IOf Lupin(e)s and Guineveres...

[Honoria Granger <honoriagranger@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52744


Claire Ophelia wrote:
>Guinevere is the French translation of the name of Arthur's queen. 
>In Celtic mythology she was Gwynhwfar, a cloud goddess who took 
>mortal form quite regularly to cause mischief (which may explain 
>why she took Lancelot as her lover). Gwynhwfar caused herself to be 
>born to a Roman Princess married to a Celtic King, which is the 
>part that was adopted by the better known French retellings of 
>Arthurian legend.


As an Arthurian scholar and Celtic mythologist, I'd be interested to 
hear more about that cloud goddess story. The only Celtic (Welsh) 
cloud goddess I'm aware of is called Gwenhidw, and "Gwenhidw's sheep" 
are the little white puffy clouds you see high up on beautiful fair-
weather days; she has to make sure they are all home in the sheepfold 
before dark...perhaps Ffred can help us out here.

Gwyhwyfar (many spellings!) is a most mysterious name, and has been 
translated as "white shadow"...and (like Blodeuwedd, in the Fourth 
Branch of the Mabinogion) is also a Welsh name for...wait for 
it...the OWL.

Also possible that Ginny is simply "Virginia"...or  considering her 
hair color, "Ginger."



Catlady wrote:
>>Audra wrote: "lupin" is also a very light shade of blue >> 
>I suppose the color is named after the flower "lupine". There's that 
>Monty Python sketch I vaguely recall, about highwayman Danny Lupin 
>riding out to stick up travellers and demand "Give me all your 
>lupines"...


"Lupine" is simply the Latinate collateral adjective for "wolf" (from 
the Latin 'lupus'). 
Like "vulpine" for foxes, "cervine" for deer, "caprine" for 
goats, "phocine" for seals...(Honoria is showing off like her cousin 
Hermione ;), now for some "normal" ones)..."canine" for 
dogs, "feline" for cats, "equine" for horsies...like that.

And so "Lupin" is extremely appropriate for a werewolf's surname

though how he got the name BEFORE he was the werewolf...hmmm.
Flower also spelled "lupin", btw...

Oh, it was highwayman Dennis Moore, ackshally, in the Python 
skit...with a demented little theme song to the tune of the TV Robin 
Hood..."Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore, riding through the glen, Soon 
every lupin in the land will be in his mighty hand...Dennis 
Moore...Mr. Moore...dum da dum..."  Too funny!!



Honoria Granger
Hermione's older, smarter cousin