Harry's name (was: Malfoy names)

[Audra1976 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 47214

If JK Rowling did pick the name Harry, as she says, just because it's her 
favorite name, she certainly picked a good one, symbolically.  The word 
"harry" has a few meanings.  To harry someone is to goad them, to torment 
them.  It's an annoyance.  This is what Harry is to the Dursleys (in their 
eyes) from the beginning of PS/SS.  

Harry also has more powerful meanings: a) to ravage, and b) to raid.  This is 
where the word "harrowing" comes from.  Harry Potter definitely harries 
Voldemort in every sense of the word.  Harry ravaged Voldemort, reduced him 
to virtually nothing, and ruined his plans (whatever was to be achieved from 
killing Harry).  And Harry continues to annoy Voldemort by getting the better 
of him each time they meet.  

Potter goes along well with Harry.  Potter, which is a British dialectical 
pronunciation of the word "pother," similarly means to irritate, vex, and 
perplex, as Harry does Voldemort.     
 
christopher_g_nuttall at hotmail.com writes:
> Aside from the ovious, many english names come from jobs, for example 
> 'smith' comes from 'blacksmith', etc.  I think HPs name was chosen to be as 
> ordinary as possible.

Me:
I agree that the name is deliberately common-sounding.  I believe this was 
done so that readers can relate to Harry, and show that this poor boy that we 
meet in the beginning of PS/SS, who feels like he is so common, just Harry 
Potter...has greatness in him.

ronale7 at yahoo.com writes:
> "Harry" is a nickname for the devil (Old Harry.) And "Potter" is often used 
> as a name for the Creator. Thus the main character's name signifies that 
> both good and 
> evil can exist in one person, and war within him.

Me:
And the name "Old Harry" for the devil comes from the same definitions of 
"harry" that I just gave above.  I never thought of Potter being a metaphor 
for God, but I really like this idea.  It would certainly fit with the 
popular theory that Harry has both Gryffindor and Slytherin blood (though 
personally I don't believe that Slytherin was evil), or in a broader sense, 
just re-emphasize the theme that we have the potential for a lot of things 
inside us, but it's what we choose to do with it that is important.

Audra


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