Etymology of Homorphus Charm (Was: The Things You Can Find)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 166991

Carol earlier:
> > Mea culpa. 
> 
> Goddlefrood:
> 
> Indeed, mens rea etc, established ;)

Carol again:
Hmph. Do I dare quote Henry VI, Part 2: "The first thing we do, let's
kill all the lawyers"? <joking. My sister is a lawyer and I love her
dearly. But mens rea, indeed!>
> 
Carol earlier:
> 
> > I'll try again.
> 
> Goddlefrood:
> 
> Do go on, you interest me strangely :)

Carol again:
Not sure why; we seldom agree.
> 
Goddlefrood:
> (SNIP) Latin / Greek bits (in many ways ;))

Carol:
The Latin and Greek bits (see upthread) are central to my point, which
is that "Homorphus" means (according to my reading, which I prefer to
yours) "human form." *If* I'm correct, the spell that Lupin and
Pettigrew use to restore Pettigrew to *human form* is very likely to
be the Homorphus Charm.
> 
As I said earlier:
> > At any rate, we see what the Homorphus Charm (if it's the same
spell, and, admittedly, we can't be sure) does to Peter Pettigrew. It
forces him to return to his human form. 
> 
> Goddlefrood:
> 
> If the Homorphus charm were as easy as you make out, can it 
> honestly be believed that Lupin, or any other werewolf would 
> remain one?

Carol:
I addressed this point (as did Catlady earlier) in a snipped portion
of the post you're quoting. Here it is again (see especially the
italicized line):

> > I deduce that the same spell performed on a werewolf would also
change him to his human form, but temporarily. As Catlady says in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/165957
the spell can't be a cure for lycanthropy. If it were, Lupin would not
have had to resort to Snape-made Wolfsbane Potion in PoA. *I suspect
that the transformation to human form in the case of a werewolf is
fleeting because the influence of the full moon is stronger than the
influence of the spell, which would last (as Catlady says) just long
enough for the villagers to identify the werewolf.*
> 
Goddlefrood:
> The spell cast in the Shrieking Shack to reveal Peter was, in my
very humble opinion, unrelated in any way to the Homorphus charm.

Carol:
The etymology, homo = man and morph = form, suggests otherwise.

Goddlefrood:
 It is a not unreasonable conclusion to make that the *only* person
aware of this charm was the poor wizard whose memory of it had been
obliviated by Gilderoy Lockhart. He or she should be found
immediately! Cure the werewolves if possible, take them out of play!

Carol responds:
The person whose memory was Obliviated can't be the only person aware
of it. If it's permanent, the werewolf himself and the villagers would
know (assuming that Lockhart didn't invent the whole story, and canon
suggests that he didn't). Moreover, Lockhart's books, including
"wandering with Werewolves," are highly popular and widely read. And
even if Harry and Ron never read their books for Lockhart's class,
Hermione did (canon available on request). she would know what the
Homorphus Charm did, and if it were a cure for lycanthropy, she would
certainly have informed Lupin when he and she were both at 12 GP.
Besides, DADA is Lupin's area of expertise. If a charm existed that
would transform a werewolf permanently, he would know about it. (He
certainly knows about the spell to transform an Animagus from animal
form to human form since he used it himself; I think it's the same
spell, and that he knows it won't work on him, at least not for more
than an instant. IMO, it's only useful for identifying the werewolf,
not for curing him.)

As for taking werewolves "out of play," providing them all with
Wolfsbane Potion as a public service would serve the same purpose--not
a cure, admittedly, but it renders them peaceful and harmless.
> 
Goddlefrood:
> (iv) In my previous is commended as preferred etymology, but 
> thank you, Carol, for acknowledging the value of research :). 
> Perhaps Catlady on her next visit could decide which 
> interpretation she likes best ;)

Carol:
"Preferred" in the sense that you prefer it. I prefer mine, which
makes mine the "preferred etymology" from my perspective. It remains
to be seen what other people think, assuming that hey're interested in
etymology at all. Catlady or anyone else is, of course, welcome to
join in the debate. 

As for the value of research, believe me, I know that already, having
spent more than a year writing a 600-plus page doctoral dissertation
(and many other research papers during my career as a graduate
student). My average post is probably three times the length of the
average poster's, much of that length being quotations from canon or
other sources. The problem for all of us is that research is very
time-consuming, and it's a whole lot easier to work from memory. If we
forget a detail, such as DD's presence in the photograph of the old
Order <wink>, someone on the list is sure to point out the oversight
or blunder.

Carol, wondering if everyone caught the April Fool's post on Mugglenet
in which we discover, among other revelations, that Snape is
Aberforth's long-lost love child

http://www.mugglenet.com/app/news/full_story/760