The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter (84 page)

LOVEGOOD
,
LUNA:
This sweet, eccentric, and valiant member of Dumbledore’s Army shares her name with the Roman goddess of the moon. Since antiquity, the moon has been associated with odd behavior, enchantment, creatures of the night, and, well, lunacy. Our Luna is not truly loony, but she does move in an orbit all her own.

LOVEGOOD
,
XENOPHILIUS:
The name Xenophilius combines the Greek roots
xeno
(“strange, foreign, alien”) and
philia
(“love, affinity, friendship”) to create a brand-new word meaning “lover of strange things.” It’s the opposite of
xenophobia
, a real word that means “fear of strange things.” Xenophilius Lovegood surrounds himself with the strange: he dresses strangely, believes in strange creatures no one else think exist, and publishes strange stories in his tabloid newspaper
The Quibbler
.

LUPIN
,
REMUS:
Unless you know a little Latin and some Roman lore, you might miss the clues that suggest this likable professor is a
werewolf
. Lupin (from
lupus
, the Latin for “wolf”) means “wolf-like.” Remus is the name of a legendary boy who was abandoned as an infant and nursed by a she-wolf until he was rescued by humans. Lupin’s nickname is Moony because he transforms to a werewolf when the moon is full.

MALFOY
,
DRACO:
Judging from their last name, none of the Malfoys should be trusted. In French, their name means “bad faith”
(mal + foi). Draco
is Greek for “dragon, snake, or serpent.” It’s a suitable name for someone who lives in the House of Slytherin and has family connections to You-Know-Who.
Draco
was also the name of an Athenian statesman noted for his severe legal code, which punished even trivial crimes with death. The world
draconian
means exceedingly cruel or harsh. Both Draco and his father share a taste for cruelty.

MALFOY
,
LUCIUS:
Lucius, a common name in ancient Rome, comes from the Latin root
lux
, meaning “light.” Despite this positive connotation, the name is fitting for the Death Eater because of its similarity to
Lucifer
(“light bringer”), the archangel who, in Christian tradition, fell from heaven and became Satan.

MAXIME
,
MADAM
OLYMPE:
She prefers not to own up to her half-giant heritage, but the bountiful Beauxbatons headmistress has size built into her name.
Olympe
is the French word for Mt. Olympus, the largest mountain in Greece and the home of gods and giants.
Maxime
is French for “exceeding,” or “to the fullest degree,” which is to say, really, really, really big.

MCGONAGALL
,
MINERVA:
This wise and valiant Hogwarts professor shares her name with the Roman goddess of wisdom and war. Like her Greek counterpart Athena, Minerva is said to have sprung from the head of her father, Zeus, in full battle armor.

MOODY
,
ALASTOR
(MAD-EYE):
Alastor is a perfect name for an Auror. It derives from the Greek for “defender or avenger,” and in ancient Greek literature, it was the name for a type of avenging deity that punished evil-doers and enacted retribution. Moody, of course, means “temperamental,” “brooding,” or “glowering,” all of which describe Mad-Eye. Moody may also be a nod to a character named Mr. Moodie who also wears an eye patch and appears in the pages of
The Blithedale Romance
by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

NAGINI:
Nagini
is the Hindi word for a female snake (the male is called a
nag
). In Hindu mythology, Nagini are also semi-divine beings that usually take the form of giant serpents, but can also shape-shift into human form. Unlike Voldemort’s serpent, Nagini are not symbols of evil.

POTTER
,
LILY:
In flower lore, the lily traditionally symbolizes purity and innocence. Compare with her sister’s name, Petunia.

SHACKLEBOLT
,
KINGSLEY:
This is another great name for an Auror. A
shackle
is a device for cuffing the wrists or ankles of a felon, just what an Auror might need when transporting a prisoner to Azkaban. A
shacklebolt
is simply the bolt that passes through the eye of the shackle and locks the limb in place. In heraldry, displaying a shacklebolt on a coat of arms symbolized victory and meant the bearer had taken prisoners, or freed his own soldiers from an enemy camp. Kingsley was originally an English family name meaning “king’s woods.” When Shacklebolt appears on the Potterwatch radio program, he hints at his identity by calling himself Royal.

SHUNPIKE
,
STAN:
A shunpike is a side road taken to avoid paying a toll on a turnpike. Why the Knight Bus driver needs to shun paying tolls we don’t know, but he does have an unsettling habit of jumping from highway to byway without warning.

SKEETER
,
RITA:
It’s fun to say and it says a lot.
Skeeter
is slang for mosquito, an annoying insect that buzzes around, looking to draw blood. Just like what this reporter for the
Daily Prophet
does for a living. She can also transform into a beetle and “bug” a conversation without anyone being the wiser.

SLYTHERIN
,
SALAZAR:
Slytherin
is a variation of
slithering
, the side-to-side motion snakes use to get around. Slytherin, of course, is deeply connected to serpents. He built the Chamber of Secrets and was among the first to speak Parseltongue.
Salazar
likely refers to Antonio Salazar, the dictator of Portugal whose repressive policies favored the upper-classes—as Salazar Slytherin favored the pure bloods—over the common folk. The initials are also telling. The SS was a brutal military force in Nazi Germany responsible for enforcing the doctrine of pure-blooded racial supremacy—a doctrine likewise espoused by Slytherin.

SNAPE
,
SEVERUS:
In Latin,
severus
means “stern, strict, rigorous.”
Snape
is an antiquated word meaning “to be hard upon, to rebuke.” Sounds like the Snape we know—especially when he’s dealing with Harry Potter. Several Roman emperors bore the name Severus, as did several saints. Snape is also the name of a small town in England.

SPROUT
,
POMONA:
Master of mandrakes and all else connected to the cultivation of plants, Professor Sprout shares her name with
Pomona
, the Roman goddess of fruit and botanical arts. A sprout, of course, is a shoot put out by seedling as it begins to grow. The word is also slang for “a child,” and encourages us to imagine the herbology professor as short, busy, and covered with dirt.

TONKS
,
NYMPHADORA:
Poor Tonks has a name that doesn’t suit her. In classical mythology, nymphs are female nature spirits usually depicted as young, beautiful, shy and graceful. Tonks is often awkward and clumsy. She’s also an Auror and mighty tough. The
dora
part of her name comes from
doron
, a Greek word meaning “gift.” So Nymphadora means “gift of the Nymphs.” It’s a lovely name, but apparently not in the opinion of its owner, since she never uses it and prefers to be called simply Tonks.

TRELAWNEY
,
SYBILL:
This often spacey
Divination
professor traces her lineage to the Sibyls, the earliest prophetesses of ancient Greece and Rome (see
Prophecy
). Described as mad, cave-dwelling creatures, Sibyls delivered their fateful prophecies in a frenzied, trance state, just as Sybill Trelawney does when she foresees the birth of a wizard with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord.

UMBRIDGE
,
DOLORES:
Dolores
is a Spanish name that comes from the Latin
dolor
, meaning “pain, grief, misery.”
Umbridge
is a homophone for “umbrage,” a feeling of annoyance, displeasure, suspicion, or resentment toward any perceived slight. Together they paint a sorry picture of the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, who is suspicious of everyone, easily offended, and quick to mete out brutal and painful punishments. Her title is a reference the Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition, who tortured and killed thousands in the name of
sangre limpa
or “pure blood.” Like the policies enacted under Umbridge, the Inquisition required citizens to spy on their neighbors and turn in anyone suspected of anti-Church (or anti–Ministry of Magic) activities.

VOLDEMORT:
His name means “fleeing from, or running from death.” It’s an invented name that combines the French verb
volar
, meaning “to fly,” with
de mort
, meaning “from death.” Fleeing death is Voldemort’s obsession: It’s what makes him seek the
Sorcerer’s Stone
and compels him to create
Horcruxes
. The name sounds especially ominous because it reminds us of other death-related words formed from the same root:
mortal, morgue, mortify
, and
mortician
.

WEASLEY
FAMILY:
When a family named Weasley lives in a house called the Burrow, you
know
weasels have got to be in the picture somewhere. A
weasel
is a slang term for someone who “rats” or “snitches,” and to “weasel” out of something means to shirk responsibility. But the Weasleys are an honorable clan, and no one in the family does anything of the sort. Rowling chose the name simply for the sound of it, and out of her fondness since childhood for “the family mustelidae”—that is, weasels.

o doubt much of the information contained in this book could have been found in the Hogwarts library. But since Hogwarts has yet to join the interlibrary loan system, we had to rely on our own libraries and the generous help of friends in bringing together the facts, folklore, ideas, and illustrations that make up
The Sorcerer’s Companion
.

We are deeply grateful to Joyce Seltzer for her assistance in getting this project started in the right direction and for providing valuable advice and encouragement along the way. We are also grateful to our agent, Neeti Madan, for finding the perfect editor in Ann Campbell, whose enthusiasm for the project has been an inspiration.

We thank Nancy Hathaway for her contributions to individual entries and for patiently answering our many questions. Frank Ferrara assisted greatly with research on several scary monsters, Bob Fisher advised us on matters of astronomy, and Rebecca Sokolovsky served as our expert on the European witch craze. Our admiration and gratitude also go to Ruby Jackson for creating all of the original illustrations that enliven these pages.

Our very special thanks go to three people: Jessica Meyerson for her significant contributions to several entries and her boundless enthusiasm for all things Harry Potter; Bibi Wein for her careful readings, excellent advice, and inexhaustible support; and Sheri Wilner, who not only conducted research for individual entries but spent countless hours in the archives tracking down the historical illustrations that form such an important part of this book.