Prophesies Re: Who calls Voldemort "Lord"

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 149748

Ceridwen wrote:
<snip stuff on Trelawney>
> As for calling LV the 'Dark Lord', he *is* a Dark Lord.  At the
time, he is the only Dark Lord in operation.  It's more of a formal
designation despite who uses it.  It isn't his name, any more than
'God' is the true name of God.  <snip>

Carol responds:
I agree. (I always think of Sauron, the Dark Lord in LOTR, when this
term is used.) I don't think Trance!Trelawney (for lack of a better
name) has any control over the designation used in the Prophecies;
"Dark Lord" is generic and mysterious and fits the harsh voice (not
Sibyll's own) that speaks through her.

Almost everyone except Dumbledore (who calls Voldemort "Tom" to his
face and uses the assumed name "Voldemort" in the third person) and
Harry and eventually Hermione uses some sort of label or euphemism to
avoid saying "Voldemort." "He Who Must Not Be Named" (shades of Rider
Haggard's "She") is long, awkward, and pompous, suitable only for an
occasional article in the Daily Prophet. "You Know Who" is short but
timid, and is used by those who have been taught to cringe when they
hear the name. The Twins, sensing that this particular euphemism is
silly, ridicule it (and LV himself) with "You Know Poo." The Death
Eaters, in general, tend to use "the Dark Lord," which is also short
but dignified rather than timid. It makes their self-appointed "lord"
sound sinister, dangerous, and powerful--worthy, in their view, of
being followed. 

Snape, who has kept his connections with the Death Eaters even after
(apparently) changing sides, carefully retains his habit of calling LV
the Dark Lord, not wanting them or their children, whose HOH he is, to
suspect his change of allegiance. (As an aside, surely there are more
than four children of DEs in Hogwarts and surely they're not all in
Harry's class. that seems too big a coincidence to me.) It seems, too,
that the name "Voldemort" causes Snape's Dark Mark to hurt him. I
don't see any sign of a similar reaction by the DEs in the MoM when
Harry speaks the name "Voldemort" (OoP Am. ed. 784). Bellatrix is
outraged and some of the DEs hiss indignantly, but neither none of
them grabs his or her left forearm as Snape does in the first
Occlumency lesson when Harry speaks the name. Snape hisses (okay,
"spits") at Harry, "*Do not speak the Dark Lord's name!*" and absently
rubs his arm as if it hurts him (OoP 532). I've mentioned this gesture
of his repeatedly, to no avail, but I think his Dark Mark senses his
disloyalty to its master when he hears the name (or when his loyalty
is challenged by Crouch!Moody under cover of detesting DEs in
general), and the last thing he wants is for this disloyalty to be
revealed during Occlumency lessons. It's not a matter of calling
Voldemort the Dark Lord because he's still a DE; it's a matter of
concealing his true loyalties (and protecting himself from pain).

Ceridwen:
>  A Sybil was the priestess/prophet of Apollo at the temple at
Delphi, and was a designation that has become a name. <snip>
> 

Carol:
Right. "The god" (Apollo) was speaking through the Sybils, just as
someone or something is speaking through Trelawney about events that
*may* happen if the persons involved encounter one another in
particular circumstances. (I'm reminded of Galadriel's Mirror, which
showed events that often "came to pass" only when the quester (or
questioner?) turned back to prevent them from happening--and, of
course, of instances in which acting to thwart a prophecy--or to make
it come true--leads to disaster for the person making the attempt,
whether it's Oedipus's parents or Macbeth or the historical king who
was told that he would destroy a mighty army that he didn't realize
was his own.) We don't know whose voice is speaking to Trelawney, but
it's impersonal, like the warnings of impending doom (war? violence?
bloodshed?) that the Centaurs see in the planets ("Mars is bright
tonight"). But, IMO, the use of the term "Dark Lord" in the two
prophecies is not a reflection of pro-Voldemort sympathies on
Trelawney's part or on the part of the voice that speaks through her.

BTW, someone expressed concern that Trelawney was a Cornish name. I
don't think that has any particular significance considering JKR's
obvious dislike of prejudice of any kind. Maybe there's some sort of
Cornish connection with Seers, though?

Carol, for whom Trelawney is the adventurer who removed the dead Lord
Byron's silk stockings to see the extent of the deformity of the
poet's club foot (or feet)