Ginevra

[antoshachekhonte]

No: HPFGUIDX 98729

So I've been looking through baby name books (pathetic, I know) regarding Ginny's full 
name: Ginevra Molly Weasley. 

"Ginevra" has a couple of roots (so to speak). One is a (possible) connection to the ginger 
plant ('gingiver' being the name in late Latin). Of course, 'ginger' is a common nickname 
for a redhead.

The other is that it is a Celtic name related to "Guinevere." Both mean "foam white." Now 
the implications are interesting. First of all, Guinevere is the beloved of both King Arthur 
and of Lancelot. Hmmm.... All kinds of implications there, running from the romantic to 
the Freudian. Secondly--and this is a bit of a stretch, but grant that JKR is interested in 
both Celtic and Classical Greek myth--'white foam' is, mythologically speaking, connected 
with the birth of Aphrodite/Venus. When Chronos/Saturn was killed by Zeus/Jupiter and 
his other children, they threw his severed testicles (ewww!) into the ocean, raising a (wait 
for it) white foam. Out of this was the Goddess of Love born. THat's what Botticelli is 
depicting in his famous painting of Venus-in-a-garlic-butter-sauce.

So we have connections between Ginny and two of the great traditional symbols of the 
female romantic ideal.... Oh, and also a very spicy-hot, yummy tuber.