[HPforGrownups] Re: The female founders and Latin

[Laura Ingalls Huntley]

No: HPFGUIDX 40653

There was some discussion awhile ago about Latin and spells and the like that hit upon something that has been bothering me for some time:

I don't understand what it is about a few utterances that creates a magic effect -- or how those utterance should form words of a specific language that relate to the magic effect itself.

How?!  When was Latin (in a recognizable form) "created"?  Surely there were wizards before then?  What did they use then?  And it's not like it's only the *intent* behind the words that matters, as in PS we find Hermione correcting Ron's pronunciation.

The only thing I can think of is that wizards *made* Latin, before it was ever a working language.  They somehow discovered that the sound "lumos" made their wands glow...and therefore, when Latin became a language, they took lumos to mean light (or whatever it is that lumos means in Latin -- I haven't actually studied the language) and Latin evolved from the spell-sounds into a recognizable language...which would show even greater connections between wizards and the early Christian church.

Pretty far-fetched, isn't it?  But I can't think of any other way to make it work..

laura


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