the names was Harry Potter. It didn't come up with anything special. I don't think it even came up with anything rude :grumble:

Ooh, you can get 'hamster poetry jar' I think.

Hahaha - 'The Terror Pyjamas'. But you'll have to check that one because it's too good to be true.

[medboy76]

Here are a few.
From Harry's name:
Tom, heart, hope, threat, rare, myth, shy, armor, harm, earth, hate, prostrate, merry, shame, sharp, spear, test, trap

From Tom's name:
mortal, immortal, devil, overlord, die, doom, idol, evil, revolt, odd, lied, riot, dolor (latin for pain), vile, overt, aviod, torrid, order, motive, love

[Cat]

Oh, those kind of hidden words. Well, I can't find my handy-dandy site so the only two I can find that you haven't got are 'martyr' and 'herpes' and I don't like the sound of either...

The best full anagram has to be 'They're major prats'.

[Inkwolf]

Originally posted by medboy76
Tom Marvolo Riddle
Harry James Potter

There have been discussions about the similarities in their backgrounds, but there are also some similarites in their names.

- Each has 16 letters.
- Letter 4/5 and 13/14 are both doubles in each name.
- Each last name has 6 letters.
- If you count Harry's Y as a vowel, then each has 6 vowels.

I like to point out the similarities between Snape andBlack's names, myself...

Both first names start with an S, a vowel, a consonant, and a repeat of the first vowel....also, both end in US. They also both have one-syllable, 5-letter last names.

Severus Snape
Sirius Black

I wish I had an anagram generator program, I'd like to put both names in together and see what it might turn up. :evil:

[medboy76]

I just came up with a VERY INTERESTING anagram. Rearrange Severus Snape --> Save Pureness

Cool!

The word "raven" also comes from his name, so if he's Animagus I'm betting he's a raven.

[Machtyn]

without using a generator I came up with
the master with arryjpo left over.

pojarry, joparry, parry jo, paorjyr, ...
hmm, how about
jo, the master parry Maybe JKR took a fencing class once? The wizards duel sure set up like a fencing match. Each person squared off in, what seemed to me, a fencing stance. We know that Harry once faced off with Tom Riddle, and will likely do so again. Perhaps, Harry will parry an attack by Voldemort and catch V off guard with a counter that will certainly defeat V.

[GodricSlytherin]

A REPEAT JOSH MR TRY

Some of thse anagrams can be latin form

Evil
Devil
From Tom's name

Hermione Granger
A GREENE GRIM HORN
And u can get Ron from her name too

Ronald Weasley
Rosy-when he turns red
Sly
Nosy
Son
Snow
Owl
And tons of other things

Albus Dumbledore
Smell
Rose
Bumble!
Dumbell

Godric Gryffindor
Ron
Only interesting one I found and looking for others

[JaLaPeNo]

hmm...shouldnt there be one of those anagram generators? i'll have a search for it...

[venus1818]

Here are two anagram generators:
http://www.jti.net/brad/anagram.htm
http://www.easypeasy.com/anagrams

The results I got don't really make any sense.

[Jonah]

Originally posted by medboy76
Here are a few.
From Harry's name:
Tom, heart, hope, threat, rare, myth, shy, armor, harm, earth, hate, prostrate, merry, shame, sharp, spear, test, trap

From Tom's name:
mortal, immortal, devil, overlord, die, doom, idol, evil, revolt, odd, lied, riot, dolor (latin for pain), vile, overt, aviod, torrid, order, motive, love

Wow. Now that's too much of a coincidence to be an accident! o_o; I gotta give JKR some major props. I mean that is some DEEP research. Even with that legend of Running Weasel one! @_@;

And Cat, that's hilarious. XD Harry James Potter does come out as "they're major prats", minus the apostraphe. XD

[Puffskein]

There was a discussion about anagrams on another forum I looked at. Most of them were just silly (Hermione Granger = Ignore her German). On that I do remember is Sirius Black = Basilisk cur. There's some mention of Sirius in the Basilisk legend, isn't there?

[Cat]

Originally posted by Puffskein
There was a discussion about anagrams on another forum I looked at. Most of them were just silly (Hermione Granger = Ignore her German). On that I do remember is Sirius Black = Basilisk cur. There's some mention of Sirius in the Basilisk legend, isn't there?

You could also have:

Hermione Granger - Hear me, ginger Ron.

Sirius Black - a bulk crisis.

But these are just silly, not theories, so I should leave it there.

[medboy76]

I can't believe no one else seems excited that the letters in Severus Snape can be rearranged to Save Pureness!!! With all the talk about Purebloods, Halfbloods, Mudbloods, etc. this seems like a clue to me. I still think that Snape has turned away from Voldemort for good, but this anagram is making me think twice.

[Ame]

I think that is very interesting!!! I never noticed this before. I'm going to mess around with the names now, and see what I come up with.

[gillyweed_sensation]

I just ran Severus Snape through an anagram generator and you can get the word "Evans" - Lily Potter's maiden name.

Also "suspense" , which could indicate that the plot of the books might revolve around the hidden intentions of this character.

"Seven" which is an unlucky number isn't it?

"Serve" an indication of loyalty to a master, either Dumbledore or Voldemort?

"Sneer" well that kind of speaks for itself

"Suave Serpens" Well he is kind of suave, in a weird, educated sort of way, and the serpent part is in reference to slytherin (even though it's missing a t)

"Serve use" Maybe in reference to Dumbledore's apparent use for Severus in some way

"Pass never use" - perhaps in reference to the dark mark on his arm, and an unwillingless to respond to it?

A bit of a stab in the dark I know but who knows, these words may be relevant.

[Essbee]

Hmm... very interesting.

But Harry James Potter also give you;
EARTHSTAR PERM JOY

So you know, perhaps it's not *that* reliable... hehe...

[Trigger Happy]

Unless you know along the lines of what you are trying to change it to, the name Harry James Potter could mean lot's of things.

[lanifiel]

I've got it! It means

Hotter Pames Jotter! Its his true name! hehehe we cant tell without knowing what plot device it may be connected to :D

[Puffskein]

JKR must have thought a LOT about Snape's name, if all those anagrams mean anything.

And your artwork is great, lanifiel.

[rotsiepots]

Originally posted by gillyweed_sensation
"Seven" which is an unlucky number isn't it?

On the contrary, my friend, the number seven is considered very lucky. In some cultures the number 13 or the number four and considered unlucky...

[Machtyn]

the number 4 unlucky? weird. at least for this american it is. the lucky 7-11, unlucky 13 and 666. or 6 in general. But 16's a great year, 19 better, and 22 is mighty fine, too.

[gillyweed_sensation]

Originally posted by rotsiepots
On the contrary, my friend, the number seven is considered very lucky. In some cultures the number 13 or the number four and considered unlucky...

Thanks for picking that up, I couldn't remember! Maybe Severus Snape is a lucky acquirement for Harry then, like maybe Harry's lucky to have him on his side for some reason or something.

[Sirius Black]

Rave suspense(suspense from which side to join) I found for Snape.
I found bail sir suck(no bail for him, directly to prison)for Sirius. Also basilisk cur for him as well.

[GlassRoses314]

Originally posted by Inkwolf
I like to point out the similarities between Snape andBlack's names, myself...

Both first names start with an S, a vowel, a consonant, and a repeat of the first vowel....also, both end in US. They also both have one-syllable, 5-letter last names.

Severus Snape
Sirius Black


I took the similarities you pointed out in their names and spelled it out using the sequence you posted. I took an S then the vowels of each of their names then the consonant's then repeated the first vowels and ended it in US and I got:

Seivreius.

That can look like Severus AND Sirius at the same time (with a silent V of course). Wonder what that means? Good eye you have though.

[Inkwolf]

...and I even forgot to mention that both last names have an 'a' dead center. :D

Anagrams--fun!

Severus Snape: Sirius Black_
Alan versus Biker: cusses! (with pi left over. ;P)

[hpangel102]

I never noticed these things.... I'm to into the book to pick up on any little details....

[Astrum]

I think you are getting WAY too deep into this...I mean, maybe J.K Rowling really did do this on purpose, but maybe it was because her friend's name was Harry or something. I don't know...but those are some great thoughts! I too, get overly involved in Harry Potter..

[Remus Lupin]

Well it seems that the effects of my Advanced English class has warped me to the point where I analyze everything, named places ETC. Well one day my fiend and I were really board so we decided to analyze the various names in Harry Potter. Here’s what we came up with:

Severus Snape: Our personal favorite to pick apart. The first part “Severus” has many different connotations. He Severs bonds between people, and their dreams. He himself is also severed from everyone else, and is off in his own little world. The Snape part is rumored to be a small City in England which JK vacationed in, so that’s how she got the name.

Remus Lupin: The first part “Remus” come from the legend of the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Remus was the kind, gentle cooperative brother. He loved peace and tranquility, and wished everyone would just get along. Lupin comes from the Latin world Lupis for wolf.

Harry Potter: A very common plain name. This suggest that Harry is really a normal humdrum person who was shoved into extraordinary circumstances.

Well that’s all I could think of for now. Feel free to comment or add your own brilliant name discoveries. =^_^=

[The Hobbit]

I´ve found another reason for "Lupin" when I was looking at a Latin Dictionary: "catulus LUPINus" means wolf cub.
I also got this:
Dementor: latin de-meto, wich means take, pick up, or pull out.This referres to the Dementor´s Kiss when they pulled out one´s soul.
Patronus:Latin- godfather (Sirius),protector (againts Dementors) or patron=father(James Potter).
Quirrell: (I got this when I was just kidding with my sis, so don´t take it seriously)from squirrel, since squirrels are shy and Quirrell seemed to be timid...
They are all, I think.

[WhiteSlash]

I have a post about Dracos name. I'll write it here:

Draconain- relating to Draco(Greek lawmaker) who supposedly had laws relating to Draco who supposedly had laws written in blood rather than ink; severe or cruel.

Draco- star constalation. Means Dragon, but looks more like a snake.

Then Dumbuldore mean white bumbulbee. Don't understand that.

Ron's name is on some king. Don't remember, I get it.

Hermione is a character in a shakespear play, and a greek story.

Nicolas Flamiel- He was a real person. He had a dream or something about an angel giving him the book of the philosphers stone. Then he looked for it. It was in Hebrew and he got some help. Then he found it or something. When he and his wife died, no one thought of it. Then one guy decided to look around. He opened their gave and no one was there... Maybe the Philospher's stone: All the life and Gold you could want...

Gave me a latin or greek word and I can Translate it.

[Annapurna1]

The white bumblebee (Albus Dumbledore) was used as a symbol by various masonic orders in France and Germany from the early 14th century (the time of Flamel's birth) and continuing at least up to Weishaupt's illuminati, which fomented the US and French revolutions. Flamel would more than likely have been affiliated with such an order.

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

"White" also has a connotation with goodness, and bumblebees are silly, harmless-looking creatures that pack a nasty sting if you provoke them. That's my take on it, anyway.

Other characters:

Minerva MacGonagall--Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom.

Argus Filch--In Greek mythology, Argus was Hera (the queen of the gods)'s hundred-eyed watchman. Filch isn't too hard to figure out.

Sirius Black--Sirius is the Dog Star. Black is pretty self-explanatory.

Gilderoy Lockhart--To gild something is to cover it with a thin layer of gold (or at least something gold-colored), often to conceal the shabbiness underneath. Lockhart should be obvious.

There are tons more, but I guess it's too late for me to think of them.

[Astrum]

well Severus can also be formed by the word 'severe', or it sounds like it, and Snape surely gives severe punishments.
severus -a -um [grave , serious, strict, stern, hard]; adv. severe.

albus -a -um [white , dead white]; hence [pale or bright]; sometimes [making bright]; fig., [fortunate]. N. as subst. album -i, [white color; a white writing-tablet, a list].

Hey, I too am in an A.P class and have the tendency to analyze everything, hahahaha

well I know that Rowling gets a lot of her names from Greek mythology, and when I tried searching for Hermione I got this

A prankster and inventive genius from birth, Hermes was the messenger of the gods and guide of dead souls to the Underworld.

I've seen people find something to do with a goddess that was like Hermione...but I forgot.
Lucius can be in reference to Lucifer, which is the devil
Narcissa can come from Narcissism, which is the obsession with your own self image, also from Greek mythology...

Also, Slytherin--that can be 'sly' and we know that all slytherins are sly and cunning, just like snakes really are.

I went to this website where it analyzes people's names...and it's quite scary. Here are the trio's analysis.

The name of Hermione gives you a responsible, reserved, and dignified nature, able to find a certain amount of success in anything you undertake. You have an appreciation for the finer and deeper aspects of life. Your scholarly, studious interests incline you to art, literature, philosophy, music, and drama. You wonder about the deeper aspects of life contained in religious theories and occult beliefs. Others may consider you to be aloof and unemotional since you often find it difficult to express spontaneously. They could interpret your quietness as disinterest and aloofness, for they do not realize the depth of your feelings and thoughts. You require time alone, especially in the outdoors, to cope with the pressures of life.

The name of Harry gives you a very individual, reserved, serious nature. You stick stubbornly to your ideas or decisions, in spite of any appeals or advice; you are not willing to accept a compromise. You prefer to be alone with your own thoughts, rather than in the company of others. This name restricts spontaneity in association and the fluency of your verbal expression. When you are required to express yourself in personal matters requiring finesse and diplomacy, you feel awkward and embarrassed. Although you realize perfectly well what is expected of you, you are unable to find the right words, and hence you end up saying something inappropriate in a candid way. You can express your deeper thoughts and feelings best through writing. Your friendships and personal associations are rather restricted, being limited to those of a similar nature who can understand and accept your rather straightforward yet reserved manner. You are steadfast and loyal, and do not allow gossip or anything belittling to be said against those whom you accept in friendship. You find satisfaction in being outdoors or in getting out into nature, or in dealing with the products of the earth. There is originality and depth of thought contained in this name, particularly along practical and mathematical lines.

As Ronald you have a great love of nature and the out-of-doors, and could have a desire to be in an occupation which takes you outdoors and involves you with the products of the earth. All the finer things of life and beauties of nature are an inspiration to you and you are attracted to the mysteries of nature. Difficulty in expression results in your being too positive, blunt, and candid in speech. Although you are easily offended by others, you do not show it. You crave affection and understanding, but rarely find it as others do not understand you and accuse you of being cool and aloof. The average person would never realize the true depth of your nature. A very individual, independent person, you live within your own thoughts. The insecurity you experience from limited verbal expression and social ease results in a jealous possessiveness and suffering through frustration, repressed emotion, and self-consciousness.

SCARY ISN'T IT

[apples]

Mandrake- A plant that in Bibical times was thought to make a person fertile. I guess you can say it "brought life"! :)

[Remus Lupin]

Wow...Astrum all that IS pretty scary. A.P. English course are the devil's work they are! God forbid, they make us think about things! :lmao: just kidding of course, wow such wonderful insites.

Another thing for the white bumble bee is that white is a color of sterl, clean...but it could also mean dead, or devoide of life, prehaps JK might be hinting towards somthing later on? And a bumblebee, the word itself looks unintimidating but bubblebees have hidden stingers.

(wow I'm in A.P. English and yet i STILL can't spell =x.x=)

[Legolas]

As has been mentionned before Hermione is from a Shakespeare play but it has not been named yet. The play is actually The Winter's Tale which I am studying in English at the moment and Hermione is the queen who is very good and kind and gets wrongfully accused of adultery by her husband the king. I have to say that her character does not share many parralels with Hermione Granger but maybe I have just not looked deep enough into their characters

[Remus Lupin]

::wants to respond to Legolas's wonderful insight...but the picture on his signature has Remus hypnotized::

oooooooo....pwettttyyyyy eeeellllfffff :drool: =@_@=

[nimbus2006]

haha remus... I feel exactly the same way :p

[Cat]

The most famous Gilderoy (other than Lockhart, of course) was a Scottish bandit who was renowned for being handsome. There are many verses about him. I'm sure that's where Rowling got the name from.

[Animagi Girl]

Sybil (as in Trelawney) were a women who went into deep trances and predicted the future. Kinda like third year, isn't it? You know, Trelawney's prediction. And Hermione was the daughter of someone I can't remember in mythology and she was often resented for her intellect. Well, that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

[apples]

Astrum- I went to another baby name search engine, and their description of Harry was exactly the same as yours, except they tacked this to the end of theirs:

This name can adversely affect the health of your respiratory organs, the heart and lungs. Also, you are prone to suffer from weaknesses centering in the head.

[WhiteSlash]

Slytherin can also stand for serpent, or snake. I mentioned the Hermione. I forgot that it was in a Winters Tale. Mr Weasley can also be like King Aurthor. You never know what's he's hinding.
Lily and Petina are both flowers that have a symbol of something. I forgot.
Fluffy- The 3 headed dog the was in hades. I know even more!

[DarlingChild]

Here's what I found:

LILY f English
Pronounced: LIL-ee
Simply means "lily" from the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin lilium.

Couldn't find anything useful for Petunia..

HERMIONE f Greek Mythology
Pronounced: her-MIE-o-nee
Derived from the name of the Greek god HERMES. Hermes was the Greek god of speed and good luck. In Greek myth Hermione was the daughter of Menelaus and Helen. This was also the name of the wife of Leontes in Shakespeare's play 'The Winter's Tale'. (I know this one's already been said..oh well)

MINERVA f Roman Mythology
Perhaps derived from Latin mens meaning "intellect". Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, approximately equivalent to the Greek goddess Athena (this one's been said too)

PARVATI f Indian, Hindu Mythology
Means "daughter of the mountain" in Sanskrit. In Hindu mythology Parvati is one of the many names of the wife of Shiva.

Yea...thats all I can find right now, don't feel like looking for more

[Astrum]

apples
I went to that site, lol, but I didn't put all the medical stuff, but now that I saw that, WOW that is totally wicked! How weird is that, a site that describes a fictional character...What I don't understand is that not all Harrys in this universe are going to be EXACTLY like that, but Harry Potter, a made up person is exactly what they describe him to be, also Hermione and Ron. Here are some more, although we can relate some stuff to these characters, we don't know them well enough to decide if everything is true.

The first name of Percy creates a dual nature for, on the one hand, you desire change and varied experiences in order to avoid monotony, and yet you are attuned to system, order, and attention to detail. You can be very analytical, exacting, and patient in your undertakings until your interest is exhausted, at which time you switch to something else even though it means leaving your undertakings unfinished. This name makes you inquisitive and scientific in your approach to life, requiring everything to be proved to satisfy your skepticism. You can be a stickler for detail, and very fussy and particular. As spontaneous verbal expression can be difficult for you, you often feel awkward and embarrassed in situations requiring tact and diplomacy.

The name of Severus indicates you are a diligent and persevering worker who enjoys a routine occupation where you can do a job well and finish what you start. You like to work at your own speed, without pressure, as you prefer to take your time to work step by step in your own way. You could become frustrated and thwarted in your efforts if too many changes or disruptions occur. Also, you do not appreciate people enforcing new methods or ideas on you, as you like to examine all the details before making changes. It is difficult for you to be spontaneous and affectionate with those close to you, as suitable words and actions do not come to mind quickly. In association your tendency to state your mind simply and clearly, without diplomacy or finesse, can lead to awkwardness or embarrassment.

Your name of Minerva gives you self-assurance, independence, and confidence. You have depth of mind and the ability to concentrate and to follow a line of thought to a logical conclusion. Your love of challenging the concepts of others invariably leads you to create your own ideas and to pioneer new lines of thought. Your strong characteristic of individuality qualifies you as a leader. You must be independent and you do not brook interference in any way. Although you do not tolerate interference in your own affairs, this characteristic does not prevent you from interfering in the affairs of others. You are usually either telling or showing someone how to do something properly. Although you are good-natured and never intend offence, still your blunt, direct and candid manner of expression strains friendships; your honesty and sincerity earn respect from others. You have to be your own boss as it is most difficult for you to submit to direction from others.

The name of Albus indicates you are a diligent and persevering worker who enjoys a routine occupation where you can do a job well and finish what you start. You like to work at your own speed, without pressure, as you prefer to take your time to work step by step in your own way. You could become frustrated and thwarted in your efforts if too many changes or disruptions occur. Also, you do not appreciate people enforcing new methods or ideas on you, as you like to examine all the details before making changes. It is difficult for you to be spontaneous and affectionate with those close to you, as suitable words and actions do not come to mind quickly. In association your tendency to state your mind simply and clearly, without diplomacy or finesse, can lead to awkwardness or embarrassment.

Your name of George is a dual influence: at times you can be extremely happy, expressive, full of fun, and good-natured; yet at other times you find congenial association impossible, being controlled by self-pity, moods, and depression. If you could express only the constructive qualities and restrain the negative qualities of your nature, you would always be good company. These contrasting qualities make it difficult for people to understand you and can lead to friction in your personal life. You are deep, philosophical, and refined, but your extremely sensitive nature causes you to become depressed over any real or imagined slight. You feel and sense much more than you can fully understand, and could become psychic if you delved into the occult. The problem then would be controllable thoughts, feelings, and reactions. You find it difficult to be patient, practical, and systematic, preferring to act impulsively as the spirit moves you.

As Fred you seek change, travel, new opportunities, and new challenges. Your active, restless nature demands action and you dislike system and monotony. As you are versatile and capable, you could do any job well, although you would not like to do menial tasks. Having considerable vision, you could be adept at formulating new, more effective ways of doing things. You could organize the work of others, though in your impatience to see the job done efficiently, you would likely step right in and do it yourself. You could work well in sales and promotion, and would not be afraid to risk a gamble as the name gives you much self-confidence. You do not find contentment in the routine tasks and responsibilities that are associated with home and family or with administrative detail in the business world, so you have to guard against frustration and even moods of depression over your personal responsibilities. The restlessness this name creates could find an outlet in caustic, irritable expression.

Your name of Ginny contains many fine qualities: musical and artistic ability, good business judgment, and a sense of responsibility for the welfare of others. This makes you warm-hearted and understanding in your response to the needs and interests of those around you. You are always ready to help those in less fortunate circumstances. Your insistence on becoming involved in the affairs of others can cause them to regard you as interfering, even though you are only trying to help. A weakness lies in the fact that you are deeply affected through your feeling for others and could suffer through worry and disturbed thoughts over matters that you can do nothing about. While you have an appreciation for the finer things of life and could be successful along inspirational as well as business or professional lines of endeavour, there is a tendency to become involved in the needs and interests of others to the detriment of your own progress. Home and family are important to you and you desire to establish a settled home environment where you can enjoy the congenial companionship of friends and family.


Anyone for a name analysis?

[Remus Lupin]

Wow...I didn't know Severus was a real name...*note to self, name my first born son Severus.* wow those are really insightful, and really true on most accounts.

[Astrum]

Oh believe me, the web site I went to has every name imaginable...for example, Jukka-Pekka, Juantravious, Juli-Cookie, and I'm only looking at J's...

Your name of Remus has made you practical, systematic, and thorough. This name encourages the expression of leadership and organizational skills, shrewdness, and analytical ability. You are mathematically adept and have great patience with work of a detailed nature such as bookkeeping, accounting, or technical research. Particular about your material possessions, you keep everything you own in a good state of repair, and you budget your personal finances very carefully. Because of its matter-of-fact influence, this name limits, to some degree, your ability to be flexible and spontaneous. You tend to treat new and unfamiliar ideas with scepticism. Because of the serious, responsible qualities of your name, you must recognize the importance of a sense of humour and optimistic perspective of life. In some ways you are not overly emotional and sympathetic to others and can be shrewd and materialistic. Friends and associates may detect a lack of feeling and sympathy in their relationship with you. You see the practical side of situations and tend to deal with problems in an objective, sensible, and systematic way. That is your way of helping others through challenging situations. Being self-sufficient, you must remember that thoughtful expressions of affection toward those close to you are important. You express your appreciation for others by what you do for them rather than by what you say. Your interests and hobbies are generally along practical, technical, or scientific lines.

:huh:

[WhiteSlash]

Hey, the name analasis thing. Total off the subject, but I think Melissa means your artistic. I know a person name Melissa who draws like me, we had a painter person named Melissa, Melissa Etherige(Missplled, I know) singer, me I do all of that. I'm in to writting though.

Now back- Minervia- Also known as Athina, g-dess of wisdom.
Hagrid- A greek g-d who protects jewels.
Rubeus-Goes allong.

[Remus Lupin]

Actually, then name Melissa derives from the Latin word for honey. The name Melissa litreally mean one who is full of honey...

[Cat]

Are these name interpretations from the same site that said Gilderoy is modest and hardworking?

Originally posted by Meli

Rubeus-Goes allong.

Where did you get that? I have two meanings for Rubeus, both Latin. 'Rubeo' means rosy. 'Rubeus' means 'of a bramble bush'.

[Remus Lupin]

well i think she meant that seeing as hagrid gaurded jewels Rubeus went along as in Ruby, the gem stone.

[Cat]

I don't believe that 'Hagrid' thingy. It floats around the Internet but I've been going through pages and pages of websites and books and I've found nothing about any mythological giant named Hagrid outside Harry Potter reference pages. It's the same with the 'Weasel' warlord.

[WhiteSlash]

Hermione can also maybe be Heroine. She is one in the story, Hermione sounds like it, and she is brave in a way. Never know.
Lucius-devil(Think someone said that)
Cedric-The entertainer! No, not really. Maybe comes from Celtic?
Cho-Asain
Draco Mum-A greek flower that comes from the story of a man who loved himself to much.
Mad-Eye Moody-He has a freaky eye and he's gone mad. You put 2 and 2 together.
Potter-Common name. Also look at this-In that children movie the Burrowers, the man's name is Potter(they said Mr Potter like snape and it freaked me) It takes place in london and the guy who plays Mr Weasley is in it. Weird.

About the Melissa thing. I forgot about the meaning of honey, but I knew it. It's still weird because all the Melissas I know write or draw or sing or something like that.

Hagrid-I'll look in my Greek Myth book and see if it's in there. I've been interested in it since 6th grade. ;D

[Cat]

Originally posted by Meli

Hagrid-I'll look in my Greek Myth book and see if it's in there. I've been interested in it since 6th grade. ;D

If he exists (I'm more than sceptical) I doubt he will be Greek. Hagrid isn't a Greek name. As far as I'm aware it's only ever been used in old England and Germany... this end of the world, anyway.

[Bixie]

If Draco is Dragon (what is it Greek/Latin?)

What's Ferret?

[Remus Lupin]

Teehee lso i was in class and a caracter from one of the books we read was named Sybil. The teacher told us that if person in literature is named Sybil that they are most likly to have multiple personalitites, be overly dramatic, or unstable. Yeah, that's our divinations teacher alright.

[WhiteSlash]

Originally posted by Bixie
If Draco is Dragon (what is it Greek/Latin?)

It's greek. It's a star constalation that looks like a snake. Draco was a lawmaker like I said. We taked about it in class today.

Nacissism-How does Draco's mum have to do with that? A man who loved him self to much, just from looking at himself. Someone help!!:??:

[Remus Lupin]

Hmm not sure on that one Meli, but i found out somthing else. My firned who studies french says that the name voldemort means "flying death" in french. I guess it does fit seeing as the avra kadevra spell does sort of fly and it is instant death.

[WhiteSlash]

I think that Adava Kedva(How ever you spell it) Sounds like Abra Cadabra. It might mean death in Latin. I'll look it up.

In the Philisophers stone-The stone, like I said, was a true ledgend. The story in the book: The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the PS/SS.

In scince today we watched a video about firework and gun powder and about alchemy. They were talking about ancient chinise alchemy being into entrenal life. It said all alchemy was trying to. Then I remembered that. What if the stone was real? They tried and invented firework, but were searching for that. Weird.

[Cat]

Originally posted by Meli
I think that Adava Kedva(How ever you spell it) Sounds like Abra Cadabra. It might mean death in Latin. I'll look it up.

In the Philisophers stone-The stone, like I said, was a true ledgend. The story in the book: The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the PS/SS.

In scince today we watched a video about firework and gun powder and about alchemy. They were talking about ancient chinise alchemy being into entrenal life. It said all alchemy was trying to. Then I remembered that. What if the stone was real? They tried and invented firework, but were searching for that. Weird.

Do you know that Nicolas Flamel is a real historical figure? He was an alchemist. Many believed that he actually created the Philosopher's Stone (or should that be discovered? Oh, I'm not too sure about Philosopher's Stone legend)

[WhiteSlash]

Yeah, I wrote it at the top. Remember. I read about him.

[Cat]

Oh yes, I've just delved back into the thread. I wondered why you didn't mention him just now.

Alright, name meanings people might not know...

Devish and Banges
A 'dervish' is a frivolous person.

Dr. Filibuster (maker of Fred and George's fireworks).
A filibuster is commonly a pirate, but it can describe any kind of lawless or adventuring person.

Ernie Prang (driver of the Knight Bus)
To 'prang' is to crash (a vehicle)

Gudgeon (Gladys or Davy)
‘Gudgeon’ is a slang term for a very gullible person.

Madam Malkin
‘Malkin’ is a slang word for an old woman (the word is a shortened version of ‘grimalkin’).

I want to make a website chock-full of my research but I keep stopping and starting. I don't look on other Potter sites either, unlike most Harry Potter 'researchers', I proudly browse aimlessly.

[TheLostWeasley]

i was studying for my religion test...and a guy named Lucius...was a very important turn in the book "titus" in the new testament...

[Nick]

Jees .. I know Rowling planned things out, but not this much! This is really quite remarkable.

Nevertheless, there are a couple of points I'd like to raise. The word melissa is the (current) Greek word for bee. It's pronounced with the accent on the e instead of the i.

Also, Narcissus was indeed the subject of an ancient Greek myth. The detail escapes me, but I do remember that he spent ages staring at his reflection in the edge of a lake, and that he met his end when he fell in.

We've only just been introduced to this Narcissa. I wonder what she'll be like?

[Remus Lupin]

Nesto nick! (well i think some greek words and Latin words run into eachother, like bee, honey? it works! :) ) lol. Also a name i don't think anyone mentioned was Fluer Dela cour. In French it means "Flower of te court" how pretty and true! =^_^=

[WhiteSlash]

My Grandma took french and I double checked about 'Fleur'- It does mean flower.
Today in history I turned the page and read about a woman named Narcissa. She was one of the first people to go on the Oregon Trail I think. Dunno how that goes with Mrs Malfoy.

[Astrum]

Originally posted by Meli

Potter-Common name. Also look at this-In that children movie the Burrowers, the man's name is Potter(they said Mr Potter like snape and it freaked me) It takes place in london and the guy who plays Mr Weasley is in it. Weird.



Are you talking about that movie with the little tiny people who I guess borrow..I don't know but Tom Felton who plays Draco was in that movie..I don't know if it was the burrowers...hmm OK.

Oh yeah, I'm in French 4 and yes, Fleur does mean flower...and de cour means of the court, and for a while I thought it meant HEART, because coeur is heart in french, I guess I need to review my french vocabulary...

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

Potter's also the name of the bad guy in It's A Wonderful Life. I found that kind of disconcerting, too.

Speaking of Potter...the places where people who were too poor to have decent funerals were buried used to be called "potter's fields." Goes along with the whole humility thing, I guess.

[WhiteSlash]

The burrowers movie was a book. It was about little people in London who so call 'Burrow' things. It was on the disney channel. As you can tell, I was board that day.

Potter is a very comin name. Nothing really special about it. I think it was J.K's mum's madian name or soomething.

[Annapurna1]

Arabella [Figg] was the name of a spider sent into orbit aboard NASAs Skylab in the early 1970s.

[Bixie]

"The burrowers movie was a book. It was about little people in London who so call 'Burrow' things. It was on the disney channel. As you can tell, I was board that day."

Are you sure you don't mean "The Borrowers"

[WhiteSlash]

Yeah that's what I meant, sorry. Speaking of that: I watched it yesterday! Tom Felton(Draco) Played the little kid. I saw him close up and started laughing. In Harry Potter he's making fun of Ron for having red hair and bad clothes and in the movie he has a really bad red wig on and has these really bad clothes. Mr Weasley plays a guy who has to kill him but has a liking to them, just as Mr Weasley does with muggles. I was laughing the entire time...

Here's more!

-Prongs- meaning to a Forked or pointy thing on stags or a fork.

-Azkaban-I'm pretty sure it has to do with Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. Sounds the same and it was a prizon...On an island, that might have had 2 people escaped and die because the water was so cold...
I'm finding these every day!

[She's Crafty]

Ok, i do understand that the discussion of names has become a little tiresome, but i have always been interested in Lucius' name - particularly because it was Emperor Nero's actual name.

Emperor Nero, as you all know, is most (in)famous for torturing and murdering Christians (equate that with the Muggles/Mudbloods and see how i'm drawing a comparison). He also kicked his wife so hard she and her unborn baby died. He eventually had one of his guards stab and kill him.

So, could any of this foreshadow the future Lucius Malfoy? Well, i could certainly see him offing himself if Voldemort is defeated and he faces Azkaban. I can't begin to speculate on the rest since we don't know much about the Malfoy's home life. I also don't really any other history on that name.

Anyone else have anything to add?

[HermioneGranger414]

JKR does do lost of thinking about the names of characters, and makes them fit into things like that. Remus Lupin is an example. Romulus and Remus were the founders of Rome, and there's morer to it, but there's a thread on that already.

[::Revolutionary::]

Interesting. I thought that he was named Lucius because its almost Lucifer(aka the Devil/Satan/Evil Bob).

[She's Crafty]

I never even considered that! How dumb am i? :D

[Cat]

I think it equates to the name Lucius sounding fit for a nasty pasty. It has an unpleasant ring to it, and unpleasant connotations. He doesn't have to have a direct link to Nero other than the personality that's associated with that name.

[HermioneGranger414]

Well, both names would work. I never thought of either!

[She's Crafty]

Cat: Yes, exactly. someone with the name Lucius isn't going to be a tireless crusader for Muggles and Mudbloods!

[mol93hermione]

I never really look that far into names, but I agree with Cat, it has always sounded evil, or maybe thats because the name is associated with Malfoy.

[MadMagic]

Actually Lucious was Pope following Pope Cornelius. So if Cornelious Fudge steps down as MOM, Lucious could be the next MOM going with that connection.

[Guardian Angel]

Yeah, Lucius menas Lucifer...Which means the devil...I was alwyas leaning to that theory.

[Cat]

Originally posted by Guardian Angel (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=216649#post216649))
Yeah, Lucius means Lucifer...Which means the devil...


I think Lucius actually comes from lux which means light. But that's not at all important :D

[bubblesofdeath88]

(I didn't think i should make a new thread for this.) I found this in my dictionary and found it interesting, i hope it works:

Edit by Rotsie: Image removed for violating the forum Attachment Policy. (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6157) Please ensure all images are a maximum of 450 x 450 pixels.

[Cat]

I think there's already a thread on Draco's astrological name.

[rotsiepots]

I'm going to merge this thread with a similar topic entitled Analyzing Names (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4865).

If you're unsure whether a topic has been posted previously, please use the search (http://www.cosforums.com/a/search.php) function located at the top left-hand corner of your screen.

Thanks.

[WhiteSlash]

The Pure blood thing-It could be nativists. It was from the time of Gangs of New York. The old Americans wanted to stop the immagrants from coming to keep the country pure. Sort of like the 'keeping the other kind out' like Draco said.

[She's Crafty]

Sorry, this is probably really irrevelent but i found a reference to a book by Sir Walter Scott called Kenilworth, wasn't the wizard who authored Quidditch Through the Ages called Kenilworthy Whisp?

[Guardian Angel]

This is gonna be long, but you'll find a lot of interesting stuff!

Alastor - Greek God who sought revenge on people.
Albus - In Latin means white (maybe for white beard). Wisdom. Or.. Governor of Britain at the death of the emperor Pertinax, Decimus Clodius Albinus (Albinus=Albus?) attempted to seize the throne but ended up as Caesar 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.
Aragog - "Arachnid" means spider. Gig is a giant. Put them together you get large spider ("ara"-arachnid, "gig"-large) and if Ara is used as Arachnid and gig it's aragig. But maybe it was changed to Aragog.
Argus - In Greek mythology, Argus was a monster that had a hundred eyes and was ever-so-watchful.
Arthur - Could represent King Arthur. The legend presents Arthur as a leader in ancient times who defeats the Saxons and other enemies. He thereby unites the people of Britain in peace and harmony.
Beauxbatons - French for 'beautiful wands'.
Draco - Draco is a constellation that looks like a dragon but is a snake. In Latin, Draco means "dragon."
Dumbledore - Means "Bumblebee" in latin.
Durmstrang - German phrase meaning storm and stress.
Dursley - A town near J.K. Rowlings's birthplace.
Filch - To "steal."
Firenze - Italian name for the city of Florence.
Flitwick - A town in England.
Fleur Delacour - Means "Flower of the Court" in French and "Flower of the Heart" in Latin.

Fluffy - "Cerebrus" the three-headed dog was the guarder of the underworld in greek mythology.
Gilderoy - A highwayman known for being handsome.
Goyle - Goyle's first name is Gregory. Greg Goyle, say it ten times fast and it's Gargoyle, a foul monstrous beast.
Gringotts - Ingot, means bar/gold. Gringotts is filled with Galleons.
Hedwig - A saint that lived in Germany in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Hagrid - Name and tale comes from greek myth. The ancient Hagrid from the myth was the god of Jewels. This god was said to be the kindest of the gods, but Hades framed him for the death of Piraeus's - the killer of Medusa - son. Hagrid was banished from Olympus but Zues allowed him to stay as the watcher of the animals. And, the word haggard means "wild-looking".
Hermes - The Greek Messenger.
Lockhart - Town in Australia near Wagga Wagga ("Compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf"?).
Lucius - Similar to Lucifer (the devil).
Ludo - "ludus" in latin means "game" and the verb "ludo" in latin means "to play" hence Ludo Bagman being the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports in the ministry.
Lupin - Lunar means moon. Lupin means wolf-like. Canis Lupus is the scientific name for wolf.
Malfoy - "Mal foi" means "bad faith" in French. Malfoy has "mal" in it, meaning evil.
McGonagall - Means "bad poet" in latin.
Minerva - In Roman Mythology was the Goddess of Wisdom. In Greek Mythology she was the Goddess of War. She gave strict punishments.
Mirror of Erised - Erised backwards is desire (as in "you'll see what you desire").
Moody - Not in a good mood.
Nagini - 'Naga' is female snake in Sanskrit.
Nicholas Flamel - Was a real alchemist, and supposedly DID create the Philosopher's Stone (not "Sorceror's"). The tale was that he had spent decades of his life trying to create the Philosopher's Stone, which could turn any metal in to gold and unlock the secrets to immortality, but could not figure it out.
One night, Nicholas Flamel had a dream in which an angel came to his bed, held out a book and said, these words, which were to remain in the memory of the hearer: "Look well at this book, Nicholas. At first you will understand nothing in it -- neither you nor any other man. But one day you will see in it that which no other man will be able to see." Surely that would contain the secrets to making the Philosopher's Stone!

A short while later while he was alone in his shop a man in desparate need of money appeared with a book to sell. He recognized it as the book that the angel in his dream had been holding and paid for it immediately, without bargaining.
The problem was that the book was written in part-hebrew and he couldn't read it. All of the jews in France had recently been driven out of his country by persecution. He knew that there were still many jews left in Spain, so he copied a small-portion of the book and headed out on his journey to find a translator. He searched for months and couldn't find one, and so started his journey home in discouragement. During the quest homeward, he stopped at an inn and was fortunate enough to be joined at his table by a French merchant who had contacts with someone who might be able to translate the book. The French merchant introduced Flamel to his friend, the Maestro Canches. When Nicholas told him that he had with him the book of Abraham the Jew the Maestro's eye's lit up and he explained that Abraham the Jew was a venerable master who was a great master and spent his whole life studying the mysteries of the Cabala. His book had disappeared, surfacing in some remote corner of the globe for moments and then disappearing again. Unfortunately, the pages that Nicholas had brought with him was not enough to unlock the secrets of the stone. The Maestro agreed to go back to Nicholas's home and translate the entire book.

Ironically, on the journey home the Maestro fell ill and passed away. Nicholas piously buried him at a nearby church and continued on.
When he arrived home he found his wife, his shop and his books as he had left them. Though it took him years, the pages that the Maestro had translated had given Nicholas enough clues to translate the book himself.
Adherring strictly to the rules within the book of Abraham the Jew, he first turned a half pound of mercury in to gold. As he was changing the metals, he changed himself.
From this point on he was rich. He built hospitals, low-income housing for the poor, churches and lived out the rest of his days joyously.

After Nicholas had reached the age of 80, he went about planning his death. Not the means of the death itself but the details such as his coffin, tombstone (the one he ordered was very heavy), burial location, etc. He wanted his death to be as perfect as his life.

Shortly after he died, rumors that he had created the Elixir of Life spread. Any prowlers seeking the stone that could turn any metal in to gold soon were lurking nearby his house and shop searching for the metal.

The heat soon died down and rumors that Nicholas Flamel and his wife Pernelle was still alive were forgotten. Many, many years later, an arcaeologist named Paul Lucas talked to a Turk that told him that Nicholas and his wife Pernelle were still alive. Paul did more research and then wrote and published a book that said that the Flamels' burials were nothing but clever shams, and that they were still alive. The publication of this book aroused many curious people. The people were so curious that they dug-up Nicholas's grave and opened the coffin. There was nothing there.

Nimbus - "Nimbus" means "cloud." Nimbus was also a god in Greek Mythology.
Norris, Mrs. - A character in one of J.K. Rowling's favorie author's (Jane Austen) books.
Parvati - Parvati is a Hindu Goddess married to Hindu God Siva the Destroyer. She gave birth to a baby boy named Ganesh, who Siva beheaded, but replaced the old head with an elephant head after Parvati reamed him out. Sister of the Goddess of the Ganges, Padma. "Patel" is a common Indian last-name.
Peeves - "Peeve" means "little devil" or something that gets on your nerves (like a pet peeve).
Petunia - Petunia, the flower, is always thought of among florists as meaning resentment or anger.
Pomfrey - Comfrey is the name of a very good medicinal herb still used today.
Remus - Brother of Romulous (founder of Rome). They were raised by a female wolf. He was killed by Romulous.
Ronald - Ronald's name comes from a legend of a great emperor from the 6th dynasty of a certain family. This emperor, Running Weasel, never lost a game of chess. But sadly, the guards outside his home accidently let loose a rat dyed yellow. The rat started a fire which Running Weasel died in.

6th dynasty? Ronald was the 6th born in his family. He own a rat which he tried to turn yellow in the first book and accidently set loose in the 3rd book. Wormtail happened to be a coward, another translation of the word yellow. Ronald has yet to lose a game of chess and has actually turned out to be a nice stategist. Who else owns a rat?
Ronan - An irish saint
Rubeus - Meaning Rubees. (See 'Hagrid')
Severus - Sever means "to cut-off". Severe also means cruel, strict. In ancient history, Lucius Septimius Severus restored stability to the Roman empire after the tumultuous reign of the emperor Commodus (See Albus) and the civil wars that erupted in the wake of Commodus' murder (if you watched "Gladiator" then you should know this).
Sibyll - Sibyll comes from the Sibyls, who were famous propheys in ancient mythology.
Sirius - Named after Sirius Star, or Dog Star. Seen during summer "dog" days.
Skeeter, Rita - "Skeeter" is short for "mosquito." As most people can attest, mosquitos are among the most annoying life-forms on this planet.
Snape - A town in England, also based after a person JKR knew.
Tom Marvolo Riddle - If you rearrang the letters it spells: "I am Lord Voldemort."
Viktor - Victor actually means Victor in latin. It's short and dull, and doesn't have any signifigance to anything.. Just like Viktor Krum is thick-headed and not much brains?
Voldemort, Lord - There was a dark wizard in mid-evil 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 French means "thief of death" (meaning escaping death).

[Cat]

A considerable amount of those meanings aren't true, Guardian Angel :p

Just thought you might want to know.

[HermioGranger]

Yeah, That's from Mugglenet isn't. The Flammel one is though.

[venus1818]

In French means "thief of death" (meaning escaping death).

Taken from What's in a name? (http://www.wian.cjb.net/) :

Voldemort - Dark wizard
In French, "Vole de mort" means "flight of Death" or "flight from death" (which I think more accurately represents him), with some hint of also meaning "theft of death". A famous pun on the French word 'vol' was when Napoleon confiscated the estates of surviving nobles of the pre-Revolutionary regime. One of the guys whose estate was confiscated said: "C'est le premier vol de l'aigle', which normally means 'it is the first flight of the eagle' but in this case 'vol' was to be understood as 'theft'. (extended info provided by Rita on eGroups). According to Aberforth's Goat on HP4GU, the "Vol" could be connected to the Latinate "volo" (to wish), meaning "wish of death" or "Death wish".


Other interesting things from the same website:

Salazar Slytherin - creator of the "pureblood" mentality; one of four Hogwarts founders
Antonio Salazar was the fascist dictator of Portugal for 36 years until his death in 1968. Though never officially an ethnic cleanser, he was a colonialist, who ruthlessly put down ethnic uprisings his his country's colonies in Africa. His name is perhaps used as a reference to the dictators past, such as Hitler, who believed in ethnic purity, just as Slytherin did. (Taken directly from Encyclopedia Potterica)
"Slytherin" is basically "slithering" minus the "g", and the snake is the symbol for Slytherin house. He himself is nicknamed "Serpent-Tongue" after his parselmouth abilities. "Slytherin" could also be a breakdown of "sly therein", meaning "clever in that circumstance" (thanks to Indigo)

Moody, Alastor "Mad Eye" - slightly mad ex-Auror, DAtDA teacher during Harry's 4th year.

"Alastor" means "avenger". In Greek mythology, Alastor is an avenging demon, associated with blood feuds between families, and the Greek term for an avenging power that visits the sins of the fathers on their children. It is also an evil genius of a house that leads a man to commit crimes and sin. He was originally a mortal, the son of Neleus, king of Pylos. He became a (minor) demon when he and his brothers were slain by Heracles. (Encyclopedia Mythica)
According to Fallen Angels...and Spirits of the Dark, "Alastor" was the name of a demon that executed court decrees in Hell, which is rather appropriate in comparison with Mad-Eye, since he could be seen carrying out Ministry decrees by capturing Death Eaters. (Thanks to CobraGirl)
"Moody" means "given to changeable moods; temperamental".

Bagman, Ludovic (Ludo) - head of the Ministry's Department of Magical Games and Sports. A bit short on cash.

"Ludo" is Latin for "to play, sport", but can also mean "to delude" or "to deceive". However, "Ludovic" could be an abreviated form of "victor ludorum", which means "winner of the games", and reflects his days back playing with the Wimbourne Wasps.
A "bagman" collects money for illegal gambling businesses and loan sharks. This goes way back to the early gangster/mob crime days in the United States. The bagman either collected the weekly bribe money from businessmen who were being "protected" (meaning exploited) by the big local crime boss; or he collected the profits from local illegal gambling establishments and delivered them to boss headquarters; or in some instances he was the person who held on to stolen goods until they could be disposed of, hence the phrase "he was left holding the bag" means someone who was caught doing something wrong while his cohorts excaped scot-free.

Brown, Lavender - Gryffindor interested in Divination.
"Lavender" and "Brown" are colors (duh).

Vablatsky, Cassandra - author of "Unfogging the Future"

"Vablatsky" comes from Madame Blavatsky, who is a famous spiritist who founded the Occult Theosophical Society in 1875. (Thanks to The Harry Potter Lexicon)
"Cassandra" was a woman from Greek mythology. She was blessed with the gift of prophecy from Apollo, but cursed by the lack of power to persuade people. At the end of the Trojan War, Cassandra foresaw the danger posed by the Trojan horse, but the people of Troy ignored her warnings and the Greek soldiers hiding inside the horse were able to capture the city. She was then given as a war prize to Agamemnon. She returned to Greece with Agamemnon, and tried to warn him of the danger which awaited him there, but once again her prophecy was ignored, and both she and Agamemnon were murdered by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. (Paraphrased from Encyclopedia Mythica)

Diggory, Cedric - popular Hufflepuff quidditch captain and seeker, as well as Hogwarts Triwizard Champion. Murdered by Wormtail on Lord Voldemort's order.
This is a definite stretch, but in "Ivanhoe", Cedric is the owner of the hall where a large competition takes place. He and a woman named Rowena are later captured and held captive in Torquilstone.
"Diggory" is possibly a nod to C.S. Lewis. In the seventh Narnia book, The Magician's Nephew, one of the main characters is a boy named Digory Kirke. The following description is from Narnia.com: "...Digory has a firm sense of right and wrong and is a very good friend to have when the going gets tough. However, he is also very strongwilled..."
There was a very creepy parallel brought to my attention by Rosemary on HP4GU. In chapter 15 of Philosopher's Stone, Ronan says "Always the innocent are the first victims". At the time, we thought he was referring to the unicorn, but is it possible that he was referring to a certain boy with unicorn tail hair in his wand? The "innocent first victim" is none other than Cedric Diggory.

Dudley Dursley - Harry's bullying cousin
According to Encyclopedia Potterica, "Dudley" is a play on "dud", which is British slang for "a boring person". Dursley is a small town in Britain.

Fawkes - Dumbledore's loyal pet phoenix.
Guy Fawkes (1570-1606) was English conspirator. He became implicated with Thomas Winter and others in the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament as a protest against the anti-Roman Catholic laws. On the night of November 4-5, 1605, he was caught in a cellar underneath the House of Lords and arrested. Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated on November 5 in the United Kingdom and some other parts of the British Commonwealth with bonfires and fireworks. A celebration with bonfires is rather appropriate for a Phoenix, who burns up every few hundred years. (Thanks to Julie on the Amazon.com HP message boards for making the connection!) The full story: The Gunpowder Plot.

Fudge, Cornelius - bumbling Minister of Magic
There was a pope named Saint Cornelius, whose reign was marked by the controversy over the lapsed (those under persecution who had renounced Christianity). Cornelius's leniency toward the lapsed drew the support of the bishop of Carthage, St. Cyprian, but aroused the opposition of the Roman priest Novatian. He was exiled, then martyred in 253, where he was succeeded by bishop Saint Lucius. (that's worth a shiver up your spine!)
"Fudge" can mean "to evade or dodge". Now that we see Fudge's true character, we realize that he refuses to accept that Voldemort has returned.

These are only some names taken from the website. It's great, and very reliable.

[Cat]

Originally posted by venus1818 (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=219272#post219272))

According to Encyclopedia Potterica, "Dudley" is a play on "dud", which is British slang for "a boring person".


:??:

I've never heard that slang word in my life! Dudley is a place in England. It's also a real boy's name, for whatever reason a parent would want to name their child after a place.

[Alastor D]

venus 1818's theory of Ludovic is perhaps not correct.
Ludovic is a latinised form of Ludwig = Louis. In old Frankish Chlodowech or Chlodwig. From hlud = fame and wig = fight or battle. ( The same wig as in Hedwig ).
So, yes it's a suitable name for a famous quidditch-player.

It seems I made an error here. The latinized form of that name is of course Ludovicus. Ludovic is some eastern European language. I don't know which. :banghead:

[Guardian Angel]

Actually, it is from one board I used to go...A girl posted it, and I thouught it'd be interesting...

[Alastor D]

Yes, Guardian Angel, Ludo is latin for to play. That's correct.

My comment was about the theory forwarded by venus1818 that Ludovic might be short for victor ludorum. It isn't.

[Guardian Angel]

OKee- dokee...But there were other poeple complaining about it...I myself found the explanation of those names very interesting...I didn't say accurate, I said inetersting...! :)

[HermioGranger]

The Hogwarts Seal means never tickle sleeping dragons, but I think every one knows that.

[Cat]

Huzzah, I have found a host!

Here is my thoroughly revised Harry Potter Character Name Etymology (http://www.geocities.com/chikaneus/Characters.htm).

No, I didn't just rip them from a website. Every last detail has been extensively researched to the point of blowing my own trumpet. Besides, certain urban myths have began to form on other Harry Potter fact lists. It's wisest to start from scratch if you share my nerdy pastime of pointless research.

Any corrections will be scoffed at. Only kidding, I'd like anybody to look at this and point out even the most minor of errors.

[HPButterfly]

Yee haw! I just got the okay to do my English paper on Harry Potter, and I was thinking about using this topic. I just need to find a way to make it a position paper... The problem is that it has to end up being about ten pages long. (Any ideas???)

Anyhow, dunno if anyone's mentioned this yet, since I haven't read the whole thread, but since Remus is the cool brother, do you think we'll ever run into a Romulus later in the series?

[Alastor D]

HPButterfly! For your info there is a thread in the Great Hall abt Remus having a brother. Unfortunately I don't remember the exact name of this thread. Personally I wouldn´t bet a single knut on that theory.

And Cat! I saved your etymology in 'my documents' for careful study without paying the phone company for staying online. I'll be back. I may have something to add

[Cat]

Even if you just have a query. That would be good, I could search high and low for a suitable origin. I enjoy researching these things but I can't remember every interesting Harry Potter name of the top of my head.

[Alastor D]

Just a query, you say? Here is one.

Ugga and Oona.
Ever since my first reading of the HPbooks I've had a feeling that these ought to be a couple of islands. But can't find out where I got it. I know there is in Norway one Ona, but I don't think it fits. Unfortunately I havn't any good map of the Hebrides. And that's where I would look for them.

[Barbara Kennedy]

I just did a search because I was curious if any other threads had names as their topic......

[paperflowergirl]

I just posted this in a new thread, but I then was informed that there does exist a forum for discussing names, so I will post my message here instead.

I have written an article about the names in HP, their origins, meanings, history, connotations, etc. Quite in-depth. Because it is so long, I won't post it all here, but I would like to hear what you have to say. The address is www.geocities.com/paperflowergirl9/
Please check it out. I feel like the discussion in most of the threads is either going in circles or nowhere, so hopefully this can generate some new thoughts and ideas.

[paperflowergirl]

I would just like to say that very very very few things in these books are at random. If you check out the article on my web-site www.geocities.com/paperflowergirl9/ you can see that there is a LOT more to the name Harry than the fact that JKR liked it.
While I haven't had time to deal with anagrams yet, I would love to hear what you all think of the article.

[anumati]

A few interesting things I've found on the flower names/references...

Aconite (Aconitum/Moonkshood/Wolfbane) Beware, a deadly foe is near
Lily Sweetness; Humility; Return of happiness
Myrtle Affection; Home; Love; Discipline; Instruction
Narcissus Stay as sweet as you are; Egotism; Formality
Pansy Thoughtful reflection; Merriment
Petunia Resentment; Anger; Your presence soothes me
Poppy Eternal sleep; Imagination; Oblivion (not the best name for a nurse eh?)

[Auri DeMeer]

Paperflowergirl, your explanations are just :clappy: :clappy: :clappy:

I always regarded Malfoy as "bad faith", but never occured to me the thing with "Morgan LeFay". And you found a common root of Draco/Severus... just GREAT!!!

I'd go deeper into "Snape". The fact that it's a place sounds to me like the "I like the name Harry" excuse.:D

[Dongaga Eatcafé]

Anagram "Severus Snape":
"Serve us as pen"
lol

[Barbara Kennedy]

paperflowergirl, Hats off for a great job of reasearch. If I run across anything pertinent, I will certainly pass on the information to you.

[NeoInvaderGaz]

I like the anagram for snape. I dont think it means he saves purebloods, but purity if you know what i mean

[fairylights]

harry james potter, tom marvolo riddle

pejorative martyrdom holders mortal
pejorative martyrdom mother roll sad
pejorative martyrdom harmed troll so

[Cat]

Originally posted by paperflowergirl (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=294308#post294308))
I just posted this in a new thread, but I then was informed that there does exist a forum for discussing names, so I will post my message here instead.

I have written an article about the names in HP, their origins, meanings, history, connotations, etc. Quite in-depth. Because it is so long, I won't post it all here, but I would like to hear what you have to say. The address is www.geocities.com/paperflowergirl9/
Please check it out. I feel like the discussion in most of the threads is either going in circles or nowhere, so hopefully this can generate some new thoughts and ideas.


That's a very impressive collection!

I have one critisism, though, and it's a very trite one so you may choose to ignore it at your leisure.
I think you have included (or tried to find) meanings where there are none. Some of the characters names, their first names especially, are just names and nothing more. They may have been chosen with something in mind, but that doesn't mean that their names have etymological connections to real words, figures or places. 'Vernon' is such an instance. There are plenty of people named Vernon and he is merely among them. :D

[Adryan]

You can get "Trap hero try" out of "Harry Potter"

[NeoInvaderGaz]

You know the more i think about 'save pureness' the more im convinced that it means snape is totally good, not for the purity of blood... im shocked more people arent harping on it...

[saz]

The Macquarie pocket dictionary defines the word Harry as 1. to worry;torment 2. To completely ruin, asin war;devastate. I found that kinda interesting. Also i believe that Jk got the Potter name from a friends of hers.

[Alastor D]

I agree with Cat. Some names are just names.
Let's face it, if JKR really searched all meanings and possible connections to myth, legend and history she wouldn't have very much time left to write the books.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to discourage search. It's good for learning and fun. But we have to bear in mind that most of the things we find probably have nothing to do with JKR's thoughts

[paperflowergirl]

I think that Rowling did think through every single name. She has said many times that she loves names, that she is a name-freak, etc. Besides it took her 5 years to write the first book. That is plenty of time to research all the names in extensive depth. The fact that we cannot find all of the references does not mean that there is no meaning there. The internet has it's limits, HS and college students knowledge has its limits too. It is different from her end, however, because she would use the information that she knew about / found, and there is no guarantie that we are able to find the same information.
Isn't it interesting to note how the less imporant names are the easier to find (e.g. sibyl, ludovic, petunia, etc) and therefore most sites only discuss those, while leaving out both Harry and Potter, James, Weasley, etc? Now, if they were correct I would think that JKR got her priorities wrong. However, doing some research, it turned out that she certainly knows what she is doing.

[Puffskein]

"Dud" doesn't mean boring, it refers to something that doesn't work.

The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band was a group of musical comedy geniuses from the 60s, and their original bass player bore the wonderful name Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell. I can't help wondering if that's who the Dursleys are named after!

[Alastor D]

I just last night, in some light bedtime reading, stumbled on Krum.
It IS a Bulgarian name! A Bulgar khan bearing that name lived 12 hundred years ago.
Some Harrypotterists seem to think Krum was derived from German Krumm = bent.

And, paperflowergirl, you may be right but we cannot follow her chains of thought. We can't tell for sure that she considered the same things that we do.

[Cat]

Originally posted by paperflowergirl (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=296551#post296551))
I think that Rowling did think through every single name. She has said many times that she loves names, that she is a name-freak, etc. Besides it took her 5 years to write the first book. That is plenty of time to research all the names in extensive depth. The fact that we cannot find all of the references does not mean that there is no meaning there. The internet has it's limits, HS and college students knowledge has its limits too. It is different from her end, however, because she would use the information that she knew about / found, and there is no guarantie that we are able to find the same information.
Isn't it interesting to note how the less imporant names are the easier to find (e.g. sibyl, ludovic, petunia, etc) and therefore most sites only discuss those, while leaving out both Harry and Potter, James, Weasley, etc? Now, if they were correct I would think that JKR got her priorities wrong. However, doing some research, it turned out that she certainly knows what she is doing.


But I don't agree that some of those origins are at all connected, you see.

It's true she spent many years devising the story. But don't forget that she had the plots and the formations and the traits to come up with. It's not lazy to give a character a name that has no deep, psychological meaning. In fact, you'll find that very few authors do. Some of her characters names are like hidden puns. But I'm way sure that other names are appropriate names for completely different reasons. Ron, Fred, George... they're all old fashioned names. Which builds on that old-fashioned schoolboy quality.

And Harry? She claims she got that from a neighbour.

I'm sure she also got 'Potter' from a neighbourhood household. My mum was delving into family geneology and somehow ended up on the history of the residents of a street where J. K. Rowling grew up. She said some Potters were close by.

In an inteview with J. K. Rowling, in a little book my sister bought in Whitby, she says she also takes 'interesting' names from the stones in graveyards. I found that intriguing because I used to do that when I was a child. It's a bit sadistic, but I liked reading the funny names some people had. Graveyards are a goldmine if you want a name.

[rotsiepots]

I'm afraid Cat is right -- JKR has stated on quite a few occasions that she simply picked the name "Harry" because it was her favourite boys' name. There is not deeper meaning other than the fact that she thought the name had a nice "ring" to it. The same principal applies to the surname "Potter".

I've even found a chat transcript that confirms this:

Question: From where did you get the name for Harry Potter?

JKR: 'Harry' has always been my favourite boy's name, so if my daughter had been a son, he would have been Harry Rowling. Then I would have had to choose a different name for "Harry" in the books, because it would have been too cruel to name him after my own son. "Potter" was the surname of a family who used to live near me when I was seven years old and I always liked the name, so I borrowed it.

Taken from here (http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/transcript2.htm).

[Cat]

Whoops, I thought she said Harry was the name of somebody she once knew as well. My mistake!

[paperflowergirl]

I agree that she probably did pick the name Harry just because it was her favorite name. But relation can go two ways: Either she had a character in mind, and then found a name to fit him or her, (probably the case with Rita Skeeter and many others) but I think that sometimes she used the history of a particular name as inspiration for the story. Among these are Harry, probably Potter, Voldemort, Lily Evans etc. I am not saying that she just took whatever she could find and put it in the story, but rather that the names and the story grew together. I am saying this because there are so many small details that fit the story-line too well to be just accidents. And, as opposed to authors citing non-existent people like Running Weasel, these details can be found in numerous books about mythology, religion, language etc, all written by people who are not thinking about HP at all.
Of course we will sometimes find meanings in the names that she never meant to put there. I find it ironic, however, that most people believe in the running weasel and hagrid rubeo (or whatever) stories, yet start questioning the facts when they come from real sources.

[Cat]

Originally posted by paperflowergirl (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=297794#post297794))
I agree that she probably did pick the name Harry just because it was her favorite name. But relation can go two ways: Either she had a character in mind, and then found a name to fit him or her, (probably the case with Rita Skeeter and many others) but I think that sometimes she used the history of a particular name as inspiration for the story. Among these are Harry, probably Potter, Voldemort, Lily Evans etc. I am not saying that she just took whatever she could find and put it in the story, but rather that the names and the story grew together. I am saying this because there are so many small details that fit the story-line too well to be just accidents. And, as opposed to authors citing non-existent people like Running Weasel, these details can be found in numerous books about mythology, religion, language etc, all written by people who are not thinking about HP at all.
Of course we will sometimes find meanings in the names that she never meant to put there. I find it ironic, however, that most people believe in the running weasel and hagrid rubeo (or whatever) stories, yet start questioning the facts when they come from real sources.


I do believe that your facts are from real sources, there is no doubt about it. And there's no questioning that they are applicable. But I still sincerely doubt that J. K. Rowling had the same things in mind as you have. I think it is more likely that the story was formed, with few motives coming from the names.

I think it is easily a coincidence. That might sound impossible, but I have a lot of reasons for thinking it's not. Look at other kinds of symbolism... animals, for instance. If you were supposed to find the meaning behind, say, a snake in literature you could find a meaning to suit any cause you wished. They're all out there, from good to bad and everything in between. Symbols and meanings are flighty.

If I was a radical Christian, strictly opposed to Harry Potter, I could make an alternate name meaning site. The name Harry, of course, would be a reference to the popular nickname of the devil - Old Harry. You can find that term in books on literature, religion and mythology.

I do enjoy the study of coincidences, though, so your meanings are fun even for a sceptic!

But I thought your page contained rather a lot. I didn't realise until you replied that you actually made a purpose of being so thorough with the 'ordinary' names. My apologies, I had no intention suggesting that you change it or anything.

[paperflowergirl]

I defenitely agree that all of these names have many more references than those I included. I defenitely chose to focus mostly on those that seemed to fit the plot line, character traits, or seemed to have a relation to other names. It is defenitely a selective and subjuctive /analysis/ (as opposed to /list/ of name origins), more for my own interest in linguistics and HP than for any other purpose.
I think it would be a very interesting experiment to pick some other book where the author appears not to have thought of names at all, and then see whether a similar level of relevance and relation can be found. As i am in the middle of my college finals, however, this will have to wait. I probably won't do it at all, as I have more interesting things to do with my time. Nevertheless, I would like to see the results of such an experiment.
Another factor that makes the determination of name-sources difficult is the fact that we only have 4 out of 7 books to ponder about. ahhhhh 52 more days.....

[Linda]

paperflowergirl -- fantastic! Thank you!

JKR is a genius. She deserves to be the richest woman in Britain (and if she's not, she should be).

Severus Snape: I agree with NeoInvaderGaz...he's for good; not for pure blood.

[Mad-I Moody]

Lily Evans Potter....

TOLERANT EVIL SPY
PORTENT EVIL SLAY
SILVERY TALON PET

and...all of these words can be made from her name.
SERPENT
REPTILE
PARSLE

hmmmm

[DocHollidaywe]

I think the History of the names are hidden messages in themselfs

[Cat]

Originally posted by Auri DeMeer (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=294548#post294548))
Paperflowergirl, your explanations are just :clappy: :clappy: :clappy:

I always regarded Malfoy as "bad faith", but never occured to me the thing with "Morgan LeFay". And you found a common root of Draco/Severus... just GREAT!!!

I'd go deeper into "Snape". The fact that it's a place sounds to me like the "I like the name Harry" excuse.:D


I dunno, I find it easy to believe J. K. Rowling when she flat-out tells us where the name came from.

I have no problem with simple names. They still have to give a certain feeling and tempo and beat to them. It's not easy, not even to pick a name out of a book. My own name wasn't picked with etymology in mind but I don't think I would suit any other. Naming your offspring is a knack you gain very quickly. In fact, I was named after a character in a book. Wasn't Hermione also named after a character in a book?

Would you accuse my mother of not giving me enough depth? :D

I think it would be daft to presume JKR sat up at night flicking through every dictionary on this earth to acquire one single character name. That's not the best way to come up with something as nicely apt as 'Harry Potter'.

[paperflowergirl]

Yes, Hermione was named after a character in the Winters Tale by Shakespeare. JKR has said so herself in an interview (see my article, or search Aberforths Goat) I also think that when JKR says that she picked the name Harry because it is her favorite name, she is telling the truth. However, I think that is not the whole truth. From the way she presents things in the books, we know that this is one of JKR's special talents - putting in a lot of information that is all true, yet at the end we realize that there is a whole lot more to the story than we thought there was - e.g. Quirrel (not Snape) wanting the stone, Moody really being Crouch Jr., etc.
And of course, naming characters in a book is quite different from naming people, just like fiction is different from reality. The thing is that JKR would not sit up flickering through every dictionary on this earth to find her character names. She would use the names, meanings, and stories that she already knew about to inspire her in her writing, whereas we would have to do this, as we do not know all the things she knows.
I think it would be quite though-less of us to disregard the fact that she herself says that she loves names, is a "name freak" etc, and the fact that the etymology and history most names coincide with numerous points in the characters personality and/or history, or with the plot of the books.

[EvilMeghan]

One of the problems with those anagram generators is that they don't give you any Potter-esk words, such as mudblood, muggle, etc. It only has real words. If someone knew the programming behind an anagram generator, maybe they could add some Harry Potter words...

[Cat]

Originally posted by paperflowergirl (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=305800#post305800))
Yes, Hermione was named after a character in the Winters Tale by Shakespeare. JKR has said so herself in an interview (see my article, or search Aberforths Goat) I also think that when JKR says that she picked the name Harry because it is her favorite name, she is telling the truth. However, I think that is not the whole truth. From the way she presents things in the books, we know that this is one of JKR's special talents - putting in a lot of information that is all true, yet at the end we realize that there is a whole lot more to the story than we thought there was - e.g. Quirrel (not Snape) wanting the stone, Moody really being Crouch Jr., etc.
And of course, naming characters in a book is quite different from naming people, just like fiction is different from reality. The thing is that JKR would not sit up flickering through every dictionary on this earth to find her character names. She would use the names, meanings, and stories that she already knew about to inspire her in her writing, whereas we would have to do this, as we do not know all the things she knows.
I think it would be quite though-less of us to disregard the fact that she herself says that she loves names, is a "name freak" etc, and the fact that the etymology and history most names coincide with numerous points in the characters personality and/or history, or with the plot of the books.


Well, I'm a name-freak, an etymology-freak, an old word freak and a folk tale freak. But I still don't believe that, if I was to take a headlong dive into hidden depths of the names, there would be always be water there.

We know that some of the character's names are portentious, if you know your mythology or if you have a good vocabulary. Other names probably only have any meanings psychologically. For instance, certain words or names form different ideas and images. Ignoring the Latin meaning, 'Severus' is not a pleasant sounding name, and therefore would organically become an unpleasant character. His name will also contain words with unpleasant sounds (mostly because of that 'v' - few joyous words have a 'v' in them). But I think it is impossible to know exactly what Ms Rowling was thinking every time a name pops up, since everybody's mind reacts so differently to different things. We don't know the ticking of her busy brain. We don't know whether she once knew an unpleasant man named Mr Snape. She might even have forgotten him!

I'm afraid I still don't understand what you mean about the names aiding the fate of the characters. Some characters might well have been named with their fate in mind. But she could not have known every meaning that can be applied to every name in order to decide the future of her series. Since several 'meanings' can contradict each other, it would also be impossible.

Sometimes a Harry is just a Harry. Or a neighbourhood chum.

Come to think of it, there's probably no reason at all why Oliver Twist is so called. If Roald Dahl had a motive behind the name Bogtrotter, I don't want to know about it. And in Guliver's Travels, ingenious though it may be, the writer must have been off on one when he came up with some of those terms.

Hooray for the subtle art of just making things up. And whoopee for the gift of names that just pop into your head.

:lol:

[Jessie]

Well...you can simply change Harry's name to 'Happy Rotter' :D Yeah...REAL happy... :rolleyes:

[Dongaga Eatcafé]

Originally posted by Auri DeMeer (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=294548#post294548))
I'd go deeper into "Snape". The fact that it's a place sounds to me like the "I like the name Harry" excuse.:D

Hey! Glasgow is also a place!
Why didn't she call him "Severus Glasgow"???

I think she (JKR) was glad and relieved to find a place in the maps called Snape - so she didn't need to give more explanations about it...

[fruitia pickleweed]

I don't think anyone here has noted that in the last act of Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale," the character Hermione appears pretending to be a statue (of herself), so that Hermione Granger's getting petrified is a bit of an echo....Earlier in the play Shakespeare's Hermione is accused by her husband of inappropriate intimacy with a visitor from abroad (a bit like Ron and Krum)?

[ArabellaBlack]

I feeling terribly lazy and didn't bother to read the posts past the first page, but oh well. :) I will after I post this, though, I promise, unless I'm lying.

Dementor made me think of "demented", or crazy, which is what the Dementors turn you into. And I thought Weasley was a strange last name for such a good family, because weasels do not carry with them the best connotations.

[Severely Snapped]

Originally posted by Astrum (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=138941#post138941))


The name of Severus indicates you are a diligent and persevering worker who enjoys a routine occupation where you can do a job well and finish what you start. You like to work at your own speed, without pressure, as you prefer to take your time to work step by step in your own way. You could become frustrated and thwarted in your efforts if too many changes or disruptions occur. Also, you do not appreciate people enforcing new methods or ideas on you, as you like to examine all the details before making changes. It is difficult for you to be spontaneous and affectionate with those close to you, as suitable words and actions do not come to mind quickly. In association your tendency to state your mind simply and clearly, without diplomacy or finesse, can lead to awkwardness or embarrassment.

The name of Albus indicates you are a diligent and persevering worker who enjoys a routine occupation where you can do a job well and finish what you start. You like to work at your own speed, without pressure, as you prefer to take your time to work step by step in your own way. You could become frustrated and thwarted in your efforts if too many changes or disruptions occur. Also, you do not appreciate people enforcing new methods or ideas on you, as you like to examine all the details before making changes. It is difficult for you to be spontaneous and affectionate with those close to you, as suitable words and actions do not come to mind quickly. In association your tendency to state your mind simply and clearly, without diplomacy or finesse, can lead to awkwardness or embarrassment.



Um, is this a typo? I mean, did you accidentally copy the same definition twice, or did this site actually give the same meaning for Severus and Albus? Because I think it fits Snape to a tee, but Dumbledore, not at all.

[ArabellaBlack]

Hee hee, I read all the posts. It's wonderful, I love this stuff.

Avada Kedavra, in the words of the Encyclopedia Mythica, (I looked it up a while ago and always carried the info around with me, but never ad the oppurtunity to say it) means "may the thing be destroyed" in Aramaic. I thought that was cool.

I went to a name site, as well, and, though sometimes you can stretch these things a bit to make them fit anything, certain parts of Sirius's name are very accurate (I think they do something with numerology and stuff like that). I don't think J.K. went as far as all this with the name thing, but sometimes this name thing is so right it's creepy:

Your name of Sirius has made you versatile and creative. **There is hardly anything you cannot do if you put your mind to it**, but a driving urge leads you to one experience after another, seldom finishing what you start. You cannot find peace of mind or lasting contentment in anything you do. As soon as a challenge is met, boredom sets in, and you yearn for another experience. This restlessness makes it difficult for you to assume responsibility and to establish stable, progressive conditions in your life. You could do well in sales work or in meeting the public where **quickness of mind and expression** are all important. You have many friends, but lose interest in people very quickly. **Your intense mental activity spoils system and concentration**, and plays havoc with relaxation and sleep. **Out of your quick thinking has been borne hasty speech.** **Acting on impulse instead of with forethought has led to many disappointments and bitter experiences**. Your whole nervous system could be affected by the intense emotional influence of this name.

And Draco's is pretty frightening as well:
The name of Draco has given you sensitivity and appreciation for the finer and deeper things in life. You can enjoy reading, study, and contemplation about many different subjects. When your interests or curiosity are aroused, you work intensely at new undertakings, but your interests often wane when you encounter drudgery and monotony, with the result that you leave many things unfinished. **Your name has taken you into many bitter experiences**. **The greatest lack in your life is stability and peace of mind**. A peaceful and quiet environment, especially out in nature, is one of your greatest desires, but **you are constantly taken into chaotic conditions**. Because you have high ideals and are a principled person, **you have been disillusioned and disappointed in people on many occasions and have experienced much aloneness**. You are fond of outdoor sports, where you can find an outlet for your nervous energy. Impulsiveness could bring frequent accidents and unfortunate happenings into your life. You do not like to be restricted or to have your freedom curtailed in any way. **You find it difficult to control your thoughts and could swing in moods from one extreme to the other**. **Your speech can become very critical and sarcastic when you are frustrated or crossed**. This name creates a weakness in the heart, lungs, and bronchial organs, and could cause heart trouble, pneumonia, asthma, or tuberculosis. It also creates tension in the nervous system, particularly the solar plexus and stomach, causing nervous indigestion and relative conditions.

That's all I bothered to do. Also, I doubt if it bears much relevance, but the modern Greek word for "it hides" is pronounced just like Creevey (KREE-VEE).

[harp230]

Astrum and ArabellaBlack love the name annalysis. where did you find the sites? Please let me know.

[Alastor D]

harp230 there are too many sites abt HP names to be listed here. You can find links to some of them if you skim through this thread.

Arabella, I seem to remember JKR herself confirmed that 'dementor' theory. Your 'Creevey' theory sounds cool. But have we seen Colin Creevey hide something?

[Amina]

Originally posted by Remus Lupin (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=145319#post145319))
Teehee lso i was in class and a caracter from one of the books we read was named Sybil. The teacher told us that if person in literature is named Sybil that they are most likly to have multiple personalitites, be overly dramatic, or unstable. Yeah, that's our divinations teacher alright.


sorry if someone already said this, but that's true. there is a book called 'sybil' which is essentially a psychological study of people with multi-personality syndrome.

also, if i remember my latin correctly (it's been a while) sibulla/sibylla means 'prophetess'

[ArabellaBlack]

harp320, this is the site I used for the name analysis (not Harry Potter, it's just a site you go to and type in any name and it tells you a whole buncha stuff)

http://www.pressanykey.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/pak/names.cgi

It's really cool.

[fruitia pickleweed]

I love it that "Vernon Dursley" is an anagram of "rend nervously," which is what he does to Harry's letters. Also, if you pronounce "Mr." the way it looks, like "mur," then "Mr. Dursley" is very nearly "murderously" which is how he does a lot of things!

[Cat]

A Bunch of Silly Anagrams

NOTE: I've added punctuation so that the sentences make more sense.

Petunia Evans Dursley - end as repulsive aunty.

Fred and George Weasley - deranged glee was for ye or foreseen wager, edgy lad

Moaning Myrtle - Grin, lean Tommy

Albus Dumbledore - beard mould blues

Professor Remus Lupin - moon fur... suppress rile

Peter Pettigrew - I wept pet regret

Severus Snape - Perseus Evans (I bet fan fiction writers LOVE that)


Originally posted by Dongaga Eatcafé (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=308473#post308473))
Hey! Glasgow is also a place!
Why didn't she call him "Severus Glasgow"???

I think she (JKR) was glad and relieved to find a place in the maps called Snape - so she didn't need to give more explanations about it...


Actually, Ms Rowling once lived reasonably close to the village called Snape. She has also given the place as the origin of his name.

He isn't Severus Glasgow because that doesn't sound anything like as good. Severus Snape sounds fantastic. It sounds sinister and rather vile. You can't come up with the best names by constant close scrutiny. Trust me, they'll sound forced and unatural. Sometimes you've got to go with the flooooowwwww.

[harp230]

Thanks that was just what i was looking for one site not connected to HP names. I have seen plenty of those. Just not a good one about names in general.

[Allie]

voldemort is probably more accurately translated as 'the flight of death'

[mrscoach]

Did anyone notice that Durmstrang is really similar to the term "Sturm und Drang," which is a German literary term meaning "storm and stress" or "storm and drama?" I kept thinking the word sounded familiar when I read it, and then I remembered learning about Sturm und Drang in Music History years ago.
Does anybody know of any other background for this school's name? Has JKR ever mentioned it?

[Barbara Kennedy]

You've answered your own question within the question. The name came from Sturm und Drang.
I read about the origin of the school's name in the book of the Unofficial Guide to Harry Potter [sorry, don't remember the author or editor].

[rotsiepots]

I'm going to merge this with a thread entitled Analyzing Names (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4865) which can be found in the Common Room.

:)

[Moonlight]

:wow:
That is somewaht unnerving...

Originally posted by ArabellaBlack (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?postid=309159#post309159))

And Draco's is pretty frightening as well:
The name of Draco has given you sensitivity and appreciation for the finer and deeper things in life. You can enjoy reading, study, and contemplation about many different subjects. When your interests or curiosity are aroused, you work intensely at new undertakings, but your interests often wane when you encounter drudgery and monotony, with the result that you leave many things unfinished. **Your name has taken you into many bitter experiences**. **The greatest lack in your life is stability and peace of mind**. A peaceful and quiet environment, especially out in nature, is one of your greatest desires, but **you are constantly taken into chaotic conditions**. Because you have high ideals and are a principled person, **you have been disillusioned and disappointed in people on many occasions and have experienced much aloneness**. You are fond of outdoor sports, where you can find an outlet for your nervous energy. Impulsiveness could bring frequent accidents and unfortunate happenings into your life. You do not like to be restricted or to have your freedom curtailed in any way. **You find it difficult to control your thoughts and could swing in moods from one extreme to the other**. **Your speech can become very critical and sarcastic when you are frustrated or crossed**. This name creates a weakness in the heart, lungs, and bronchial organs, and could cause heart trouble, pneumonia, asthma, or tuberculosis. It also creates tension in the nervous system, particularly the solar plexus and stomach, causing nervous indigestion and relative conditions.

That's all I bothered to do. Also, I doubt if it bears much relevance, but the modern Greek word for "it hides" is pronounced just like Creevey (KREE-VEE).

[fruitia pickleweed]

Another small but neat thing: if you take Crabbe and Goyle and exchange the first letters, you get (sound-wise) grab and coil... perfect for Slytherin.

(Added May 31) Also Nott, which sounds like "knot." Grab, coil & knot...serpent-y Slytherins, definitely.

[Venustas]

OK here's an extended list of name meanings. Most of these are from www.babyzone.com/babynames/ , 4000 Baby Names, and Scottish First Names, published by Lomond. Several of the names have different Scottish meanings from the meanings provided by the website.
As I was compiling these, it struck me as to how many names deal with war/fighting, or land- like hills, villages, plants, etc. Keep that in mind.

Sorry they're not in alphabetical order...

Avery- rules the elves/rules with elf wisdom
Cornelius- strong willed or wise / Battle Horn
Cedric- Battle Leader
James- replace / supplanter
Harry- Army man, mighty in war, War chief, rules in the home
Ronald- powerful, rules with counsel, mighty ruler
Arthur- Noble, courageous
Molly- bitter
Fred- peaceful ruler
George- from the legend of St. George and the Dragon, Farmer
Hermione- greek- well born
Myrtle- home, love, victorious crown
Lavender- loyalty
Ludovic- from Lewis (Scottish) famous warrior
Colin- child, clan chief, general, Victory of the People
Ronan- the red one (maybe has something to do with mars, the red planet, and war)
Hestia- goddess of hearth and home
Seamus- form of James, supplanter
Ignatius- Firey, Ardent
Percival- Destroyer
Brian- Hill, he ascends, strong, dignity
Oswald- Power of God, Divinely Powerful
Lucius- light, illumination, from Scottish- Luthais- famous warrior
Dora- gift
Mungo- loveable/dear one
Kingsley- from the king's meadow
Charlie- man
Bill- resolute protector
Ginny- (Virginia) chaste, blossoming, pure
Remus- founder of Rome
Neville- new village
Arabella- beautiful, calling to prayer, Eagle herione
Alaster- avenger, defender of men
Hedwig- strife, refuge from battle, peace in battle
Brutus- stupid
Mark- God of war, mars, warring
Evans- young fighter, right handed
Merlin- Hawk, falcon
Susan- Lily
Alban- scotsman
Betram/Bertie/Bertha- shining raven, shining bright, life
Dennis- lover of fine wines
Percy/Percival- valley-piercer
Remus- oarsmen
Vernon- growing green, flourishing
Zachariah- the Lord's rememberence
Millicent- strength
Sybil- prophetess
Dudley- a place
Euan/Evan- from John- Gift of the Lord, Scottish- a challenger

[Cat]

Name meaning sites like the baby names sites aren't always the best source for finding origins. J. K. Rowling rarely seems to use real names for their actual etymological meanings, but takes them from famous characters from history or mythology. She might even take some ordinary names from friends and family.

[Venustas]

I disagree. The origins of names are important in addition to the historical and literary associations. The list above was made from several sources, the website was chosen because it had many of the more obscure names that Ms. Rowling uses that are not often found in name-meaning books. Look at the meanings again, see if they do not hold with the character of the named.
In addition, I've run across another possible (historical) source for Salazar from my home encyclopedia (here are the main ideas):

Salazar, Antonio de Oliveria (1889-1970)
climbed through the ranks in the Portugese government. in the early 1920's he was offered a position of Minister of Finance, but turned it down because it did not give him the power that he wanted. The country became worse economicaly, and the position was offered to him again a few years later including the power that he had initially asked for. He gradually took over the government, made himself dictator of Portugual, set up a police state, and abolished freedom of the press and of expression, among other things. He also kept Port. neutral during WWII and granted Allies naval and air bases.

Ms. Rowling spent time in Portugual, and was married to Portugese journalist, so it is likely that she would be familiar with the dictator.

[Grotto]

"McGonagall - Means "bad poet" in latin. "


Actually the name is from a Scotish poet that is considered to be the worst poet in history. He is unbelievably bad.

Grotto the ancient

[Cat]

Originally posted by Venustas (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?postid=459880#post459880))
I disagree. The origins of names are important in addition to the historical and literary associations. The list above was made from several sources, the website was chosen because it had many of the more obscure names that Ms. Rowling uses that are not often found in name-meaning books. Look at the meanings again, see if they do not hold with the character of the named.


But most of them don't. Many of the ones that do are more than likely to be coincidences, because names tend to be rather vague.

There are a couple that come from the original meaning of the name, true.

Good research for Salazar, by the way.

[ClausBrisik]

I'm not keen on french, but I do't really think vold is flying ( yeah, mort is death ).

Anyway, I'm Portuguese and I have something new for you.As u all outa know, JK used to live here in Porto, my city, for several years. I think she got lots of influence from here, mostly in spells, since our language is latin based, and in one special character, SALAZAR SLYTHERIN.

Salazar was a dictator in Portugal for almost 50 years (1926 - 1974 ). The regimen always reminds me of Voldemort, and the way the eldest people talk of him - Salazar - is sorta like of he-who-shall-not-be-named... so, it fits perfectly dont u think?!

[Cat]

Venustas beat you to it (Salazar), ClausBrisik.

I think it's more likely to come from the French, but the Latin words 'volo de mors' mean 'wish of death'.

[ClausBrisik]

lol, didn't read that.
It's the same guy we're talking about. I only gave you de regimen dates while she gave you is life's.

Anyway, I'm glad u have the info!

[Venustas]

ClausBrisik,
Thats very interesting about Salazar- I've only just learned of him, I had no idea he was still reguarded in that way. That does seem like a very likely connection.

[Scarlet Tears]

I found some interesting information on the name Padfoot in the book "The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter." Sorry if it has been posted before!

According to legend, magical black dogs have mysteriously appeared in Europe and North America. In Staffordshire, England, the dog is given the name that Sirius uses as a nickname: Padfoot.
"Some say the dogs guard churchyards or certain roads; others say they roam the countryside at night. Eyewitnesses say they appear suddenly, sometimes right alongside a person walking alone. They tend to be larger than usual dogs. They may vanish in an instant, or slowly fade from view while standing still. Occasionally they appear without heads. Their eyes are almost always described as huge and 'blazing.' Surprisingly, they tend to be silent."

It also mentions that many consider the sight of such a dog to be an omen of death (as Harry discovered in PoA).

[pttrfanatic]

i found two names that are made up of the same letters

severus snape
perseus evans

they half the exat same letters and same # of letters in first and last name and same syllabals in first and last name

[Amadeus]

I think that would be more of coincidence than a clue or something..... I think it would be just way too much.

[Hestia]

okay I few things that I didnt see mentioned yet.

Regulus Black-(Sirius' brother) Regulus means Little King and Regulus is also a star that is one of the brightest stars in the sky and forms the heart of Leo the Lion.
Alphard-(Sirius' Uncle) Alphard is a star that is the heart of the hydra constellation. It is also known as the solitary one becuase there are few stars very near to it.
Andromeda-(Tonks' mother) In Greek mythology she was about to be sacrificed but was rescued and married by perseus, she was the daughter of the queen Cassopeia and her constellation is located near her mothers
Perseus is not a character in the book but I think theres a link to Snape. Other threads have mentioned the anagram Persues Evans.. but what if its Perseus Evans? A lot of the mythology names link to Perseus and we could learn a lot if thats right. Plus Lily stands up for Snape in the Penseive at her own risk and their being family would explain that.
Elphais Doge- Elphias was a famous occultist and Doge from latin dux means leader and was the name for the chiref magistrate of Venice.
Luna Lovegood- Luna-Lunar the moon. Luna or Phoebe and also Selene were names for Artemis who was a huntress an unusual post for a female that made her unique among the gods. In old mythology the titan Selene(Luna) was the brother of Helios. Luna could reference her odd personality that changes like the tide, and the moon has often been linked to insanity in that past, or some believe that it could be a clue that shes a werewolf or somehow related to Lupin. As for Lovegood I dont think theres anymeaning its just meant to give the impression that shes a good person.
Araminta Meliflua-(Sirius' mothers cousin) melliflous means flowing sweetly like honey
Aberforth- Aber is possibly from the Latin aberro which means to deviate or to wander
Lily Potter-Lily is from the flower obviously but the Flower symbolises the Virgin Mary and also Easter and the Resurrection... could there be a ressurection?? I doubt it but you never know

[morgan le fay]

dementor reminds me not just of dementing, but also of demons. they are rather hellish creatures, arent they??

[Hestia]

Incidently Susan(as in Susan Bones) means Lily...? Coincidence.. I dont know but she is a character we can expect to see alot more of.

[Alastor D]

Unfortunately that babyzone site mentioned above seems to contain enough errors to be considered less reliable.
Anyway I agree with Cat in that we can't expect that JKR digs deep in the exact meanings of every name.
And kindly note that there is a thread for new names (which may be considered spoilers) in the Order of the Phoenix - SPOILERS area under 'Miscellaneous Harry Potter. :)

[Drusilla]

I've never seen messages within the names,it's cool to have this stuff to think about.

[Catgirl]

I think that the names 'Sirius Black' and 'Remus Lupin' are too cheesy. The way they both have literal meanings that represent there characters.
It's too cheesy that a family of dark wizards should be called 'Black'. Also, you would think a family of proud purebloods would have a more wizard like name.

I also think it's strange that so many wizards have such unusual names and yet two of the three main characters are purebloods and their families have names like George, Harry, Bill, Charlie, Fred, James, Ron and Arther which are very muggle names.
Actually now that I right them out there are a lot of royal names there. Charles, William, Harold, George and James are all kings of England and Arther is a legendary king of England. Also everyone who lives in England must know who William and Harry are.

Does anyone think there might be some significance to the fact that Harry's middle name is James?
Maybe JK's just trying to say that James lives on in Harry, like she did with the patronus.

[jkahn]

Lucius Malfoy = Lily of scum
Antonin Dolohov = London too in vain
Crabbe and Goyle = Carnage boy bled
Department of Mysteries = Peter's mastermind of yet
Kingsley Shacklebolt = He, Black, is lost. Ghenks.
Lily Evans Potter = Parents veto Lily
Bellatrix Lestrange = Next real girl be last
Neville Longbottom = L(ucius).M(alfoy)., belong not to evil!
Godric's Hollow = Go slow or child
Fawkes = Ask few

Those are the best of the hour.

[Aberforth D]

This is not a huge deal and might not even deserve it's own thread, but I did a search and didn't find anything and didn't know where else this would fit... someone will probably move/close this pretty quick... oh well...

Many people recognize that a large number of characters in the HP universe have names of flowers (i.e. Lily, Lavender, Myrtle, etc.). The name "Potter" could be in some way a play on this, as in putting plants in pots or gardening in some way... it could represent how Harry is the defender and "caretaker" for the magical world (we know this is true from the prophecy). Harry is the only one who can save them.

What do you think? What other reasons could there have been for JKR to name the character Harry Potter ?

[thethirdman]

I really don't see any significance. I think it's a stretch to get from Potter to a symbolic caretaker. I know JK mentioned in an interview that she picked her agent, Christopher Little, because she liked his name. Maybe she just likes the way Harry Potter sounds.

[Alchemist]

You know, for some reason i just think that the name of the protagonist is the name with the least significance and depth to it... i mean the name "hagrid" is very relevant to teh character because of the greek myth, however, i just imagine thta when she names Harry it was more about getting the name to sound right rather than it having substantial significance, plsu it would mean he would be a surprise from start to finish (as where those who knew the Hargid story could have devised that hagrid was thrown out of Hogwarts/Mount Olympus for supposedly unleashing a snake of some sorts but was allowed to stay as a keeper of the creatures by Zeus/DD...).

So yeah, i think that Harry's naming was more of a brain storming session she (JKR) had, or a name that just popped into her head, maybe it's the first word she saw that fit the bill when she was on the train ride?

k.

[GrangerGal]

Actually I think most names have significance in her books. A "Potter's" Field is where the anonymous and destitute are buried. Many people without families or friends are buried there. I think it is VERY significant that she used this name since Harry is constantly seeing death and in he has no one. Think about the significance of a Potter's Field and how it relates to Harry. Also a potter creates and Harry has a great ability to create. I don't think that his name is a coincidence.

[MSLupin]

'Potter' was the name of a childhood friend of hers- Ian Potter. JKR has said that she has always loved this name, so she used it for Harry. I do like the planter theory though :)

[tanis]

I really don't think that Harry's name is substancial to the plot or to his characterization. It sounds like a generic name for an average kid, and maybe there inlies it's meaning: average. Maybe JKR wants people to find the magic inside themeselves even if they are "normal."

[story]

Could Mytle, liliy, petunia and even Poppy pompry be related?

[dark lord follower]

i think JKR was just writeing and the names just sounded good so she made them it

[Hammi]

I remember from an interview, sorry can't find it now, that she had a friend with the last name Potter when she was a child and just liked it. And harry was always her favorite name for a boy

[dark lord follower]

I Know That But Like Lily And The Rest

[tanis]

I have found the answer....

'Harry' has always been my favourite boy's name, so if my daughter had been a son, he would have been Harry Rowling. Then I would have had to choose a different name for "Harry" in the books, because it would have been too cruel to name him after my own son. "Potter" was the surname of a family who used to live near me when I was seven years old and I always liked the name, so I borrowed it

This great interview can be found at:
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/transcript2.htm

I think there is a lot in this interview if you pay attention. Have fun.

[whizbang121]

Well, let's see. Harry was the nickname of Henry the eighth who broke with the church in Rome and started the Anglican church. And King James got the first English protestant version of the Bible named after him. I think he sponsored it.
And somewhere in the old testament, (psalms?) is the concept that God is a potter, and his creation is the clay, the work of his hands.

We're going through a religious phase it seems.

[Houler_7S]

I think she put him Harry potter because it sounded good because she was just starting the series she wasnt so deep to find some names

[whizbang121]

A lot more depth on names. Maybe these threads could be merged.
http://cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=11234&page=1&pp=30

[silver ink pot]

Aberforth D.: Good Theory! I just love theories. That's why this is a discussion board - so we can brainstorm all we want to.

We are having alot of fun on the "Neville, Voldemort, and Alot of Gum" thread talking about all the plants mentioned in the books, from "Mimbulus Mimbletonia" to "Hellebore" and especially "Lilies." You can check out that thread if you want. Rowling is a writer who loves plant imagery and plant names and magical plants. So to having the main character named "Potter" is perfect, really!

I think Harry is something of a gardener, as well. I have always liked a passage from Chamber of Secrets that talks about all the work he does for Aunt Petunia. Harry, like Hagrid, seems to be a "grounds keeper":

Page 10, American, Chapter One

While Dudley lolled around watching and eating ice cream, Harry cleaned the windows, washed the car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the flowerbeds, pruned and watered the roses, and repainted the garden bench. The sun blazed overhead, burning the back of his neck. . . . Wish they could see famous Harry Potter now, he thought savagely as he spread manure on the flower beds, his back aching, sweat running down his face.

Then he goes inside and all he gets to eat is some bread and cheese. He is like a slave to the Dursleys, and he does all his work without magic. He really has more in common with Dobby than with Malfoy. Potter is sort of a common name, and this brings home the fact that in the muggle world, Harry has no status at all. Just like in OotP, when he is lying in the bushes in his hand-me-down clothes.

There may be something else going on with this name. Pottery in ancient Greece held wine, and Pottery in ancient Britain held mead and beer. Before the Triwizard Tournament, Ollivander takes Harry's wand and wine pours from the tip. I guess Rowling meant this to be a "tip" for the reader.

Anyway, Rowling may be linking Harry to Dionysus, the Greek God of wine, gardening, and fertility. Dionysus father was the god Zeus, but his mother was a human named "Semele". He is also considered a lawmaker and a peacekeeper. Here is a link about Dionysis:

http://www.gods-heros-myth.com/godpages/dionysus.html

[whizbang121]

Dionysus and the Greek mystery cults are also considered the sources for most of the stories told about Jesus in the New Testament. A serious study could be made.

Silver Ink Pot, ;)

[silver ink pot]

Thanks, Whizbang - as usual you are perfectly right. :agree:

Dionysus is associated with resurrection and escape from the underworld, which is interesting when you think about Sirius, whose name is like Osiris the Egyptian God of the Underworld.

Semele, his mother, is burned to a crisp before he is born, but somehow he is rescued and brought to birth by Zeus. Of course, we know what happened to Harry's mother, and that Harry was rescued from the destroyed house.

Here is more:

http://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Dionysus/dionysus.html

"Dionysus is also one of the very few that was able to bring a dead person out of the underworld. Even though he had never seen Semele he was concerned for her. Eventually he journeyed into the underworld to find her. He faced down Thanatos and brought her back to Mount Olympus.

Dionysus became one of the most important gods in everyday life. He became associated with several key concepts. One was rebirth after death. Here his dismemberment by the Titans and return to life is symbolically echoed in tending vines, where the vines must be pruned back sharply, and then become dormant in winter for them to bear fruit.

The other is the idea that under the influence of wine, one could feel possessed by a greater power. Unlike the other gods Dionysus was not only outside his believers but, also within them. At these times a man might be greater then himself and do works he otherwise could not.

The festivel for Dionysus is in the spring when the leaves begin to reappear on the vine. It became one of the most important events of the year. It's focus became the theater. Most of the great Greek plays were initially written to be performed at the feast of Dionysus. All who took part writers, actors, spectators were regarded as sacred servants of Dionysus during the festival."

[Aberforth D]

Hmm at first I thought starting a thread for this idea would be dumb, but now I'm glad I did... every argument on here is convincing... however--

I tend to think that since Rowling has obviously put so much thought into the names of all of her characters, she would not name her MAIN CHARACTER, who all the books are named after, just a name she thought was "nice" or "liked the sound of."
It's possible that the childhood family she knew got her thinking about the name Potter, but I'm sure she gave it further consideration, and found it to fit symbolically in whatever way she was viewing the character. I guess it's possible, but I really don't think she named him Harry Potter without going through heavy consideration and research.

[whizbang121]

Oh aberforth D, I just noticed your sig. Hilarious. :rotfl:
You have to bring that to the All about Snivellus Snape thread. They're gonna love it.

[silver ink pot]

I think a writer of J. K. Rowling's complexity never chooses a name lightly.

I just wish we had a clue about who the Potters were as a family. Where did his father come from, and what did his parents do for a living, etc. That would help.

Re-reading the thread, I think alot of people are onto something with the potter and clay analogy. Harry starts out sort of unformed, and is changed in the course of the books. Clay is down to earth, just like Harry, not pretentious.

The name "Harry" is Rowling's favorite name. But I think she is witty and is making a few puns with it. For one thing, he DOES have crazy "hair." For another thing, it is a nickname so the reader doesn't know his real name! His name could be Hagrid, for all we know! Or Harold, Hermes, Heracles, Hercules, Henry, or Harvey!

I think it is a pun on the Dirty Harry movies with Clint Eastwood, too. Get it . . . dirt in a pot . . . Dirty Harry? Who tells Voldemort: "Go ahead, haunt my dreams, possess my friends, confuse my mind, make my day!"

:rasp: :D :elaugh: (Bad, bad, bad, I'm soooo sorry, please forgive me!)

[whizbang121]

Dirty Harry? Great Idea.

I haven't seen the Dirty Harry movies, so I'll just agree with you. :agree:
Sometimes the best ideas come out of a phrase in a rant, especially a sleep deprived rant.

Rant on.

Peanut butter cups?

[silver ink pot]

whizbang: You are right, I need to go to sleep!

Don't want any peanut butter cups, but thanks. Your dog looks like he wants one to go with his cheese curl. :lol:

[thethirdman]

Rowling has the tendency to throw us curve balls. We expect there to be some importance to Harry's name just like all the other names. My take is that she would want us to think the name is forshadowing something important and then have be nothing more than a name.