- Confirmed by JK Rowling
- Very confident in its accuracy
- Moderately confident in its accuracy
- Not very confident
- Confirmed false, but I felt like posting it anyway.
Tarantallegra - Spell used by Malfoy during Dueling Club to make Harry dance
- A portmanteau of "Tarantella" and "Allegro". "Tarantella" is dance originating in southern Italy. In its most common modern form it is a flirtatious couple dance to music in 6/8 meter, constantly increasing in speed, and typically accompanied by castanets and a tambourine. "Allegro" is a quick, lively tempo, and also means "quickly" in Italian.
Tenebrus - Hagrid's favourite Thestral
- "Tenebrous" means "dark, gloomy, obscure."
Thestral - magical creature only visible to those who have seen someone die
- Current theory: Thespis was 6th cent. B.C. Greek poet; reputed founder of tragic drama. The word "thespian" (adj) can pertain to tragedy and drama in general. As "spectral" pertains to ghosts and spectres, "thestrals" are connected with tragedy. This must be why they are seen as such bad omens.
- Previous possible connection: Thestius was an Aetolian king and son of Ares, god of War.
Thickey, Janus - claimed to have been killed by a Lethifold, but soon discovered five miles away, living with the landlady of the Green Dragon. Also namesake of a wing at St. Mungo's.
- Janus was the two-faced Roman god of doorways, beginnings, and the rising and setting of the sun. To descibe one as Janus-faced is to call him "deceitful," which is exactly what this Janus was.
- "Thickey" is British slang for "an idiot."
The inhabitants of the St. Mungo's wing suffer from permanent spell damage. The "Janus" two-faced aspect possibly references schizophrenia, and "thickey" represents those with diminished mental capacity (like our friend Lockhart).
Tom Marvolo Riddle - See "Riddle, Tom Marvolo (Jr.)"
Tonks, Andromeda Black - Sirius' favourite cousin, Nymphadora Tonks' mother
- Andromeda is a northern constellation directly south of Cassiopeia between Pegasus and Perseus. In Greek myth, she was a princess rescued from a monster by the hero Perseus.
Tonks, Nymphadora - clumsy young Auror, a member of the Order of the Phoenix. A metamorphmagus.
- "Nymphadora" is a name clearly intended for a delicate, dainty, feminine young girl that represents everything Tonks isn't. Nymphs were minor divinities of nature in classical mythology represented as beautiful maidens dwelling in the mountains, forests, trees, and waters. The fact that she prefers to go by "Tonks," which is remniscent of "tonkers" (British slang for "testicles") is telling.
Toujours Pur - Black family motto
- French for "always pure", in regard to the family's pureblood obsession.
Transmogrifian Torture - one of the curses Lockhart brags about
- "Transmogrify" means "to transform, especially in a magical or surprising manner". Steve (Harry Potter Lexicon) also informs me the "Transmogrifier" is a gun (and later a cardboard box) that transforms Calvin (of "Calvin and Hobbes") into various creatures.
Trelawney, Cassandra - Sibyl Trelawney's great-great-grandmother, a celebrated Seer.
- "Cassandra" was a woman from Greek mythology. She was blessed with the gift of prophecy from Apollo, but cursed by the lack of power to persuade people. At the end of the Trojan War, Cassandra foresaw the danger posed by the Trojan horse, but the people of Troy ignored her warnings and the Greek soldiers hiding inside the horse were able to capture the city. She was then given as a war prize to Agamemnon. She returned to Greece with Agamemnon, and tried to warn him of the danger which awaited him there, but once again her prophecy was ignored, and both she and Agamemnon were murdered by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. (Paraphrased from Encyclopedia Mythica)
Trelawney, Sibyl Patricia - crackpot divination professor
- "Sibyl", in Greek and Roman mythology, was any woman inspired with prophetic power by the god Apollo. The sibyls lived in caves or near streams and prophesied in a frenzied trance, usually in Greek hexameters, which were handed down in writing. Prophesizing in a trance? Sounds like Trelawney!
- "Trelawney" may come from Sir Arthur Wing Pinero's well-known play "Trelawney of the "Wells" (1898), about life in a theatrical company. Pinero is a British author, and JKR tends to get a lot of names from famous British people. Jenna theorizes that she could be named for Trelawney, hero of a Cornish poem called 'And Shall Trelawney Die?'. This is perhaps a reference to her custom of telling one student a year he will die before its end.
Troll - Gigantic, fearsome, violent, and yet incredibly stupid creatures.
- In Scandinavian myth, trolls are ugly, malicious creatures and the enemies of mankind. They are much bigger and stronger than humans, and leave their caves only after dark to hunt. If they are exposed to sunlight they will instantly turn to stone. Trolls are very fond of human flesh. In later myths they are roughly the size of humans or elves, and thought to be the owners of buried treasures.
Troy - player on the Irish Quidditch team
- Moran, Troy, and Quigley are all close friends of JK Rowling. 'Troy' is one of her very oldest friends, and she also happens to be a passionate supporter of West Ham Football Club. It is in her honour that the only soccer team ever mentioned in the books is West Ham.
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