Snape and Piton (was Re: New member, HBP comments

[lagattalucianese]

No: HPFGUIDX 144010

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "=Matteo=" <eragon04 at a...> 
wrote:
>
> Hi!! I've just realized that I wrote Piton instead of Snape... 
sorry, 
> it's the habit!!!! ;-P Anyway, yeah Piton is the Italian 
translation of 
> Snape and his first name is the same, Severus.
> The surname "Piton" gives the same idea of "Snape"; in fact as 
Snape is 
> similar to "snake", "Piton" is similar to "pitone" which is a 
> particular kind of snake.
> I hope to have answered correctly to your request and if you have 
any 
> possible question about the Italian versions of the books, don't 
> hesitate to ask me for it.
> 
> Good evening (here in Italy it's 9.20pm)
> Anyway bye bye
> 
> =Matteo=
>
Hi, Matteo! Whereabouts in Italy are you? I minored in Italian back 
in my misspent youth, so I could go to the Stanford-in-Italy campus 
in Florence. That is still one of my favorite cities on earth.

"Pitone" in Italian is "python" in English. I wonder if JKR had any 
say in the choice of characters' names in the non-English editions. 
The python, interestingly, is a *non-poisonous* snake, and (putting 
on my Classicist hat now) it also had some positive associations with 
the ancient Greek and Roman gods. For example, it is one of the 
attributes of Pallas Athena, and appears either on her shield or 
coiled at her feet. Athene, a prehellenic goddess before Hellenic 
Zeus demoted her to the status of daughter, seems to have had a 
strong association with snakes, probably in her manifestation as a 
goddess of prophecy; in addition to her python, she wears a goatskin 
cape called the Aegis, trimmed with a fringe of serpents. Apollo's 
oracular priestesses at Delphi were also referred to as Pythonesses.

Are you familiar with this wonderful Italian Web site dedicated to 
Snape:

   http://www.forla.net/severus/

Benvenuto, Matteo!

--La Gatta