CHAPDISC: DH, EPILOGUE

[marionrosnl]

No: HPFGUIDX 185373

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "a_svirn" <a_svirn at ...> wrote:
>
> > > 6. What is JKR suggesting by naming Draco's son Scorpius?
> > 
> > Potioncat:
> > I thought it was simply continuing the constellation tradition.
> > 
> a_svirn:
> I don't think it is quite that simple. Regulus was somewhat of a 
> control-freak and fond of order and regulations, Sirius was a big 
black 
> dog. I'll bet little Scorpius is a little venomous too. 
> a_svirn
>



Marion:

'Regulus' is latin and means 'prince' or 'litle king' and is the 
latin word for 'basilisk' (which is greek, the greek word for 'king' 
being 'basileus'). It has therefore little to do with 'regulations', 
and, since JKR showed us little of Regulus beyond a young boy being 
fascinated by a younger, handsome and smoothtalking Voldemort and 
later falling out of fascination when finding out that Voldemort was 
not what he claimed he was, the idea that he was fond of order and 
regulations would, imo, be a bit of projection. 

It's the nazi thing, I suppose? The whole idea that nazis are 
German, and Germans have had a reputation for at least a century 
before WWII for being sticklers for order and regulations (German 
nannies being praised as being the best etc). Of course, *Hitler* 
loved regulations, and Germany under nazi regime was highly 
regulated, but this was because nazism has contempt for 'the people' 
and regulations makes them easier to control.

Boys like Regulus would feel attracted to the glorious mythical side 
of fascism, which nazism used. Which is rather weird, because of all 
four Houses, the one House whose characteristics would suit fascism 
would be Gryffindor, with their 'act first, think later', 'to die 
for the Cause it the only way to be a Hero', 'Dumbledore is always 
right, long live our Glorious Leader', 'violence solves 
everything', 'Viva La Muerta' attitude. I'm reminded off Umberto 
Eco's essay about the 14 points of fascism:

3. Irrationalism also depends on the cult of action for action's 
sake.
Action being beautiful in itself, it must be taken before, or 
without, reflection. Thinking is a form of emasculation. 

4. The critical spirit makes distinctions, and to distinguish is a 
sign of modernism.
In modern culture the scientific community praises disagreement as a 
way to improve knowledge. For Ur-Fascism, disagreement is treason.

9. For Ur-Fascism there is no struggle for life but, rather, life is 
lived for struggle.

11. In such a perspective everybody is educated to become a hero.
In every mythology the hero is an exceptional being, but in Ur-
Fascist ideology heroism is the norm. This cult of heroism is 
strictly linked with the cult of death. It is not by chance that a 
motto of the Spanish Falangists was Viva la Muerte ("Long Live 
Death!"). In nonfascist societies, the lay public is told that death 
is unpleasant but must be faced with dignity; believers are told 
that it is the painful way to reach a supernatural happiness. By 
contrast, the Ur-Fascist hero craves heroic death, advertised as the 
best reward for a heroic life. The Ur-Fascist hero is impatient to 
die. In his impatience, he more frequently sends other people to 
death.

end quote

for those who want to read all 14 points:
http://www.themodernword.com/eco/eco_blackshirt.html

Anyway, back to Regulus' name; I think it's obvious that he is 
indeed named for the constellation of the Snake. His name 
means 'basilisk', a creature, we are told, who was the pet of 
Salazar Slytherin. He is therefore the ultimate Slytherin, and I 
have no doubt that JKR named him so to show that he was indeed the 
true Slytherin of the family (not a compliment, in JKR's eyes), 
the 'little prince' of the Black family.