Naming

In the second book of her Time Quartet, Madeleine L'Engle stressing the importance of Naming. Until a person or object is named, it cannot truly take on the qualities that make it what it is: the qualities that make it unique and original. Of course, it would be a rare find indeed these days to find someone named with originality. We name our children and our pets after someone or something that has meaning to us. Do the children and pets take on the quality then of the object for which they are named? Do we impress on them some great characteristic or ability by simply giving that name? Probably not, but there lies the free will of human (or animal nature).

Authors have things a little different. When they create their characters, they can impress upon them these characteristics and abilities just by giving these paper people certain names. If one is to create a whole other world, naming of all kinds of elements becomes significantly important. Take for example J.K. Rowling and the names she chooses for her characters, and some of her buildings and locales. Many readers may pick up on the witty appropriateness of names like Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Let's name our mangy black dog animagus after the most prominent star in Canis Major, the "big dog" constellation. Or let's give our favorite professor who turns into a werewolf with every full moon a moniker that allies him with one of Rome's famous twins raised by wolves, and the Latin form for wolf or wolf-like. Minerva McGonagall? Roman name for the goddess Athena...wasn't she known for the qualities of wisdom and warfare? I think good ole Minerva certainly lives up to her name time and time again, and certainly in the final installment of the series.

Then there are the names that may be a little more ironic like Regulus Black. Now we have a Death Eater, former member of Slytherin House, named for the brightest star in Leo, the constellation of the lion. Perhaps with the Black surname we could hazard a guess at a meaning of "blacking out" the bright lion. Really, isn't Griffindor House represented by a form of a golden lion (ok, golden griffin, but close, right?). Then we hear Reg's whole story and realize in the end he "sees the light" and works toward the same goal as other Griffindor grads.

Of course, some of the name references are a little less obvious, but none the less appropriate. Tom Riddle's mom, Merope? I'm taking a wild stab here, but could it be appropriate that she's so named because, "In the Pleiades star cluster, only six of the stars shine brightly, the seventh, Merope, shines dully because she is shamed for eternity for having an affair with a mortal." Seems awfully coincidental if not part of a greater plan.

I've already mentioned Sirius Black in terms of namesake, but there's also a correlation with alchemical process. In alchemy, a subject that bears some mention in Rowling's novels, the process of purification, of creating a "philosopher's stone" whether real or metaphorical, takes place in three stages: a black, a white, and a red. So what, you say? Well, we already have Sirius, a character who dies at the end of what many would say is the darkest, or "blackest" books of the series. Where's the white, or rather, who's the white character? Albus Dumbledore, of course. Albus is Latin for white. When does Albus have the most influence on our protagonist? In the sixth book, the one that follows the death of Black. At the end of this book, what happens? Spoiler Alert...Dumbledore dies, white stage over. Finally, the red stage? Hmmm, let's consider Rubeus Hagrid. Yes, rubeus means red in Latin, and while our lovable half-giant thankfully does not die, he does carry Harry through and into the red stage of the work allowing him to finish his process of purification. (I owe much of this knowledge to John Granger who has written volumes on the Potter books, and can be found at the Hogwart's Professor website).

So, is what L'Engle says true? Or was Shakespeare more accurate in his famous love story, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet.” Pay careful attention next time you pick up any work of literature, and remember that naming isn't limited to characters. Then you decide!