Heraldry and Harry Potter

[jotwo2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 87859

I saw an interesting discussion once that JKR sometimes picks names 
for characters because the heraldry fits.  The specific example being 
quoted was the Evans coat of arms, which is a golden lion on a blue 
background.  The crest is a stag.  This obviously fits Lily, as she 
was a Gryffindor and married James, who was a stag animagus.

However, the crest for Snape is a buck's head.  Buck is a synonym for 
a male deer.  So heraldry connects Lily with Snape too.

Another example mentioned was the heraldry for Pettigrew.  This coat 
of arms has a red background with a crescent between three gold 
stars. Obviously these are Gryffindor colours, and it's widely 
believed, although it's unlikely to be ever stated in canon, that 
Peter was a Gryffindor.

I looked into the subject further and even discovered that a coat of 
arms exists for the name Dumbledore.  This is a red shield with an 
ermine bend between two gold lions.  Again, this fits, as Dumbledore 
is a Gryffindor.

For the name Brown the crest is a lion holding in its paw a gold 
fleur de lis.  Finnigan is a red shield, with two lions, although 
these are silver.  For Black the crest is a half lion. All these seem 
familiar symbols in HP.

However, I would not suggest that heraldry is significant for every 
character.  The real motto of the Black family is in Latin and 
translates as the cross, not the light.  In OOP Sirius' family motto 
was Toujours Pur, French for always pure.  Similary the colour red is 
associated with Lestrange, red and gold with Wilkes and lions with 
Avery, Lestrange and Rosier, so you can't read too much into the 
heraldic symbolism.  Nevertheless I think JKR was aware of heraldry 
in naming some of the important characters and it's not mere 
coincidence.

JoTwo