Romania

[dembeldei]

No: HPFGUIDX 42055

From: clio44a  <clio44a at y...> 
Date: Fri Aug 2, 2002 5:05pm
Subject: Re: Professor Sinistra, a vampire?

"3. Her name is derived from the Latin 'sinister', but 'Sinistra' 
surely sounds more Italian in our ears. Well, what other European 
country has a language very closely related to Italian? (Hint: think 
more east) Right, Romania. I don't speak Romanian, but I'm fairly 
sure the word 'sinistra' exists. Transsylvania is part of Romania 
after all. And Transsylvania is the home of THE vampire, Dracula.
I don't think this Romania connection is too far fetched. JKR 
mentions eastern Europe fairly often. 
So far we've had an Armenian warlock (COS), a Bulgarian Quidditch 
team (GOF), Russian Pogrebins (sp?) (FB),and a villain hinding out in 
Albania (GOF, I belive). Plus Quirrel encountered vampires in 
Romania, IIRC."


I can help.  Well, a bit.  :) 

My thoughts: 

-the word for 'left' (which was what the Latin root of sinister meant 
in Latin) in Romanian is 'stinga' (with a diacritical marker over the 
i so that it is pronounced something like a schwa with an umlaut) 
although Romanian is derived from Latin and so like it that it still 
has cases.  (One third of the vocabulary-- but not the basic 
grammatical structures-- shows a Slavic influence due to later 
invasions.)

-Romanian does have the word, sinistru.  There is also sinistrat, 
meaning something bad or someone who had disaster befall them.

-Yes, Dracula's castle is in Romania-- I saw it from afar as it is on 
an island.

-Ron's elder brother Charlie has been in Romania studying dragons; we 
know there are colonies there (Hagrid, Magical Creatures book)

-When I visited Romania, I saw no dragons, but then again I spent the 
whole time with relatives instead of checking out the countryside.  
>;-)

Dembeldei