Accidental Harrycrux : another question

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 155353

Luna wrote:
> > And BTW, have anyone given a thought to the word Horcrux?
> > Crux is the latin word for cross...
> > What are the implications of the word cross being part of this term?
> 
Felix responded: 
> I actually thought of 'cross' at first, and it's entirely possible 
> that that may be the implication, as it's the most obvious. After 
> thinking about it, though, I thought of  few other possibilities- In 
> Afrikaans, a 'kruk' is something used as support, or possibly as 
> backup. It's usually used to indicate something that someone relies 
> heavily on, sometimes too much. It might be a bit of a stretch, but 
> as I was reading it for the first time, this was actually what it 
> struck me as sounding like, or what the _concept_ sounded like. I 
> know that many times with the names of some of the spells, they seem 
> to make some kind of sense, even when I can't exactly remember the 
> word the spell is reminding me of, but I just know that it fits-
>  "lumos" reminds me illuminate, (I'm quite aware of the latin 
> influences) but even though I couldn't immediately remember which 
> word it sounded like, I knew I understood her reasoning. It was the 
> same feeling with "horcrux" and the Afrikaans word "kruk". I'm quite 
> sure that seeing as how Afrikaans is a relatively young language, and 
> I know it borrows heavily from other more traditional languages, that 
> the word "kruk" is not exclusive to Afrikaans, and that it could have 
> relation to "horcrux". The other thing I thought of was that "crux" 
> also indicates "the heart of the matter" or "core"- could there 
> possibly be something in that? Of course, "crux" could quite simply 
> be a reference to "cross", in which case it simply indicates the 
> presence of death.

Carol responds:
While that's an interesting idea, I think it's unlikely that JKR would
resort to a language other than (faux) Latin, which she uses for most
of the spells in her books, for a concept as crucial as a Horcrux.
Also, if she wanted to suggest a prop or support, why not make it
"Horcrutch," which would at least involve a recognizable English root?

However, given JKR's Christianity and her use of Latin adaptations
throughout the books, I think "crux" (cross) is the probable root, in
combination with "hor(ror)" (also Latin, with a self-evident meaning).
I've explored these ideas in more detail in message 153862:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/153862

You can work up and down thread for more ideas on the subject. It
might also be profitable to use our newly revamped search engine with
"horcrux etymology" (no quotes) as your search terms.

I don't think it's coincidence that "Crucio" and "Cruciatus" relate to
torture, as does "crucify," which derives from "crux." In fact,
"crucio" and "cruciatus" are actual Latin words, which likewise derive
from "crux": 

crux crucis f. [a cross]; hence [torment, trouble]
cruciatus -us m. [torture, torment].
crucio -are [to torture, torment].

Maybe there's a conceptual link between the Cruciatus Curse and
Horcruxes, if only in terms of the sheer horror JKR is trying to inspire. 

But, of course, a crux is also a puzzle, and she's certainly set us a
puzzle with the etymology of "Horcrux."

Carol, who thinks that a Horcrux (for JKR) is a sort of "anticross" in
the sense that it represents earthbound immortality in contrast to
eternal life (see her comments on yew wood vs. holly wood in the Wands
section of her website)