A varied post on Latin

[Steve Vander Ark]

No: HPFGUIDX 3017

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, Amanda Lewanski <editor at t...> wrote:
> Scott wrote:

> sure. Most of her names seem to have some sort of tie to the 
character of
> the bearer. Sometimes it's just that they *sound* right, 

For those who are interested in the origins of names and words in the 
HP books, I highly recommend What's In A Name, a wonderful website 
that provides detailed etymologies. There are a few clunkers--
unsubstantiated rumors more than anything else--but most of them are 
spot on. You'll find it here:

http://www.geocities.com/cornishpixie7/harryp/

There is another page as well that has a somewhat more limited list 
of names and where they come from. The author is German so some of 
his English isn't perfect, but it's certainly readable. Here's the 
URL for that one:

http://www.rudihein.de/hpewords.htm

You could, of course, also preuse the Harry Potter Lexicon (you guys 
KNEW I would say that, didn't you!). I have included some word 
origins in it here and there. In answer to someone's post about what 
Latin students notice as they read the book, I can tell you that we 
notice a LOT! I studied Latin for six years and I majored in 
literature my first time through college, so most of these words and 
names are very familiar to me. I've also played a fair number of 
fantasy role playing games, so the creatures are familiar as well, at 
least in their more traditional versions. On top of that, I'm now a 
librarian with an extensive collection of reference materials, 
(including a book entitled The Monster Book of Monsters, believe it 
or not). So things jump out at me all the time (in a manner of 
speaking). I've included Latin derivations on the spell page of the 
Lexicon and I'm working on a complete beastiary as well. 

For all that, there are a few that have me stumped. For example, I 
know that a hinkeypunk shows up in the Dungeons and Dragons Monster 
Manual, so JKR didn't invent it. But did she find it somewhere else? 
It's not in any of my reference books like The Field Guide to the 
Little People or  about monsters or mythology or whatever. Or did she 
just copy it from the Monster Manual since she liked the name? And 
here's another one: where does the spell word Alohomora come from 
(opens doors)? I can't find a Latin root for it.

All in all, this whole word/name business is just plain fascinating. 
JKR has created a world where every word, every name is a little 
puzzle to solve and a clue to something larger. 

Steve Vander Ark
The Harry Potter Lexicon
http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon