Episode #52: Meet the New Wizards
We met several new wizards and witches in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Some we’d actually met before, but never really got to know properly; others were brand-spanking new characters. Each one, of course, comes with a mini-mystery in their name, a tiny puzzle only to be attempted by a stalwart few. This week, we take a look at some of the new witches and wizards and try to decipher something from their names. So, Elphias Doge, Bathilda Bagshot and, of course, Pius Thicknesse: step on up, it’s your moment to shine!
A few pages referenced in the podcast:
- A page with details on a few Potter character’s names and their relation to people from the real world.
- HogwartsProfessor.com (John Granger) on the possible connection between Pope Pius XII and Pius Thicknesse.
- Sword of Gryffindor on the Fabian Society.
No news this week.
You can listen to the podcast with the player below, or download an mp3 directly.
September 26th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Very cool episode- I liked the Pius business, I think a WWII/Deathly Hallows podcast would be fascinating.
(Was Hestia Jones the name you were looking for at the end?)
September 26th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
No, the name was emmeline vance.
September 26th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Oh, I love that name. Poor Emmeline… Right, and the waterskiing budgie-thing was from the news at the beginning of OotP.
September 26th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Ok, I am going to start throwing down the gauntlet for Penny in terms of Star wars trivia, okay, three questions, get ready:
1) What was the name of the rebel Admiral that planed the final offensive against the Empire (the Battle of Endor) in “The Return of the Jedi”?
2) What was the name of the protocol issued by the Emperor to the Clone Army to extinguish the Jedi in “Revenge of the Sith”?
and finally,
3) Where was the first major battle of the Clone War fought?
September 26th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Penny,
Does this ring a bell?
“Harry finally relaxed. If they were talking about waterskiing budgrigars, nothing could have happened.”
He’s Budgy the budgy.
September 26th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Budgies reference in Order of the phoenix when he is listening to the news from the flower bed. Penny dont feel bad, I havent even seen the star wasrs ‘old’ movies but ive seen the new ones. But I know in one of the old ones a guy in a white helmet hits his head on a doorframe at some point.
September 26th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
These last Penny produced subjects have me starting out every comment with the word. Hmmmmmmmm. Her preparation and subject disection is very commendable. The name of a character is certainly a tool used by the author to give us a type of first impression of them. I agree that J K. Rowling used several sources and whims to come up with names from mythology and history, Perhaps from other favorite stories that she had read. I think you guys hit this subject about right. Any deeper would be a journey into geekatium, any less would have made it pointless. Lots of effort on both your parts to investigate each name and come up with a plausible prognostication. I am thinking up some star wars questions.
September 27th, 2007 at 12:05 am
Hey guys, great podcast as usual. I really liked the focus on Pius Thicknesse and I think you are dead-on with your analogy with Pope Pius XII being analogous to the idea of Thicknesse being Voldemort’s puppet . When we first see him at the ministry at the beginning of the book, Rowling describes him as wearing “magnificent robes of black and gold”- she actually mentions this a couple of times. Gold is an important liturgical colour in the Catholic Church symbolizing purity and that which is precious (Christ’s blood)- I like how she has the black mingled with the gold to symbolize Thicknesses’ coersion and corruption by Voldemort.
September 27th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Interesting show - I’m still listening to it, but I wanted to pipe up on Xenophilius and his Deathly Hallows symbol. It is a pretty much direct parallel to the swastika, which you mentioned hypothetically. Try here: “Reclaiming the Swastika” http://www.beliefnet.com/story/178/story_17871_1.html
also, Alecto - the name you might want to consider for Erinyes is FURIES. They’re called the Kindly Ones, but it’s an ironic name for part of their mythological careers - Alecto is one of the sisters who punish impiety, especially parricides (killers of a parent). The Furies famously pursued Orestes into madness after he killed his mother, Clytemnestra (who had killed his father, Agamemnon). I thought Alecto was pretty appropriate for a cruel teacher. Crucio would be right up the Furies’ alley.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
the swastika is an anciet buddhist symbol meaning balance and eternal harmony.
September 27th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Drink Coke , Play Again……..
September 27th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Greg can you tell me your reasons why you don’t like Star Wars episodes 1, 2, and 3?
September 27th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
You know Potter’s #1 Fan. I have wondered that as well. I am reminded of a quote from the great film media masterpiece” Wayne’s World” where Wayne and Garth are discussing Star Trek the Next Generation and comparing it with the original TV series. I believe they described it as being far superior in many ways but will never attain the noteriety of the original. Now I do not wish to put words in Greg’s mouth but put a mullet hair do on him and I can hear him saying that.
September 28th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Hi Guys, I just listened to the first half of the show and thought that Bathilda had to have more of a meaning so had a little poke around the internet and came up with this:
Its source is baten hild, an Ancient Germanic name meaning “Commanding in battle.”
Could it have been a clue as to what was going to happen at Godric’s Hollow? She was definitely “commanding in battle” when she turned into Nagini.
September 28th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
I also just found a reference to a bird : Star Finch - Bathilda ruficauda
What was it you were saying about the budgie?
September 29th, 2007 at 11:41 am
Dudley is a place in england. Snape is a place in england, these are all in the south east.
September 29th, 2007 at 11:47 am
I just ahve a suggestion for Greg and Penny. Would you make a Vox hpprgos site. I think this would be a nice way for everyone to interact. check it out @ http://www.vox.com. (It’s free)
TQ
September 29th, 2007 at 11:49 am
gregs wiz rock was awesome!
September 29th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
penny-
i am also a “slythrclaw”
September 29th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Just a question for everyone: Which scene from Half Blood Prince are you most looking forward to in the film version? Mine would have to be the scene in which Harry gets the final memory from Slughorn with Felix Felicis.
September 29th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
I also had another thought. When reading the 7th book, did anyone think back to clues that were put into the earlier books? I think it would be fun to reread Sorcerer’s Stone knowing the outcome of the whole series to see what clues are “so obvious” now that we know what happened, and what things were total red herrings. I wish I had an example of this; does anyone have a good one?
October 1st, 2007 at 10:49 am
Did you guys know that “Minerva” was a Roman name for one of the greek gods?
October 1st, 2007 at 10:56 am
Wasn’t she in Clash of the Titans? Had a goat boy for a son. Lots in common there with that movie and HP. Witches, Magic Eyes, Owls, Invisability helmet, Hmmmmm many connections. I bet Professor Monigal have up some plot hints.
October 1st, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Great podcast! Keep it up, and I really appreciate that you have a new episode every week. I like schedules, and I know that I will spend part of every Friday listening to the newest HPProgs podcast. Thanks.
I am just beginning another reread of all the books to pick up on clues left in earlier books. Can’t wait to see what there is.
And Penny, just out of curiosity, what makes you a “Slytherclaw” instead of one or the other? And Greg, are you a Ravenclaw? Why or how did you come up with that?
October 1st, 2007 at 12:39 pm
You guys have talked about the name Wormtail being an homage to Grima Wormtongue from LOTR. I always thought of it as also a reference to Wormwood, the young demon in training from C. S. Lewis’s ‘The Screwtape Letters’.
Also, you mention the name Luna giving an impression of the character being in her own world, like she’s always ‘mooning about’. Luna coming from the Latin for moon. I think you’re right, but also, it used to be believed that the moon caused people to go crazy. The word ‘lunatic’ comes from Latin for moon also, from which we’ve derived the term ‘looney’.
October 1st, 2007 at 12:40 pm
I side with Greg on the Star Wars “prequels” . . . the world would have been better off without them . . . when George lost his wife, the whole story just went down the tubes I’m sorry to say . . .
I’m listening guys - just really busy lately so no time to post . . . back at ya when I get through me campaign . . . keep it up eh . . .
October 1st, 2007 at 4:35 pm
OMG I’m SOOOOO sorry I haven’t been keeping up with the podcast. I started school, I didn’t like it so I changed schools to a stupid school with only a bunch of rich, snobby, horrid people, I’ve been SO BUSY!!! I’m so sorry yall. I’ll listen to the last few and start commenting again, promise.
Oh, and I’ve never seen Star Wars, just from looking through the comments, there is some Star Wars discussion. So……I’ve never seen/read the Lord of the Rings either.
October 1st, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Im planning to study classics(roman/greek) in college and it was the Roman furies not the Fates as greg said Alecto was one of the furies, the furies would torchure you if you killed a blood relative. The fates were the 3 sisters who were the people who decided on the life lines (spinner,measurer, and the cutter), many things and names in harry potter come from greek or roman mytthology/orgin
October 1st, 2007 at 9:09 pm
In my defense, I said they were “like” the Fates, not that they “were” the Fates.
October 2nd, 2007 at 7:21 pm
“OK”
October 3rd, 2007 at 8:46 am
OK, I am finally responding to the star wars stuff. I just haven’t had the time to think about it until now.
Greg in T:
1. Admiral Akbar?
I will admit, I no next to nothing about the prequals. I saw them once each and that it is. But, I do not think that doesn’t make me a star wars fan.
Now to the waterskiing budrigars- can I be completely honest? I am ashamed to admit that they are a vague memory in my head. I think I can consider myself and Uber-Harry Potter fan (I do a freakin HP podcast, for crying out loud!), but for some reason, this did not stick with me. oh well. It is shameful.
MissouriMama (by the way, thanks for the kind words on the facebook group wall)- I am a slytherclaw because I have characteristics of both slytherin (I can be very sly and cunning when I want to be) and a Ravenclaw (I am sort of nerdy and bookish) so I couldn’t decide- ergo, I became a Slytherclaw. In the meantime, recently, I have been demonstrating some Hufflepuff tendencies so I am at a complete loss. Ironically, I don’t have any gryffindor in me- oh well.
Greg chose ravenclaw because of his pseudo-intellectual nature.
October 3rd, 2007 at 8:47 am
I can not believe I wrote “no” instead of “know”. I am ashamed to call myself a slytherclaw.
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:18 am
True Star Wars fans would acknowledge the prequels as Georgie’s last bid to milk what’s left from the brand/merchandise of the original movies . . . I thought it was great how Anakin whines like a girl the whole film - how could Princess Amadala fall for such a prat?!? “Obi-won won’t let me do this . . .”, “Obi-wan won’t let me do that . . .” I am an angry spoiled young guy who wants to ride wannabe space-harleys (a tell tale sign of George’s age - why do old guys like big loud bikes?) and do it in the space clover - your planet or mine baby . . .
Definitely Slytherin all tha’ way baby!
Frances - Read Lord of the Rings. Now. It will help inform your reading of Harry and give you a necessary base in fantasy literature. Aside from that, it really is a damn good book. There are slow parts (Tolkein spends like 20 pages describing a chasm) but overall it carries really well.
October 5th, 2007 at 11:57 am
I don’t consider myself that great of a fan of hp because I only started reading the books after I watched the fourth movie and I wanted to know what happened next, but I did remember the budgier that water skied as part of the news from when Harry was listening to the news from the flowerbed in OotP listening for info on Voldemort.
Isn’t “the blond death eater” Rowle as mentioned in both DH and HBP?
October 8th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
i too would be a slytherclaw. slytherclaws of the world unit!
October 10th, 2007 at 1:04 am
Okay, now for being the 21 year old python fan that I am, I have yet to see Spamalot BUT you so got the Camelot song SO wrong…..
*sings*
We’re knights of the round table, we dance whenever we’re able
We do routines and chorus scenes and footwork inpeccable
We dine while here in Camelot we eat ham and jam and spamalot!
Sorry I just had to point out how terribly wrong you were…..(and for the record I can sing it in German too!)
It’s my mom’s fault don’t even say it!
Oh and I love your podcast I’ve listened since the beginning!
February 29th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Sorry for this comment on an old post but I just discovered your podcast on Microsoft Zune and I am hooked!!!! I have been listening to podcasts in conjunction with reading the comments from everyone.
I wanted to add to name Kingsley Shacklebolt mentioned in the podcast. Yes, he is described as black in the Advance Guard chapter of OOP. He is a tall, bald black wizard with a deep, slow voice. He is also described as having a gold earring in his ear. This earring is missing in HBP or DH whichever book he is seen guarding the muggle prime minister.
Knowing JKRs use of names that focus on injustice the name Shacklebolt brings to my mind slavery in America. (shackles and bolts)
“thought you ought to know”
Kimberly