[HPforGrownups] Latin

[Doreen]

No: HPFGUIDX 12562

oops. It was the spells that were made up ...

Q. "Ms. Rowling, for being fictional books, the Harry Potter books have a
great grasp of the Latin language. I have noticed that many, if not most, of
the names and incantations are of Latin heritage. How much research does it
take to give these books their Latin heritage?"

A. "My Latin, such as it is, is self-taught. I enjoy feeling that wizards
would continue to use this dead language in their everyday life."

Q. "How did you make the spells? Did you make them up, or are they real
names of people and places?

A "The spells are made up. I have met people who assure me, very seriously,
that they are trying to do them, and I can assure them, just as seriously,
that they don't work."


----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Flanagan
To: HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2001 9:26 AM
Subject: [HPforGrownups] Latin


It's been a long time since I took Latin, but a lot of JKR's
incantations don't look quite correct.  Perhaps that's intentional.
For example:

"expecto patronum" - should be "patronem" - 3rd decl. acc.

"priori incantatem" - should be "incantatum"; I'm not sure that the
agreement between "priori" and "incantat[u]m" is correct

"expelliarmus" - "armus" = "shoulder" (vulgate and neo-Latin);
weapons would be "armamentum"

I notice that some of the above have been "corrected" in the French
version.  Of course, Rowling was probably just inventing Latinate-
sounding phrases that English-speaking readers would readily
understand...

-Jim Flanagan