# I got my Ancient Greek version of Harry Potter! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 21, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158 "2005-06-21T03:33:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/1 "2005-06-21T03:33:22Z")
As discussed in [this previous thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=319126&highlight=harry+potter+ancient+greek) I just went out at lunchtime and picked it up. So now I’m the proud owner of **ΆΡΕΙΟΣ ΠΟΤΗΡ και ή του φιλοσοφου λιθος**. As soon as I finish my exams on Friday I’ll dig out my dictionary and see how much I’m able to read. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/2 "2005-06-21T03:35:38Z")
I have the Latin one. I would get the Greek but, at this point, it’s getting a bit boring to read the same bits again in different languages! If they came out with the Chamber of Secrets in Greek, though… ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/3 "2005-06-21T03:49:08Z")
Grats on the interesting addition to your library! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/4 "2005-06-21T14:29:06Z")
How does the Ancient Greek version differ from the Modern Greek? Can a Modern Greek read Ancient Greek? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/5 "2005-06-21T14:47:57Z")
Cool. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/6 "2005-06-21T15:07:50Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > How does the Ancient Greek version differ from the Modern Greek? Can a Modern Greek read Ancient Greek? Generally speaking: no. I’m approaching ‘decent’ in ancient greek, and while (I think) I can phoenetically read modern greek, I can’t understand it. I want that book… ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/7 "2005-06-21T21:54:40Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > How does the Ancient Greek version differ from the Modern Greek? Can a Modern Greek read Ancient Greek? Not really. I showed the Ancient Greek translation to a Greek-speaking woman in my office yesterday. She could sound out the words (as \*\*NinjaChick \*\* said) and even recognised a few of them too. She couldn’t really understand the text though. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/8 "2005-06-21T22:03:18Z")
Goodness gracious, how many are there of us who can read Greek around here? I had no idea you were learning, **NinjaChick**! An IMHO thread brews in my mind… ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/9 "2005-06-22T01:31:52Z")
I have 3/4 of a degree in Ancient Greek and Latin. At one point, I spoke fairly decent modern Greek, and was good enough in Ancient Greek to get through most of the Iliad. That was 15 years ago, though, and I’ve forgotten just about all the Ancient, and most of the Modern. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/10 "2005-06-22T01:36:20Z")
Very cool! I want to get the Latin version, I’m trying to teach myself Latin and that’s my goal. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/11 "2005-06-22T13:25:48Z")
Kewel!! I took one semester of ancient greek in college [size=-1]mumble-mumble[size] years ago and it nearly did me in - one of two D’s in college - but I remembered enough to figure out which HP book you got. Glad they didn’t change the title to the Americanized version (It’s a _philosopher’s_ stone, dammit). ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/12 "2005-06-22T14:41:59Z")
That is now on my [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) wish list. I did two semester of ancient Greek in college my senior year. With the combination of my Greek text which will give me any constructions I might have forgotten, a dictionary for words I don’t know, and my English (well American) copy of HP: Year One I think I can handle this. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/13 "2005-06-22T15:35:44Z")
By “Ancient Greek” did the translator really try to render Harry Potter in an Attic style? Does it read more like a Hellenistic novel? Or is it just koine? Enquiring minds want to know. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/14 "2005-06-22T15:51:48Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I have 3/4 of a degree in Ancient Greek and Latin. At one point, I spoke fairly decent modern Greek, and was good enough in Ancient Greek to get through most of the Iliad. That was 15 years ago, though, and I’ve forgotten just about all the Ancient, and most of the Modern. I was never that proficient, but my Greek knowledge is gone, too. How do those people who remember a language fifty years later do it? ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/15 "2005-06-22T15:58:21Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I was never that proficient, but my Greek knowledge is gone, too. > > How do those people who remember a language fifty years later do it? I can’t answer for fifty, but I got my degree in classics five years ago and do not work in the field. I practice. ---
**Author:** ![akira5822](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@akira5822](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akira5822)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/16 "2005-06-22T20:36:37Z")
It’s all greek to me. :smack: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/17 "2005-06-23T00:37:22Z")
\ And how many Dopers out there own the Latin translation of Winnie the Pooh? \ ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/18 "2005-06-23T01:43:12Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > \ > > And how many Dopers out there own the Latin translation of Winnie the Pooh? > > \ I have it in Esperanto. Does that count? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/19 "2005-06-23T02:36:37Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > \ > > And how many Dopers out there own the Latin translation of Winnie the Pooh? > > \ No, but I’ve got _The Giving Tree_ and _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_. And _Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis_. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158/20 "2005-06-23T06:52:44Z")
> [@Maeglin](#): > > By “Ancient Greek” did the translator really try to render Harry Potter in an Attic style? Does it read more like a Hellenistic novel? Or is it just koine? I’ve looked at it only briefly so far. I’m preparing for a Taxation Law exam tomorrow morning and I don’t need to be distracted. But from the quick glance I have had, it looks Attic in style. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-my-ancient-greek-version-of-harry-potter/309158.md?page=2)