- Rabastan (was: The Gang of Slytherins)

[catherinemckiernan]

No: HPFGUIDX 85630

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at y...>
wrote:
> Carol wrote:
> *snip*(I'm still wondering about his brother Rabastan, mentioned 
> in another post. Anyone for an analysis of that name and its 
> possible significance?) 
>  
> Katrina responds:
> While I could find nothing on "Rabastan," a quick search through
> the astronomy sites for "Rastaban" turned up some very interesting 
> information. <snip>
>  
> Catherine: <snip> Rabastan is
> no more a common name than Rastaban, so why should JKR corrupt the
> star name to create it? Surely the pure-bloods care about spelling?
> Moreover his brother Rodolphus does not have a star name, and the
> pure-bloods do name their families in sets, whether the astronomically
> fixated Blacks, or the old-fashioned-feeling Weasleys. So I submit a
> theory for Rabastan itself, that links the brothers, and justifies the
> meaning (I hope).
> <snip>
>   
> 
> Carol: 
> > OTOH, maybe his name really is Rastaban, and Rabastan is just an
> > uncaught typo? The Lexicon lists the name as Rastaban, which indicates
> > that it's spelled that way somewhere in the series:
> > 
> > http://www.hp-lexicon.org/azkaban.html
> > 
> > At first I thought I had misspelled the name, but my copy of OoP
> > definitely says Rabastan (Am. ed. 788). He isn't named in the Pensieve
> > scene you mention but as you say, he's either the "thickset man who
> > stared blankly up at Mr. Crouch" or "the thinner, more nervous-looking
> > man, whose eyes were darting around the crowd" (Am. ed. 594). For some
> > reason I'm leaning toward the second description--maybe because it's
> > more interesting. I think only a dull-witted man would have married
> > dear Bella. (No evidence, only a hunch.) I'm also curious as to why
> > Voldemort skips over him when he mentions the Lestranges. The space
> > where he pauses to mention them is only wide enough for two people,
> > not three (GoF 650 Am. ed.)
> > 
> > Does anyone know of any other place where he's named? Is he actually
> > called Rastaban somewhere in the series? Maybe it would be mentioned
> > in relation to the Longbottoms and the Cruciatus curse?
> > 
> > Steve, can you help us out, please?
> > 
> > Thanks,
> > Carol
> 
> In response to my own post, he's also Rabastan on OoP 114 (Am. ed.),
> where Sirius talks about the Lestranges being put in Azkaban with
> Barty Crouch, Jr. So that lets out my typo theory. OTOH, Rabastan
> could still be a corruption of Rastaban, tying in with the
> astronomical names of the Blacks. That makes about as much sense as
> giving him and his brother Germanic first names to go with their
> French last name. But on the basis of the evidence, I have to agree
> with Catherine even though Katrina's theory is more intriguing. Sigh!
> 
> There's still the question of what he's doing in the book and why
> there are so many pairs of brothers (Albus and Aberforth, Regulus and
> Sirius, Rodolphus and Rabastan), all with more or less matching names
> but in some cases, contrasting personalities. (I'm waiting now for
> Lupin's brother, Romulus.)
> 
> Carol
Not to mention Gideon and Fabian Prewitt (named for social reform
societies?), and sisters Parvati and Padma. There are alos the Baddock
and Creavey brothers. In fact, are there _any_ mixed-sex sibling
groups other than the Weasleys?

Maybe the Lestranges had a German mother - descent from Grindelwald,
perhaps?
Catherine McK