The Things You Can Find (Was Re: Homorphus / Goats / Helga's Cup / Hit man)

[Goddlefrood]

No: HPFGUIDX 166973

A Small Diversion

> Catlady in:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/165936

> I agree that the Homorphus Charm is real, because Lockhart 
stole his exploits, not invented them. I don't agree that the 
Homorphus Charm is a cure for lycanthropism, because if it were, 
someone would have tried it on Lupin by now, either his parents, 
who 'tried everything' or his clever friends who became Animagi 
for his sake.

> Carol in:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/165957

> Exactly. And the name of the charm supports this 
interpretation: Homorphus = homo (Latin for man or human being) 
plus morphus (pseudo-Latin from the Greek morphe, change or 
transform)

> Goddlefrood of the near past in:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/166481

> Perhaps the Homorphus Charm was only known to the wizard 
whose memory Gilderoy must have obliviated.

(SNIP)

> We also know from HBP that Lupin (at work but I apprehend 
during "A Very Frosty Christmas" chapter) that Greyback himself 
created Remus as a werewolf due to Lupin's parents upsetting 
either Fenrir himself or LV. 

> It would please this writer greatly if Remus were to somehow
meet this wonder man with his memory restored and be himslef
cured of his lycanthropy.

Goddlefrood Now:

Well, sidetracked again :-<, but this time in a good cause and
ultimately to all our benefites, I hope.  Catlady's post I 
took as an invitation to dig for clues :)

Her referral earlier today (for me) led me to take a closer
look at the etymology of Homorphus in a little depth. I enjoyed
it, and here I now present my evidence:

(i) Based on Carol

Suspect Homo + Morphus (mixed Latin and Greek etymology)

Morphe, meaning apoproximately in English change or transform.
It is the root of Morpheus, noun: Morpheus - morfeeus, the
Greek god of dreams. Some information on him here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morpheus_%28mythology%29

My interpreatation would be that it then translates to a
dream, and was never real. This I do not like, as indicated
in the snippets from my previous above :). I could not
commend this etymology as outlined above to you.

(ii) My first suspect

Homorphus - Home office (pronounced orfice). This would be the
way HRH Queen Elizabeth II might pronounce this, and if that
is the case then it is a pun in the manner of Knockturn
Alley, Diagon Alley, and Golpalott's (gulp a lot). This is
just a little fun, and would have no real significance if
correct :)

(iii) My second suspect

Most similarly spelt real word

Definitions homomorphous adj:

Similar in form, especially if different otherwise.

With reasonably straightforward extrapolations to be made.

(iv) My third and favourite suspect

"acardius (acar·di·us) (?-kahr´de-us) [a-1 + cardia]  an 
imperfectly formed free twin fetus, lacking a heart and 
invariably lacking other body parts as well; called also 
fetus acardiacus.

a. ace´phalus  holoacardius acephalus. 

a. acor´mus  holoacardius acormus. 

a. amor´phus  holoacardius amorphus. 

a. an´ceps  hemiacardius."

Extracted from:

http://www.mercksource.com/pp/us/cns/cns_hl_dorlands.jspzQzpgzEzzSzppd
ocszSzuszSzcommonzSzdorlandszSzdorlandzSzdmd_a_05zPzhtm#12103691

(Probably need to paste this one into browser to get
to it, for those interested :))

The bit that really got me was the word twin. Another
little tortuous route to a clue. Remus the twin of
Romulus is cured by the Homorphus charm :) that is . It 
is an outcome, as I stated before, that would please me 
greatly, rather like Remus do I :). Of course it may
also suggest that Remus has no heart for the fight, but
I, for one, would not agree with that ;).

Note that amorphus sounds like Homorphus :)

Goddlefrood, whose date for this post is 1612, the year 
of a Goblin rebellion as noted in PoA Chapter Five - The
Dementor. It is also the year in which the Pendle witches 
were tried in Lancashire for, surprisingly, practising
witchcraft, one of those on trial was Alice Nutter,
crazy name, crazy gal :)