More HP babble / thinking out loud

[thistlechaser]

While wandering sites, looking for information on Crookshanks, I found this most interesting post.

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I recently bought a copy of The Mummy: Unwrap the ancient secrets of mummies tombs by Joyce Tyldesley. This book is basically a coffee-table type book that relates the history of the mummy and the world's fascination with them. As mummies became popular in Europe (specifically England), several individuals held public mummy unwrappings. In 1821, one Joseph Pettigrew, a London surgeon, held the first of several public mummy unwrapping exhibitions. Pettigrew kept excellent notes of his unwrappings, and eventually published History of Egyptian Mummies in 1834. Very coincidental that Rowling would choose the name Pettigrew (which has no other apparent significance) for the man who reanimated Voldemort.

By now, you're probably thinking that I've totally lost it and that this tenuous connection is, at best, coincidental. This connection, however, becomes much less coincidental when you consider that Pettigrew's book was illustrated by one George Cruikshank. I would like to add that both Rowling's Pettigrew and Crookshanks the cat first appeared in Prisoner of Azkaban after Ron's trip to Egypt. Still think it's a coincidence?

I think it's fairly safe to assume that Rowling must have heard of Pettigrew's book (if she hadn't read it in her research), and selected the names from it. While this probably means nothing, it may be an indicator that future novels will start to implement aspects of Egyptian magic. So the next time someone claims that Crookshanks is so-name because of his tail, you can annoyingly correct them and explain that he is named for the illustrator of a book on mummies.

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The funny thing is, in my post about the Crookshanks art, I had a sentence which I deleted out. 'What kind of name is Crookshanks, anyway?'.

I think the writer of that post probably had it right ("it probably means nothing") but it is interesting and I'd believe that that's where the names come from.

Comments

[tersa.livejournal.com]

So the next time someone claims that Crookshanks is so-name because of his tail

'What kind of name is Crookshanks, anyway?'

Actually, I noted while listening to Prisoner of Azkaban that Crookshanks was described several times as being bow-legged. 'Shanks' is generally applied to legs--see King Edward I (I think), also called 'Edward the Longshanks' because he was unusually tall, or even if you've seen Fellowship of the Ring, when the hobbits burst into Aragorn's room, Sam threatens him with "I'll have you, longshanks!", again referring to how tall Aragorn is (compared to the hobbits).

So, I think 'Crookshanks' is actually 'crooked legs'.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Hm. That makes sense, yeah. I knew a shank was a leg part (a term for a cut of meat, I think?), but I guess I never really put it all together. Huh.

[tersa.livejournal.com]

(a term for a cut of meat, I think?)

I think there might be a 'shank steak', but, it is used in the meat industry, yup, especially to describe where the cut comes from (e.g., hams often times are cut in half, and are described as the 'shank end'--lower leg or the 'butt end'--self-explanatory :).

LALALALA.

BTW, damn you for putting thoughts of HP fanfic in my head.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Heehee! It's such an easy progression! First you read a couple stories, then you'll want to write some! And there are so many stories out there, too. Want a funny one? Serious? Sad? It's all available *right* *now*... unlike book #5.

[tersa.livejournal.com]

*snicker*

Thing is, I don't know if I want to try to wade into reading general fanfic sites--mostly because I *don't* want to wade through the bad along with the good.

I'm curious to read yours, though, although I don't want to join a Yahoo! group to do so.

I think your comment about writing about the animals of Hogwarts is what did it for me, though. I didn't entirely like some of the fanfic you posted about, because I felt like they 'broke' the characters, but stuff which stays in-theme and isn't the "god not another one" slash stories...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Wading takes time and tends to make you cry. I'd suggest checking my or someone else's recommendations site. (Mine is: http://www.hot-hot-hot-catlove.com/recs.html .) As a bonus on mine, since I do most of my reading at work, there's almost no slash listed on it (and anything NWS is marked).

I think your comment about writing about the animals of Hogwarts is what did it for me, though. I didn't entirely like some of the fanfic you posted about, because I felt like they 'broke' the characters, but stuff which stays in-theme and isn't the "god not another one" slash stories...

Well, thanks. I hope the story comes out well. It might not end up getting posted to that group, because it might not fit the (rather slashy) theme.

The best fanfics keep the characters IC while putting them in a seemingly OOC situation. It seems an impossible thing, staying IC when it seems like the character would have to be acting OOCly, but the good writers pull it off.

Hey, and can I have a current email address for you?

[tersa.livejournal.com]

The best fanfics keep the characters IC while putting them in a seemingly OOC situation. It seems an impossible thing, staying IC when it seems like the character would have to be acting OOCly, but the good writers pull it off.

Hrm. Although I have a certain respect for writers who can do that, I'm not sure if that's my idea of 'best fanfic'. The fanfic I would like to see is stuff that feasibly explores certain aspects of the characters already presented, or stuff we would never probably see in the books because they're bit characters, or something.

Hey, and can I have a current email address for you?

I'm still at the Yahoo! account :) (which is reachable at tersa at livejournal dot com) Although, I don't tend to read that email frequently. I'm bad. And getting online from home is vaguely anathema to me anymore.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Cool beans. Mail sent.