- 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.
Vablatsky, Cassandra - author of "Unfogging the Future"
- "Vablatsky" comes from Madame Blavatsky, who is a famous spiritist who founded the Occult Theosophical Society in 1875. (Thanks to The Harry Potter Lexicon)
- "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)
Veela - Bulgarian quidditch mascot.
- "Vila" are Eastern Slavonic wind and storm spirits, capable of calling forth whirlwinds, hailstorms and rain. Depending on their habitats, people speak of land, water, wood and cloud vilas. These female spirits appear in the form of a swan, horse or wolf or, if in human form, as beautiful women, winged and with long hair. They posses eternal youth and are usually friendly towards humans. In Slovakia they are the souls of deceased girls. (From Encyclopedia Mythica)
Martha on HP4GU provided a similar definition: Veela are ghosts of unbaptised women or virgins that are doomed to remain on earth. They often dance in circles and any human who sees them will be forced to join the circle, dancing to his death.
Veritaserum - truth potion
- "Veritas" is Latin for "truth". A serum is a potion.
Viktor Krum - See "Krum, Viktor"
Vincent Crabbe - See "Crabbe, Vincent"
Viridian, Vindictus - author of Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges...(etc)
- "Vindicta" is Latin for "to avenge" or "punish".
- "Viridian" is "a durable bluish-green pigment." Go figure.
Voldemort - Dark wizard
- In French, "Vole de mort" means "flight of Death" or "flight from death" (which I think more accurately represents him), with some hint of also meaning "theft of death". A famous pun on the French word 'vol' was when Napoleon confiscated the estates of surviving nobles of the pre-Revolutionary regime. One of the guys whose estate was confiscated said: "C'est le premier vol de l'aigle', which normally means 'it is the first flight of the eagle' but in this case 'vol' was to be understood as 'theft'. (extended info provided by Rita on eGroups). According to Aberforth's Goat on HP4GU, the "Vol" could be connected to the Latinate "volo" (to wish), meaning "wish of death" or "Death wish".
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