Why Half-Blood Prince? was: Snape's Parents

[clio44a]

No: HPFGUIDX 133549

> >---- 
> Kathryn Jones wrote:  
> <snip> The similarities between
> Harry, Voldemort and Snape have been increasing throughout the
books.
> 
> 
> 
> Mangochee:
> But isn't it interesting that Snape chose a name for himself that 
> highlights his not so perfect lineage? Voldemort would never
imagine 
> calling himself "half-blood" even just to himself. Snape naming 
> himself "Half-Blood Prince" is very intriguing to me.


You are right, Mangochee. 
Although Half-Blood Prince sounds a bit like those megalomanic mystery
names (Voldemort, Superman ...), if you know the background, it is
becomes almost comic. Like someone having a laugh about himself and
his own (dysfunctional?)family. Someone who doesn't take himself very
seriously. I find it a bit difficult to picture Snape as that person,
because it seems to be his goal in life to be respected and feared.
The Half-Blood Prince name seems to be completely out of character for
Snape.

What kind of person would write such a silly name in a school
textbook, anyways? Snape must have known that the marauders would have
had a field day if they discovered that nickname. And yet we are to
believe that Lupin knew noone of that name.

If it wasn't for Snape's cheesy line in 'The Flight of the Prince' 
('... I, the Half-Blood Prince ...') I would have written the name off
as a cynical teenager's idea of a stupid joke about his family.

Is there maybe something very special about the Prince family, that we
don't know about yet? Like speaking Parseltongue or owning the biggest
race broom factory in England? From what we know of the Snape family
home-life and financial status I just can't imagine the future Death
Eater Snape to be overly proud of his mother or his ancestry in
general.   


And yet...
... there is something eerie about the name. It fits Snape, the
trusted adviser of Voldemort, second in command. The dark Prince to
the dark Lord. Is Snape Tom Riddle of his generation, successor to
Voldemort, who took over the arch-villaindom from Grindelwald? I, too,
think that the similarities between Harry, Riddle and Snape are no
coincedence. But what are we supposed to think about it? 

Clio