Rowling had an ulterior motive for her name! ! ! One of the biggest losses in reading the Chinese version of Harry Potter is that it’s often impossible to see the care Rowling takes in naming the characters. Here are some interesting ones, some from foreign forums (I don’t understand Latin!), and some of them are my own ideas. Gryffindor: The name Gryffindor comes from the French gryffin d'or, which means golden griffin. Gryphon is a half-lion, half-eagle creature in Greek mythology. Christianity later often used it as a symbol of Jesus because it represents control of the earth (lion) and sky (eagle). Slytherin: Slytherin is a change from the English Slithering. The word means to slither in a sinuous manner and is often used to describe snakes. Ravenclaw: Ravenclaw, literally translated as raven's paw. Hufflepuff: Hufflepuff, derived from English Huff and Puff. Both words are related to blowing. This name is not very flattering. Muggle: Muggle is derived from the English slang Mug, which means fool. Albus Dumbledore: Albus means white in Latin, because Dumbledore is a "white wizard" who is opposed to the dark wizard Voldemort. According to Rowling, Dumbledore is another way of writing bumble-bee in English. She thought that since Dumbledore liked music, he probably often hummed while walking. Riddle (Voldemort’s original name): Riddle means “riddle” in English! As soon as I saw this name, I knew Rowling was going to play a word game! Voldemort: Voldemort is derived from the French Vole de mort, which means "flight of death" or "flight from death". Severus Snape: Severus means severe in Latin, which is perfectly consistent with Snape's character. Snape is the name of a small town in England. But there is only one letter difference between this word and the English word snake! Remus Lupine: Lupine comes from the Latin root Lup, which means wolf - Lupine is "wolf-like" and Lupus is "wolf". It is said that residents of France and Normandy sometimes call werewolves "Lupin"! Remus is even more interesting. This is the name of one of the twins who was fed by a she-wolf in Roman legend! Sirius Black: Sirius is, of course, Sirius (but there is no "little" meaning! The translation is confusing!), and Black (Black) is "black". He transforms into a big black dog. Peter Pettigrew: The name Peter is too common and seems to have no special meaning (why does the translation reverse the name? Inexplicable!). Pettigrew means "very small" - no star! This name can also be broken down into Pet I Grew, which almost means "I became a pet"! Interesting! Argus Filch: Filch (Filch) is the English verb "to steal", and Argus (Argus) is a giant monster with a hundred eyes in Greek mythology, who was killed by Hera, the wife of the great god Zeus. Sent to guard the lover who was turned into a heifer by Zeus. Hagrid: According to Rowling, Hagrid is an Old English word that means "a bad night/a bad night." She explained that Hagrid often had trouble sleeping because he drank so much! Quirrell: There's only one letter difference between Quirrel and Squirrel, and it's also very similar to quarrel! Sybill Trelawney: The meaning of Trelawney is uncertain, but Sybill (Sybill) in Greek and Roman mythology is the title of the female prophets who were inspired by the sun god Apollo to make prophecies. Fleur Delacour: Fleur Delacour is French, and its literal translation means flowers in the palace. By extension, it refers to aristocratic women. Alastor Moody: Alastor is a vengeful devil in Greek mythology, while Moody means changeable emotions in English.
Professor Binns (the ghost who teaches History of Magic): Binns is pronounced very close to Been, which is the past participle form of the verb Be in English. The professor has become a ghost, indeed a thing of the past. Fluffy (Hagrid's three-headed dog): The original name is Fluffy. The word means "furry" and is often used as a name for puppies and kittens. Hagrid gave a ferocious three-headed giant dog a little pug name, which is really cute. The Dursley family: Dursley: Dursley is the name of a small town in England. Dudley: Dudley is a change from the British slang Dud, which means boring person. Aunt Petunia: Petunia means purple morning glory, and the name of her sister, Harry's mother Lily, means lily. Morning glories symbolize anger and hatred, while lilies symbolize purity. Malfoy family: Malfoy: Malfoy is a change from the French mal foi, which means bad faith. This family does believe in black magic! Draco: Draco means dragon in Latin, and dragons are associated with Satan in the West. Draco is also the name of an extremely cruel legislator in ancient Athens. (A certain pirated VCD translated it as "Brother Malfoy", haha~) Lucius: Lucius and Lucifer (the devil Lucifer in the Bible) are very close. Like Draco, Lucius was also the name of a very cruel legislator in ancient Athens. At the same time, there was once a Saint Lucius who succeeded Saint Connally as Pope. Connery is the name of Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Does this mean Malfoy will become the new Minister of Magic? Narcissa (Mrs. Malfoy): Narcissa comes from the character Narcissus in Greek mythology, the young man who had a narcissistic plot and fell in love with his own shadow in the water. In addition, Hermione: Hermione is the name of a character in Shakespeare's famous play "The Winter's Tale". Hedwig: Hedwig is the name of a 12th-century German female saint. Professor McGonagall's name is Minerva, which is usually translated as Minerva, the goddess of wisdom in Roman mythology, which is also the goddess Athena in Greek mythology. Speaking of which, the most common name is Harry Potter. Rowling said she just liked the name Harry. But I think this is also to show that real heroes are actually ordinary people. The names of the Weasleys are also very ordinary, because they represent the most ordinary happy family.