# Harry Potter: Let's Talk Names **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 7, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740 "2003-07-07T10:38:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/21 "2003-07-08T21:01:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mulletsunite \* > \*\* > and does anybody have any idea what the significance of prof. sinistra is? she (i think it’s a she…the names sounds almost like a feminine counterpart to severus snape) appears several times, sitting at the teacher’s table in the great hall, but what does she/he teach? \*\* Astronomy, I think. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/22 "2003-07-08T23:16:52Z")
What about Kreacher? It _is_ supposed to be said the same as c-r-e-a-t-u-r-e right? Right?? It’s fitting, given he is a “strange creature” after all. ---
**Author:** ![mulletsunite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mulletsunite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mulletsunite)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/23 "2003-07-08T23:24:29Z")
apart from the names…has anybody noticed that hermione’s parents are NEVER around? we see them briefly, buying her school things, and we know that they are muggles and dentists…but she hardly ever goes to visit them, spending most of her summers and other holidays with harry and ron - you would think they’d want their daughter around more, especially when i get the implication that she is their only one, as she never mentions brothers or sisters also, i just read that Hermione (the mythological figure) was the daughter of King Menelaus (sp?) of Sparta and Helen of Troy - she is nine years old when Helen runs off with Paris weird… ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/24 "2003-07-08T23:46:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MEBuckner \* > \*\*To expand on what **Wumpus** and **Balance** have already posted, the [witenagemot](http://www.bartleby.com/61/15/W0191500.html) was > > A [gemot](http://www.bartleby.com/61/49/G0074900.html) was a council, the witenagemot was the Supreme National Council of the kingdom, and Rowling is probably alluding to that with her “Wizengamot”. (Also, she’s an English writer; the English, even English schoolkids, might be expected to be more familiar with the allusion. Fortunately, they refrained from pulling any “Sorceror’s Stone”-style changes to the “Wizard Congress” or anything like that.) \*\* I knew there was something… thanks for that, **MEBuckner**! Also, thanks to **Katisha** for the right pronunciation… “wiz-en-ya-mote” rolls off the tongue surprisingly well, I’ll have to use it when I read it aloud tonight. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Quack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e99b99/32.png) [@Quack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quack)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/25 "2003-07-09T01:18:30Z")
Crabbe and Goyle. Grabbe and Coyle. The two main actions of a snake. **Earl of the CC** gave me that one. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/26 "2003-07-10T10:14:38Z")
Just for the sake of completeness lets mention Professor Sprout teaching Herbology. Not especially witty or creative, but follows the tradition of informative names. ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/27 "2003-07-10T10:55:54Z")
Peeves the Poltergeist is another character with an apt name. I quite like Grimmauld Place, too, as it surely is a Grim Old Place. Nymphadora Tonks - her prospects look interesting, if her name is anything to go by. Cornelius Fudge is well named, as he willfully misinforms and bends the rules to his own agenda. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/28 "2003-07-10T11:13:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by curly chick \* > \*\*Nymphadora Tonks - her prospects look interesting, if her name is anything to go by. > \*\* Actually, Nymphodora is a saint (I don’t remember if I originally saw this here or on an e-mail list I’m on), along with her sisters [Menodora and Metrodora](http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5085). ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/29 "2003-07-10T11:19:34Z")
Can someone tell me who St Mungo was? When I first read the reference, I thought that she’d just made up a strange sounding name, (silly manx…) but I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that St Mungo was the nickname of another Saint. I’m guessing that he had something to do with healing or illness, but other than that I’m lost ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/30 "2003-07-10T11:35:13Z")
[ahh, google](http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/plaza/aaj50/mungo.htm) St Mungo, for those of you who are interested, was an seventh centuary bishop, who founded Glasgow, and was aparently related to King Arthur. So there you go. St Mungo’s is also a London-based organisation that offers aid to the homeless, among other things. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/31 "2003-07-10T11:35:28Z")
Well, I was doing some poking around, and there’s [St. Mungos](http://www.mungos.org/) in London - it’s a center for homeless folk. Aha! I found something: [St. Mungo](http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/plaza/aaj50/mungo.htm), but his proper name is apparently Kentigern. He is (according to that second link) the founder and patron of Glasgow. ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/32 "2003-07-10T11:38:09Z")
Thanks **Lsura**. Guess I should actually look around, before I ask, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/33 "2003-07-10T12:53:48Z")
Looks like Rowling has gotten a dictionary of saints to go along with her dictionary of plant names! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/34 "2003-07-10T15:20:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Apollyon \* > \*\*Seems probable, _foi_ being anglicized to “foy”, alternatively, the “foy” could be an abbreviated form of _foyer_ (foy-eh), meaning “hearth”, giving (broadly speaking) a name of “Bad-home”. \*\* I don’t know any Old French, but I was wondering if “foi” might also be an archaic form of the verb “faire” - to make. “Badly made” for that lineage-obsessed family would be an evern more delicious pun… ---
**Author:** ![Tir\_Tinuviel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tir\_Tinuviel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tir_Tinuviel)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/35 "2003-07-10T16:14:28Z")
A lot of the spell names are based on Latin… I’ll go look a few of them up later. (The boards are slow posting for me anyways at the moment.) Off the top of my head… **Severus Snape** Severus is latin for “Grumpy”. Snape could be snake or snipe, either would fit quite well. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/36 "2003-07-10T16:23:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tir Tinuviel \* > \*\* > Snape could be snake or snipe, either would fit quite well. > > 🙂 \*\* I can see “snake” and “slytherrin” (sp), but hw does snipe fit? ---
**Author:** ![Tir\_Tinuviel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tir\_Tinuviel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tir_Tinuviel)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/37 "2003-07-10T18:42:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by carnivorousplant \* > \*\*I can see “snake” and “slytherrin” (sp), but hw does snipe fit? \*\* Cos he’s always _sniping_ at Harry… 😉 anyways, I found this - [The Harry Potter Lexicon](http://www.hp-lexicon.org/). It has a dictionary of all the spells and their grammatical roots. Most are based on Latin, but there’s also some Persian in there: eg: > [@](#): > > Avada Kedavra (uh-VAH-duh kuh-DAH-vruh ) > > “Killing Curse” > > Aramaic: “adhadda kedhabhra” - “let the thing be destroyed”. > NOTE: Abracadabra is a cabbalistic charm in Judaic mythology that is supposed to bring healing powers. One of its sources is believed to be from Aramaic avada kedavra, another is the Phoenician alphabet (a-bra-ca-dabra). Also some bits and pieces from Hawaiian, Old/Middle English/French, and no doubt a few others too! She’s does some research has our bird! 😃 It’s quite a nice site that one, don’t be put off by the cluttered home page. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tir\_Tinuviel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tir\_Tinuviel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tir_Tinuviel)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/38 "2003-07-10T18:53:08Z")
sorry, not persian, aramaic :smack: (Persian came from Aramaic though, right?) Anyways, there is some persian in there too. Also should snipe become sniping or snipping? I am confusing myself today… ---
**Author:** ![jessicala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@jessicala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jessicala)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740/39 "2003-07-10T20:08:31Z")
Listening to the audio books is interesting for me because I don’t always mentally pronounce words when I’m reading. She has a lot of homophone puns. Some of the ones that struck me for the first time on hearing the books were: Diagon Ally Floo (flue) powder Kreecher (creature) Grimauld (grim old) Place Also, I like Rita Skeeter’s name, because (Book 4 spoiler) she is an animagus who can turn into a bug (skeeter/mosquito) - quite a pest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-lets-talk-names/186740.md?page=1)