"You Know Who" (was Re: Ginny and the unicorn tapestry)

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 187387

Mark wrote:
> > In the Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview part 2 [1], Rowling says that one inspiration for this was the Kray twins.
> >
> > "On a more prosaic note, in the 1950s in London there
> were a pair of gangsters called the Kray Twins. The story
> goes that people didn't speak the name Kray. You just
> didn't mention it. You didn't talk about them, because
> retribution was so brutal and bloody. I think this is an
> impressive demonstration of strength, that you can convince
> someone not to use your name. Impressive in the sense that
> demonstrates how deep the level of fear is that you can
> inspire. It's not something to be admired."
> [1] http://tinyurl.com/lqhu3o

> 
> Frank D:
> 
> The concept of absit nomen, ansit omen (banish the name and the associations attached to it go away with it) goes back a much longer way.
>
Carol adds:

I agree. I think the concept behind "He Who Must Not Be Named" is a variation on "speak (talk) of the devil and he'll appear." 

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/speak-of-the-devil.html

The same idea may have been behind the prohibition on the name Kray--who knows? However, JKR may have specifically named the Kray brothers to indicate that the fear of Voldemort's name was not mere superstition like "talk of the devil," which even wizards use lightly--Ludo Bagman uses it in GoF (Am. ed. 90) in reference to Barty Crouch, Sr. I suspect that the DEs started using "the Dark Lord" rather than Voldemort when he wanted to make them fear him. Maybe he tortured them for using it. (Snape's Dark Mark seems to hurt when Harry uses the name, which suggests that if he uses it himself, Voldemort will know. And, certainly, if using that name is an indication that you're a DD supporter, Snape wouldn't want to speak it.)

As for ordinary citizens, they must have stopped speaking it for similar reasons. Maybe DEs tortured them for saying it and they began, with good reason, to fear the consequences. From there, the fear would become contagious, akin to "speak of the Devil." And, of course, in DH, LV takes advantage of the superstition to magically detect anyone who speaks his name. Ron's warnings not to say the name finally have a basis in WW reality.

At any rate, the Kray twins appear to be a "prosaic" afterthought in JKR's response. Here's the rest of it:

"ES: What prompted people to start referring to Voldemort as You-Know-Who and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?

"JKR: It happens many times in history - well, you'll know this because you're that kind of people, but for those who don't, having a taboo on a name is quite common in certain civilizations. In Africa there are tribes where the name is never used. Your name is a sacred part of yourself and you are referred to as the son of so-and-so, the brother of so-and-so, and you're given these pseudonyms, because your name is something that can be used magically against you if it's known. It's like a part of your soul. That's a powerful taboo in many cultures and across many folklores. <snip Kray twins portion of the quote>"

Personally, I don't think that readers need to look at African cultures (or the Kray twins) for an explanation. "Speak/talk of the devil and he'll appear" is part of English (and, by extension, American) folklore. (Contrast LOTR, in which words really do have that kind of power, and no wand is needed for an incantation to be effective.)

BTW, even today many people use euphemisms for things they're afraid or embarrassed to name, including "pass away" for "die" or "mentally challenged" for "retarded," which is itself a euphemism. It's just human nature, I suppose.

I still think that the specific euphemism "He who must not be named" has some connection with "She who must be obeyed," whereas "the Dark Lord" (which rather suggests Sauron) seems intended by the DEs to suggest dangerous dark powers ("Dark wizard" plus "Lord Voldemort") and "You Know Who" is short but rather silly. Snape wouldn't be caught dead saying it, but it's convenient shorthand as a way to speak casually of LV as if he were an eccentric neighbor like Mrs. Figg--certainly, as the Weasley Twins' "U-No-Poo" suggests, the euphemism isn't remotely frightening. It's rather like my parents referring to me (back in the Dark Ages when I was about three) as "Little C."

Carol, who finds the concept understandable but irritatingly overplayed in the earlier books