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Harry Potter

 

Harry Potter is one of the most known stories out there. Millions of people in the world love it. (Or if you're Mr. Mural, you don't like it). But what many people don't realize is that many of the names of the characters come from Latin words that describe the character. Here are some examples:

 

  • Albus Dumbledore: In Latin the word 'albus' means white. J.K. Rowling probably used this in naming Dumbledore because of his white beard. She most likely also used this translation of Dumbledore's name when she (SPOILERS)  makes Dumbledore's tomb white when he dies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accuracy Rating: 9/10

(Most Translations of the Spells and names represented the character or the spells purpose)

 

*Choose another Pop Culture Icon*

 

 

 

  • Blaise Zabini: Blaise's name is derived from the Latin word 'blaesus', which means 'lisping'. To lisp is to pronounce letters like 's' and 'z' incorrectly. not much is known about Blaise, other than the fact that he was in Slytherin. So, there is not really a connection from the meaning of his name to the actual character, other than the fact that one could say lisping sounds like a snake and that Blaise was in Slytherin, which has a snake as their symbol.

  • Dolores Umbridge: The word 'Dolores" in Latin translates directly into the word 'pains', and if you have read the books, you know that Umbridge was a horrible, evil person and that it 'pained' us to see her because she was so fake and annoying. Her name couldn't have fit her any better. 'Umbra', which is part of Umbridge's Last name (in case you couldn't read), means shadow. Like a shadow, she is always close to Harry watching what he is doing to find any way thaht he can get in trouble. If you put her first and last name meanings together, you get 'shadow of pain' and that's what she was to Harry and to all of us readers/watchers.

What Do you think Mr. Mural, had enough Harry Potter information thrown at you yet? I don't think so. Here's some more information regarding the spells that they use and the Latin influence in them.

 

  • Accio: Accio is a summoning spell. It is used to do just what the name implies: Summon things. (Amazing, I know). But what's really cool is its meaning in Latin. Are you ready for this? In Latin, 'Accio' means 'I summon'...So based on that I would have to say that the spell's translation is pretty accurate to what it's supposed to accomplish.

  • Amortentia: In Latin the word 'amor' means 'love', just as it does in many other languages. The other part of the spell, the 'tentia' part is derived from 'tentare', which means 'to handle' or to make an attempt'. The Amortentia spell is used to make someone fall in love with another person, and the translation does it justice. It does exactly what the name implies 'it makes an attempt at love' towards the person whom the character wants to be loved by.

  • Aparecium: This spell is used to reveal invisible words, and it's translation from Latin agrees with that. The word 'aperio', in which the spell derived its name from means to 'reveal' or 'make clear'.

  • Crucio (Cruciatus Curse): In Latin 'crucio' translates to 'I torture' which is exactly what you would do if you were to use the Cruciatus Curse.

  • Expecto Patronum: The Expecto Patronum spell or better known as "The Make the Dementors Go Away Spell" has two parts in Latin. 'Expecto' directly translates to 'I expect' and 'patronus' (the un-accusative version of 'Patronum') means protector. Put the two together, and you get 'I expect a Protector'. This is an accurate translation of the word, as this spell is used to make dementors go away, and to do this, you need a protector. So, when the Expecto Patronum spell is used, a protector is expected to protect the caster from the dementors.

  • Imperio (Imperius Curse): 'Imperio' in Latin mean 'I control', and when you use the Imperius Curse you control whatever you want. Thus, making the translation agree with the use of the spell.

  • Levicorpus: In Latin, 'Levi' means 'lift' and 'corpus' means body. So, what exactly does the Levicorpus spell do? Exactly what the name translates to: It lifts bodies.

 

Are you sleeping yet, Mr. Mural? Sorry for boring you with all of the wonderful Harry Potter related Latin things. I didn't even get all of the spells. But, because I'm such a nice student, I'll save you the torture and move on to the next pop culture icon.

  • Draco Malfoy: 'Draco' (or Drago, as Draco in 3rd hour likes to pronounce it) means Dragon in Latin. This relates to Draco, as he is and his whole family are dedicated to Slytherin, whose house symbol is a snake. A snake could be seen as a Dragon by some, and therefore you could say his name fits him. One could also say that Draco also spat fire at people (said mean things to them in case you couldn't get what I meant, Mr. Mural) in the same way that dragons spit fire at people. The name Malfoy is also derived from the latin word 'malus' which means bad and 'mal' which means pale. All of the Malfoy's are techinically bad and are very, very pale. 

  • Florean Fortescue: Fortescue is a very minor character in the Harry Potter series, but one thing is known: that he owns an ice cream stand. The word 'florean' means flower in Latin, and Fortescue's ice cream was often dscribed as being brightly colored. Flowers are also brightly colored. Coincidence? I think Not.

  • Lucius Malfoy: 'Lucius' was a character in the Latin play Julius Caesar. Lucius, in the play, was also one of the main conspiritors wanting to kill Caesar, who was the ruler of Rome. This is similar to the Lucius in the book/movie because like Lucius, Malfoy is one of the head conspirators who want to bring back Voldemort and overthrow the Ministry (the wizarding world's government). so, there is definitely a correspondence between the Lucius in Harry Potter and the Lucius in Julius Caesar. *See also: Draco Malfoy

  • Ludo Bagman: In latin 'Ludo' means 'I play' and Ludo Bagman did play...Quidditch. 

  • Quirinus Quirrell: You didn't know Quirrell had a first name? It's okay, neither did I. 'Quirinus' is derived from 'co' and 'viri' which basically translates in Latin to 'two men'. If you've read the books or seen the movies, you know that Quirrell was also Voldemort in the first book/movie, and thus was two men. Therefore his name describes the character himself.

  • Severus Snape: Many people say that 'Severus' sounds like the Latin word for servant, which is 'servos'. If we put two and two together, it can be seen that that is why J.K. Rowling names Snape 'Severus'. His first name sounds so much like the Latin word for 'Slave', and Severus Snape was a servant to the Dark Lord (AkA Voldemort, AkA He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named). To say that Rowling did this on accident is a lie. She knew exactly what she was doing naming Snape 'Severus'.

  • Remus Lupin: Remus, according to Roman mythology, had a twin brother named Romulus, that were ordered to death. Instead it was decided that if they could survive after being thrown into the Tiber river, that they deserved to live. well, surprise, surprise, they did. They were raised by a she-wolf and they lived happily ever after (not really, but I'm not going to go into details). So, thats where Lupin's first name ties in...it basically means that he's part wolf. And, if that wasn't enough evidence to make you sure that Lupin was a wolf, his last name is derived from the Latin word 'lupa', which means 'wolf'. Talk about major spoilers to the series just from a name.

  • Rubeus Hagrid: In Latin, 'Ruber', the word in which Hagrid's name derived from, means 'red'. Hagrid is in no means at all red. The only thing of him that gets anywhere close to red is his face when he is embarrassed, nervous, or flattered. Other than that, Hagrid does not live up to the true meaning of his name.

  • Lord Voldemort: There are many diffferent theories to Voldemort's name. But, since this is a Latin project, I'm going to stick with the Latin theory. Voldemort's name is derived from the Latin word 'valde' which means 'great, powerful, or strong'. I don't know about you, but when i think of 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' those are the words that come to mind. So Voldemort's name definitely fits with the type of character he is. 

 

Iola Buckner-Gaudynski

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