Side note: St.Mungos

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 79414

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "mochajava13" 
<mochajava13 at y...>
> wrote:
> > Geoff:
> > > St.Mungo was leader of a 6th century ecclesiatical community on
> > > the site of the present day Glasgow and is considered to be the 
> > > city's founder.
> > 
> > 
> > But still, why would wizards name a hospital after a religious
> > figure? The ones that do that here in the US are usually 
connected 
> > to a church of some sort.  
> 
> bboy_mn:
> If you look at my post on St Mungo's you will see several references
> to organizations named 'St. Mungo's'; many churches, charity
> organizations,  museums, etc...
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/79363
> 
> Typing 'St Mungo' into a search engine (Google) brings up 38,500 
matches. 
> 
> So, I think this is just another case of JKR providing things that 
are
> familiar to us. She uses a lot of muggle world icons and 
stereotypes,
> and she uses alot of magical/wizard/witch icons and stereotypes, to
> give us points of reference, and points of comfortable familiarity 
in
> her writing. Since St. Mungo's seems a very common institutional 
name
> in Britian, I think this just another point of familiarity, as well 
as
> a bit of a subtle joke on her part. 
> 
> 
> 
> > Plus, St. Mungo's is in London.  My geography of Britain isn't too
> > good anymore, but isn't Glasgow nowhere near London?  Just 
curious 
> > about it!
> 
> bboy_mn:
> No, London is in England, and Glasgow is in Scotland. Glasgow and
> Edinburgh, Scotland are roughly equally far north, and both located 
in
>  somewhat southern Scotland, but Edinburgh in on the East coast 
(North
> Sea), and Glasgow is on the West coast (Firth of Clyde; near the 
North
> Channel of the Irish Sea).
> 
> For maps, see...
> http://www.homestead.com/BlueMoonMarket/Files/Hogwarts/hogwarts1.htm
> 
> Just a thought.
> 

Geoff:
JKR was, I believe, in Edinburgh when she started writing HP. There 
are "tips of the hat" to Scotland - St.Mungo's being one. The other, 
which I commented on a few weeks ago was "Grimmauld Place = grim old 
place". Auld is a Scots word for "old" as in "Auld Lang Syne" and the 
nickname for Edinburgh of "Auld Reekie". 

As a side track, looking at the homestead website mentioned above, 
one of the film rail locations is the well-known Glenfinnan Visduct 
on the West Highland line to Mallaig, west of Fort William, where the 
train caught up with the flying Ford Anglia.