Etymology of personal names in "Harry Ðotter"

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Etymology of personal names in “Harry Potter”

The sources from which names are derived are almost endless: nicknames, physical attributes, counties, trades, heraldic charges. The power of a name and its value has long been immortalized in prose, poetry, and religious ceremony. People have always wanted to know the meaning of their names and wondered if a name could influence their character and fortune. In our study the names of the main characters of the well-known series of novels about Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling were considered, an attempt was made to clarify how the grouping of several letters of an alphabet, or other symbols represent the personalities of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore.

In our study, we find that Harry is the Middle English form of the name Henry, derived from the Germanic name “Heinrich”, from the words “heim”, meaning “home”, and “ric”, meaning “power, ruler”. It has been a very popular name in the English-speaking world for centuries. Harry can also be a diminutive form of the name Harold, from the Old English name “Hereweald”, meaning “leader of the army”. In an interview J. K. Rowling stated that Harry had always been one of her favourite boy's names [1]. James is derived from the same Hebrew name as Jacob, meaning “holds the heel” (in the Genesis narrative, Jacob was born grasping Esau's heel and later bought his birthright). The name came into the English language from the French variation of the Late Latin name. Also James means “supplanter”. To “supplant” is “to take the place of, or substitute, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics”. Potter is a very common surname of English origin. It traditionally refers to the occupation of making pottery. J. K. Rowling has also commented that she has liked the name since childhood, as a family that had lived near her carried this surname [1]. “Potter's Field” is often the name given to a cemetery where a city or town buries those who have gone unclaimed or unwanted (a community's orphans).

Let us consider the name of Hermione Jean Granger. Hermione means “well-born”, “earthy”, or “stone”. It refers to peony-type flowers. Hermione is the feminine version of Hermes. In Greek mythology, Hermes was often known as the patron saint of high magic (no surprise that Hermione is so gifted). Rowling took Hermione's name from William Shakespeare's “The Winter's Tale”. The character is accused of adultery and dies before the intermission. At the end of the play she is brought out as a statue, and finally returns to life at the very end of the play. Hermione is also the name of a figure from Greek mythology, in which she was a princess of Sparta and daughter of Helen of Troy who was pursued by both Orestes and Neoptolemus, perhaps alluding to the jealousy and rivalry between Ron and Viktor Krum over Hermione. In the will of Albus Dumbledore, Hermione's middle name was listed as Jean; however, in previous interviews, Rowling had stated that her middle name was Jane. Rowling cleared this up in a later interview stating that she had decided that she did not want Hermione to share a middle name with Professor Umbridge, and thus changed it to Jean, which is a female variant of the name John, meaning “God is gracious” [1]. “Granger” is another word for farmer; specifically, it was the title of a farm bailiff, who oversaw the collection of rent and taxes from the barns of a feudal lord. It is a surname of English and French origin, derived from the Anglo-Norman `grainger' and the French `grangier', both of which come from Latin `granica', meaning “granary”. It recalls Hermione's Muggle roots. “Granger” is also the name of a character from the Ray Bradbury's book “Fahrenheit 451”. He is the leader of a group of intellectuals known as “The Book People,” whose goal is the preservation of literature in the face of their government's efforts to burn and destroy all books. Can it be a possible reference to Hermione's fanatical love of books?

Let us now examine the name of Ronald Bilius Weasley. Ronald is the Scottish form of the Scandinavian name “Ragnvald”, which was derived from the Old Norse “Ragnvaldr”, composed of the elements “ragn”, which means “advice”, and “valdr', which means “ruler”. It is a cognate of the name Reginald, which is derived from the Germanic form of the name, “Raginwald”, meaning “the prince's counsellor”. All these names carry the meaning of a person who acts as a trusted advisor to a person in power, much as Ron acted as a friend and confidant to Harry Potter. “Bilius” comes from the word “bile”, as one of the four humours discussed by Ancient Greek philosophers. Yellow bile was connected to the element of fire, which is the element of Gryffindor house, and someone with an excess of it was believed to be bad-tempered, as Ron is. The English adjective “bilious” also applies to those who have an irritable temper. “Weasley” originates in the English word “weasel”, but it also correlates with the English word “wizard”. J.K. Rowling said: “In Britain and Ireland the weasel has a bad reputation as an unfortunate, even malevolent, animal. However, since childhood I have had a great fondness for the family mustelidae; not so much malignant as maligned, in my opinion” [1]. The Weasleys and the weasel both share red hair.

Studying the origin of the name of Draco Lucius Malfoy, we observe that Draco's name, like those of many members of his maternal family, the House of Black, is derived from that of a constellation. “Draco” is also known as the Dragon; “Draco” translates into “dragon” in Latin and “serpent” in Greek. In addition, “Draco” was the name of an Ancient Greek legislator whose laws were notoriously harsh. The word “draconian”, meaning “unusually severe or cruel”, is derived from his name. However, this Ancient Greek legislator simply wrote down laws that were already in existence. In Romanian, “drac” means “devil”. The name Lucius may come from the Roman dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who extra judiciously executed his rivals. His name could also be a reference to the Roman Emperor Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also known as Nero. Lucius is a name that derives from Latin meaning “bright” or “intelligent” and is related to the name Lucifer, the first name of Satan. As for the surame, Malfoy (in Latin “malus”) means “bad” and “mal” means “pale”. “Mal foi” means “bad faith, an act with bad intentions, or a malicious act”, in French “Mal de foi” means a “loss of faith”. The similar French phrase “Mal fait” can be interpreted as “badly made” or “evil deeds”. In Arthurian legends, Lancelot is sometimes called “Le Chevallier Mal Fait” (the “mal fait” knight). “Foy” means “a farewell feast, drink, or gift, as at a wedding”.

As can be inferred from the etymology of the name of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore the word Albus may be the masculine form of “Alba”, the Gaelic name for Scotland or an Italian word meaning “sunrise”, possibly alluding to the rebirth symbols associated with him as phoenix. It is also a Latin word for white, and thus could be meant to invoke Good as traditionally associated with white, or merely to refer to his long white hair and beard. Percival is the name of a legendary Arthurian knight from Wales involved in the Grail quest. In “Le morte d'Arthur” by Thomas Mallory, Percival is both the hero of the quest for the Grail and the narrator of the tale, as is the case for Dumbledore in parts of the story. It is a name which presumably comes from his father. Wulfric is an Anglo-Saxon name found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and could be representative of England. Wulfric translates literally as “wolf-power”, and is reminiscent of another similar name, Beowulf, which means “powerful wolf-bear”. The legendary hero Beowulf slew the monster Grendel as a youth, a name similar to Gellert Grindelwald, the dark wizard Dumbledore defeated in his own youth. Beowulf was fatally wounded by a dragon in a sea cave, and the only one who would help him was his squire, an orphaned son of some loyal followers. Dumbledore was also severely wounded by the potion in the Horcrux Cave and the orphaned follower is obviously Harry. Brian is the name of the legendary Irish high-king and hero Brian Boru who defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf near Dublin. Dumbledore himself was a veteran of many wizarding battles against the forces of Darkness. However, this name was probably chosen because of its comicality compared to his other four names. Dumbledore is an old 18th century English word for “bumblebee”. It is still used in Newfoundland, Canada, to refer to a bumblebee. Rowling stated she imagined him flitting about the castle humming to himself. Albus Dumbledore could also be inspired from JK Rowling's old school headmaster, Alfred Dunn.

Literature

name history brian ronald

1. About the Books: transcript of J.K. Rowling's live interview on Scholastic.com [Åëåêòðîííèé ðåñóðñ] // Scholastic.com. - 16 October 2000. - Ðåæèì äîñòóïó: http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2000/1000-scholastic-chat.htm

2. Harry Potter wiki [Åëåêòðîííèé ðåñóðñ] - Ðåæèì äîñòóïó: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/

3. Name Origins [Åëåêòðîííèé ðåñóðñ] / Mugglenet - Ðåæèì äîñòóïó: http://www.mugglenet.com/books/name_origins_characters.shtml

4. Behind the name: the etymology and history of surnames [Åëåêòðîííèé ðåñóðñ] - Ðåæèì äîñòóïó: http://surnames.behindthename.com/name/potter

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