"Lapdog" and "snivel"

[onnanokata]

No: HPFGUIDX 115196


"dungrollin" wrote:
  
I've found this thread very interesting, but can't help but wonder 
how many other degrogatory nicknames can be made from 'Severus'...
  
I can't think of any.
  
On the basis of that, it seems to me a mite odd to infer a huge 
amount from Snivellus.  I somehow don't think JKR came up with the 
nickname and then cast around for a name for Snape that would fit 
it...
  
Anyone more creative than me?
  
Dungrollin
 
Dharma replies:
 
Kids are creative in their cruelty and lack of respect for one 
 another in many instances.  I could certainly imagine nicknames like:
 
Severe Headache
Severe Pain
Sneakerus
Slimypuss
Slimerus
Servilerus
Whimperus
Gitterus
Cowardus
Odorus
Skulkerus
Slitherus
Blunderus
Confunderous
Oblivious
Nausea-us
 
I'm not sure that any other nickname could convey so many
interesting negative character traits at once. Snivel conveys a
particular kind of obsequiousness to me that most other words don't. 
I've always speculated that the nickname Snivellus was someone how
tied to his relationship with Lucius. I'm guessing that Severus had an
attachment to Lucius at school that was similar to the attachment 
Peter had to James.
 
Carol, amused in spite of herself, responds;
Except for one key point. Peter was the same age as the other
Maruaders. Lucius Malfoy is five or six years older than Snape--a big
boy condescending to allow a little one to join his gang as a sort of
hanger on. He must have been impressed with Severus's precocious
knowledge of hexes. (I still say that the chief significance of the
nickname Snivellus is that it's both alliterative and vicious, and
Sirius (who's inordinately fond of it) seems to me more likely than
James to have coined it. Slitherus would have worked almost as well
because it suggests Slytherin and snake--but Slitherus Snape is a bit
of a tongue twister, and it doesn't have the connotations of a runny
nose and whimpering that would appeal to the eleven-year-old Sirius.
As for obsequiousness, I think that fits with "lapdog" rather than
"Snivellus"--in other words, with the deliberately distorted
perception of an adult looking back at another adult's childhood. (Of
course, Sirius--or James--could have been older than eleven when he
invented of the name, but it strikes me as being of long-standing.
James uses it carelessly and Sirius viciously, but Severus is by that
time Snivellus to them just as they are Prongs and Padfoot to each
other. More so, because they use "Snivellus" publicly. It's not clear
whether they did the same with MWPP, which could not have existed till
three of the four became animagi, anyway.
 
It's 1:15 a.m. and I'm probably typing nonsense, so I think I'll go to
bed.
 
Dharma replies:

Carol, the age issue is addressed in a great thread started by 
Feklar.  It might be interesting to you.

As to the primary reason for the name Snivellus...I agree it could be 
just a bit of nastiness with alliterative flair.  However, I really 
do think that even a young Sirius or James would have taken issue 
with a young Snape, if he was perceived as trying to gain favor with 
anyone in a position of authority/power by whining about what other 
people have done to him.  Which is pretty much the situation Sirius 
described when talking about "the prank."

>From what list members are saying on this topic, the debate seems to 
be coming down to how we as individuals interpret the word snivel.  A 
sniveling person, to me, rings of `cowardly whiner.'  Thinking about 
it from a kid's perspective, what is cowardly?  Looking to older 
people resolve conflict instead of handling it peer to peer, comes to 
mind first for me.  This speaks to some bullying issues.  Often kids 
are afraid to tell their stories because, they fear being seen 
as "goody-goodies" or "suck -ups" for ratting other kids out, even if 
they have legitimate reason to fear for their safety.  That is why I 
can get behind sniveling implying obsequiousness in a child's sphere 
of power.  

Often kids, who do speak up about what is happening to them away from 
authoritative eyes, are then ostracized for having the potential 
to "unnecessarily" involve people with more authority/power in their 
conflicts.  They end up being targeted again.  The sentiment 
is, "I'll get you when so-and-so is not around.  Go whining to so-and-
so if you want, but I'll be waiting."  Often it seems to me that the 
child on the attack feels almost righteous when making some version 
of this threat.  In their schoolyard power structure, it is disloyal 
and cringing to go the upper echelons to handle what they perceive as 
peer issues. Everyone should learn to handle his or her business. 

For me, in the adult world, there are many distortions here.  
However, I remember seeing this dynamic many times as a child, and 
unfortunately have seen it quite regularly working with kids as an 
adult.  I'm convinced that in the case of Sirius/James and 
Snape, 'lapdog' is the extension of 'Snivellus' into the adult 
world.  After all, Sirius was never really able to let go of the 
past.   There are plenty of other good interpretations happening on 
the list, but this one rings most true to me.  Now JKR, or a fellow 
list member, might blow this out water...but that is the risk of 
airing strong a strong opinion :-)