So it's time I confessed to something:
I really like Harry Potter.
But it's maybe not for the reason you'd expect. Yes, I like the story line. I like the character development and the way the thread of the story arc traces through all the books. I like the characters themselves, and I like how she makes them real and emotionally engaging. It's not really high brow stuff, but it's clever and well written, and above all - entertaining. A book should always be entertaining.
But what I really, really like are the clever allusions to other historical/mythical figures. This is the very warp and weft of the story line, and these inclusions add incredible depth to the quality of the story. Here are a few of the fun things I've noticed:
1. Albus - the name of the Headmaster. Usually referred to as Dumbledore, I find it intriguing that Albus comes from the Latin for white, shining, or lustrous.
2. Sirius - Sirius is the dog star. Sirius Black is the godfather of Harry and he turns into a dog. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. The name itself means burning or scorching.
3. Lupin - Lupin is a derivation of the Latin "lupus" meaning wolf. His first name is Remus, who, as the brother or Romulus (whom Rome is named after), was raised by a she-wolf.
4. Minerva - Minerva is the goddess of wisdom - the analog to the Greek Athena. It is an indicator of McGonagall's wisdom and strength. I wish the movies had done a better job of portraying her real character.
5. Patronus - The Latin word for father is patr. It indicates further a protector, a defender, as it were. The word we use in English for a saint who is a protector or defender is "patron" which is from the same source. The spell - expecto patronum - is kind of a Latin-ish term which could mean "expel (spit out) my defender." Interestingly - and as a correlation - expecto comes from the Latin "ex" meaning "out of" and "pectus" meaning breast/chest. Thus, while the defender did not necessarily reflect one's father (Snape's petronus was a doe, remember...) it represented something close to one's heart.
6. Snape - And speaking of Snape - Snape is a derivation of the word "snipe". This has several meanings that are relevant to Snape - he was of the lowest socio-economic class (a guttersnipe). He was known to slink around and take pot shots at folks (sniper). His first name, Severus, which indicates something strict, stark, strong, or severe, was interestingly the name of one of the strongest leaders of the Roman Empire.
7. Other Spells - Several of the other spells that are used have Latin bases, including accio (meaning to gather or fetch - as in acquire or accumulate), wingardium leviosa (which lifts things in the air; leviosa comes from the root "levis" meaning light/not heavy), cruciatus (the hurting spell, which causes pain - comes from the Latin "crux" meaning cross... the implication is that the pain is similar to being crucified), etc. There are really too many to explain, but even my basic, cursory knowledge of Latin has made reading the books so much more interesting and fun... Like Easter eggs in a computer program...
Some are relatively easy and just for fun, I think. Doesn't mean they're less clever:
8. Diagon Alley - Diagonally.
9. Knockturn Alley - Nocturnally.
10. Grimauld Place - Grim, old place.
11. Floo Network - play on the words "flew" and "flue"...
And many more...
I think it's really fun to explore these things. I'd be interested in any you've noticed... :) Also, I bet the British get a lot more of these, since they're written by a British author in a very British setting...
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