'Merope' wasRe: The House of Gaunt

[Karen Barker]

No: HPFGUIDX 134410

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Dave Hardenbrook > 
> -- Does anyone have any insight into the name "Merope"?  There seem 
to
>    be several of them in the Classical Mythology Phonebook.  The most
>    likely seems to be the Merope who is one of the Seven Sisters of
>    the Pleiades, but she seems not to have married a Muggle or given
>    birth to a psychotic manaic.

She did however marry a mortal.  She was the only one of the seven 
sisters who did not marry a God and she was ashamed and repented of it 
and hid herself in the sky (ie the star named after her does not shine 
brightly like the other seven sisters).  I've just googled the name 
and found the following which I found very interesting:  The 
astronomical influences of the Pleiades are supposed to be to  make 
their natives wanton, ambitious, turbulent, optimistic and peaceful; 
to give many journeys and voyages, success in agriculture and through 
active intelligence; and to cause blindness, disgrace and a violent 
death. Their influence is distinctly evil.

Karen