(A Challenge!) Weasley names

[mz_annethrope]

No: HPFGUIDX 106717

Gadfly McLellyn writes:

<snip>
> Now for Percy.  JK Rowling said in her interview on Biography that 
> she has borrowed from folklore to "suit her purposes".  I think 
that 
> is Percy's story.  I think the Weasley family has something to do 
> with King Arthur and his Knights of the Roundtable.  As JKR 
borrows 
> so much on mythology, I bought a book called "The Ultimate 
> Encyclopedia of Mythology" by Arthur Cotterell and Rachel Storm, 
> Hermes House publisher.  In the Myths of the Celtic World section 
on 
> P162 is a piece on Percival "the Perfect Fool".  He was a Knight 
of 
> King Arthur's and known as the "Simple Knight".  This reminds me 
of 
> Percy as he tends to simplify everything into black and white 
> issues.  
> 
> Is there anyone out there more knowledgable about King Arthur's 
Court 
> to see if there are more ties to the Weasley names?
> 
> Gadfly McLellyn


ms_annethrope replies:

Ok, first post, and greetings all. JKR seems to use names borrowed 
from literature or legends in a vaguely suggestive way. She chose 
Hermione's name based on the character in The Winter's Tale, but 
there's not much similarity between the two. I think the most likely 
link to Arthurian legend is that Arthur Weasley despises Lucius 
Malfoy. British King Arthur and Roman King Lucius were mortal 
enemies. There's also a sword named Ron, but that might be pushing 
it too far.

Ginny's given name is semi-Arthurian, "Ginevra" being Italian for 
Guinevere. That said, the more likely source for Ginny is Ginevra, 
the daughter of the King of Scotland in Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso." 
Ginevra is betrothed to Ariodante, Duke of Burgundy, but the jealous 
Polinesso sets up her maid Dalinda to play Ginevra, making it look 
like Ginevra is having an affair with another man. Scottish law (in 
this story) deals harshly with unchastity and Ginevra is sentenced 
to death. But all ends well, or at least justly. (It is also the 
basis of Handel's opera "Ariodante" and perhaps of the Hero and 
Claudio story in "Much Ado About Nothing.")However, JKR's Ginny 
doesn't seem at all like the Medieval damsel in distress.

Percy,on the other hand, has nothing to do with Percival and 
originates from a separate location in France,though the names are 
often confused. Nor does JKR's Percy much resemble the virginal 
Percival, being neither a simpleton (in the sense of "holy fool"), 
nor IMO a paragon of chastity. Think of his secret tryst with 
Penelope in CoS. I wonder if his name is meant to be a play on 
Henry "Hotspur" Percy,who died in a rebellion against against Henry 
IV. That's another character who thinks in black and white, at least 
in Shakespeare. But again, I suspect these names are meant to be at 
most suggestive, not parallels with mythical or historical figures.

ms_annethrope (whose name is never meant to be suggestive).