Vol-de-mort (was SV: Re: pronunciations

[Caius Marcius]

No: HPFGUIDX 6983

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Rita Winston" <catlady at w...> wrote:
> New reply at bottom. 
> 
> ---Rita Winston catlady at w... wrote:
>  In French, vol = flight or vol =  theft
>  This gives us the possibilities:
>  1)Flight from Death (he is striving for immortality)
>  2)Flight of Death (and where he lands, he kills someone)
>  3)Theft from Death (he is stealing immortality/life from death)
>  4)Theft of Death (by killing all those people, he is stealing 
> Death's privilege of ending their lives at the appointed time)
> 
> Does everyone know the word 'overdetermined'? Regardless of what it 
> sounds like it might mean, it means an effect that has more than 
one 
> cause. Maybe the name Voldemort is overdetermined, by having more 
> than one meaning. Maybe the French and German meanings of Vol were 
> *both intended by JKR.

That accounts for a significant part of the name's resonance - has 
anyone mentioned the name's association with the word "mold" (through 
transposition of its primary consonants), modifying the majesty of 
death with something a bit more decaying.  

     - CMC