Why Latin For magic? (was: Identifying with Muggles in Potterver se - Humanities)

[Kenneth Clark]

No: HPFGUIDX 158245


> > James Muses:
> > I've always pondered why a lot of the magic seems to be Latin
> > in origin. There are definitely hints that wizards existed
> > before Latin, so why Latin?
> >
> > (snip) I believe wizards could in theory use any language
> > for spell craft, Latin is useful and common for spell craft
> > exactly because it's a dead language that nobody speaks.
>
>
> Tonks:
> <snip> But I think the reason has to do with the fact that like
> English today, in the past Latin was the universal language.


Kenneth asks:

But how does magic "know" that a certain Latin phrase means a
specific magical event/spell?  Spells are being created all the
time - viz. Snape's Septumsempra - so however he created that
spell and its magical effect, how does "magic" remember this so
that when someone else, somewhere else, years later (like Harry
does after reading the book), says the latin word(s)these word(s)
produce the magical effect?  Does this mean that magic is
conscious?  How else could it remember that a certain combination
of words uttered by a wizard produces a certain magical effect.
It must also be omnipresent since the memory is not restricted to
a specific location time or spell sayer.  Almost Taoist.