Some people can be weird about their pets...

[James P. Robinson III]

No: HPFGUIDX 60132

As the clock struck 10:52 PM 6/11/2003 +0000, HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com 
took pen in hand and wrote:

I believe the name Nagini is a diminutive of the Sanskrit/Prakrit/Pali word 
Naga.  Naga means snake generally, but does also refer in some sources (The 
Ramayana IIRC and others) to monstrous (but good) demi-god type spiritual 
creatures in snake form.  Just the same, I think Nagini is a ordinary snake 
which has grown extra large through LV's magic.  It seems particularly 
intelligent because LV can converse with it.

                                 Jim


>"pegruppel" <pegruppel at yahoo.com>:
>
>I suspect that a basilisk is lethal from the moment it hatches.  All
>of the mythology sources I checked (print and electronic) make no
>mention of a basilisk needing to mature.
>
>I think Nagini is some type of venoumous serpent.  "Nag" is the name
>of one of the cobras in the Kipling story "Riki-Tiki-Tavi."
>And "Naja naja" is the Latin binomial for several cobras (subspecies
>get another name tacked onto the first two) of the Indian
>subcontinent (that's an abbreviated description).
>
>Although JKR said that Frank saw a diamond pattern on the snake as it
>slitered past him, I think it was shadows on her (Nagini is female)
>back.  There are a few venomous snakes in that part of Europe, but
>none of them get as big as Nagini is supposed to be. A king cobra is
>the largest of the venomous snakes.  But if it were, I think we'd
>have heard about the classic rearing up and hooding that these snakes
>perform.  It seems from Voldie and Peter's conversation that Voldie
>has been subsisting on snake venom (yuck). (All from OOP, American
>addition)